But he is good for Israel

The happenings at the Capitol building left most sane people winded. And whereas many were quick to blame 2021 for letting us down so spectacularly and so early into the year, it clearly had little to do with the calendar and everything to do with the former president of the United States, Donald Trump.

Instead of accepting his loss with a hint of dignity and a smattering of grace, Trump chose to cry “Foul!” In doing so, he set off a chain reaction that would not only result in the death of four people but would give his detractors the perfect opportunity to say, “I told you so.” Which they wasted no time at all in doing. And who could blame them, given that they had spent the past five years screaming that this was going to happen.

And happen it did.

Soon after the events, I found myself in a public argument with journalist Richard Poplak, who tweeted, “Yes, but he’s good for Israel”, referring to Trump. I responded with, “You have to be pretty obsessed to try and turn the focus towards Israel. Besides, I’m pretty sure that those white males dressed as Vikings aren’t Zionists.” Whereas I loved the smartness of my answer, the point that he was making was a valid one.

He knew that too, which is why after a series of tweets he wrote, “My tweet points out a prevailing moral failure of many in our community during the Trump era. If this is a time for reflection, no one is better poised to lead it than you.”

I’m uncertain that “no one is better poised to lead” than me, but I will nevertheless give it a try. Because maybe some introspection is required. Although I wasn’t a Trump supporter and publicly stated that I wanted both Biden and Trump to lose, I still hoped that Trump would lose less badly (in other words, to win). It might have been more to do with my thoughts on Biden, but it would nevertheless be disingenuous not to own it. Whereas I have also mentioned numerous times that I abhor many aspects of Trump’s personality and a lot of what he stands for, indeed, he was good for Israel as well as the Middle East (in my view).

I respected how he tried to engage with North Korea as well as his stand against Iran. Although he might not have succeeded in terms of China, I do think his effort was a decent one.

What I liked most about Trump was that I didn’t. Like him. To me, he represented a rare opportunity for nuance and complexity, something that’s largely absent in the world of politics.

Over the last while, we have distilled our view of politicians. We either love them or hate them. We either see no good or we see only bad. Trump awarded us the opportunity to see both in one politician. Through his behaviour, however, he has robbed us of even that.

Whereas I don’t agree with some of Poplak’s views on Israel, he nevertheless raises a point that we should consider. Did Trump’s support for Israel indeed blind us to the reality of what he always was? And if this is the case, what does it say about us and how do we treat the next one that comes along? Whereas I have no clear answer, I know that it is worth thinking about.