In a number of real and deeply concerning ways, “The Age of Trump” upended so many “norms” for the worse. One is the growing number of critically important questions many in the left-of-center political, academic, and media-class ignore or outright refuse to answer. Another is that many from those left-of-center arenas would seemingly rather eat broken glass than admit that Trump was right about…anything.
For about a year now, former President Trump has been warning that the war in Ukraine has the world teetering on the brink of World War III. Unfortunately, for several reasons – the main one being it comes out of his mouth – Trump’s warning has mostly fallen on deaf ears. Including the ears of some Republicans and conservatives.
Just this past weekend on his Truth Social site, the former President rhetorically screamed again: “This is the most dangerous time in our country's history. World War III is looming, like never before, in the very dark and murky background. “Leadership” is solely responsible for this unprecedented danger to the USA and likewise, the World. HOPELESS JOE BIDEN IS LEADING US INTO OBLIVION!!!”
He is horrifyingly correct about this but therein lies the problem.
It’s not remotely difficult to imagine that Trump is correct about the most critical threat to our lives is akin to fingernails dragged across a blackboard for many on the left. Especially if we remember that for many “journalists,” neutrality, non-partisanship, and professionalism seemed to go out the window with the political accession of Trump.
After literally laughing in his face while “guaranteeing” he would first not get the Republican nomination in 2016 and then “for sure” not beat Hillary Clinton in the general election, the minds of so many of these reporters, editors, and even academics, seemed to be instantly enveloped in a red haze of anger or even admitted “hate for Trump” after he proved them wrong.
After he was elected, the script was flipped on what constituted professional conduct for journalists and what was a “legitimate” issue to investigate “Russia-Trump collusion.” Of course, expend collectively thousands of hours on the “investigations” and write hundreds of thousands of words. The “Hunter Biden laptop scandal.” Not so much.
Soon thereafter, it seemed as if some on the left in politics, the media, and academia were also becoming quite comfortable ignoring other legitimate questions regarding various “progressive” or “Blue-State” narratives while instantly labeling queries or concerns about those narratives as “misinformation” while in some cases, calling for the questioner to be censored or “de-platformed.”
For instance, let us cast our minds back to three years ago when much-needed questions regarding lockdowns; masks; the masking of children; school closures; and the efficacy of the vaccines were being asked by certain doctors, politicians, a smattering of the media, and parents across the country. Not only were some of these common-sense questions deemed “off-limits” by some on the left, but again framed as “misinformation” which should and must be censored by Big Tech and our very government.
Similarly, a few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, asking fair questions about alleged corruption in Ukraine; off-shore bank accounts; fake news being disseminated by the Ukrainian leadership; flawed military strategies; billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars disappearing; if regime change in Russia was the ultimate goal with Ukraine being used as a proxy; and that increased likelihood of triggering a nuclear war became akin to daring to question the lockdowns, masks, and vaccine mandates.
Worse, asking fair questions about Ukraine-U.S. foreign policy became akin to being “Pro-Putin” and “Pro-Russia.” Official Washington, DC mantra on the subject seemed to be: “Display the Ukraine flag on your social media sites; ignore any “conspiracy theories” about your tax dollars being wasted or “tales” of corruption in Ukraine, and shut up.”
One person who has refused to shut up regarding U.S. policy in Ukraine is former President Donald J. Trump.
All are free to hate Trump all they want and believe him wrong on every single subject. But those who do should do themselves a favor and mentally imagine Trump’s warning about us being on the brink of World War III coming from the mouth of FDR; Bill Clinton; Barack Obama; Churchill, or anyone else might actually respect.
There is no going back if we get this one wrong. Only literal Hell on Earth for millions.
For those who are not students of history or don’t believe such calamity is possible, I would suggest you look up World War I, the chain of seemingly insignificant miscalculations and events which led to the “Great War,” and the 21,000,000 dead as a result of those particular trip-wires being stepped upon.
As the new tripwires are being laid bare, Russia is being pushed into the arms of the People’s Republic of China. Just this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that China's Xi Jinping would visit his nation, stressing that relations had reached "new frontiers" amid U.S. concerns that Beijing could provide material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Of course, China supplying weapons to Russia would be yet another trip wire to World War III as it signals an escalation of the Ukraine war and a potential confrontation between Russia and China, and the U.S.-led NATO alliance on the other.
As to why it’s a “trip wire,” this past week, Ukrainian President Zelensky carelessly mentioned: “If China aligns itself with Russia, there will be a world war.”
What? There “will be” a World War.
In our new world order post-Trump, are we allowed to question the motivations or “leadership” ability of Zelensky?
If Russia does now reach a “new frontier” with China, the two adversaries of the United States would collectively combine the world’s largest land mass and natural gas supplies with the world’s largest population backed by a powerful economy and global military presence, which extends beyond the earth’s atmosphere.
It is right to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine strongly. But it is also right to ask if we are slowly walking ourselves into World War III.
Instead of being tamped down, the winds of war are continually fanned by hawkish rhetoric. Also, this past week, while addressing the group of European nations known as the Bucharest Nine, President Biden said in part: “The commitment of the United States to NATO – I’ve said it to you many times, and I’ll say it again – is absolutely clear. Article 5 is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of NATO. Every inch of NATO."
Would such a defense include crossing the uncrossable line into World War III while risking tens of millions to hundreds of millions of lives?
Following Biden's remarks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no signs of slowing down or seeking peace but "is preparing for world war."
The unthinkable has now morphed into throw-away rhetoric.
It is all well and good to be all in against Putin. But is the defense of Ukraine – or using Ukraine as an excuse to fight a proxy war against Russia – worth the escalating risk of losing millions of lives, the world’s economy, and destroying our planet’s climate?
Forget Trump’s correct warning regarding World War III. Tune out everything and every one and do what so many on the left and a number on the right don’t want you to do on this subject. That being to think for yourself. Think for yourself. What in the world is worth starting World War III?
*** Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the book: The 56 - Liberty Lessons from those who risked all to sign The Declaration of Independence.
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