The weather in Missouri is freezing cold. However, it is just as cold in the Republican Party. It has been overtaken by a godless man, a seeker of wealth and power with no limits to what he will do to attain them.
How did some people come to fear President Donald Trump more than they fear God? It is beyond critical thinkers as to how this could happen.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell spoke of the quietness of the room at a recent Trump press conference. He even showed a screenshot of the difference between similar events with former President Joe Biden, where reporters were shouting all over each other.
However, there is one person who stands out among many for not keeping silent: Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde of Washington, a woman who spoke to the truth and sacredness of our country during the pre-inauguration service at the Washington National Cathedral.
She made a plea to Trump, asking him to have mercy on transgender and immigrant children. Trump sat in the congregation with a fixed look of anger, probably thinking of payback and how he could hurt Budde in any way possible.
Trump disrespects everyone yet does not take disrespect from anyone. He does not seem to know what respect is. If he did, he would realize that in order to receive it, you have to give it.
We did not have to wait long. By Wednesday, he was accusing her of any and everything he could think of—including being “nasty” and uneducated.
One wonders how Trump can make these accusations without any research. Had he done his due diligence, he would know she is far from ignorant. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from the Virginia Theological Seminary.
Trump’s educational background is not transparent. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics. However, he was kicked out of grade school. Many of his worldly endeavors do not have merit and are a scar on his reputation.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: "The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors...may I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away." pic.twitter.com/iXaHJrPsof
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 21, 2025
Even so, Trump just keeps on fundraising. Soliciting the faithful MAGA Republicans to send him money, money, and more money. It will never stop until this cultish group wakes up and realizes that God made us all equally in his image, and that we all have a place on this earth.
Trump is not using the money he receives to improve the lives of the poor. It has been spent on attorneys to help fix his many legal problems. Not to mention travel, golf, airplanes, women, entertainment, and anything else that suits his fantasy.
Vice President JD Vance is the same as former Vice President Mike Pence. He has a title only. During the inauguration, Vance glanced over at his immigrant-descended wife when Bishop Budde made her pleas. Vance’s wife seemed to ignore him.
To top it all off, Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk made a Nazi salute at an inauguration rally. He, too, is seeking all the power and attention he can get. One can hardly wait until the romance between him and Trump ends.
Meanwhile, Trump has released nearly all of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, causing much fear for the victims and families that suffered. He seems to be recruiting a new and old fleet of troublemakers to aid him in his dirty deeds.
The United States is in a whole heap of trouble. It is no longer the beacon on the hill that everyone looks up to. Further, Trump is clearly hurting. As it has been said, “hurt people hurt other people.”
Even Trump’s wife seems to be subservient to his scheme. How does Melania, an immigrant, tolerate how Trump speaks of the foreign-born community as a whole? One wonders just how much money is worth the Trump misery.
As far as immigrants are concerned, we must recall when Trump hired them to work for him. That is, until he decided he did not want them in our country anymore. Make no mistake, his main concern is about immigrants of color.
We the people have voted a mentally unfit man into office to rule our country. It’s as though Trump now holds us hostage with a gun at our heads, and we are begging him, “Don’t shoot!”
You never know when Trump will crack. It may be years, but God is the master and only king, and he knows all. He is the only one who has no fear, and Trump will eventually know the consequences of his sinful actions.
Until the end of Trump's second term in office, we must come together and resist. We must remain united and alert, vigilant for our nation’s democracy. We cannot know the future, but we are in for a very rocky ride through history.
Dorothy Dempsey is a senior citizen who loves to write. She thanks God for allowing her to share this gift through published articles in The St. Louis American, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Belleville News, St. Louis Catholic Review, and in various books.
