More than 500,000 Americans in 1,300 cities and towns protested against the Trump Administration, Elon Musk et al. Don Thompson and Bonnie Derry were among 2,000 who rallied in Ocala, FL in 33-degree C weather.

Image Credit: Don Thompson

OPINION

I used to wonder why people would support a tyrant, someone who went against everything they were ever taught about being a good…decent…person. With age, however, sometimes comes wisdom.

There is a common trait shared by Adolph Hitler, Al Capone, Vlad the Impaler, Muammar Gaddafi and Donald Trump. Each of these people cared less about fact and truth and justice…choosing instead to pursue their own perverse reality. As despotic as they were or are, hundreds of thousands…even hundreds of millions…stood or stand by them.

(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

Oh, one might argue ideology, but the primary reason people march in lock step behind folks who personify everything bad you might proscribe to another human being…is self-interest. It’s tough, apparently, for folks who benefit from the actions of someone so despicable you wouldn’t tolerate them around your children…to simply do the right thing.

The narrative - nothing more than a cover story - becomes reality for these folks. People who are not decent or good have to make the pieces of the puzzle fit…even if it means throwing some pieces away…or blocking out reality in favour of what they can justify. Almost nothing becomes too heinous…too absurd…to accept as long as you’re not on the short end of the stick.

I believe this is how tens of millions of Americans justify their devotion to someone like Donald Trump. It can be based on something real, of course, like a favourable tax cut for the wealthy…or it can be an illusory promise built on lies and misinformation.

All of the folks I named above - every one - are experts at using fear and intimidation, blaming certain groups as the sources of everything you might deem as unfair in your life. Retribution…simple revenge…is a more powerful drug than cocaine or heroin.

Ray Steen is among millions of Americans who object to Trump’s treatment of Canada.

Image Credit: Don Thompson

It’s difficult for some Canadians to discern a difference between Americans…choosing to paint all with the same brush. Oh, were it that simple. Certainly, it would be convenient. It’s always easier to deal with complexities…by over simplifying things.

Tens of millions of Canadians would vehemently disagree with an American’s charge that Conservative Party leader and populist firebrand Pierre Poilievre represented the thoughts, feelings and actions of all Canadians.

In the years I have written this column, I have never wavered from calling Donald Trump the political and social Antichrist that he is. He is the face of evil for more Americans than not. A reminder…he didn’t even get 50 percent of the Americans voting in 2024.

When you think, how can Americans stand Donald Trump…he’s a craven example of a human being who favours revenge above all else? That’s true…and tens of millions more Americans despise Trump than there are Canadians.

Betsy and Brad Bluto live in Florida and Maine, but stand with Canada at Ocala protest.

Image Credit: Don Thompson

Unfortunately, straightening out something gone perilously wrong in a democracy is not a matter of snapping your fingers…or simply admitting, “this isn’t right.” The governments of the U.S. and Canada are very different…but think about something you’ve wanted to be better for Canadians…but isn’t yet.

Don’t get me wrong. I fully support the right of every Canadian to protest the harmful actions of Donald Trump and his cultish followers. But you would be wrong to blame all Americans.

I stand with you supporting Canada’s interests over the U.S. policies that hurt Canadians, Americans, Ukrainians and so many innocent people worldwide.

Things will change…but too many folks will suffer until things are made right…and that will happen. When it does change in 2026 and again in 2028…with Republicans suffering defeat and a turn against their ways for perhaps a generation, one thing will be different.

There won’t be a vengeful administration to replace the current one…that’s what being a democracy is all about.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025