A Writer Says Trump's Own Character Is Behind America's Biggest Problems

A writer and retired college professor named David McGrath says most of America's problems today are not caused by enemies, nature, or bad luck. He believes they are caused by the personal flaws of President Donald Trump. McGrath wrote an opinion piece explaining how Trump's greed, arrogance, and dishonesty have hurt everyday Americans. He used lessons from a famous ancient Greek play to help make his point.

McGrath remembers a teacher he had while studying literature at Chicago State University. That professor, James Doppke, taught his students that everything in life — just like in stories and books — comes down to a person's character. Whether good or bad things happen often depends on the choices and qualities of the people involved. McGrath says that lesson helped him understand what is happening in America today.

To explain his thinking, McGrath points to an old Greek play called 'Oedipus Rex.' In that story, a man named Oedipus causes terrible things to happen — not because of bad luck or the will of the gods, but because of his own pride, hot temper, and poor choices. McGrath says his professor taught students to look past fate or fortune and focus on the character of the person making the decisions. He believes the same lesson applies to President Trump.

McGrath argues that Trump's long history of treating people unfairly based on their race has continued into his presidency. He points to the removal of programs meant to give everyone equal opportunities in workplaces and schools. He also says harsh treatment of countries with mostly Black and brown populations, and aggressive actions by immigration agents, are signs of deep-rooted bias. McGrath feels these actions hurt innocent people living in the United States.

The writer also raises concerns about money and personal gain. He says Trump has earned more than a billion dollars from businesses and foreign governments while serving as president. McGrath believes Trump has given those donors special treatment in return, such as removing laws that protected clean air and water. He also says Trump pulled the United States out of a global agreement meant to fight climate change, which he argues has made extreme weather worse.

McGrath says Trump's arrogance — his extreme pride in himself — has also caused harm in health and science. He writes that the president brags about ignoring advice from scientists and doctors, following his 'gut' instead. McGrath says this has hurt vaccine programs and medical research that protect Americans from disease. He believes this kind of overconfidence is dangerous when lives are on the line.

The writer goes on to say that Trump got the country into a costly war with Iran without getting approval from Congress, as the law requires. He says at least 19 American troops have died in that conflict. The war has also made prices for food, gas, and travel go up for regular families. McGrath believes this decision was made impulsively, without thinking through the consequences.

McGrath also says that Trump has damaged the country's relationships with other nations. He argues that Trump has insulted and punished long-time allies while being friendly toward rivals like Russia and China. He says unfair taxes called tariffs have hurt both foreign partners and American shoppers. McGrath believes these actions have reversed nearly a hundred years of careful foreign policy.

Finally, McGrath focuses on what he calls Trump's dishonesty. He notes that fact-checkers at the Washington Post counted more than 30,000 false or misleading statements Trump made during his first term. He says Trump's false claims about the 2020 election and misleading statements about falling prices have made many Americans distrust the government. McGrath believes this loss of trust in important institutions is one of the most serious problems facing the country.

McGrath says historians will spend years studying Trump's motivations and personality. But he is certain that Trump's character flaws are already causing deep harm to the country right now. He compares it to a spreading sickness that is lowering the quality of life and morale of Americans. McGrath says the lesson his old professor taught — that character drives everything — has never felt more true.