TUFO – Trump is plainly unfit for the office

It has become a tragic global joke on the US especially, and the west in general: world leaders treat Trump not as a statesman, but as a child who needs constant praise to avoid sulking. The U.S.—once the anchor of the West—is now often seen as unpredictable, unreliable and even clownish. The decline is real: tourism is falling, international students are choosing other countries, and America’s moral authority is gone. The showdown from the White House when company leaders where stumbling over each other to feed the Trump ego will forever be an embarrasing landmark. On them of course but even more on administration that orchestrated it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SK-ZKwymoA)

But here’s the important point: this isn’t just about Trump. Not even though he is the epicenter of this wave. It’s about what happens when politics everywhere drifts to the extremes. The far right wraps itself in nationalism. The far left radicalizes movements that start with noble intentions —take BLM, for instance. The words “Black Lives Matter” are unarguably true. Who could disagree? Anyones life matters.  But when the movement became radical, it alienated many who should have been allies. The consequence is that the radicalism then contradictivly helps the far right, as well as far right radicalism helps the redical left to portray itself as a relevant option.

This sad dynamic defines global politics. Moderation is dismissed as weakness, compromise as betrayal. And yet, the middle—the moderate majority—still exists. It’s just not amplified or supported by the algorithms. It is silenced. The cost to make ones voice heard is to big and people dont want to be pushed into one of the extremes, which is what happens as soon as you raise yor voice. Result? Polarization gaines and moderation shrinks.

Trump has used polarization as his preferred tool since day one. A US president should be the president of all the US, not only the part who voted for him or her. Trump has in so many ways proved to be the opposite of a statesman and the opposite of being a unifying force for the US, as well as for what used to be called the free world. This is why TUFO came to be and it stands for Trump Unfit For Office. Not because we hate him, not because we want a certain political color to win the US election, but because his unfitness is a non-partisan issue. The US, and the democratic west, need less of his nepotism, vindictiveness, and incompetence. These traits are not “right” or “left”—they are flaws, full stop.

Wearing a TUFO cap is a way of saying: we deserve better. Not louder extremes, not tribal victories, not department of defence renamed to department of war to signal fake strength, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekxo-QLqcVU) but competent, decent, intelligent leadership. Leadership that restores trust and respect for politics, politicians and the US.