Name? Donald Trump
Westphalian identity? United States American
Age? 73 years old
Why is he in the news? If you don’t know by now, we’re sorry to be the ones to relay the news but President Trump has suspended most travel from continental Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.
Why do we care? Trump, as much as we try to forget it, is the president of one of the most influential countries in the world. As such, his decisions, rational or not, impact more than just American citizens, businesses and policies. That said, the American among us is particularly impacted by this decision as she begins to wonder the pros and cons of travelling home or staying in Spain. Panicked Spaniards or panicked Americans? Tortillas y croquetas or hamburger and french fries? Big decisions being made here.
Why should you care? Well, if you’re European, you will no longer be able to visit the great USA for the next 30 days and will most likely have trouble applying for visas for the next few months. However, if you are one of the lucky Brexiters who has just become free from the constraints set by the controlling EU, today is your lucky day! Trump and BJ have decided to maintain their friendship and you will be allowed to enter America! Congrats!
Who else cares? Aside from Americans living abroad and the European families who had planned for Spring Break vacations in Disney or NYC, the rest of you probably don’t care so much as you feel Trump’s decision doesn’t impact you all that much. In reality, Trump’s ignorance and pride have prohibited him from working with other leaders to construct a common response and better tackle Covid19. Thus, Trump’s European counterparts (and those in other parts of the world) care as this makes fighting the spread of Corona as a team a bit more difficult…
Any further comments? Continuing to allow President Trump to make such crazy claims as “a lax European response has resulted in more cases crossing the Atlantic” or “markets will bounce back very big,” with little to no evidence to support such claims will only heighten the spread of misinformation and defocus on the real prevention methods for the virus. Americans do not need to suddenly discriminate or be rude to Europeans around them nor should they trust Trump that the markets will be fine and the US will trudge on. They simply need to wash their hands and be smart. Don’t go buying every last package of toilet paper, buy what you need. Don’t go about business per usual, scenario plan for the future if markets continue to fall. And most importantly, don’t allow your president to believe he is the all-knowing, all-protecting saviour of America for implementing more of his precious travel bans, go out and vote en masse for his opposition– for those who reject fake news and misinformation rather than contribute to it. And please, please wash your hands, eat healthier and buy smart. Your actions don’t just impact you, Trump has proven that.
