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In the waning days of President Donald Trump administration the deck of cards is crumbling. Senior members in the administration have departed the White House like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Financial and other business institutions that had ties with the President are distancing themselves by withdrawing their business or circumscribing future relations. It is as if the President has the plague or a serious infectious disease that it has become safer, healthier, to stay far rather than close to him.
The insurrection on the buildings of the United States (U.S) Congress on Wednesday January 6th is being laid at the feet of the President- the day Congress was in session ratifying Mr. Biden’s victory. Immediately after the November 3rd (election day) President Trump instigated a national controversy and flaming passions against America’s democracy based on a lie that it was he not incoming President-elect Joe Biden that won, and the only way Biden could have won meant the system was rigged in his favour. The fueling of that instigation resulted in violence and attacks on the buildings of Congress and the death of five.
A country that prided itself on its democracy and is seen as the beacon of is grappling with a shame instigated on lies and blood on the hands of the instigators of the denial. Entered Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, U.S top diplomat, nowhere else but outside the U.S fueled the lie that the President won the election. On November 10th he stood on international soil and said there will be a “smooth transition to a second Trump administration” in as much as the election was called for Mr. Biden on November 8th
On January 13th the world watched President Trump impeached, for a second time, for the role he played as chief instigator of the violence in the Capitol on January 6th. As this incident unfolded, across the U.S ponds their European allies were also playing their role in condemning the horror. After the insurrection many have condemned the violence and called for a smooth transition of power. But nothing could be more impactful than the decision taken by the European Union (EU)-made up of countries in Europe- that has been a trusted ally of the U.S. The EU refused to meet with the U.S top diplomat.
What Secretary Pompeo thought would have been his last international visit to close out his stint proved not to be. His proposed visit to Luxembourg and Brussels to meet EU officials was cancelled not by him but the EU. The U.S State Department sought to do damage control on the rejection by issuing a statement that the trip was cancelled to facilitate transition work for the incoming Biden administration.
Reuters News on January 12th, one day before President Trump was impeached, reported “U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him, European and U.S. diplomats familiar with the matter said.”
Though the world has come to accept President Trump as a stranger to the truth it was not expected that his top diplomat would act in similar manner. But beneath the lie of Mr. Pompeo and President Trump is a bullyism the world is seeing that Guyanese experienced, particularly from the latter, during the 2020 National and Regional elections. This top diplomat, over the last four years, walked the world with a sense of invincibility and authority that he could achieve what he wants even if it entailed lying and twisting arms to undermine democratic institutions in other societies.
In the final days of the administration Secretary Pompeo has been given a rude awakening. It is one that says you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the time. It is one that confirms you can bully some people some of the time but not everyone will take your bullying and lies. The chickens are coming home to roost in an administration that is less than a week from leaving office. Many look forward to a new political climate in the White House where the likes of Pompeo and Trump will be relegated to the history books.
