You would think that a Republican would have the same negative feelings toward former Soviet KGB agent Vladimir Putin as former Soviet ally and dictator Fidel Castro. But no, that would make too much sense.
Trump should have stopped with his initial tweet, which at least had the virtue of being factual:
Fidel Castro is dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2016
Instead, in a statement released by Trump’s transition team, the president-elect managed to not only condemn Castro but to praise himself for having done absolutely nothing:
“Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.
“While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve.
“Though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty. I join the many Cuban Americans who supported me so greatly in the presidential campaign, including the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association that endorsed me, with the hope of one day soon seeing a free Cuba.”
While Trump’s BFF Putin is busily denying his own citizens’ fundamental human rights, Donald Trump condemns Fidel Castro for the “denial of fundamental human rights.” And Trump hasn’t had a chance to fulfill his promise to violate Americans’ fundamental human rights.
What stands out here, however, is Trump’s complete inability to let any event pass without somehow turning it into a praise-fest for himself. How any endorsement has anything to do with Fidel Castro’s death is something known only to the self-aggrandizer-elect.
With unintentional irony, The Daily Caller tells us Trump’s “Castro Statement Proves He’s No Obama” because rather than praising himself, President Obama took the opportunity instead to say,
“At this time of Fidel Castro’s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people.”
Even House Speaker Paul Ryan, that doer of so many wrongs, managed to get this one right, stating “Today let us reflect on the memory and sacrifices of all those who have suffered under the Castros.”
By the time Trump has an opportunity to pat himself on the back for something he has actually done, his shoulder will be as swollen as his ego.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
