Ever since Mr Donald J. Trump was sworn-in as the forty-fifth (45) President of the United States of America (USA), one controversy and the other have saddled his presidency. His tweets have been nothing more than distasteful and sometimes disparaging.
The latest one, which has received widespread global condemnation and particularly across the African continent, is a recent tweet in which he refers to the African continent, Haiti and El Salvador as ‘Shithole countries.’ In fact, Today is happy at our President’s response to Mr. Trump that we won’t accept to be insulted by a United States president.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was blunt when he responded by making it clear to the United States that Ghana was not a ‘shithole’ country and that “we will not accept such insults even from a leader of a friendly country no matter how powerful” that country is. How would Mr Trump and Americans feel if such distasteful words were used on them or their number one gentleman?
We believe they will be infuriated and perhaps would have resorted to cutting ties with any of such countries that would have insulted them in such a manner. Mr Trump must bear in mind that he has bitten more than he can chew and that we will not take such insults from him and his ilk.
It is in the light of this unpalatable tweet that Today joins many who are so disgusted about Mr Trump’s comment to condemn him and ask that he withdraws his comment immediately. We do not care what spin the US Embassy in Ghana will want to put on the issue, all we want to hear is Mr Trump rendering an unqualified apology to Africans.
Failure on the part of Mr Trump to withdraw and apologise Today recommends that we take drastic action against the US Embassy in Ghana; even if it means shutting down temporarily the embassy to register our displeasure. We need to make Trump and his administration understand that Ghana will do business with countries that have respect for human dignity and not the reverse.
Perhaps, Mr Trump is still living under the illusion that the USA is still a superpower. We don’t have to go far. We want to remind Mr Trump that currently there is nothing like a single superpower country when the likes of China, Russia and North Korea are standing up to the USA. For instance, North Korea may not have a buoyant economy but it has made it clear to Washington that it cannot be brushed aside when it comes to military accouterments.
And this has amply been demonstrated in the series of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) tests it has carried on the Korean Peninsula in recent times. Again, Mr Trump needs to be reminded that there are issues in his country hanging around his neck, which he has to be concerned with and stop some of his disgusting tweets, which are not helping the American people in anyway.
One of such issues is the investigation currently ongoing in the USA on the alleged Russia’s involvement in the USA 2016 election. This is a more pressing issue, Today believes, Mr Trump and his cohorts need to concern themselves with instead of branding countries as ‘shithole,’
We therefore, expect Mr Trump to come out and apologise to the African continent and the other countries that he offended by that disparaging tweet of his. If he fails to do so, we recommend that such countries should rethink about their relations with the USA.
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