Trump’s First 50 Days: How is He Doing?

 

With just over 50 days into office, Donald Trump’s approval rating stands at 47% as of March 11, 2025, a slight drop of 2% from his first 30 days, while his disapproval rating is currently 45%, which is up 4% from January according to an Emerson College Polling Survey. Compare that to President Obama’s job approval rating 50 days into his second term which stood at 41%. His disapproval rating was 53%.

Just for the record, incoming President John F. Kennedy had the highest approval rating with 72% (1961) followed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 with 71%.  Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, who had 67% in 1953. The worse approval rating for an incoming president was Donald Trump in 2017 with a 40% approval rating. These are all, of course, first terms.

Additionally, 40% of those polled thought that President Trump was doing a better job than expected thus far in his second term, with over 70 signed executive orders, more than any president in their first 100 days in 40 years. 35%  of those surveyed said he was actually doing worse than they originally thought he would and 25% thought he was doing as they thought he would. Overall, 51% of the population is giving Trump an overall thumbs up. Nevertheless, 49% disagree. So, it would appear that all in all, “The Donald” is off to a good start, or is he?

When it comes to the economy, public support isn’t where it should be with just 35% approving of Trump’s handling of the economy. 48% said they disapprove of how the economy is going under Trump. For reference purposes, Obama’s disapproval rating of the economy was 65% at the point in his second term.

53% of those polled said that tariffs are going to hurt the economy. 46% believe that Trump’s economy policies in general are hurting the economy while only 28% actually approve of his handling of the economy and 26% are either unsure at this point or don’t  think his policies will have a serious immediate impact.

However, 48% are happy with his handling of illegal immigration while 40% oppose his rounding up and ouster of illegal residents and tighter immigration standards. According to a Gallup Poll taken two weeks earlier, 46% was happy with Trump’s handling of the illegal immigration issue.

With respect to the economy, his approval rating was 42% two weeks ago according to Gallup. Foreign trade, which takes into consideration the tariffs Trump has imposed, has a disapproval rating of 53% with 5% unsure. 

When it came to foreign affairs, the Gallup poll reported that Trump’s handling of the situation in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas (as well as the Palestinians) polled a 51% disapproval rating with 9% not sure. As for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, his approval percentage stood at 40% with a whooping 14% “unsure”, which statistically is a rather large number given that his disapproval rating was just 6 percentage points higher.

On a slightly unrelated matter, the same Gallup poll said that 93% of Republicans approved of Trump’s job performance thus far. On the other hand, only 4% of Democrats were happy with President Trump. Among the nation’s largest voting bloc, Independents, Trump had an approval rating of 37%. 

It bears mentioning that the 89% gap between Republican and Democrat approval rating is the largest Gallup has ever recorded for any president at any time. That dear readers is history making.

On single issues alone, Republican approval was 92% on immigration. Foreign affairs and the economy was 90% each. President Trump’s Foreign trade policies scored 89% with 80% of Republicans gave Trump a thumb’s up on his handling of the Ukraine/Russian War and the situation in the Middle East involving Israel.

On the same issues, Democrats gave the president an approval rating of 6% on immigration and foreign trade (tariffs being the biggest concern). When it came to foreign affairs, just 4% of Democrats approved of Trump’s policies while 5% like his handling of the economy (again, tariffs are a major factor). Trump polled the highest on his dealings with Ukraine/Russia and with the Middle East with a respective approval rating of 9% and 8%.

When the nation’s largest voting bloc, Independents, were asked, President Trump did a much better. With a 37% overall approval rate, Trump had a 40% positive rating on his handling of the illegal immigration issue. 37% like his handling of foreign affairs. However, when it came to foreign trade, the Middle East, and the Ukraine/Russian war, Trump managed only 33% each. His worse poll number was the economy with 31%.

As an aside, the Gallup Poll had some encouraging news for Congress. The approval rating for the “Millionaire’s Club” went from a pathetic 13% in May 2024 to a dismal 29% at the end of February 2025. Way to go folks! You need another raise.

A CNN Poll conducted on March 5^th,  just after President Trump’s tariffs against China, Canada, and Mexico went into effect resulted in a drop of 1300 points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% while the Nasdaq  saw a drop of  0.35% as the markets braced for the inevitable retaliatory response from America’s biggest importers.

Tariffs of 25% were imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico while an additional 10% tariff was added onto China’s already 10% tariff bringing the total tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%.

President Trump’s first address to Congress (which ran a record setting one hour and 40 minutes) was received well according to a poll conducted by a CBS poll. According to the results, 69% of viewers approved of the speech. A YouGov poll put the approval numbers higher at 76%. 

According to the CBS poll, the majority of the 37 million who watched Trump’s speech were Republicans, 51%, while 27% were Independents and 20% were Democrats. 74% thought Trump’s presentation was “presidential” as well as “entertaining” while 71% said they were “inspired” by the speech.

 63% of those surveyed said Trump focused on topics that mattered the most to them, especially eliminating government waste and cutting back on unnecessary spending (77%) which is being led by Elon Musk’s “DOGE” or Department of Government Efficiency program. Equally, 77% approved of President Trump’s plans for reducing illegal immigration and reforming our immigration system. Imposing tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico as well as his comments regarding the Ukraine/Russian war also received strong approval numbers.

Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats received a wave of negative backlash to their “protest” of the president’s speech, most notably Trump’s introduction of 13 year old cancer survivor Devarjay “DJ” Danie (“DJ” has been fighting brain cancer). The most common response about the Democrat’s refusal to acknowledge the young man was “heartless” and “cruel”. It certainly wasn’t their best moment. In addition to be honored by the president, “DJ” was made an honorary Secret Service agent by Steve Curran, the new director of the Secret Service.

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) heckling of the president got him booted from the chamber and censured by House leadership as other Democratic lawmakers sat in silence, played video games on their Smart phones, held signs on ping pong paddles, while others walked out at key moments of the speech. All in all, the strategy by Democratic leadership greatly backfired.  

Finally, where is President Trump falling down? According to a new CNN poll released March 12^th, healthcare is really hurting the president. Just 48% of Americans approve of the president’s policies toward updating healthcare, which may mean reducing benefits (especially for seniors), higher premiums to offset promises of lower prescription costs on certain medications.

The poll also shows Trump’s tariff measures are increasingly unpopular with a 61% disapproval as was his management of government with just a 48% approval rating. In fact, out of eight key issues, the new poll showed Trump has positive numbers on just one---his handling of illegal immigration.

With every incoming administration there is a so-called “honeymoon” period, also known as the “100 days”. Few presidents anymore get the 100 days of their predecessors, and as for “The Donald”, it looks like the honeymoon period, if there really ever was one, is over and we’re headed for a rocky marriage at best.

So, where does that leave us?  Most of the mainstream media, with laughable façade of  “impartiality”, has long ago accused and indicted Trump while excusing the sins and treason of others, so don’t expect any objectivity. The partisan divide in America is perhaps too wide and too deep for Donald Trump, or any future president for that matter, to overcome.

The demonized conservative Right will in all likelihood laud his actions, no matter how austere, until they hit home while the ideological exhausted Left has already lit his effigy on the pyre of political wokeness. I suspect the only thing which can save the nation is some outside threat, which may explain America’s penchant for overthrowing governments and antagonizing nations.

 War has long been our more profitable export. It’s unaffected by tariffs or quotas.  It artificially stimulates the economy and rids us of “excess” human capital, reducing official unemployment numbers, while ensuring the empire expands. But is that what we really need or want?

What America needs is a strong leader who can redirect the economy to industrial and technological expansion, but that often means leaving people at the lowest rung of the ladder aside. That’s where trade and technical schools can help. A college education is not for everyone. However, equal opportunities doesn't always mean equal outcomes. Success comes with a lot of hard work and setbacks. Creating a level global playing field is another. Fair and balanced competition is good for all participants.

President Donald Trump is a “for profit” businessman attempting to manage a non-profit governmental system. The last “for profit” businessman to occupy the White House was “Silent” Cal Coolidge during the 1920’s. His famous maxim was “the business of America is business”, yet his policies in the long run helped set the stage for the Great Depression under Hoover’s watch. That led to FDR's "New Deal" and ultimately WWII. These are no less dangerous times for America.  There’s an old expression, made popular in 1929, “when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold” and there’s a strong cold wind blowing.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Trump’s approval dips amid concerns over the economy: Poll

Dow Drops 1300 Points in Two Days Amid Trump’s Trade War

DJ Daniel, 13 year old cancer survivor, honored by Trump,has plenty to say about Al Green, Elon Musk, Rachel Maddow

New CNN poll: Americans are negative on Trump’s handling ofeconomy

Donald Trump Approval Rating: March 12 Update as Unease OverEconomy Grows

50 Wins In 50 Days: President Trump Delivers for the Americans 

 

Trump Getting Real with Zelensky: Find Peace with Russia or No More Money

 

Much has already been made of the heated meeting between President Vladmir Zelensky of Ukraine and President Donald Trump and Vice President  JD Vance.  President Trump, in effect, told Zelensky to make peace with Putin or he was taking away the keys to Ukraine’s war machine…and put a damn tie on where he’s at it!

Zelensky seems to believe that with U.S. financial backing, he will be able to stalemate Putin virtually indefinitely, perhaps even in the long run, obtain NATO membership. That’s something Trump opposes. Putin has attempted several overtures at peace, which Zelensky has essentially blown off like, and why not? He’s got the biggest bully in the world in his court, the United States.     

Trump used the meeting to make a very public statement to Zelensky, the people of Ukraine, to Putin, and to the world---no more money, no more armament and no mineral deal until Zelensky puts on his big boy pants and can set down for a serious discussion about peace with Russia, otherwise we walk, and he can deal with one very angry Russian bear.

 NATO, which also heavily depends on the US, can do as it pleases, but the US needs to set this one out thank you very much should they continue to poke the bear (and kudos to Italy’s Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, for rejecting UK-French plan to send European troops to Ukraine). It’s one thing to come to the aid of ally being attacked, but when they bring it on themselves, maybe a lesson in “told-you-so” diplomacy is in order.

Putin, on the other hand, has committed much of his military to what amounts to a slow bleed of Ukraine’s economy and military. His has activated antiquated weapon systems (such as outdated tanks) and even employed North Korean troops in what amounts to a ”fight for food” deal for the bankrupt Communist state.

The only sensible reason for Putin to do this is one of taking a measured stance against Ukraine. Putin didn’t start the war. Zelensky and NATO did (with a little help from a former president’s son looking to score a big financial payday). Putin has been consistent his insistence that NATO missiles and armament will not be deployed along his border with Ukraine. Zelensky and NATO thought that by playing the U.S. card, Putin could be intimidated. That wasn’t going to happen

Putin is not a spineless leader of the sort that Europe has produced in abundance lately (for an example, look at their immigration disaster and its effect on crime and their culture). Putin is very intelligent. He was a senior KGB officer. He doesn’t bluff. Unlike European leaders, he doesn’t care if you call him names.  However, since the fall of the USSR and Soviet Russia, their leaders, starting with Mikhail Gorbachev, have tried  once again to build bridges to the West.

Ever since the days of Peter the Great, Russia has wanted to join with the West and act as a bridge between East and West. At one point,  they even asked to join NATO and was rejected out of hand and perhaps justifiably so. With the end of the Cold War, there had been a lot of talk about dismantling NATO.

Therefore, NATO’s justification for its continued existence depended on having a bad guy and that bad guy is Putin. It’s also why many neo-cons and policy gamers are anxious to start a new Cold War. War is profitable---cold or hot. It bears mentioning that the establishment of the Warsaw Pact came about only after the creation of NATO and then with the intention of being a defensive deterrent, presumably against the same military and industrial complex President Eisenhower spoke of in his 1961 “Farewell Address to the Nation”.   

In 1990, as the Warsaw Pact nations began to fall, Secretary of State James Baker informed Soviet Foreign Minister Edward Shevardnadze (in the presence of Gorbachev) that once the unification of Germany was complete, NATO had no intention of advancing “one inch to the east”, and yet within ten years, that’s exactly what happened. Gorbachev saw it as a time to restart and one of openness or as he called it, “Perestroika”. As Gorbachev said at the time, “we are duty bound to learn to live in peace”.

One by one, the former Warsaw Pact countries of Poland (1999),  Hungary (1999), Romania (2004), Czechia (1999), Bulgaria (2004), the Baltic states (2004), and so forth were admitted into NATO, and each time Russian leaders protested through all the proper international channels and were ignored.

At first, the Russians were assured there would be no more, until there was. But each time a country joined, NATO missiles were deployed all along their border. As a result, Russia was slowly helmed in. It would be like Russian missiles being deployed along our southern border, first in the numerous Caribbean islands one by one, until finally, in Mexico along the Rio Grande.

What if the Russians started deploying missiles along the Canadian border just like what happened after Norway and Denmark joined NATO in 1949, Finland in 2023, or Sweden in 2024.   How would you expect Washington would react?

Actually, you don’t even have to imagine. That was what the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was all about. It was Russia’s response to U.S. nuclear tipped intermediate range “Jupiter” missiles previously being deployed in Turkey (which had joined NATO in 1952).

Amusingly, then Soviet Premier Khrushchev would walk visitors to his vacation home on the Black Sea to the balcony and hand them  a pair of binoculars, asking “what do you see?”. They typically replied, “I see the sky” or “I see the water”. He would then look through the binoculars and bellow “I see American missiles in Turkey aimed at my dacha!”.

It seems that everyone knew that a NATO presence in Ukraine would be the straw to break the bear’s back, yet they expected Putin to do nothing but grouse and saber rattle like the West does, but that didn’t happen. Putin secured the Crimea, which has been a Russian possession since 1783 when it was annexed by Catherine the Great. It has a majority Russian population. Strategically, the Crimea is the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, at Sebastopol, which is their version of our naval base in San Diego.

Russian is taught in its schools and it’s the common language of its people. It was followed by a plebiscite, asking the citizens whether they wanted to remain apart of Russia or the Ukraine. The overwhelming majority said “Russia”.

But this had nothing to do with the history of the region, the will of the people, national sovereignty, or even the long standing presence of the Russian military in and around Sebastopol. This was about oil and gas, which had been discovered in abundance in the Black Sea, and western oil companies wanted it.

In addition to large reserves of oil and gas, the Ukraine has vast deposits of key minerals, much of it in the disputed Donbas Region which is occupied by Russian troops. The deal President Trump was willing to sign with President Zelensky would have allowed a U.S. presence in the Donbas (technically still belonging to Ukraine) to mine for deposits valuable minerals, with each country splitting the processes 50/50. It would enable the Ukraine to begin paying the U.S. back some of the billions it owes us in aid, retain Ukrainian soil, and help Ukraine to rebuild its infrastructure.

In addition, it would be an incentive for Putin’s troops to either withdraw from the areas being explored and mined, or perhaps even pull back altogether. After all, Putin doesn’t want to kill or injure U.S. civilians at any cost. It would serve as a de facto “economic buffer zone” without the need for a single pair of U.S. military boots on the ground and each side wins.

However, Zelensky needed to agree to a peace talks with Russia, and that’s where he has repeatedly dropped the ball. When it comes to power politics, Zelensky is out of his league. He’s a standup comedian turned politician unlike others who are politicians turned fools.  Accordingly, he got a dressing down in his meeting with Trump and Vice President Vance. He was put on notice that the U.S. would not finance his war with Russia indefinitely or for free.

Even during the early stages of WWII, before the U.S. was directly involved, Prime Minister Churchill gave the U.S. 99 year leases to bases on their island possessions in the Caribbean as a “down payment” and “thank you “ to all the war material and economic support we provided to England under the Lend Lease Act of 1941 (the act also extended to the Republic of China, France, the Soviet Union and other allied nations).   As of 2024, we have given Ukraine $174.2 billion dollars in aid (military and otherwise) while the European Union has given about $18 billion.

President Trump announced during his speech to Congress on March 4^th, that he had received a letter from Zelensky finally agreeing to sit down with Putin and hammer out some sort of peace deal. It may not be entirely to Zelensky’s liking, or that of Putin’s, but it will mean no more killing on either side and ending the destruction of Ukrainian cities and villages.

In addition, President Zelensky said in his letter to President Trump that he was still willing to sign the minerals agreement, which would be a good thing for the Ukrainian economy. Ukraine is a country with vast untapped economic potential, from the oil and gas reserves it does control, to its timber and mineral wealth, and it possesses the most fertile soil in Europe and quite possibly the world. (hence the moniker “breadbasket of Europe”).

This was also an education of sorts for Zelensky about what Otto von Bismarck called “Realpolitik”. Never disrespect your benefactor or take them for granted. By that, don’t show up in casual slacks and t-shirt and “knock-around” boots to meet the leader of a world power and expect to be given a virtual blank check for a never-ending war without a plan to pay them back.  America isn’t your ATM. Show some humility. Even Churchill arrived dressed to the nines with hat in hand and he offered at least island leases!  

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

  Zelensky vows to ‘make things right’ with Trump and negotiate peace

How Gorbachev was misled over assurances against NATO expansion

4 Lessons to be learned from Zelensky’s White House Meeting

 

What they said: Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance’s heated argumentin the Oval Office

NATO Members

Russo-Ukrainian War  

Controversy regarding the legitimacy of eastward NATOexpansion

Lend Lease Act

EU Assistance to Ukraine (in U.S. Dollars)

No suit, no lunch, no respect: Zelenskyy-Trump feud startwith a fashion dig

Which Presidential Candidate Squares Up With American Voters---Trump or Harris?

The 2024 race for president is a near statistical tie between the former president, Donald Trump, and current Vice President Kamala Harris. We hear with nauseating regularity about how important this singular election is a "race for democracy" as if other elections aren't. Of course, the message is intended to imply that Trump will destroy our democracy but Harris wouldn't, which is laughable.

Our democracy has been curtailed and trampled on for decades, and it's not one party or the other. Our grandparents would be appalled by the power and control government has over our lives.  Power in this country is not in the hands of ordinary citizens as originally intended by our Founders. It is in the hands of the obscenely rich and mega corporations. Remember, the government no longer serves the American People. It serves Wall Street. 

Globally, world leaders see Trump as egotistic, a "drama king" and  prone to aggrandizement, but at the same time, an astute businessman and tough negotiator. They also see him as something of a loose cannon, and therefore unpredictable. This is actually a very good thing when dealing with politicians.

Kamala Harris, on the other hand, is seen as weak.  Politically naive and unintelligent. They know she has the lowest approval rating of any vice president in U.S. history. That means she's not popular and doesn't have a strong sustainable base. When you're dealing with cut throat politics and the likes of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Ali Khomeini, Xi Jinping,  that's like chum to sharks.

However, to her credit, she can fall back on people know for their political astuteness and ruthlessness like Nancy Pelosi, Bill and Hilary Clinton, and Barack Obama. But in politics, even the President of the United States has only so many chips they can cash in.  Unlike the president, when the sh*t hits the fan, you can bet they won't be standing in front with Kamala.

So, where does the candidates for president stand on certain key issues and how does that correlate to the average American?  Who comes the closest to expressing the viewpoint of ordinary Americans? Let's start with illegal immigration. Trump favors stronger border protection, more border agents, rebuilding a border wall, tighter restrictions on asylum approvals, and an increase in deportations (there are around 12 million illegals living in the U.S). He also favors ending "anchor baby" citizenship and defunding so-called "sanctuary cities".

Kamala Harris wants to invest more money into the economies of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in order to promote more job growth, reduce poverty and improve their quality of life to the tune of over $1 billion dollars. She is also proposing incentives to U.S. businesses to further invest in Central America with a goal of adding over 90,000 new jobs. The combined  government and business investment is expected to be around $5.2 billion dollars. Wouldn't that money be better spent on our own infrastructure? 

 In 2023, Honduras received $182 million in U.S. aid.  El Salvador got just over $163 million dollars and Guatemala took in $212,670,434 million of U.S. taxpayer's money. Almost $181 million went to Mexico. (as an aside, Afghanistan received $881 million in 2023. The Taliban says "thank you").

Ms. Harris also proposes increasing pathways for migrants to become U.S. citizens, not "separating families (which was blamed on Trump, but actually began under President Obama). She also promises to reduce "abuses" and delays by those seeking asylum. 

Currently, the U.S. has a population of about 65.2 million Hispanics. 19% aren't citizens. About 36.2 million are registered to vote, making them 14.7% of the voting population (the majority of them live in key electoral states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York). Every year, another 1.4 million become a U.S. citizen. Hispanics are the largest minority in America. In about ten years they'll be on par with white Americans of European origin.

Although Trump did well among Hispanics in 2014 and 2020, 89% of Hispanics lean to or are registered Democrat. About 33% are registered or lean Republican. Of those, Cubans are the only Hispanic segment with a strong positive view of the GOP.

In expanding the demographic, when asked about illegal immigration, the majority of Americans---55%--- have been pushing for a reduction since 2001. 51% want to deport all illegal immigrants. 53% would like to see a wall built on our southern border. 76% want more border patrol agents. However, 70% favoring giving illegal residents an opportunity to remain, but only if they become U.S. citizens.

When it comes to Hispanic voters, 75% say the border situation represents a serious crisis. However, 74% think Washington is handling the situation all wrong. 57% and 58% respectively believe the U.S. should create more opportunities to become citizens while making it easier for asylum seekers to enter the U.S. and obtain employment while waiting on a decision about their immigration status.

Concerning the war in Ukraine, Trump has promised to end the war "within 24 hours" through negotiations with Putin and Zelenskyy based on his "personal relationship" with each leader. However, Trump has been a little fuzzy about the details of any such agreement, although cutting military aid to Ukraine is one part of any deal (by happenstance, President Biden approved an additional $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine in April 2024). 

Trump also believes NATO members need to pick up more of the tab when it comes to their defense. The U.S. contributes 16% of the NATO budget (not 2/3 as claimed by Trump). However, only 35% of NATO members are paid up. They've put the defense of their countries on credit.

Harris believes the Ukraine is just one link in a chain of Russian aggression with Poland likely being next on the menu. She believes in strengthening relations with Ukraine and NATO. Ms. Harris says that the money will continue to flow to both Ukraine and NATO. She also promises putting together a 50 nation coalition to help defend Ukraine against Putin.

Expanding the conflict with a major nuclear power like Russia can't be the smartest move to make. Her proposal amounts to a de facto direct threat to Putin. Ms. Harris's statements also seem to contain the implied approval to allow Ukrainian use of long range missiles deep into Russia if elected (Putin has promised  an immediate and "appropriate" response which can't be good). 

Her statements imply too that the U.S. will maintain its current role in NATO and will continue to press for full membership of Ukraine into the archaic military alliance (which was the basis of the war. Putin had repeatedly promised that he wouldn't allow Russia to be enclosed on its western front by NATO or allow missiles at near pointblank range of Moscow and other key cities).

According to a Pew survey, about 1/3 of Americans believe the U.S. is providing too much support to Ukraine while 25% believe the Ukraine is receiving about the right amount in U.S. military aid. Finally, 24% of those polled said Ukraine should be getting more aid. The remaining 18% doesn't have a clue.

Broken down by party, about 50% of Republicans and conservatives think Ukraine is getting to much aid. 16% of Democrats agree. While 24% of Conservatives think support of Zelenskyy is critical to U.S. national security, 49% of Democrats and liberals believe support of Ukraine is key to our national security.   Older Americans (those who experienced the Cold War) are more worried about the war's escalation than younger adults (mainly Millennials and Gen Z).

When it comes to Gaza, the former president says he's an ardent supporter of Israel and its right to defend itself. Nevertheless, Trump has at times been critical of how the IDF has conducted the war and the claims of genocide (about 35 thousand civilians have died thus far).  However, Trump has again been a little fuzzy on details aside from urging Israeli leaders to conclude this war quickly.

Trump  has said he supports a two state agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (which may involve guaranteed direct U.S. support in the event of an attack). He has previously said that he would cut off all aid to the Palestinians for their support of and by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.

 He would suspend student visas and deport any foreign student who openly supports or promotes Hamas or other terrorist groups (opponents criticize him of censoring "free speech"). Trump also opposes rebuilding Gaza because devastation leveled was the result of the October 7th sneak attack and subsequent torture, burning and mass murder of innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas. (I guess it's like saying, "you caused the mess, you got what you deserved, now you clean it up").  

As for Kamala, she comes down more so on the side of the Palestinians, although she has said she supports Israel's right to defend itself and opposes the Democratic plan to suspend military aid to Israel (there have been numerous protests, including direct and indirect action by the Left, against Israel for what they call "the Palestine genocide"). The U.S. has sent Israel some $34 billion dollars in aid since October 7th. Ms. Harris has said that she is "working with" Biden on a cease-fire agreement (it's unlikely she has been directly involved in any such plan and is just trying to build some foreign policy creds).

Ms. Harris has also spoken about the "devastating" numbers of dead as a result of the war launched by Hamas (just under 50,000 civilians has died thus far). She said she supports the right of Palestinians to "dignity, security, freedom and self determination", which was a indirect swipe at Israel and happens to be the same things Hamas opposes for its citizens in Gaza. Beyond that, Ms. Harris is pretty light on details as to how she would help bring about a ceasefire, prevent further attacks on Israel or cut off its military aid and to what extent, if any, the United States would help rebuild Gaza.

According to a July 10th Gallup poll, 48% of Americans oppose Israel's military actions in Gaza while 42% approve. In March, the figure was 55% against Israel and 36% for.  Israel's biggest supporters are Republicans, with 76% expressing their support. Only 23% of Democrats back Israel and the nation's largest political bloc, Independents, have a 34% approval rating of Israel. Interesting, just over 1/3 of American Jews regard Israel's actions in Gaza to be genocide while 60% support the creation of a independent Palestinian state.

Politically, 49% of Democrats believe the IDF's actions constitute genocide. 21% disagrees with 30% being undecided. Among Republicans, 57% doesn't believe Israel is engaged in genocide. 18% said it was and about 25% weren't sure. The poll, taken by Economist/You.Gov, excluded responses by Independents. Looking at age, 49% of those between 18 and 29 years old said they thought Israel was engaged in Palestinian genocide in Gaza. A minority of 24% disagreed and 27% couldn't decide (hell, they can't decide on gender either).

When it comes to abortion, Kamala Harris supports Roe v. Wade and a women's right to chose. Trump, of course, opposed it and was instrumental in its overturn. Of course, that didn't stop abortions. They still continue. Since overturning Roe v. Wade, there has been a 21% increase in maternal pregnancy related deaths due to botched abortions. 45% of illegal abortions were categorized as "medically unsafe". The majority of the public---55%---still support Roe v Wade and believe it should be reinstated. 70% believe abortion should be allowed in most all instances. 80% said it should be legal in extreme circumstances.

So, how do you square up with Trump or Harris on illegal immigration? How about the Ukrainian-Russian war or the situation in Gaza? What about abortion? None of these issues are cut and dry. They each involve complicated issues and a maze of other issues. However, regardless of where Harris or Trump stand, it's Congress and who controls the majority of seats that are the decision makers.

Thank you for reading Another Opinion! We hope you enjoyed this article and will pass it along. Please don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly, please "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps beat the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Please find below the links we consulted in researching this article. 

 

Sharply More Americans Want to Curb Immigration to the U.S.

Key facts about Hispanic eligible voters in 2024

Latinos Views on the Migrant Situation at the US-MexicanBorder

U.S. Department of State: U.S. Foreign Assistance by Country

Harris announces 1 billion US investment in Central America

Kamala Harris's immigration polices explained

Views of Ukraine and U.S. involvement with theRussian-Ukraine War

Harris strikes balance in pointed DNC remarks on war

Disapproval of Israeli Action in Gaza Eases Slightly in U.S.

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A Retrospective of Another Opinion's Top Articles for 2022

Starting with our first article on Another Opinion, published back in 2005, we have done a year end review of our most popular top articles. It's an opportunity to review what was trending at the time and what you, our dear readers, was most interested in.  In keeping with that tradition, we will start with number five.

COVID has been with us for what seems an eternity, and with it Dr. Anthony Fauci, the CDC, and the never ending vaccines. Also tied to Dr. Fauci and COVID was whether was (or is) any relationship between the Chinese and the origin of the COVID virus, as well as its possible weaponization against the West. 

We also took a look at the profits being made off the vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and BioNTech which equated to a total of $93.5 million dollars every single day (or to put it in perspective, $65,000 every minute of every day). Lastly, we examined the possibility that these vaccines would morph into some kind of government control along the lines of new form of police state (no vaccination card no admission to grocery store or no job).

Our fourth article covered similar ground except the focus was on the obscene profits Big Pharma was making, not just on the COVID vaccines, but on ordinary prescriptions and healthcare in general. As we just covered in our most recent article, the U.S. healthcare system is ranked among the worst of all the developed nations in the world. We have the fewest available hospital beds, the highest medical costs, highest infant mortality rates, and lowest life expectancy of any industrialized nation.   

If that wasn't bad enough, nearly 2/3 of Congress (that's the House and Senate) gets money from Big Pharma. $7.1 million went to Republicans while Democrats received $6.6 million. Meanwhile, in 2021 Big Pharma spent an additional $263 million dollars to lobby Congress!  Also, because of cutbacks in government funding, Big Pharma now provides the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) with 75% of its drug review funding.

So what did they get for their money? How about no capping of drug prices, more control over what your physician prescribes, limiting the time your doctor gets to spend with you, and higher hospital bills for shorter stays. They also got more restrictions on converting higher cost "name brand" drugs into cheaper generic counterparts (under federal law, lower cost prescription medication has to be issued over the more expensive brand names unless there is a medical reason that would prevent a substitute).

Finally, Big Pharma has continued to step up its marketing of many drugs directly to public in order to encourage potential patients to request specific medication and boost sales. Big Pharma also expanded its all out offensive against holistic healthcare (common in Asia, Africa and Latin America).

This also includes preventative treatments and homeopathic healthcare which is an accepted practice in Europe and most of the world.  The outcome would be to make an already dependent and overmedicated population ever more dependent on what some call "controlled poisons" when discussing most prescriptions.

Our third most popular article was about Cancel Culture and the fight against freedom of expression and speech (among others).  Talk show host Joe Rogan made a comment on one of his podcast about disapproving of Biden's call for mandatory mask usage and requiring everyone to get COVID vaccines. It was just his personal opinion. Well that started a "firestorm" of protests from the Left. Apparently Rogan's comments weren't "politically correct". 

The Cancel Culture tries its level best to shame, bully, or intimidate anyone who says or does something which happens to offend them that day. Unfortunately they've been somewhat successful, causing individuals, groups, or even occasionally a corporation to back off. A few have even hired "consultants" to help them make sure that they're content is "PC"!

Nevertheless, the ultimate result has been to make individuals and others hesitant about what they say or do out of fear of backlash. It has caused people to measure everything they say or do. Libraries and bookstores have stopped carrying certain books or carry sanitized version of them. Same goes for movies.

Some TV stations will air censored version of movies or not broadcast older movies because of how some groups were portrayed or because all the actors were white; there were no individuals "of color". No so-called "diversity". But, at the same time, certain radio stations will play songs which encourages rape, violence, murder (especially of police officers) and just about every other depravity you can imagine and call it creative "entertainment" or racial expression. Heck, they even give out awards for this garbage!

It's reminiscent of Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia or China's "Culture Revolution" in 1966 under Mao Zedong. Whatever the state or party disapproved of was deemed as not socially acceptable (ie: not "politically correct"). As a result, certain books and movies were forbidden or destroyed while radio stations and newspapers were ransacked or shut down with thousands beaten, jailed, or murdered.  

Businesses were boycotted and many were fired from their jobs for holding "contrary" ideological positions. Some individuals were labeled "social misfits" or a threat to the state and sent to "reeducation camps" (a euphemism used for concentration camps). The horror of Kristallnacht (or "Night of Broken Glass") was borne out of this mentality. 

There are lots of things I don't like, disagree with, or disapprove of, be it movies, books, music, or media content. However, in a truly free society, each of us have the right to freedom of speech and expression. If I have an issue with it, I simply walk away, turn the channel, or don't buy what they're selling. It's me exercising my freedom of association and using the power of the marketplace.

Our second most popular article for 2022 was the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Our focus was on why President Putin invaded his southern neighbor. There's been a long history between Russia and Ukraine dating back to the Kievan Rus in 832, but that didn't spark the invasion.

Following the end of WWII, Soviet Russia created a buffer state composed of Eastern European nations it had liberated from the Nazis and pro-Nazis. It was Stalin's intention that Russia would never again be threatened by the West (Sweden's King Charles XII in 1707, Napoleon had invaded in 1812 and Hitler in 1941). However, with the USSR's implosion starting in 1989, these states were left to their destinies.

In 1990 then President Mikhail Gorbachev was assured by U.S. Secretary of State James Baker that NATO would "not advance one inch eastward", and yet by the end of the 20th Century, all of them belonged to NATO. This meant the Russia faced NATO tanks, troops, ships, and missiles all along its western frontier. The one exception was Ukraine, which at the time included the valuable Crimea with Russia's second largest military and naval bases at Sevastopol on the Black Sea.  It also had something else. Vast oil and gas resources.

The United States and some EU countries helped orchestrate a coup to remove President Petro Poroshenko and his pro-Moscow government with pro-Western Volodymyr Zelenskyy (to help "spread democracy" no doubt).  Some claim that in exchange for Western support a deal was made for access to the oil and gas rich Black Sea.

Almost immediately Zelenskyy began saber rattling about full membership in NATO, which, if granted, would completely surround Russia on the west and put Sevastopol not only in danger, but would threaten Russia's access to the Mediterranean Sea.  Putin continued to warn Ukraine, the West, and the United States that NATO in Ukraine would not be tolerated.

When it became apparent that NATO would approve Ukraine's application for full admission, Russia moved to secure the Crimea and protect its military installations, as well as its control of its oil and gas reserves. When that failed to make Ukraine back off, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then, the world has turned against Putin (with one lone exception, the Belarus).

Meanwhile, despite a full court press, Russian troops have failed to fully subjacent Ukraine which has militarily exhausted the former Super Power. As a result, Russian troops have focused on securing the pro-Russian Donbas provinces in Eastern Ukraine.  How this war will turn out is anybody's guess.

Some are predicting an eventual chemical, biological, or tactical nuclear strike, which seems unlikely. Others suggest a coup against Putin, which is possibility. There have been massive protests throughout Russia and a growing unrest among senior officers in the Russian military while in Ukraine, thanks to Western media and U.S. public relations and marketing firms, Zelenskyy has achieved near mythic status. Meanwhile, Western (mostly U.S.) energy companies are keeping a close eye on events.

Finally, our most viewed article for 2022 was, in part, about the sudden and dramatic rise in food and gas prices, but at its core it was about the growing power of the Corporatocracy and ruling Oligarchy which has seized control of America.

We pointed out how just five corporations control over 95% of everything you read, watch, or hear. It even controls your entertainment, from music and movies to video games. We discussed how four companies control practically everything (65%) we buy at the store, from clothes and electronics to food. 

We told you that four corporations own 85% of all meat processed in America while three controlled 66% of all pork.  just 15 cent of every dollar spent went to the farmer (most food production, however, comes from giant corporate farms owned by mega corporations, which are heavily subsided by the government.  When it comes to fertilizers, 65.8% of the market is owned by four companies.

Take a look at technology. Only five companies own 80% of the market. When it comes to energy---oil and gas mainly---a relatively small group runs it all, while suppressing alternative energy sources such as wind and solar.  Meanwhile, there's only about 30 companies which totally dominate the our financial markets.  Globally, they are about a dozen. Most of them are Chinese owned.

These companies are part of (indeed the core of) the global Corporatocracy which runs the world. They certainly run the government of the United States. It's senior board members are part of ruling oligarchy (or as some prefer, kleptocracy) that call the shots in Congress, the White House, and the Judicial system. Their lobbyists write our laws that we are told to obey.  It has nothing to do with "socialism" or "communism", although those names are bandied about to make us fear them. Why? Because they fear the people---us.

We've provided a link to these articles below so you can re-read them or perhaps read them for the first time in the same order as above.  We hope you found these, as well as our others articles informative and useful. Ever since our first article was published in July of 2005, we've tried our best to provide you, our dear readers, with accurate non-partisan information. No slant. Just facts. We even include links to our sources in case you want to delve deeper.

If you enjoy our work, please pass it along. We don't have a marketing department and therefore depend on you to help spread the word. We also ask that you "like" us on whatever platform you're using so our articles can stay in front of people. A lot of these platforms don't like what we have to say since it goes against their corporate line (toeing the line has never been one of my strong suits).

Finally, we would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read Another Opinion. We sincerely couldn't do it without your help. Have a happy, healthy, and safe New Year in 2023. Take care everyone.

 

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Dr. Fauci: The Man, Myth,Legend...and Schemer?

Big Pharma: A Monopoly in Need of a Cure

Joe Rogan and Cancel Culture: Freedom For Some But Not All

Understanding the Real Reason Why Russia Invaded the Ukraine

 

Who Wants to Play Monopoly?