(Todd A. Smith)
Many of us have been there.
We started dating someone who, on the surface, seemed to have everything we wanted in a mate.
However, as we got to know them better, we realized their flaws and imperfections were more extreme than we had ever imagined.
Whether that person was verbally, mentally or even physically abusive, it took us a while to finally leave.
But when we finally removed ourselves from them, we missed their toxicity and dysfunction because although they were crazy, that craziness was more exciting than stability was.
So, we gave them another chance because it likely wasn’t as bad as we remembered.
And then, when we finally got back together, it was even worse than the first time, making it necessary to rid ourselves of the dysfunction again.
However, this time, we were more bruised than the first time.
While every trial is a lesson, some lessons are unnecessary and avoidable.
Although God desires to move us forward and upward, if we keep going backward, it delays our blessings and our progress, making our lives that much more difficult.
President Donald Trump is that toxic relationship that we wisely got out of approximately four years.
Many Americans realized that they had made a mistake by sitting out the 2016 presidential election or not voting for Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, especially after President Trump mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citizens got tired of the divisive rhetoric and dysfunction and wanted someone more stable and humane.
The country got that with former President Joe Biden.
Unfortunately, Biden was plain and normal and downright boring.
Although Biden steered the country out of the coronavirus pandemic and made significant progress in reducing inflation caused by the pandemic, many Americans longed for the Trump era to return.
They missed the days of the president treating the Oval Office like a comedy stage, not a place of leadership.
Understandably, many Americans longed for the days when things did not cost as much.
They missed the days when they had more money in their pockets.
Therefore, they went back to the person that God had removed from their lives and quickly realized why they had gotten away from that toxic person in the first place.
But unlike in a relationship where a person can likely leave whenever they choose, the American citizenry is stuck in this toxic relationship for four more years when they should have known this would be the result based on their experiences during the first relationship.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
God gave America the Great Escape in 2020 with Biden’s big win.
But unfortunately, Americans voluntarily chose to succumb to the temptation they had already been delivered from.
Americans chose to look in the rearview mirror and go backward, instead of continuing to go forward.
As a result, the First Amendment is getting tested with pro-Palestinian supporters getting snatched off the streets because the Trump administration does not agree with their political stance.
As a result, the stock market has caused some people to lose millions of dollars with the silly tariffs that Trump is obsessed with.
As a result of the tariffs on Chinese imports, Americans, who voted for Trump because they believed he would lower prices, will pay much more for products than they did during Biden’s presidency.
As a result, many small businesses might have to close because they will lose all their customers if they pass the tariff costs to them.
As a result, many planned businesses might get delayed at least four years because the entrepreneur cannot justify paying over 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, and no comparable American manufacturer exists to alleviate the problem.
As a result of Trump’s immigration policy, people are getting shipped out of the country without due process, which could prove that they are not criminals and even prove that they are United States citizens.
As a result, American citizens who are found guilty of a crime could find themselves shipped off to prisons in El Salvador where they would effectively have very limited physical contact with family members, friends and American legal counsel.
As a result, Black History is getting removed from the history books.
As a result, diversity, equity and inclusion no longer exists.
As a result, America might have a constitutional crisis as Trump tries to defy court orders and flirts with a possible third presidential term, which is prohibited by law.
Unfortunately, the law has never stopped Trump before because he always had followers who believed his toxicity was not as bad as the media or the liberals try to portray it.
That reality reminds me of a toxic relationship when a person in a relationship tries to tell their friends how bad their mate is.
However, the friends try to make light of the person’s plight because of how good the other person looks or how much money they have.
Trump is the quintessential toxic and abusive relationship.
Although consistent bad relationships might ruin someone’s life, eventually everyone has a chance to finally get it right.
Intelligent people will see similar characteristics to their toxic ex in a new person and run the other way.
Furthermore, they will use their experience to help others avoid similar relationships.
Hopefully, Americans have finally learned their lesson and will look for a new president without those toxic traits.
Moreover, hopefully, they will warn future generations to avoid all abusive relationships, whether in romance or politics.
