Did you know that on Dec. 1, President Trump issued a full pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez? Hernandez was convicted by a federal jury of conspiring to import cocaine and firearms into the United States, trafficking more than 400 tons of U.S.-bound cocaine. Was it the pardon letter to Trump, praising him, that moved Trump to pardon one of the biggest drug traffickers? We know how awards and praise, or their absence, affect his decisions.
After pardoning Hernandez, Trump ordered the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, claiming it was due to drug trafficking. He failed to support Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Machado, the leader of the opposition party that won the Venezuelan primary and was only then willing to meet with her in hopes of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. And, she did just that. Again, we know how he likes gifts and awards. He has since threatened to add a 10% import tax on imports from Norway, tying his desire to acquire Greenland to not getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
Some voted for Trump because he said he’s a builder and hoped he would cut through red tape to build affordable homes, create good-paying jobs and implement a health care program to improve all our lives. I guess he lied. Again.
All he is building is a wealthy upper class that we can’t touch, and he is quietly taking away our right to question why.
Patricia Oliver
North Huntingdon