I was fascinated by the rhetoric coming out of the mouth of Donald Trump, the new President of the United States. Many of us have opinions on his selections for the cabinet and other key White House positions. But he is the new president; he gets to choose his picks. Who am I to complain about them?

After all, Maltese have real feelings/concerns about the prime minister’s choice for his ministers. So I will pass on my feelings.

What caught my attention was how the new president decided to reach out to his counterparts around the world. The leaders of Denmark (Greenland), Canada, Mexico and Panama were filled with universal incredulity when the new ‘leader of the free world’ pronounced that he will buy or take over these countries.

I can understand that he wants to build a Trump hotel in Nuuk, Greenland. Who wouldn’t? And it would not bother him to dig for hidden treasures all over the vast pristine Greenland icescape/landscape. While the citizens of Greenland are interested in gaining full independence from Denmark, they do not want to exchange it for the delights of the United States. As for the Danes, they said no, while laughing at the thought.

The Mexicans described as B.S. Trump saying he is thinking about sending in the US military to clean out the drug cartels. The Mexican government responded by saying that if the US would halt the flow of weapons there would be no problem. Eighty per cent of all weapons in Mexico come from the United States.

Additionally, the Mexican government believes that the cartels would diminish in importance if the US would keep its citizens from buying the drugs that keep the cartels in business. Not a well-thought-out statement on Trump’s part.

So Trump wants to retake the Panama Canal. His Trumped-up belief is that the Panamanians are giving exclusive deals to the Chinese. Of course, there is not one shred of proof. More likely, Trump is unhappy at having his Trump Hotel taken away from him several years ago by the Panamanian government. And what is Trump without bluster and bully?

And why would the Canadians not want to be the 51st state? The Canadians are the nicest, most polite people in the world. They would not say an unkind word to any US citizen. If you really keep pressing the issue, they will politely say bugger off. They do not like the tariffs that Trump wants to place on its closest neighbour. And they will remind him that tariffs work two ways.

President Donald Trump only respects billionaires- Alan Zelt

Another sore point is that the United States refuses to recognise Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, even though all of it lies within Canada. And with all the melting seas in the Arctic region, Russia and China are threatening to move in.

But what got me going today was an article written by Jean Chrétien, the 91-year-old former prime minister of Canada. He said, in part: “To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, which is what we are – to join the United States?

“I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of diverse backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony. We have also built a strong social safety net – especially with public healthcare – that we are immensely proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.”

Reading what Chrétien wrote was the trigger for my concerns. Why would any sane Canadian, Greenlander or Panamanian give up their citizenship just to get the same terrible American healthcare, costly education and retirement systems (not to mention American style non-existent vacations) afforded by the American government.

The chalkboard is blank. Nothing the new government will do is written yet. As said before, all countries’ benefits for their citizens can be adjusted. What is known is that President Trump has been a bully all his life. He only respects billionaires. He has always hired the low and middle classes and swindled them. He has filed bankruptcy four times while owning casinos, which is a virtual impossibility, unless there is a financial gain.

As we start a new year, we can urge all in Malta to insist on their rights being honoured and those who breach these rights are finally to be held accountable. And be discerning in believing what our leaders tell us. Budgets, plans and magisterial inquests are good but results are infinitely better. And recognise bullying for what it is. Stand up to bullies. Give us our new hospital, corruption-free benefits and, finally, try and convict all those who murdered Daphne.

Alan Zelt is an expat living in Malta and a former entrepreneur. He writes a photo blog for friends around the world extolling the beauty of Malta (https://MaltabyZelt.home.blog)