Lily Huynh/ The Cougar
Jeffrey Epstein has been dead since 2019, yet his influence is still strong in politics today. The entirety of what happened on his island and who was involved is still under wraps.
However, the Democratic Party released emails claiming that President Donald Trump knew about and was connected to the events on the island. A couple of days later, more emails came out, allegedly claiming that Trump was also sexually involved with former President Bill Clinton.
Since then, the internet has blown up with posts mocking the president and making jokes of the situation. Though they are funny, they also show how our democracy and our country’s reputation are slowly fading. What was once one of the most respected nations, led by respectable people, has been turned into a global laughingstock.
These things shouldn’t be brushed off because, behind all the jokes, children were involved and lives were taken. Accountability still matters. When we allow our leaders to get away with such horrific behavior, what does that say about the standards we hold as a country?
This behavior only grows a culture of desensitization and the belief that some people in this country can hold places of power without facing consequences. That is how the United States, once respected for its integrity and stability, began to look like the punchline of a bad joke.
If we want respect back, we have to stop accepting this behavior as usual and start expecting better from the people who represent us.
President Trump is extremely at fault for this. As the nation’s leader, he has handled the situation extremely inappropriately. When prompted to release a statement and received pushback regarding the files, Trump told the reporter, “Quiet, quiet piggy.”
Behavior like this is just unacceptable, especially from the president and because of the gravity of the situation he’s being accused of. Unfortunately, this behavior from Trump has been repeated and normalized.
The U.S. used to be led by people who showed respect for their peers, regardless of their party affiliation and carried themselves with dignity. Today, the contrast is stark, and the rest of the world is paying close attention. They’re watching a country stumble through crises, denial, insults and mockery. What kind of message does that send?
This issue goes far beyond Trump or Epstein; it’s also about the world becoming entirely numb to the gravity of these accusations. Hearing the president of the U.S. be accused of such horrible crimes should be worthy of a proper investigation and proper accountability.
Yet somehow, the internet has been able to turn one of the darkest scandals in modern American history into entertainment. This is exactly how accountability dies.
At some point, the country has to decide whether it still values its dignity, or if we’re content to keep spiraling through a cycle of scandals, excuses and jokes.
opinion@thedailycougar.com
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