The authoritarian state: “What do you think of our current President?”

I often see news articles discussing how American towns and states, particularly those along the border, are making extra pitches to tell Canadians how welcome they are. This is all well and good, BUT…

While waiting to get a tetanus shot for a particularly nasty insect (or arachnid) bite yesterday, I ran into a friend at a health centre. He’d found himself having to go—reluctantly—to a family destination wedding in Vegas that had been bought and paid for some time ago.

When he was entering the US, the border guard asked him, “What do you think of our current President?” Unbelievable.

My friend mumbled something about being neutral on the subject, even though he is anything but. Not sure what all his social media posts contain on Trump, but I’m guessing he was grateful they didn’t search his phone. I know I’d be in trouble if the border guards ever searched mine, particularly regarding Trump’s selling out of Ukraine – God knows to what detention centre I’d be sent and for how long.

In case anyone is wondering, this is what an authoritarian state looks like, and it’s not likely to get any better. This saddens me because it reinforces why Michele and I may never set foot in the US again, despite having people there we love dearly.

And all the “Welcome Canadians” signs in the world won’t change what the Trump administration and its border guards are doing to keep us away.