It feels like global issues have intensified and become much more threatening since Donald Trump won the presidential election. Is the tension we feel attributable to Trump’s aggressive and unconventional style? Or are there extenuating circumstances that contribute to the current state of affairs? A review of some of the major issues confronting the president may give us some insight.

Domestically one of the greatest challenges for the administration is a partisan and dysfunctional Congress. Although attitudes have deteriorated, not all the blame should fall upon Trump.

In response to Republican obstruction of Obama initiatives between 2008 and 2016, Democrats attacked the new president relentlessly even before he took office. Unlike other administrations Trump was subjected to very personal and at times shameless venom from the left (it is widely believed that Trump deserved much of this treatment). There have been few administrations that have had to deal with such overt bad blood. Trump reacted as expected. He retaliated and bipartisanship in now nonexistent in Washington.

The Trump administration has seemingly lost congressional Republican support of the president’s agenda. Starting with the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, Trump’s own party abandoned him resulting in a sensational congressional defeat. For eight years Republicans were saying Obamacare was a disaster and should be terminated before it bankrupted the country. When the moment came (actually it came twice), Republicans could not control their caucus. Surely Trump cannot be solely responsible for his traitorous colleges on Capitol Hill.

The news broke that Russia was interfering in our elections. Keep in mind Trump was not yet president. Somehow Democrats were able to twist the story into some sort of Clancy-esque conspiracy between Trump and Putin. This never ending non-scandal (the Trump conspiracy angle) has dogged the administration without end. So far the only issue uncovered has been that Trump minions met with Russian officials before the election.

Illegal immigration and dangerous visitation into the US was showcased by Trump during his campaign. It is not a new problem. Over 10 million illegal aliens have invaded our country during the past few decades. Whether you want to believe it or not, these people take jobs from Americans (although some jobs do not attract citizens). They put a great strain on the educational, health and financial resources of states around the country. They have high crime rates compared to other groups. They “demand” citizenship even thought they broke the law by entering the country improperly.

There is nothing the US can do about its past border missteps. It is wise for our leaders to craft a path to citizenship for this group. Mass deportation would be inhumane and cruel. However these interlopers do not have a divine right to be in our country. They must agree to respect our laws and be productive citizens. Trump exposed this horrendous issue. He did not create it.

Correspondingly Trump is concerned with the immigration and visitation of individuals from several countries located in the Middle East. The reasons for this are twofold. One, some of the immigrants could be terrorists or troublemakers. Two, it is impossible to vet people from the countries on the administration’s list. If the US cannot determine whether they are law abiding because their countries of origin have no records, why should we take any chances and allow them entry to America? Once again Trump did not invent this problem. He inherited it.

Globally one of the main issues is North Korea. For three generations former US administrations have placated North Korean leaders relating to its nuclear aspirations. Frankly they did the world a terrible disservice. The evidence is clear. North Korea, a backwards and uncivilized satellite of China, now has nuclear weapons and can shoot them at our allies and the US atop intercontinental ballistic missiles.

How could this situation have gotten to this point? Trump asked the question and is confronting the maniac that rules North Korea. The president is responding to the inane foreign policies of the past that enabled North Korea to become an existential threat.

In the same vein Trump is addressing the moronic nuclear arrangement with Iran. A lot has been said and written on this subject. Suffice it to say that Iran will be able to launch nuclear weapons at US allies within the next decade if the current deal survives. It will be North Korea all over again. Trump thinks this would be irresponsible, and he is threatening to terminate the arrangement without concurrence from our allies.

Russia under Putin’s leadership has become a huge problem. The leader wants to bring back the glory days of the Soviet Union. Trump inherited this situation from his predecessors who have kicked the can down the road. The only feasible solution to Russian aggression is to bankrupt the country once again, just as Ronald Reagan did in the 80s. Trump is actively facing off against Russia, something that the past few administrations neglected to do.

I am not a big Trump fan. Those of you who read my blog know this. But the man is president and should have the support of the people and Congress. Currently he does not. This results in a dangerous set of circumstances that our evil adversaries are trying to take advantage of.