Is it fair to attribute 1 million deaths to Donald Trump? What about 500k?

November 17, 2024

Is it fair to attribute 1 million COVID19 deaths to President Trump? What about 500k?

No. We don't think so. It would not be fair to attribute all of COVID19 deaths in the United States to Trump. He was President, was in charge, and received timely intelligence reports about the COVID19 virus. He ignored the intelligence reports and followed his gut feeling that the COVID19 virus was either a hoax or something that would go away quickly on its own. Hindsight is 20/20 and it is now evident that Trump was blind and blindsighted by his know-it-all ego. Trump could have reacted better to the intelligence reports and could have saved many American lives. To his defense, Trump did press effectively on expediting the development of the COVID19 vaccines. So maybe Trump is responsible for half of the deaths. What do you think?

Hindsight is 20/20. 

It's easy to see now how Trump dropped the ball and failed to contain COVID19. For as much as Trump promised a border wall, he left open borders for COVID to wreak havoc nationwide. At least it can be said that Trump's failure was due to negligence--the negligence of an old science denier--rather than a willful or necessarily malicious intent to kill or exterminate people.

Atrocities in Human History

Human history has seen many worse and more deadly leaders than Trump. Hopefully it stays that way and Trump never becomes the most atrocious leader in human history. That infamous title currently goes to Hitler although there have been other leaders arguably worse and more deadly than Hitler. We don't think that Trump is anywhere near those atrocious leaders of the past. Hopefully it stays that way.

Throughout history, several political and military leaders have been notorious for willful and intentional widespread atrocities and severe human rights violations.  To their defense, some of those leaders (certainly not all) lived in different cultural contexts in more primitive societies under different values. For example, it would be harsh (and unpatriotic) to accuse George Washington of genocide and crimes against humanity in the context of the colonization of the United States and his role in conquering Natives and enslaving Africans. 

Infamously Atrocious Leaders

Below are a few different lists of infamous leaders and different atrocities that form part of our collective human history. 

1. Mao Zedong (China, 1949–1976)

• Atrocities: His policies, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, led to widespread famine, persecution, and the deaths of an estimated 45 million people. 

2. Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union, 1924–1953)

• Atrocities: Implemented mass purges, forced labor camps (Gulags), and widespread famine. Stalin's Great Famine of 1932–1933 and political purges in the 1930s are estimated to have caused the deaths of 20 to 30 million people. 

3. Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1933–1945)

• Atrocities: Orchestrated the Holocaust, leading to the genocide of six million Jews and millions of other minorities. His aggressive expansionism triggered World War II, resulting in the deaths of tens of millions. 

4. King Leopold II of Belgium (1835 - 1909)

• Atrocities: Under his reign, millions of Congolese were subjected to forced labor, mutilation, and death to extract rubber and other resources. Estimates suggest that up to 10 million people died during this period. 

5. Pol Pot (Cambodia, 1975–1979)

• Atrocities: Led the Khmer Rouge regime responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.6 to 2 million Cambodians through forced labor, starvation, and executions. 

6. Idi Amin (Uganda, 1971–1979)

• Atrocities: His regime was marked by gross human rights abuses, including political repression, ethnic persecution, and extrajudicial killings, with estimates of 100,000 to 500,000 deaths. 

7. Francisco Macías Nguema (Equatorial Guinea, 1968–1979)

• Atrocities: His brutal dictatorship led to the deaths of an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people, earning the country the nickname "Dachau of Africa." 

8. Saddam Hussein (Iraq, 1979–2003)

• Atrocities: Used torture and chemical weapons against civilians to suppress political dissent, and caused wars that caused significant loss of life. 

9. Kim Jong-il (North Korea, 1994–2011)

• Atrocities: Presided over a regime known for severe human rights abuses, including forced labor camps, widespread famine, and political repression. 

10. Benito Mussolini (Italy, 1922–1943)

• Atrocities: Established a fascist regime, suppressed political opposition, and engaged in aggressive military campaigns, notably in Ethiopia, resulting in significant civilian casualties.

There are more of course, and there were many men under them performing the atrocities.

European Colonization: Mother of All Atrocities? 

European colonial powers committed numerous atrocities across the Americas, Africa, and Asia, profoundly impacting indigenous populations and shaping the course of history through the imposition of the white supremacy that we enjoy and endure to this day. 

In the Americas:

• Genocide and Enslavement: Colonial powers, notably Spain, Portugal, and later Britain and France, were responsible for the deaths of approximately 55 millions of indigenous people through warfare, forced labor, and the unintentional introduction of European diseases. The encomienda system in Spanish colonies forced Native Americans into labor under brutal conditions. 

• Cultural Erasure: Colonizers systematically destroyed indigenous cultures, languages, and religions, imposing European customs and Christianity. This led to the loss of countless traditions and knowledge systems.

In Africa:

• The Transatlantic Slave Trade: European nations, including Portugal, Britain, France, and the Netherlands, forcibly transported approximately 11 million Africans to the Americas as slaves, leading to immense suffering and the death of millions.

• Exploitation and Brutality: In the Congo Free State, under King Leopold II of Belgium, millions of Congolese were subjected to forced labor, mutilation, and death to extract rubber and other resources.  Belgium exhibited Congolese people in "human zoos," dehumanizing them and showcasing them as curiosities to European audiences. Estimates suggest that up to 10 million people died during this period.

In Asia:

• Opium Wars: Britain's export of opium to China led to widespread addiction and social destabilization. The resulting Opium Wars forced China to cede territory and grant trade concessions to European powers.

• Exploitation and Famine: British colonial policies in India, such as heavy taxation and the focus on cash crops, contributed to devastating famines in the 19th century, resulting in at least 3 million deaths.

Colonial powers often suppressed local customs, languages, and religions, imposing European education systems and legal frameworks that undermined indigenous cultures. These actions have left enduring scars on the affected regions, with many communities still grappling with the consequences of colonial exploitation and violence.

Several European leaders were directly or indirectly responsible for atrocities committed during the colonization of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. These leaders enabled or orchestrated policies that led to mass exploitation, suffering, and death.

In the Americas

• Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II (Spain): Sponsored Columbus' voyages and established colonial policies that exploited Native Americans under the encomienda system.

• King Philip II of Spain (Spain): Oversaw the colonization of vast territories in the Americas, where millions of indigenous people died due to forced labor, violence, and disease.

• Christopher Columbus (Spain/Italy): Partly responsible because he initiated the colonization of the Americas, leading to the enslavement, forced labor, and deaths of indigenous populations in the Caribbean.

• Hernán Cortés (Spain): Led the conquest of the Aztec Empire (modern-day Mexico), resulting in mass killings, cultural destruction, and the spread of diseases that devastated indigenous populations.

• Francisco Pizarro (Spain): Conquered the Inca Empire in Peru through violence and exploitation, leading to widespread death and cultural erasure.

• Pope Alexander VI (Italy):Issued the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), dividing newly "discovered" lands between Spain and Portugal, legitimizing colonial exploitation.

• King James I (United Kingdom): Authorized the establishment of British colonies in the Americas, where indigenous peoples were displaced and enslaved.

• King Francis I (France): Sponsored early French colonial ventures in the Americas, where indigenous populations faced exploitation and cultural erasure.

In Africa

• King Leopold II (Belgium): Controlled the Congo Free State as a personal possession, where forced labor and violence to extract rubber led to the deaths of an estimated 10 million Congolese.

• Otto von Bismarck (Germany): Convened the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), which formalized the "Scramble for Africa," dividing the continent among European powers with no regard for African sovereignty and much less African lives.

• Queen Victoria (United Kingdom): Presided over British colonial policies in Africa, where violent suppression and exploitation, such as in the Boer War and Sudan, caused immense suffering.

• Cecil Rhodes (United Kingdom): As a colonial administrator in Southern Africa, Rhodes supported policies of land seizure, forced labor, and racial segregation.

• Napoleon Bonaparte (France): Reinstated slavery in French colonies (abolished during the French Revolution), leading to brutal suppression killings and crimes against humanity. [Also in the Americas, in Haiti.]

In Asia

• Queen Victoria (United Kingdom): British rule in India under her reign caused famines (e.g., Bengal famine), economic exploitation, and violent suppression of revolts like the 1857 Indian Rebellion.

• Robert Clive (United Kingdom): A key figure in British colonialism in India, his policies and corruption contributed to economic devastation and famine.

• King Charles V (Spain): Expanded Spanish colonial rule in Asia (Philippines), where indigenous populations were exploited under Spanish colonial systems.

• Lord Curzon (United Kingdom): As Viceroy of India, implemented exploitative policies, exacerbating famine and social unrest.

• King Louis XIV (France): Expanded French colonial control in Southeast Asia, where indigenous populations were subjugated and exploited.

• Prince Henry the Navigator (Portugal): Promoted early Portuguese expeditions along the African coast, initiating the transatlantic slave trade.

• King John II of Portugal (Portugal): Expanded the Portuguese slave trade, sending enslaved Africans to the Americas and Europe.

In the United States of America

Several American leaders, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries, were responsible for policies and actions that contributed to the genocide and cultural annihilation of Native Americans. 

George Washington (1st President, 1789–1797)

• Advocated for the assimilation of Native Americans into European-American culture, which often involved displacement and cultural erasure. His military campaigns against Native tribes during the Revolutionary War earned him the title "Town Destroyer" among the Iroquois.

Thomas Jefferson (3rd President, 1801–1809)

• Supported the idea of westward expansion, which displaced Native populations. Advocated for the assimilation of Native Americans into white society or their removal beyond the Mississippi River.

Andrew Jackson (7th President, 1829–1837)

• Orchestrated the Indian Removal Act (1830), which forced thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, leading to the Trail of Tears, where thousands died.

James Monroe (5th President, 1817–1825)

• Supported policies of Native American removal, laying the groundwork for Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act.

Martin Van Buren (8th President, 1837–1841)

• Oversaw the implementation of the Trail of Tears, enforcing Jackson's Indian Removal policies.

William Henry Harrison (9th President, 1841)

• As a military officer and territorial governor, led campaigns against Native tribes, including the Battle of Tippecanoe, which destroyed Native settlements.

Abraham Lincoln (16th President, 1861–1865)

• Approved the mass execution of 38 Dakota Sioux men after the Dakota War of 1862, the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

Theodore Roosevelt (26th President, 1901–1909)

• Praised the westward expansion that displaced Native populations, infamously stating that "the only good Indian is a dead Indian."

Philip Sheridan (Union General, later Commander of U.S. Army)

• Oversaw military campaigns against Native Americans, including scorched-earth tactics that destroyed food sources and settlements.

George Armstrong Custer

• Known for his aggressive military campaigns against Plains tribes, culminating in the infamous Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Lewis Cass (Secretary of War, 1831–1836)

• Played a significant role in promoting Indian removal policies.

John C. Calhoun (Secretary of War, 1817–1825)

• Advocated for westward expansion and displacement of Native tribes to secure land for white settlers.

Henry Dawes (Senator, Dawes Act of 1887)

• The Dawes Act broke up communal Native land holdings, forcing Native Americans to adopt individual land ownership and eroding tribal unity.

Richard Henry Pratt 

• Implemented boarding schools aimed at assimilating Native children by eradicating their languages, cultures, and traditions, encapsulated by Pratt’s motto, “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

Japanese Atrocities During Imperial Expansion and World War II

• Rape of Nanking (1937–1938): Mass murder and rape of Chinese civilians.

• Comfort Women System: Sexual enslavement of women, primarily from Korea, China, and the Philippines.

• Forced Labor: Millions of Asians, including Koreans and Chinese, were forced to work in inhumane conditions for Japanese industries and military projects.

• Unit 731 Human Experiments: Biological and chemical experiments conducted on civilians and POWs in China.

• Manila Massacre (1945): Mass killing of 100,000 civilians in the Philippines by retreating Japanese forces.

Several Japanese leaders were responsible for atrocities that amounted to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in China, Korea, and other parts of Asia. 

• Emperor Hirohito (Reign: 1926–1989): While his exact role in decision-making is debated, as Japan's symbolic leader, Hirohito presided over the military expansion and atrocities committed by Japanese forces. Hirohito did not publicly oppose actions like the Nanking Massacre or the use of forced labor and comfort women.

• Hideki Tojo (Prime Minister, 1941–1944): As the wartime Prime Minister and military leader, Tojo oversaw aggressive military campaigns across Asia. He approved policies leading to atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking and the use of forced labor and human experimentation. He was executed for war crimes in 1948 after being convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

• Prince Asaka Yasuhiko (Imperial Army General): Played a leading role in the Rape of Nanking (1937–1938), where an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians and prisoners of war were massacred, and tens of thousands of women were raped.

• Iwane Matsui (General of the Imperial Japanese Army): Commanded Japanese forces during the Nanking Massacre. He was convicted of war crimes and executed in 1948 for his role in atrocities against Chinese civilians.

• Shiro Ishii (Head of Unit 731): Led Unit 731, which conducted inhumane medical experiments on civilians and prisoners of war in China, including biological and chemical warfare tests. Thousands died from these experiments, but Ishii was never tried due to a deal with the U.S. for research data.

• Tomoyuki Yamashita (General): Known as the "Tiger of Malaya," Yamashita was responsible for atrocities committed during the conquest of Singapore and the Philippines. He was convicted and executed for war crimes related to mass killings and civilian atrocities in the Philippines.

• Seishirō Itagaki (Minister of War): Played a significant role in the invasion of Manchuria and China, including orchestrating massacres and the forced conscription of laborers.

• Hajime Sugiyama (Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff): Oversaw Japanese military operations in China and Southeast Asia, including policies of mass killings and scorched-earth campaigns.

Many leaders, including Tojo, Matsui, and Yamashita, were tried and executed after World War II during the Tokyo Trials and other war crimes tribunals. However, some, like Shiro Ishii, avoided prosecution due to Cold War politics. These leaders and their actions left deep scars across Asia, with many countries still seeking justice and formal apologies for these atrocities.

Nazi Leaders During World War II

Adolf Hitler (Führer of Nazi Germany): 

• Crimes: Architect of the Holocaust, responsible for the genocide of six million Jews and millions of others, including Romani people, disabled individuals, and political dissidents.
• Fate: Committed suicide in April 1945.

Heinrich Himmler (Head of the SS and Gestapo)

• Crimes: Oversaw the implementation of the Final Solution, which included extermination camps like Auschwitz. Responsible for mass executions and the operation of concentration camps.
• Fate: Committed suicide after capture in 1945.

Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda)

• Crimes: Played a major role in spreading anti-Semitic propaganda and inciting hatred against Jews, which fueled the Holocaust.
• Fate: Committed suicide along with his wife after murdering their children in April 1945.

Hermann Göring (Head of the Luftwaffe and Hitler's deputy early in the regime)

• Crimes: Coordinated early anti-Semitic policies, including the establishment of the Gestapo and looting of Jewish property.
• Fate: Sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Trials but committed suicide in 1946.

Rudolf Hess (Deputy Führer)

• Crimes: Involved in crafting Nazi policies and enabling Hitler’s plans, including anti-Semitic legislation like the Nuremberg Laws.
• Fate: Captured in 1941, sentenced to life imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials, and died in 1987.

Wilhelm Keitel (Head of the German High Command, OKW)

• Crimes: Signed orders allowing for war crimes, including the execution of hostages and the use of slave labor.
• Fate: Executed after being convicted at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

Alfred Jodl (Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command)

• Crimes: Approved war crimes, including targeting civilians and mistreatment of prisoners of war.
• Fate: Executed after the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

Reinhard Heydrich (Chief of the Reich Main Security Office, RSHA)

• Crimes: Chief architect of the Holocaust and chair of the Wannsee Conference, where plans for the Final Solution were formalized.
• Fate: Assassinated by Czech resistance in 1942.

Adolf Eichmann (SS Officer, Head of Jewish Affairs)

• Crimes: Organized the logistics of mass deportations of Jews to concentration camps.
• Fate: Captured in 1960, tried, and executed in Israel in 1962.

Josef Mengele (Doctor at Auschwitz)

• Crimes: Conducted inhumane medical experiments on prisoners, including children and twins.
• Fate: Escaped to South America, evading capture until his death in 1979.

Ernst Kaltenbrunner (Head of the Reich Security Main Office after Heydrich’s death)

• Crimes: Oversaw SS operations and was directly involved in extermination policies.
• Fate: Executed after the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

Albert Speer (Minister of Armaments and War Production)

• Crimes: Utilized forced labor in German war industries.
• Fate: Sentenced to 20 years at the Nuremberg Trials, released in 1966.

Martin Bormann (Hitler's Private Secretary)

• Crimes: Played a key role in implementing Nazi policies, including the Holocaust.
• Fate: Died in 1945 while fleeing Berlin, though his remains were not identified until 1972.

Hans Frank (Governor-General of occupied Poland)

• Crimes: Responsible for atrocities in Poland, including mass deportations, executions, and exploitation of Polish resources and labor.
• Fate: Executed after the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

Julius Streicher (Publisher of Der Stürmer)

• Crimes: Propagated extreme anti-Semitic rhetoric and incited violence against Jews.
• Fate: Executed after the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

Franz Stangl (Commandant of Treblinka and Sobibor)

• Crimes: Directly responsible for the deaths of over 900,000 Jews in extermination camps.
• Fate: Captured in 1967, sentenced to life imprisonment, and died in 1971.

Otto Ohlendorf (SS Officer, Einsatzgruppen leader)

• Crimes: Commanded Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads) responsible for the mass shootings of Jews and others in Eastern Europe.
• Fate: Executed after the Einsatzgruppen Trials in 1951.

Hans Fritzsche (Head of Radio Broadcasting in the Propaganda Ministry)

• Crimes: Spread propaganda that incited violence and justified Nazi policies.
• Fate: Acquitted at the Nuremberg Trials but later imprisoned by German authorities.

These individuals were central to the systemic atrocities committed by the Nazi regime during World War II, including genocide, mass killings, and widespread human rights abuses. Many were held accountable at the Nuremberg Trials, though some evaded justice for years or were never brought to justice. They would be burning in hell if one existed. 

In conclusion, it may be unfair to blame President Trump for 100 millions COVID19 deaths in the United States. Maybe he could have prevented half of the deaths, but not all of them. In his defense, his failure was due to ignorance and negligence rather than intentional or malicious intent. He's just an old salesman, not a superhero, not superman. Unlike Trump, there have been many world leaders in the past, including Americans, who have opted to kill and oppress maliciously. Trump would be a saint in comparison. No one should judge too harshly, and many in the United States and the rest of the "first world" have benefited tremendously from most of the atrocities of history whether we care to admit it or not. 

Now you know it. 

Live well. Die better. Enjoy. Remember that life is not a problem to be solved. The solution would be death. Life is an opportunity to embrace while it lasts. 

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