Approximately 32% of U.S. adults personally own a gun, according to national polling data, while about 44% live in a household with a firearm. Americans can purchase rifles & shotguns at 18 & handguns at 21. That doesn't strike me as brave. Quite the opposite.
The total incarcerated population in the States is 1.8 - 2 million in state & federal prisons, local jails & related facilities. Over two thirds of those are people of colour. (Roughly 40% of Americans are people of colour). The US has the largest total prison population in the world. Over 25% of those incarcerated have not been convicted of a crime. That doesn't strike me as a land of the free.
About .22% of the US population is homeless at any one time. That is recorded data, the actual figure is probably far higher. That was approximately 745,652 on a single night in January 2025.
8.3% of the US population, (about 28.0 million people) of all ages, do not have health insurance. Medical debt is the No 1 cause of bankruptcy in the US. 56 million people struggle with medical debt each year. Despite recent gains, U.S. life expectancy remains lower than the average of many comparable peer nations (such as Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and the U.K.), largely due to differences in chronic disease management, cardiovascular health, and preventable deaths.
The US minimum wage has been $7.25 p.h. since 2009. That's £4.5 p.h. & is substantially lower than almost all other developed countries.
There are many allegations against Trump, but he is the first US president to be convicted of a crime. Unbelievably that does not bar him from being president. The Constitution does not bar individuals with felony convictions, indictments, or even those who are incarcerated from running for or holding the office. In 2019 a federal jury in New York awarded E Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages after finding Trump liable for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her sexual assault allegations. In May 2024 Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments prior to the 2016 presidential election.
The American president has shown repeatedly, by his words & actions, that he is unfit for that great office. Many in the world find it inexplicable that he was voted into power twice. The democrats have just won both houses & taken much of his power away from him. But presidents have a pre-emptive veto & Trump has said he will use it. Two-thirds of congressional votes are needed to override presidential vetoes.
The democrats need to restore the checks & balances of democracy. There needs to be balance between the executive & the legislature. All is not lost, but it will be an uphill struggle. Personally I want to see Trump in front of a jury of his peers facing justice. But that can wait. Democracy is far more important.
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