I think panicking has a lot to do with government. Most panic is based on uncertainty. If people don't trust their government to keep things running smoothly, they panic.
I wrote to Trump quite early on in his term. I told him what I would like to be able to trust him. I said I wished if he said something, I could believe what he was said was true. He probably didn't see my letter, and he surely has not learned the value of earning the trust of the people.
I understand his motive for saying some of the things he said earlier. He was trying to calm people, trying to avoid people panicking. His motive was right; but he did it wrong when a few days later we found out he lied. That eroded trust. He went for a short term gain and lost in the long term.
He also said in his inauguration speech he wanted to the president of all the people, not just of those who voted for him. I didn't know whether to believe him. I hoped he meant it. He didn't. Partisan bickering only got worse. The approval ratings of many presidents go up over time. His hasn't. He continues to appeal to his base and to them alone. Other people don't trust him, they don't like him. He missed the opportunity to pick up more support and to increase the base of people who trusted him. Almost no one who voted against him in 2016 is now for him. The opposite isn't true, at least not where I live. Farmers are going bankrupt here in Pennsylvania. His promises to them did not come true. He also promised the people of Pennsylvania that he'd bring back manufacturing jobs. He hasn't. I have a friend whose father works in manufacturing. That company is struggling to survive. People are worried it may go under and they'll be out of work.
Trump promised to bring back manufacturing in Pennsylvania. He didn’t. Will it cost him?
Broken promises add up over time. People lose faith in leaders when they can see they lied. We see something similar happening in American relations with other countries. Other world leaders do not trust Trump. Alliances are crumbling.
