I assume that I am not alone in appreciating former President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the public eye, the public's ear and the public's hair. After five years (since the start of his first presidential campaign, in 2015) of continuously flowing lies, lawlessness, mean-spirited rhetoric and nonsense, many Americans welcome this reprieve. I, for one, am grateful for Twitter's and Facebook's gag orders.

Having penned several columns on Trump's exploits, I did not anticipate writing on the subject anytime soon. But I could not resist composing this Valentine's Day column.

Trump is a man of few words — not that he speaks little but that his vocabulary is very narrow. We know that he does not read, not even in self-defense. Megyn Kelly, also gone from the public eye, once asked Trump about the latest book he had read, to which he responded: "I read passages. I read areas. I'll read chapters. I just — I don't have the time." Do you use a thesaurus? Who needs a prehistoric reptile? "I have the best words," he once bragged.

We became accustomed to his overuse of certain best words: "perfect," for example, as in that perfect call with the Ukrainian president, and "beautiful," as in the beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un. But the four-letter word "love" ranks highest among his most abused.

I scoured Trump's speeches and tweets — check out rev.com — in search of the word "love," and this is some of what I found:

For Love of Country

Judging from Trump's communications, nobody loves America more than him. On scores of occasions, he has reminded us that he loves America. "I ran because this country has been good to me. I love America," he told a crowd in St. Augustine, Florida, shortly before the 2016 election.

Trump holds in highest esteem Americans who love their country, such as the patriots, as he calls them; veterans and police officers; the bikers, "great people who truly love our Country"; and newly adopted America lovers, like Venezuelan exiles who "love our country." "We'll take care of the Venezuelan people," he promised two days before Valentine's Day 2020.

"Others," he has bitterly denounced, "do not love our country. In fact, they hate our Country!" This includes virtually all Democrats. He once singled out Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar, saying that she "doesn't love our country."

Got to 'Love the World' ('Scooby-Doo')

In spite of his beautiful and perfect nationalism, in matters of love, Trump is an indiscriminate globalist.

During his 2015-2016 campaign, he repeatedly expressed his love for Mexico and Mexicans. I lost track of the number of times. After getting elected, he sort of fell out of love with the Mexican people.

Curiously, when Trump said that he loved Mexicans, he often added statements such as "I've had thousands of ... Mexicans working for me." But he loves some Mexicans more than others: "(T)he rich Mexicans, they're great people — friends of mine. They buy my apartments." No love for Mexican "bad hombres," border crossers, drug dealers or rapists, and certainly not for the children he ordered torn from their parents' arms.

It is curious that Trump only loves Latinos from places that have significant numbers — read: voters. "I love Puerto Rico," he said in August 2018. In a speech he gave in Miami, he posed the rhetorical questions: "Do we love Cuba?" Applause. "Do we love Nicaragua?" More applause.

And Canada? O Canada. Trump has expressed his love for our northern neighbors, their "taking advantage of the United States for many years" notwithstanding.

As for Turkey, he offered the exact same words: The country has "great people" but "has taken advantage of the United States for many years."

The Irish — everybody loves the Irish. Trump calls them "strong and resilient." As he said in Shannon in June 2019, "I think I know most of them because they are my friends." No data offered as to how many reside in Trump's many towers.

Trump has repeatedly said he loves China, but it is more like a love-hate relationship. "I love China. In fact, they're my tenants in New York," he said early in his first campaign. On many occasions, he sarcastically said he loves China.

Russia is a sour topic for Trump. But at least once, he said in public, "I love Russia." Russian President Vladimir Putin has been Trump's favorite valentine. Someone should make a film about their lasting romance. "From Russia With Love" may be a good title.

More love to come in part two.

Readers can reach Luis Martinez-Fernandez at [email protected]. To find out more about Luis Martinez-Fernandez and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.