"Being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are."
Michelle Obama
In the wake of the recent publication of the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch’s confidential assessment of Donald Trump as “inept,” “insecure,” “diplomatically clumsy”, “mired in social scandal” and “uniquely dysfunctional,” (observations with which many other European diplomats confidentially agree) … the president’s enormous ego took a hit.
Rather than ignoring the comments, as most adults and other world leaders would, an unhinged President Trump resorted to his favorite retaliatory tool, hurling Tweeted insults at the person who offended him; in this case labeling the Ambassador a “very stupid guy” and a “pompous fool”.
Bravo to Prime Minister May and the British Parliament for defending their Ambassador.
Our thin-skinned president attempts to demean anyone who has the audacity to disagree with or criticize him or take a principled, non-partisan stand he dislikes; whether former members of his administration (James Comey, Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions), fellow Republicans (Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Jeff Flake), just about any Democrats (with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer being his favorite targets), citizens exercising their Constitutional rights (Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe), the media (almost everyone but Fox and Breitbart) and even the leaders of our nation’s most democratic and reliable allies (Great Britain, France, Germany).
Meanwhile, he fawns over and lavishes praise on such autocrats as Vladimir Putin, Rodrigo Duterte, Kim Jong Un, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Xi Jinping and even Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud; each of whom has figured out that by rolling out a red carpet and playing to Trump’s oversized ego know he can be played like a finely-tuned fiddle.
Why should this matter?
When the president of the United States is an insecure, self-absorbed narcissist who truly believes he knows more than anyone else and insists on negotiating in private with world leaders, particularly those with nuclear weapons and whose views on freedom, human rights and capitalism differ from American values; every meeting becomes a “love fest” and photo-op opportunity.
However, with Congress and, more important, the American people, whose fates can hinge on the outcomes of such negotiations, are left in the dark raising legitimate concerns about what Trump may have agreed to during those meetings.
“Trust me” from a president for whom the truth and facts are of little consequence gives one little comfort.
Domestically, a president who shows contempt for our Constitution and the role of the two co-equal branches of our government, has no respect for the “loyal opposition” and would rather govern by Tweet, innuendo and Executive Order is a danger to the liberties of every American.
Rather, he panders to his “base” with just two goals, idolization and re-election. He invents ”facts” and events he knows his supporters will never objectively check; promises them a return to an economic and social, fortress America which never truly existed, especially for far too many marginalized people; and panders to a religious right willing to abandon the tenants of their faith in pursuit of a “savior” echoing their fear of immigrants and hatred of abortion and LGBTQ rights.
So insecure is the president that he cannot tolerate criticism, control his emotions, respect the opinions of others or adhere to the truth. His childish temper tantrums reveal a great deal about the nature of our president and his actual underlying lack of allegiance to our nation and its values.
America is more than a very good economy, standing for the national anthem and military hardware flying over the Lincoln Memorial on July 4th.
America is a sacred and evolving ideal … unique in the history of mankind … one based on liberty, democracy, equality, inclusion, tolerance, and opportunity for every person living in or who comes to our shores.
If we are willing to sacrifice the latter for the former, we will ultimately end up with neither!
