Our Dishonest President
- PART IOur Dishonest President
- PART IIMonday
- PART IIITuesday
- PART IVWednesday
It was no secret during the
campaign that Donald
Trump was a narcissist
and a demagogue who used
fear and dishonesty to appeal
to the worst in American voters.
The Times called him
unprepared and unsuited for
the job he was seeking, and
said his election would be a
“catastrophe.”
campaign that Donald
Trump was a narcissist
and a demagogue who used
fear and dishonesty to appeal
to the worst in American voters.
The Times called him
unprepared and unsuited for
the job he was seeking, and
said his election would be a
“catastrophe.”
Still, nothing prepared us for the
magnitude of this train wreck. Like
millions of other Americans, we clung
to a slim hope that the new president
would turn out to be all noise and bluster,
or that the people around him in the
White House would act as a check on his
worst instincts, or that he would be
sobered and transformed by the awesome
responsibilities of office.
magnitude of this train wreck. Like
millions of other Americans, we clung
to a slim hope that the new president
would turn out to be all noise and bluster,
or that the people around him in the
White House would act as a check on his
worst instincts, or that he would be
sobered and transformed by the awesome
responsibilities of office.
Instead, seventy-some days in — and with
about 1,400 to go before his term is
completed — it is increasingly clear that
those hopes were misplaced.
about 1,400 to go before his term is
completed — it is increasingly clear that
those hopes were misplaced.
In a matter of weeks, President Trump has
taken dozens of real-life steps that, if they
are not reversed, will rip families apart,
foul rivers and pollute the air, intensify the
calamitous effects of climate change and
profoundly weaken the system of American
public education for all.
taken dozens of real-life steps that, if they
are not reversed, will rip families apart,
foul rivers and pollute the air, intensify the
calamitous effects of climate change and
profoundly weaken the system of American
public education for all.
His attempt to de-insure millions of people
who had finally received healthcare
coverage and, along the way, enact a
massive transfer of wealth from the poor
to the rich has been put on hold for the
moment. But he is proceeding with his
efforts to defang the government’s
regulatory agencies and bloat the
Pentagon’s budget even as he supposedly
retreats from the global stage.
who had finally received healthcare
coverage and, along the way, enact a
massive transfer of wealth from the poor
to the rich has been put on hold for the
moment. But he is proceeding with his
efforts to defang the government’s
regulatory agencies and bloat the
Pentagon’s budget even as he supposedly
retreats from the global stage.
These are immensely dangerous
developments which threaten to weaken
this country’s moral standing in the world,
imperil the planet and reverse years of slow
but steady gains by marginalized or
impoverished Americans. But, chilling
as they are, these radically wrongheaded
policy choices are not, in fact, the most
frightening aspect of the Trump presidency.
developments which threaten to weaken
this country’s moral standing in the world,
imperil the planet and reverse years of slow
but steady gains by marginalized or
impoverished Americans. But, chilling
as they are, these radically wrongheaded
policy choices are not, in fact, the most
frightening aspect of the Trump presidency.
What is most worrisome about Trump is
Trump himself. He is a man so
unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant,
so full of blind self-regard, so untethered
to reality that it is impossible to know
where his presidency will lead or how
much damage he will do to our nation.
His obsession with his own fame, wealth
and success, his determination to
vanquish enemies real and imagined,
his craving for adulation — these traits
were, of course, at the very heart of his
scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed,
some of them helped get him elected. But
in a real presidency in which he wields
unimaginable power, they are nothing
short of disastrous.
Trump himself. He is a man so
unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant,
so full of blind self-regard, so untethered
to reality that it is impossible to know
where his presidency will lead or how
much damage he will do to our nation.
His obsession with his own fame, wealth
and success, his determination to
vanquish enemies real and imagined,
his craving for adulation — these traits
were, of course, at the very heart of his
scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed,
some of them helped get him elected. But
in a real presidency in which he wields
unimaginable power, they are nothing
short of disastrous.
Although his policies are, for the most
part, variations on classic Republican
positions (many of which would have
been undertaken by a President Ted
Cruz or a President Marco Rubio), they
become far more dangerous in the hands
of this imprudent and erratic man. Many
Republicans, for instance, support tighter
border security and a tougher response to
illegal immigration, but Trump’s
cockamamie border wall, his impracticable
campaign promise to deport all 11 million
people living in the country illegally and his
blithe disregard for the effect of such
proposals on the U.S. relationship with
Mexico turn a very bad policy into an
appalling one.
part, variations on classic Republican
positions (many of which would have
been undertaken by a President Ted
Cruz or a President Marco Rubio), they
become far more dangerous in the hands
of this imprudent and erratic man. Many
Republicans, for instance, support tighter
border security and a tougher response to
illegal immigration, but Trump’s
cockamamie border wall, his impracticable
campaign promise to deport all 11 million
people living in the country illegally and his
blithe disregard for the effect of such
proposals on the U.S. relationship with
Mexico turn a very bad policy into an
appalling one.
In the days ahead, The Times editorial
board will look more closely at the new
president, with a special attention to
three troubling traits:
board will look more closely at the new
president, with a special attention to
three troubling traits:
1Trump’s shocking lack
of respect for those
fundamental rules and
institutions on which our
government is based. Since Jan. 20, he
has repeatedly disparaged and challenged
those entities that have threatened his
agenda, stoking public distrust of essential
institutions in a way that undermines faith
in American democracy. He has questioned
the qualifications of judges and the integrity
of their decisions, rather than
acknowledging that even the president
must submit to the rule of law. He has
clashed with his own intelligence agencies,
demeaned government workers and
questioned the credibility of the electoral
system and the Federal Reserve. He has
lashed out at journalists, declaring them
“enemies of the people,” rather than
defending the importance of a critical,
independent free press. His contempt
for the rule of law and the norms of
government are palpable.
of respect for those
fundamental rules and
institutions on which our
government is based. Since Jan. 20, he
has repeatedly disparaged and challenged
those entities that have threatened his
agenda, stoking public distrust of essential
institutions in a way that undermines faith
in American democracy. He has questioned
the qualifications of judges and the integrity
of their decisions, rather than
acknowledging that even the president
must submit to the rule of law. He has
clashed with his own intelligence agencies,
demeaned government workers and
questioned the credibility of the electoral
system and the Federal Reserve. He has
lashed out at journalists, declaring them
“enemies of the people,” rather than
defending the importance of a critical,
independent free press. His contempt
for the rule of law and the norms of
government are palpable.
2His utter lack of regard
for truth. Whether it is
the easily disprovable
boasts about the size of
his inauguration crowd or his
unsubstantiated assertion that Barack
Obama bugged Trump Tower, the new
president regularly muddies the waters
of fact and fiction. It’s difficult to know
whether he actually can’t distinguish the
real from the unreal — or whether he
intentionally conflates the two to befuddle
voters, deflect criticism and undermine the
very idea of objective truth. Whatever the
explanation, he is encouraging Americans
to reject facts, to disrespect science,
documents, nonpartisanship and the
mainstream media — and instead to
simply take positions on the basis of
ideology and preconceived notions. This
is a recipe for a divided country in which
differences grow deeper and rational
compromise becomes impossible.
for truth. Whether it is
the easily disprovable
boasts about the size of
his inauguration crowd or his
unsubstantiated assertion that Barack
Obama bugged Trump Tower, the new
president regularly muddies the waters
of fact and fiction. It’s difficult to know
whether he actually can’t distinguish the
real from the unreal — or whether he
intentionally conflates the two to befuddle
voters, deflect criticism and undermine the
very idea of objective truth. Whatever the
explanation, he is encouraging Americans
to reject facts, to disrespect science,
documents, nonpartisanship and the
mainstream media — and instead to
simply take positions on the basis of
ideology and preconceived notions. This
is a recipe for a divided country in which
differences grow deeper and rational
compromise becomes impossible.
3His scary willingness
to repeat alt-right
conspiracy theories,
racist memes and crackpot,
out-of-the-mainstream
ideas. Again, it is not clear whether he
believes them or merely uses them. But
to cling to disproven “alternative” facts;
to retweet racists; to make unverifiable
or false statements about rigged elections
and fraudulent voters; to buy into
discredited conspiracy theories first floated
on fringe websites and in supermarket
tabloids — these are all of a piece with the
Barack Obama birther claptrap that Trump
was peddling years ago and which brought
him to political prominence. It is deeply
alarming that a president would lend the
credibility of his office to ideas that have
been rightly rejected by politicians from
both major political parties.
to repeat alt-right
conspiracy theories,
racist memes and crackpot,
out-of-the-mainstream
ideas. Again, it is not clear whether he
believes them or merely uses them. But
to cling to disproven “alternative” facts;
to retweet racists; to make unverifiable
or false statements about rigged elections
and fraudulent voters; to buy into
discredited conspiracy theories first floated
on fringe websites and in supermarket
tabloids — these are all of a piece with the
Barack Obama birther claptrap that Trump
was peddling years ago and which brought
him to political prominence. It is deeply
alarming that a president would lend the
credibility of his office to ideas that have
been rightly rejected by politicians from
both major political parties.
Where will this end? Will Trump moderate
his crazier campaign positions as time
passes? Or will he provoke confrontation
with Iran, North Korea or China, or
disobey a judge’s order or order a soldier
to violate the Constitution? Or, alternately,
will the system itself — the Constitution,
the courts, the permanent bureaucracy,
the Congress, the Democrats, the marchers
in the streets — protect us from him as he
alienates more and more allies at home
and abroad, steps on his own message
and creates chaos at the expense of his
ability to accomplish his goals? Already,
Trump’s job approval rating has been
hovering in the mid-30s, according to
Gallup, a shockingly low level of support
for a new president. And that was before
his former national security advisor,
Michael Flynn, offered to cooperate last
week with congressional investigators
looking into the connection between the
Russian government and the Trump
campaign.
his crazier campaign positions as time
passes? Or will he provoke confrontation
with Iran, North Korea or China, or
disobey a judge’s order or order a soldier
to violate the Constitution? Or, alternately,
will the system itself — the Constitution,
the courts, the permanent bureaucracy,
the Congress, the Democrats, the marchers
in the streets — protect us from him as he
alienates more and more allies at home
and abroad, steps on his own message
and creates chaos at the expense of his
ability to accomplish his goals? Already,
Trump’s job approval rating has been
hovering in the mid-30s, according to
Gallup, a shockingly low level of support
for a new president. And that was before
his former national security advisor,
Michael Flynn, offered to cooperate last
week with congressional investigators
looking into the connection between the
Russian government and the Trump
campaign.
On Inauguration Day, we wrote on this
page that it was not yet time to declare
a state of “wholesale panic” or to call for
blanket “non-cooperation” with the
Trump administration. Despite plenty
of dispiriting signals, that is still our
view. The role of the rational opposition
is to stand up for the rule of law, the
electoral process, the peaceful transfer of
power and the role of institutions; we
should not underestimate the resiliency
of a system in which laws are greater than
individuals and voters are as powerful as
presidents. This nation survived Andrew
Jackson and Richard Nixon. It survived
slavery. It survived devastating wars. Most
likely, it will survive again.
page that it was not yet time to declare
a state of “wholesale panic” or to call for
blanket “non-cooperation” with the
Trump administration. Despite plenty
of dispiriting signals, that is still our
view. The role of the rational opposition
is to stand up for the rule of law, the
electoral process, the peaceful transfer of
power and the role of institutions; we
should not underestimate the resiliency
of a system in which laws are greater than
individuals and voters are as powerful as
presidents. This nation survived Andrew
Jackson and Richard Nixon. It survived
slavery. It survived devastating wars. Most
likely, it will survive again.
But if it is to do so, those who oppose the
new president’s reckless and heartless
agenda must make their voices heard.
Protesters must raise their banners. Voters
must turn out for elections. Members of
Congress — including and especially
Republicans — must find the political
courage to stand up to Trump. Courts
must safeguard the Constitution. State
legislators must pass laws to protect their
citizens and their policies from federal
meddling. All of us who are in the business
of holding leaders accountable must
redouble our efforts to defend the truth
from his cynical assaults.
new president’s reckless and heartless
agenda must make their voices heard.
Protesters must raise their banners. Voters
must turn out for elections. Members of
Congress — including and especially
Republicans — must find the political
courage to stand up to Trump. Courts
must safeguard the Constitution. State
legislators must pass laws to protect their
citizens and their policies from federal
meddling. All of us who are in the business
of holding leaders accountable must
redouble our efforts to defend the truth
from his cynical assaults.
The United States is not a perfect country,
and it has a great distance to go before it
fully achieves its goals of liberty and
equality. But preserving what works and
defending the rules and values on which
democracy depends are a shared
responsibility. Everybody has a role to
play in this drama.
and it has a great distance to go before it
fully achieves its goals of liberty and
equality. But preserving what works and
defending the rules and values on which
democracy depends are a shared
responsibility. Everybody has a role to
play in this drama.
This is the first in a series.
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