Would It Be Better If Trump Just Stopped Tweeting And Meeting With The Press?

An Open Letter To President Trump

BY:

 BEN SHAPIRO

MAY 18, 2017

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Dear President Trump,

I’m under no misimpression that you give a damn what I think. Obviously, you

 feel you’ve been well served by listening not to your critics but to your

 sycophants; you clearly believe that being reinforced in your behavior by those

 around you makes you a stronger leader, rather than a weaker one.

I get it, too. I understand that you’re under fire nearly all the time, and that it’s 

dangerous to take every critique seriously.

But you’re running out of chances to get this right.

If you won’t take it from me, take it from Ann Coulter. If you won’t take it from

 Ann Coulter, take it from Michael Savage. If you won’t take it from Michael 

Savage, take it from the Senators and Congressmen who are now stampeding 

away from you.

You came into office with a Republican House and a Republican Senate and 

a massive legacy of Obama failure. You came in promising to get things done 

quickly and efficiently, to win and never stop winning. And you had the

 opportunity to fulfill some of those promises. Instead, aside from the wonderful

 nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, nothing of note has 

gotten done.

And that’s because of you.

Yes, dealing with Congress is like trying to herd cats. But you can’t herd cats 

if you’re too busy shooting yourself in the foot. Yes, dealing with media is like

attempting to feed a pack of hyenas. But you can’t deal with them if you’re too

 busy providing them red meat to dissect.

Here’s the sad truth: your problems right now are of your own making.

 Democrats were always going to try to pillory you. But you had a defense: they

had no evidence. And you could say that freely, because it was true! You could

 go along with their investigations, just keep saying that you wanted everything 

out in the open more than they did, and everything would have been hunky dory. 

If you’re innocent, sunlight would show it.

Instead, you decided that you were so irritated by the necessity of investigation

 or the possibility that aides had deceived you that you ignored input and then

 attacked the investigators. In doing so, you looked guilty, you bred accusations 

of obstruction, and you seemed petty and vindictive. Why is there a special 

counsel now looking at Trump-Russia issues? Because you hired a National 

Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, that everybody knew had connections to

 foreign governments, despite all outside advice; you then fired him when 

those connections became apparent; you reportedly asked the FBI director

 to let Flynn off the hook; you asked your deputy attorney general to involve

 himself in creating a justification for firing your FBI director; you fired your FBI

 director and then admitted on national television that you fired him thanks to 

frustration over the investigation — necessitating that the deputy attorney 

general put forth a special counsel.

This isn’t on Democrats. This isn’t on the media. This is on you, because 

you decided that the political universe would bow to you, and when it refused, 

you crapped the bed.

Now, here’s the good news: you can fix this.

You can fix this by removing your ego from the equation. Your detractors will 

always believe that you’re guilty of something nefarious; your fans will always 

love you. But how you treat the special counsel will say something about how 

everyone else thinks. The appointment of Robert Mueller has removed 

Democratic ability to claim bias in the investigation; if you appoint a bipartisan 

FBI director, you’ll be able to remove their empty claims of quashing the

 investigation. Then, for the love of God, sit back. Sign off Twitter. Let people 

jabber and complain. Just keep saying over and over again that the

 investigation is moving forward with full speed, and you can’t wait to be

 exonerated.

And then work.

Pass your agenda. Bring the growth you promised. Sign executive orders.

Govern.

Or don’t. Keep feeding your ego. Keep complaining. Keep castigating the 

investigation as a witch hunt and playing the martyr. Keep insisting that your

 aides defend every indefensibly stupid thing you do — even when four simple 

words, “I made a mistake,” will buy you loyalty and instill the image of honesty. 

Keep saying there’s nothing to see, then reacting in the most suspicious 

possible way every time negative information leaks.

Right now, Mr. President, it’s you. You’re the problem. You can solve it. But 

only if you get over yourself.

For the sake of country, I pray you do.