On Thursday, President Trump had his photo taken with a baby whose parents had been murdered by a man who drove 10 hours across the state of Texas specifically to kill Mexicans. Twenty other people also died in the attack.
Trump, flashing a triumphant grin and jaunty “thumbs up” gesture, appears to be celebrating a great accomplishment.
If you saw a man acting this way at a time and place of such extreme sorrow, your first reaction would be pity. You’d think the man had a psychological condition that makes it impossible for him to read a situation and act appropriately.
And I would pity him, except that he’s the president of the United States and his vast powers include the ability to launch a nuclear strike.
On Saturday, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell.
Trump responded by retweeting a conspiracy theory that suggested the Clintons may be linked to his murder. (Epstein’s death has been ruled a suicide.)
This act, as irresponsible as anything that might come from a two-bit dictator, proves Trump’s unfitness for office.
But here’s the magic of Trumpworld. These incidents have helped the president. They have deflected attention away from his worst transgression of the week: Throwing the U.S. military and our intelligence agencies under the bus.
Last year Trump claimed, “There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.”
Not true. North Korea’s nuclear program and missile launches continue apace. Trump, however, dismisses such reports, citing Kim Jong Un’s “beautiful” letters over information from our intelligence agencies.
And now he insults our military. Trump referred to U.S. military exercises with our ally, South Korea, as “ridiculous and expensive.”
Trump’s thinks it’s “ridiculous” for our military to prepare for war? Pre-Trump, this would have been unimaginable. The adage, “If you wish peace, prepare for war,” goes back to the Roman Empire.
But North Korea wants us to stop military exercises. Trump agrees.
Is the president acting in our interests or Kim Jong Un’s? How about Russia and China? Would they want us prepared for war in the Pacific?
And why has the president of the United States adopted the talking points of our adversaries?
A while back I called on local Republicans to push back against the president, because the congressional Republicans obviously won’t. The suggestion was not met with enthusiasm.
Now the situation is even worse. It’s up to local Republicans from the around country to save their party before it’s too late.
Don Flood
Lewes
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