Donald Trump rode into office on the hopes of disaffected American voters whose voices had gone unheard for far too long. Hillary hadn’t listened either and had she not been such a shrill, sanctimonious idealogue and Washington insider, she would have pulled off her victory. It certainly wasn’t that the voters liked Trump more (as demonstrated by the popular vote). They simply liked her less…and in all the right states for Trump to win the electoral college.
The election is long over and Trump’s first hundred days have shown us what kind of leader he is. In short, he isn’t one. He has glaringly demonstrated that as a leader he is a disaster. He is a disaster because he shown that he doesn’t have any idea of how to lead. How to insult? Yes! How to shoot off his mouth? No question. How to bully? Absolutely! How to throw people under the bus, antagonize everyone from staff members to other foreign leaders, send out angry “tweets” like an adolescent? Dare I go on?
True leaders articulate a clear vision for the future. They rally support. They lead by example. They set the tone. They win converts to their causes. They compromise when necessary. They show respect and appeal to our better natures. They listen and they empathize. They inspire trust. These are the qualities we want to see in our leaders. What do you see when you look at the Whitehouse?
Insults, threats and bullying do not a leader make. Saying one thing one day and denying it the next, and relying on your press secretaries to exhaust themselves “spinning” your remarks is not what Americans, or anyone else, wants to see from the “Leader of the Free World”. We expect more. And we deserve more. Much more!
Trump has shown us without doubt what kind of President, and even more telling, what kind of man he is. And he is no longer, nor ever was, a person who had the honor and character to wear the mantle of the Presidency. From Flynn to Comey, to insulting the Mayor of London after their terror attack instead of offering sympathy and support, to his failed Health Care Reform to his dead-on-arrival Income Tax Reform, he has blown every opportunity given him and tried to convince us that his failures were really successes. This is not a question of Democrat versus Republican. This is a question of our choosing what kind of country we want to be: A “Shining City on a Hill” or something much less?
As the days and weeks unfold, we will watch Trump’s support erode further as those whose help he needs to govern distance themselves. How long will it take before he no longer has the staff or support needed to govern at all? How long will it be before he crosses a line that leads to his impeachment? If I were a betting man, and I am, he won’t last a year. Will he resign in frustration or be impeached? Time will tell. Maybe then more reasonable people, including the New Americans, can lead this country back in the right direction. How do I know this? Simple…America, and we, are better and more than one election and one man. We are ALL better than this.