The Star’s view: The true test of leadership,

In the wake of the horrific attack on Muslims at prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand, we have seen the best and the worst. We have seen leadership and we have seen its opposite — prevarication, excuse-making and dishonesty.

For an example of leadership, we need look no farther than New Zealand itself and its young prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. She is winning praise around the world for her response to the Christchurch massacre, and for good reason.

New Zealand, thank goodness, has no experience with this kind of outrage, but Ardern struck all the right notes.

She rejected the racist ideology of the perpetrator and underlined the unity of all people in her country by declaring of the Muslims who came under attack in their mosques that “they are us.” She refused the divisions at the heart of the white nationalist message. She rebuked those who claimed immigration contributed to the violence.

She offered compassion and solidarity in a way that seemed entirely genuine. She donned a hijab out of respect and comforted grieving families. And she offered practical support in the form of financial aid for survivors. Ardern showed resolve, as well. She promised to strengthen New Zealand’s gun laws and bring in reforms within 10 days. That won’t be easy; gun owners are bound to push back. But the prime minister seems up for the fight.

All this is what a community under stress is looking for: leadership that offers reassurance, moral clarity and a way forward. It’s the kind of thing that is demanded at a moment’s notice, when the unthinkable suddenly becomes reality. As a result, it must come from an inner purpose; it can’t wait for the political consultants and strategic advisers to weigh in.

At the same time, for an example of non-leadership, we can look in a familiar direction: the White House. True to form, Donald Trump failed spectacularly to rise to the occasion.

The suspected shooter in New Zealand had in fact mentioned the president in his so-called manifesto of white nationalism. Asking himself whether he was a Trump supporter, he answered: “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure.”

Faced with that, Trump could not even bring himself to recognize the growing threat of white nationalism. Instead, he played it down, calling it only “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.”

This flies in the face of evidence from his own administration, not to mention independent analysts. The FBI and Homeland Security have both documented that white supremacist groups have killed more Americans than any other type of extremists (including Islamist terrorists) over the past 15 years.

This is no marginal threat and Trump had no excuse not to know that.

Yet, once again, he refused the opportunity to recognize the danger and denounce it without qualification or hesitation. The shooter’s own words show Trump is seen by white nationalists themselves as a symbol of white identity. And the president seems just fine with letting that ride.

In fact, he mustered more enthusiasm over the weekend for attacking Saturday Night Live on Twitter for rerunning a show that mocked him. His own injured feelings count for more than the lives of 50 people murdered in the name of an ideology he refuses to confront.

Some may debate whether Trump is actively promoting far-right extremism, or is just content to reap the benefits while it grows on his watch.

Whatever the truth (and, in the end, it comes down to the same thing), it’s a disgraceful performance.

And it’s all the more striking when an example of true leadership is being demonstrated at the very site of the tragedy.