Trump trips over his own lips

Love him or hate him, give Donald Trump credit.

No one else can dominate headlines, knocking huge stories off the front page, like the president.

From relegating the Golden Globes and its anti-harassment message (capped by Oprah Winfrey’s fiery speech) to the back burner, to making a monumental story – the bogus threat of an incoming nuclear missile – irrelevant, President Trump has the unique ability to make everything “about him.”

But being an expert in that regard doesn’t necessarily make one successful.

Sadly, his expertise all too often results in self-destruction.

For those hoping that Mr. Trump would turn over a new leaf in 2018 by acting more presidential, think again. The president picked up the new year right where he left off: First, he went to war against a book that paints an unflattering picture of his campaign and presidency (threatening a lawsuit to block publication, making it appear as if he were trying to hide something). And then, the president used an expletive to describe certain countries that he deemed undesirable for immigration to America.

He is now engaged in yet another “I-said, he-said” moment, claiming that he did not use the derogatory term in question – despite a roomful of congressmen and senators from both parties who state otherwise.

Partisan politics has once again reared its ugly head. The single-most important aspect that almost no one is discussing is why the proposed immigration reform bill, including muchneeded provisions for the DACA “Dreamers,” is apparently dead – yet prior to the president’s remarks, both sides were confident of passage.

Why the retreat? Because Mr. Trump used racy language?

Our elected officials must be able to discern the difference between policy and personality. One may not like the president. One may even despise him. But if legislation is on the table that would benefit America, you pass it – lock, stock and barrel. Refusing to do the right thing because of someone’s poor word choice is anathema to good public service, attempting to gain partisan advantage at the expense of the people.

And that, more than anything, is why Washington is broken. To both sides: Grow up!

The president now claims he didn’t use the expletive. Guess what? It doesn’t matter, because the jury is in: Guilty. And that is a situation 100 percent of his own making. He made his bed by hurling insults, issuing threats, using vulgar language, prevaricating, whining, and coming across as an overall nasty individual. Despite all that, he still won.

As a comparison, if Mike Pence or John Kasich stood accused of making such a remark, most people would give them the benefit of the doubt, because they are both gentlemen. But Mr. Trump, through his stubborn refusal to change his behavior and act presidential, has cemented perceptions about his character.

The only thing that can improve the president’s dismal approval rating – and save the GOP from a bloodbath in this year’s mid-term congressional elections – is passing popular legislation.

The president’s sentiments don’t make him “racist.” Ignorant, to an extent, but not racist.

Should America prioritize immigrants from places such as Haiti? Absolutely not. A broad stroke, to be sure, but the majority are poor and unskilled, as in most third-world countries. That doesn’t mean America should shut the door entirely, and thankfully, we don’t. But we cannot save everyone who is oppressed and downtrodden, since that number is well into the billions worldwide.

That said, the president clearly did not do his homework when he lumped the sub-Saharan African nations into his comment. In fact, they are some of the most skilled and educated immigrants in America, with 41 percent having earned a bachelor’s degree (compared to 32 percent of Americans and 30 percent of all immigrants). They are the people America should be targeting.

President Trump is many things, but calling him a “racist,” even to those who are chronically offended by everything, is unwarranted and counterproductive. Instead, our focus should be on creating the America envisioned by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., where we judge each other not on the color of our skin, but on the content of our character.

On that note, if the president doesn’t change his character quickly, he will likely see his party emigrating from Congress in record numbers.