It’s time for us to get serious about Trump
WASHINGTON — The tweeting habits of our current president have, so far, been the sort of thing that would get most people kicked off the popular social media site.
Vile insults, rumors and outright lies have been the hallmark of Donald Trump’s 140-character tirades. Thursday, he took his guttural musings to a new low when he again took aim at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
Trump was particularly harsh on Brzezinski, saying that the two came to his Mar-a-Lago resort “around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift (sic). I said no!”
Brzezinski, no shrinking violet, fired back with an image of a Cheerios box that said,
“Made For Little Hands,” a swipe at Trump’s sensitivity over the size of his mitts.
“It’s a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job,” MSNBC said in a statement Thursday.
So far, the White House has stood by Trump’s tweets, despite an avalanche of criticism on Twitter — Republican politicians included. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the president’s principal deputy press secretary, said Trump “fights fire with fire.” Or perceived fire, I guess.
That Trump has continued his habit of attacking opponents on Twitter should come as no surprise. But this missive was harsh, even by the standards he has set, and continues what many observers say is a pattern of misogyny and general hatespeak toward women.
Take this in for a minute: Our sitting president has called a Miss Universe contestant “Miss Piggy,” and talked about the weight of comedian Rosie O’Donnell and reality-show star Kim Kardashian. During the campaign, he trashed the appearance of fellow candidate Carly Fiorina, by saying, “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?”
Sounds downright presidential, right? Uh, no!
It’s time for the American public — and the Republican Party, in particular — to get real about Trump and his increasingly bizarre behavior. From his boorish antics at the G-7 Conference in Europe to his attack on a disabled reporter during the campaign, it’s time to ask the question: Is Trump mentally fit for the office of the presidency?
Consider this passage from a Washington Post story by Philip Rucker and Karen DeYoung of the G-7 debacle on May
27: “(Trump) strode around hulkingly. He nervously buttoned and unbuttoned his suit jacket. He sometimes seemed unsure whether to smile his toothy grin or glare, as he does when posing for portraits, so he alternated. At formal events, Trump did not always know where to go or what to do.”
Sure, the Republicans say, Trump has made mistakes so far because he’s new to politics and nobody really gets the training to be president. But Trump increasingly has shown that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know and to hell with trying to find out.
By now, many of us have read stories from pundits and medical professionals that pose the question of whether Trump suffers from narcissistic personality disorder, which is defined as “grandiosity, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration. People with this condition are frequently described as arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. They may also concentrate on grandiose fantasies (e.g. their own success, beauty, brilliance) and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment. These characteristics typically begin in early adulthood and must be consistently evident in multiple contexts, such as at work and in relationships.”
An absurd idea, you say? Maybe not. If Trump is suffering from mental illness, he wouldn’t be the first president to be afflicted.
According to a 2006 study by Duke University Medical Center, half of the first 37 presidents (1771-1974) suffered from some form of mental illness. That includes presidents from Jefferson to Johnson.
Some tidbits from the study, compiled from biographical resources by Jonathan Davidson and colleagues: Eighteen, or
49 percent, of the presidents met criteria suggesting psychiatric disorder; depression, 24 percent; anxiety, 8 percent; bipolar disorder, 8 percent; and alcohol abuse/dependence, 8 percent, were the most common.
In 10 instances, or 27 percent, a disorder was evident during presidential office, which in most cases probably impaired job performance, the study said.
Unfortunately for us, there is no way to force Trump to take a mental evaluation. And he has only allowed out shallow details of his medical standing.
The Constitution isn’t much help, either. It says that the president can be impeached for treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors, which is fuzzy at best when it comes to mental health.
One could only hope that Trump gets ahold of himself before he gets us in serious trouble with his mouth and his behavior. So far, his antics have overshadowed the scant business his administration has been able to do.
But there’s a bigger issue at play here. What about the dignity and civility that the office of the presidency is supposed to represent? Our president is supposed to be a steadying force in this country and the world, for that matter — a leader in the truest sense of the word. The office is not supposed to be used as a bully pulpit to target Americans.
Right now, we’re not getting leadership from our White House. We are getting buffoonery on a level that many of us have never seen in our lifetime. Simply, it is a dangerous thing for the president of the greatest nation in the world to be a loose and divisive cannon.
This has to stop. Now. The American people have to demand that it stops.
What will it take? Who knows! But if it takes marches, petitions, phone calls, tweets, texts, emails … we all need to be one collective voice over this silliness.
Perhaps it’s cliché, but if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem.
What are we waiting for?