Daily Freeman (Kingston, NY)

Trump makes America look foolish

- Kathleen Parker is syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group. Kathleen Parker Columnist

As the nation was preparing to celebrate its storied independen­ce from the British crown, the president secured his place as history’s greatest jester.

Or America’s first toddler president. Take your pick.

Donald Trump did so by tweeting a doctored video clip of himself from several years ago in which he takes down wrestling magnate Vince McMahon and gives him a good pummeling. The new version superimpos­es the CNN logo on McMahon’s head. Get it? In the 28-second clip, Trump walks away from the fray unrumpled with nary a hair out of place.

Bizarre comes to mind. Absurd. Ridiculous. Funny, perhaps, to a certain sort. Embarrassi­ng in the extreme to many Americans who would describe themselves as perpetuall­y appalled. What’s next, Trump in his tighty whities atop Trump Tower punching an inflatable Vladimir Putin?

It is baffling to think Trump is proud of himself and such hijinks, to put it charitably. We get that he’s at war with the media, hardly an original concept at 1600 Pennsylvan­ia Ave. But no one has ever seen a U.S. president behave in such an idiotic manner. Most adults have a pause button in their brains that shields civilized society from impulsive, inappropri­ate behavior. For the president, every impulse is apparently irresistib­le.

For good reason, many in the journalism world have expressed deep concerns about the effect the video might have. CNN’s response said in part: “It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters.”

We’ve already witnessed one such event this year when congressio­nal candidate Greg Gianforte assaulted a reporter for The Guardian, breaking his glasses. In a comedy, the audience might applaud the tough guy punching the obnoxious reporter, but this isn’t a comedy. Please, someone tell the president.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., whose recent book laments the absence of people behaving like grown-ups in America, reacted to the video-tweet in strong language, suggesting Trump is trying to “weaponize distrust” toward the media. It’s not as though the country’s media haters need much encouragem­ent to act out Trump’s dreamscape. It only takes one.

All is not glum, however. There have been some truly humorous moments in the aftermath of the video’s viral reception, principall­y from those defending Trump’s cartoon presidency. The ever-earnest Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president “in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence.” How’s that? Isn’t this the same Trump who offered to pay the legal fees for anyone who got in hot water for punching out a protester at one of his campaign rallies?

To Trump supporters who find the wrestling video unobjectio­nable or, I suspect, hilarious in some cases, I would ask that they try to imagine the same video showing Barack Obama superimpos­ing Fox News on someone’s face, punching him repeatedly and then smugly strutting away.

Very likely these same folks would have stormed the National Mall demanding the president’s impeachmen­t.

As an opinion columnist who draws plenty of threatenin­g hate mail, I fear less for my personal safety than for the integrity and security of our country. I’ve covered politics for 40 years, including writing a regular column for the now-defunct Charleston Evening Post in 1980 leading up to the first Republican presidenti­al primary in South Carolina.

Never during that time or since have I ever worried that a president’s behavior would embarrass the country on the world stage. Trump’s most unpardonab­le offense isn’t his implied threat to members of the Fourth Estate but his minimizing of the nation’s stature in the world. Our allies must shudder while our enemies devise new ways to celebrate. Trump may crack himself up, but he also shatters any pretense of our seriousnes­s as a nation. So much for that shining city on the hill, not to mention the president as leader of the free world.

We look like fools because our president so convincing­ly plays one.

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