How many times in the 19-and-a-half weeks since January 20th have you needed to remind yourself to breathe, to remain calm, not to panic? Do you regularly tell yourself it can’t possibly be as bad as you think? Are you worried you’re overreacting?
You aren’t. It’s as bad as you think, and possibly worse. We’ve elected a president who isn’t just unqualified for the job but who actively hurts the United States every day. Your palms should be clammy with fear.
I’m not just speaking to my fellow liberal snowflakes. I guarantee you the conservatives and Republicans who have been shaking their heads quietly as their president sticks his gnarled foot in his enormous mouth have started to feel the silent creep of fear crawl up the backs of their necks too.
It has gotten that bad. He is that bad. He’s a toddler, but with less empathy and self-control.
Over the last few days, Trump has shown himself to be more unfit than ever before and made it clear he has no business remaining in the White House for even one additional day. Let’s take a brief stroll through the Twitter feed of the current president of the United States.
Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
Trump reacted to terrorist attacks with false bravado and genuine stupidity long before becoming president. But since January, optimists have hoped the enormity of his responsibilities would bring out his better nature. They didn’t realize he doesn’t have one.
Saturday’s London Bridge attack in particular seems to have shorted something in the president’s brain. The United Kingdom’s strict gun control laws likely kept more dangerous weapons out of the hands of the terrorists, saving countless lives. (Meanwhile, in Orlando Monday, a law-abiding gun owner walked into his former workplace and murdered five people before killing himself.)
Trump then took to Twitter to attack the mayor of London – who is Muslim – taking out of context a quote urging citizens not to be alarmed by increased police presence.
Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his “no reason to be alarmed” statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
The president attacking the mayor of the largest city of our closest ally in the wake of a terror attack is just as horrific as you think it is. It is unthinking, unhinged and unkind. In a moment when any remotely normal human being would be offering sympathy and help, Trump has only bile to offer.
Just like you, the lawyers in the office of the solicitor general are probably reminding themselves not to panic on a daily basis. Five separate times this week, Trump tweeted the words “TRAVEL BAN” to describe the, well, travel bans he signed directed at Muslim-majority countries.
That’s right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won’t help us protect our people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017
Trump’s own spokesman has insisted the executive order is “not a travel ban” because calling it a “ban” is a legal disaster for the administration, which has failed so far in defending the policy in court. Trump’s rhetoric only makes his lawyers’ job more difficult, but he doesn’t care. Instead of doing the prudent thing and not talking about an ongoing legal case, Trump is making it virtually impossible to win, choosing to throw a tantrum in public instead.
As late as Tuesday morning, Trump’s Twitter unraveling continued. The decision by Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations to cut ties with Qatar is, to understate matters, a diplomatic situation of extreme delicacy. Instead of handling the situation with even a modicum of common sense, Trump took sides on Twitter.
During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017
Attacking established adversaries like Iran or North Korea is one thing. Qatar hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East. Jumping into the fray to attack the nation is beyond stupid; it endangers the 11,000 members of the U.S. armed forces who live there.
I’m not going to speculate on the mental health of the president. I’m not qualified, and ultimately I’m not certain it matters whether these extraordinary lapses in judgment are the result of dementia, pathological narcissism, sociopathy or just a shitty personality. What matters is what the president of the United States is saying publicly, every day, and the extraordinary damage he is doing to the nation and its people.
There is only one sensible reaction to Trump’s antics: for members of Congress and influential conservatives to demand he resign.
You and I both know he’s not leaving the White House willingly, or at least not anytime soon. But this is no longer anything approaching a close call. The things the president says and writes, in public, are more than enough evidence to declare him grossly unfit for a job as a tollbooth operator, let alone as the most powerful person in the world.
Many of the Republicans defending him in Congress and on TV see his tweets and know he’s crossed the line. They’ll keep defending him; they’re too afraid of primary elections in their own districts to take a strong line against Trump.
But they should reconsider. Whatever is causing Trump to unravel, it’s putting the rest of us in serious danger. The continued spectacle of the Russia investigation is only fuelling his descent. Why wait for it to unfold further? The best-case scenario is dragging the nation through a prolonged impeachment ordeal. If not, we have to wait until 2021 to replace him with a responsible and decent human being – assuming he doesn’t get us all killed by then.
There’s a better way. Start the discussion now. Call on Trump to step down. Hell, if you’re a Republican, you end up with President Mike Pence, and you probably love Mike Pence. I can’t stand the guy, but at least he won’t start World War III with an ill-advised 4 a.m. tweet.
It would take enormous, sustained pressure from both sides of the aisle to convince Trump to resign the presidency. It’s possible it would never work. The delicate bubble of ego that Trump keeps overinflated around himself never allows errors to reach his muddled mind. Stepping down would be admitting a failure on an enormous scale, and admitting failure is the one thing Trump won’t do.
But whether you’re a liberal or a conservative or somewhere in between, if you care about your country – really care about the greatness of America – it’s clear Trump can no longer be president. And urging him to step down now is the only option we have to get him out quickly.
Besides, think of how much more golf he’d get to play.
