Donald J. Trump: Unfit for Office

It is a shame that Donald Trump could not put country above vindictiveness in an important situation. He recently revoked the security clearance of John Brennan, former head of the CIA, further signaling what has been obvious to the majority of Americans for a long time; Mr. Trump is unfit for office and will never rise to the high expectations of the American presidency.  He will never reach the level of knowledge and sophistication of a John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, or Franklin D. Roosevelt because he has no moral compass and resides in a bizarre Trump-created universe that only he understands.

Donald J. Trump has a history of putting his “personal political agenda” before all else, no matter whom it hurts. He used the NFL”knee” issue as a personal crusade. His intent was to take a peaceful protest and recast it as his opportunity to spotlight and throw shade on predominantly Black football players. His desire was to falsely create the image that these highly paid football players were routinely disrespecting their flag, country, and military. If you bought into this false narrative, you would likely see these football players as “ungrateful” successful black persons with no love or respect for our country, its military or its values.  In other words, they might begin to think “what more do these people want?” “They are at the top of their professions, making a lot of money and they are denigrating the very country that gave them these great opportunities”.  Trump, as the “master manipulator”, that he is known to be, was again sowing the seeds of division, as usual. Actually, you can’t protest police violence against minorities more peacefully than “silently taking a knee”. Trump should leave these athletes alone.

Trump continually takes facts (or groups of facts) and manipulates them to accomplish his own selfish ends. To Trump, facts don’t exist unless they’re pro Trump. If facts are anti-Trump, he dismisses them as “erroneous” or “fake”. Thus, you hear him constantly talking about fake investigations, fake news, etc.

In my opinion, Donald J. Trump is not the right person to lead America and promote its values. He has shown a lack of concern about the questionable actions he has already taken.  For example, he fired three key government officials (all in a position to bring him to justice). He invoked widespread tariffs (that are hurting some of our industries). He revoked the security clearance of John Brennan and is targeting several other former key officials for the same revocation. If you don’t “go along” to “get along” with Trump, he wants you to know that he will get you!  He governs through the strategy of “fear”, and to a large degree, it is working. Most Congressional Republicans won’t challenge him on any action or issue. They appear immobilized by fear!

Trump is dedicated to not offending Vladimir Putin-yet he very adept at offending many of our long-term friends at the drop of a hat, and for no valid reason. This jeopardizes our alliances abroad and leaves our allies wondering if America can be counted on in the event of an international crisis.

Under the Trump presidency, we seem to be on a crooked road to self destruction as we have a president demonstrably attuned to accelerating the fortunes of himself, Russia, and Putin-even if it’s at the detriment of America. That’s exactly what it looks like!

Over, the last several months, Trump threatened to rescind the press credentials of many in the media, but it never happened. He threatened to revoke the security clearances of several past high level government officials, and he made good on the threat by first revoking the clearance of John Brennan, an outspoken Trump critic.  There are more on his pending “hit list”. This is not good for a nation that may need to call on the talents of these former officials in the future. In such a case it would be best if their clearances were still in effect.

Many thinking Americans believe that the following two things have been apparent with reference to Trump’s campaign and his presidency-first, he constantly promotes Putin and Russia, and secondly, he ducks and dodges on any issue involving Mueller and the Russia Investigation.  He is still “playing around” with the idea of interviewing with Mueller, rather than “manning-up” and facing the interview “head-on”.

With the myriad of legal issues facing Mr. Trump, we will soon see if “everyone is equal under the law”. Not too many people can negotiate what questions you want to be asked at the “bar of justice”.

The vindictive and irrational revocation of Brennan’s clearance (with possibly more to come) may be just the beginning of many other similar acts to follow, as Mueller’s noose closes in on the Trump Kingdom and he becomes more paranoid and afraid. Sometimes it is difficult for many to put certain feelings into words, but Admiral McRaven did that for many concerned citizens in the Washington Post Online on August 16, 2018, when he appropriately criticized Mr. Trump:

(William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, was commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. He oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden).

Dear Mr. President:

Former CIA director John Brennan, whose security clearance you revoked on Wednesday, is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him.

Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.

Like most Americans, I had hoped that when you became president, you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs.

A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.

Your leadership, however, has shown little of these qualities. Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.

If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be.

Thank you Admiral for so eloquently echoing the sentiments of many-myself included!

Again, I believe that President Donald J. Trump has shown throughout his presidency that he is unfit for office. Much of this is captured on videotapes from his inauguration through the present day. He lies incessantly, has embraced our enemies and alienated our friends. He has no respect for the rule of law. He corrupts and compromises the integrity of many of those who dare work for him. He has no moral boundaries and oftentimes doesn’t exhibit the proper decorum. He lacks a sufficient working understanding of domestic and international issues and refuses to become a “student” of national and international affairs. He constantly disrespects others, including our friends and allies abroad.

Many have characterized Mr. Trump as being divisive, misogynistic, and racist. When you consider Charlottesville, the Central Park Five, Trump’s reneging on DACA, his inciting followers to violence at his rallies, his denunciation of Hispanic Judge Curiel, the Matt Lauer interview (in which he likened the horrible atrocities of Putin to those of Obama), and the infamous Billy Bush Tape, you have a few prime examples of his divisive, misogynistic, and racist nature, which help to highlight his unfitness for office.

Again, Trump is unfit for office! He does not embody the best of America or its age-old values, which have historically been respected, tested, and trusted around the world!  We need to register our disapproval of Trump and his platform at the ballot box come November, 2018, and beyond. I’ll see you there!