After watching Donald Trump in the White House for a mere 20 days one is left with the
exhaustion that usually accompanies any adult who must “watch” over a child, unmoored
to reality, wedded to his own narcissistic ego where only his wants matter. One wants to
avoid being overly dramatic, but this is a man who fails to appreciate that the world is
reacting to his every word (tweet or otherwise). His ego feels bolstered by that kind of
attention, but his loose social media habits put Americans around the world at risk.
As a retired Foreign Service officer, I had to defend policies with which I disagreed, but I
never had to fret over the competence of the White House occupant. For today’s
diplomats, real fear and trembling exists over a tweeting president, who in 140 characters
can unleash hostilities abroad to U.S. policies. This is not fantasy. Congress is planning
to hold hostage funds for security at diplomatic outposts (over moving the American
Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem), just at the time when those representing the U.S. are
most threatened by a man who campaigned on being “unpredictable.” The chaos
candidate is now the chaos president.
I have faith that the country has survived bad presidents in the past, and will do so this
time. But Trump shows no grasp of the breathtaking harm he may inflict on the country
by treating the constitution like something in his way as he ignores ethical conflicts and
bulldozes over norms that American society has adopted in ensuring that every American
is treated equally with respect.
