My wife, Betsy, and I recently visited our nation’s capital and gazed out at the skyline from our hotel’s roof. We were struck by how the Washington Monument towered above the city as a reminder that this country has a powerful history and founding institutions to guide us and keep us focused on fundamental and evolving American values.
While in Washington, D.C., we explored the National Museum of American History. As we toured displays commemorating our presidents, I overhead a conversation between two women around my age.
“I love learning about presidents from my own lifetime,” one woman said, “from Kennedy when I was a kid all they way to Obama.”
“Remember Obama?” the other woman asked wistfully. “It seems like so long since we had a real president.” The first woman nodded in agreement, and I found myself nodding as well.
When they noticed me, the first woman said, “Oh, I hope we didn’t offend you.”
“Not at all,” I replied, and we shared the same forced laugh that I’ve exchanged with many kindred spirits during the past two years. “It’s hard to believe we can be surrounded by all this presidential tradition, and then we have … ” I hesitated … “you know who.”
“How will we ever recover?” the second woman asked. It’s a great question.
Of course, I recognize that no president is flawless. Carter and Obama are exceptions as people of strong character who ran nearly scandal-free administrations (despite what you hear on Fox News).
The glaring imperfections of most presidents are clear, especially in retrospect. Kennedy and Clinton had obvious sexual indiscretions. Johnson and Nixon were disastrously dishonest about the Vietnam War. Nixon, of course, also had Watergate, and Ford pardoned him. Reagan and Bush Sr. had Iran Contra. Bush Jr.’s general incompetence brought us the 9/11 attacks, two ill-conceived and mismanaged wars, and an economic crash.
Donald Trump, however, is different, to say the least. A full account of this unindicted co-conspirator’s scandals would fill this newspaper for years. Instead, let’s devote a few paragraphs to his malfeasance before and during his administration. (I’ll have to use sentence fragments to save space.)
Conspiring with Russia to attack our elections. Groveling to Putin. Capitulating to Putin’s agenda. Ignoring Russia’s continued attacks on our election security. Praising and coddling murderous dictators across the globe, especially the near-nuclear Kim Jong Un. Constantly insulting other countries, including our allies. Senselessly attacking NATO.
Firing James Comey and the witnesses to Comey’s account of Trump’s obstruction of the Russia inquiry. Pressuring the Justice Department and attacking the Special Counsel’s investigation.
Calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and white supremacists “fine people.” Having a long history of racially charged remarks and actions, including being sued by the federal government for discriminatory real estate practices. Promoting the racist “birther” lie. Being accused of multiple sexual assaults and harassment.
Calling the press the “enemy of the American people.” Insulting John McCain for being a POW and calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” Attacking black athletes for exercising their First Amendment rights. Lying constantly about Hillary Clinton, Obama, and nearly every Democrat in America. Crashing the Paris and Iran agreements. Holding circus-like campaign-style rallies. Appointing unqualified, corrupt saboteurs to cabinet positions. Granting pardons outside the usual system as political favors.
Paying off a supermarket tabloid to keep its vault of Trump scandals hidden. Illegally facilitating porn star and playmate payoffs right before the election. Openly violating the emoluments clause to enrich himself and his family. Profiting from the con artistry of Trump University and the criminal slush fund of the Trump Foundation. Hiring undocumented workers. Cheating nearly everyone he’s done business with. Hiding his tax returns.
Championing deficit-deepening tax cuts for the wealthy. Punishing American consumers with destructive tariffs. Hiding essential information about the current controversial Supreme Court nominee, who thinks serving presidents are above the law.
Vacationing more often than any other president. Having multiple security clearance controversies among White House staff. Discussing classified information at Mar-a-Lago and other non-secure Trump properties. Trolling the world with his nasty Twitter addiction. Using unsecured cell phones and personal email (email!) to conduct government business.
Botching the response to Puerto Rico’s hurricane. Separating families of asylum seekers at the border and failing to comply with legal rulings to reunite those families. Banning people from Muslim countries from entering the country. Proposing a ban on transgender people in the military.
Whew! This list doesn’t even include the revelations in Bob Woodward’s upcoming book about Trump’s insane presidency. And I’m sure I’ve missed other scandals because there are just too many to hold in a single human brain at one time.
He’s clearly horrible, and we’ll need decades to reverse his damage. But the Washington Monument looms over him. The Smithsonian keeps a record of our country at its best and at its worst. American is stronger than Trump.
One institution in particular offers the best remedy for recovering from Trump’s madness: our elections. The midterms this year offer the choice between Democrats who still believe in American institutions, or Republicans who have become the “Cult of Trump,” enabling his assault on our bedrock values.
And if Trump somehow evades responsibility for his many misdeeds, the next remedy will be booting him from our capital city in the 2020 election.
John Sheirer is an author and teacher who lives in Florence. His most recent book is the satire, “Donald Trump’s Top Secret Concession Speech.” Find him at JohnSheirer.com.