The media circus around Donald Trump has made it hard to separate hype from reality. There are 3 core questions that I see as central to any president, and 2 of them are fundamental for a leader in any position. More than just seeing yes or no answers, I would like to understand the reasoning people have behind their answers.
- Do you find him to be trustworthy and to possess integrity?
- Does he bring the competencies and skills as a leader that the office requires?
- Does he respect those democratic institutions and processes that have served this country throughout our history?
Do you find him to be trustworthy and to possess integrity? – No. He makes things up constantly and denies factual information. Yes, he is trying to actually do some of the awful things he promised to do during his campaign. So, he is being honest but still acting without integrity. Integrity in my book is doing things for the good of all – not just oneself. And his honesty in those instances does not make him trustworthy because the actions he wants to take will negatively impact people – human beings – and he shows no empathy or compassion to those people. I believe he is also very dishonest through the way he has conducted himself in the transition into the position of POTUS. By not divesting himself fully of his business dealings, by holding official business at his properties (where he profits from the American tax-payer), by having his children involved in matters of state while they are supposed to be running the business, by refusing to honor the people’s request to release his tax returns (I personally think all politicians should have to release this information when they are campaigning) and by conducting sensitive state business in a public space. (as if there wasn’t a private room at Mar-a-lago where he could have gone to discuss things!)
Does he bring the competencies and skills as a leader that the office requires? No. He is a business man-period. While having experience in business is important in understanding (potentially) economic processes/issues of state, country and globe, his actions seem only to reinforce those ideas and policies that will continue to make him money – directly, or via his associations. The United States is not a business and should not be run like one. Reducing deficits and overall government spending is an honorable tactic to reduce overburden of it’s citizens, yes, but it needs to be a balanced action to providing/maintaining/enhancing quality of life of ALL those that are affected by the policies enacted to accomplish it. The POTUS should possess experience in a range of areas – education, community organizing, law, business, global affairs, health care, policy, etc – and with a broad range of class, color, and education levels – because the United States is a rainbow, not a monochromatic print. While no one person may have experience in all of these areas, the most qualified POTUS will certainly have broad experience in several areas. Then, would hire a staff of people with positive* experience to fill in the gaps of their knowledge. Trump has selected individuals for his administration who have negative experience in the areas they are supposed to govern – meaning that they have taken actions that have had negative consequences on the areas they are supposed to be overseeing. That is the antithesis of integrity.
Does he respect those democratic institutions and processes that have served this country throughout our history? Through his actions in writing a vague immigration ban without checking with…well, anyone with any authority on the matter, it seems that he could care less about the system of law, the authority and code of military conduct or about human decency. He disrespects the military through his statements that he knows more about issues than it’s leadership. He disrespects judges & lawyers through public shaming just because they did not support his uneducated & uninformed actions and by not having council review his policies before enacting them. Even in business there is a chain of command and it ALWAYS includes lawyers! Trumps actions suggest that he thinks that if he says it, it shall be done. Case in point, he has been stymied in getting things done from the oval office, so he went back to the campaign trail where all he has to do is say stuff. His frustration at things not happening after the words leave his mouth indicate a complete lack of understanding of the process of governing….or a strong belief in magic!