Yesterday a shocking New York Times op-ed revealed that senior members of the Trump administration believe he is unfit to serve. It was titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration” (Sept. 5, 2018). The author reports that senior officials know that, “Trump acts in a manner that is detrimental to our republic.” As a result many Trump appointees have, “vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.” He goes on to say, “The root of the problem is the president’s amorality.” All this results in a “two-track” presidency. For example, while Trump prefers autocrats and dictators and treats allies as rivals, the rest of the administration is keeping tabs on Putin and Kim Jong Un, with sanctions and punitive measures, while engaging with allies as peers. The writer continues, “This is not the work of the deep state, but the steady state.”
I read this report right after seeing that an 18 month old baby girl died from pneumonia due to neglect and lack of medical treatment, while in a for-profit immigration detention center set up by Trump. Amorality. To continue his racist scare tactics, Trump is looking around for the next non-white population to harass, and has just turned his sights on the Vietnamese. All of this appeared on the heels of Senator John McCain’s funeral (to which Trump was not invited), where the contrast between an honorable and dishonorable politician was highlighted. Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court justice nominee, has promised to protect Trump if Bob Mueller’s investigation provides criminal proof of Trump’s involvement in Russian interference during Trump’s election.
The Times op-ed piece appeared right after Bob Woodward’s new book on Trump was published. Woodward paints a picture of Trump unraveling in office, such as furiously ordering the assassination of Israel’s president and ordering a pre-emptive strike against North Korea. Somebody had to walk those decisions back! However, the “steady state” or “adults in the room” with a “two-track” presidency may not be enough.
It is time to circle the wagons to protect the USA. If the Cabinet will not vote to invoke the 25th amendment, then Rep. Jamie Raskin (D. Maryland 8th) has proposed a bill to create a panel (of medical and psychological experts) to examine whether the president is capable of doing his job.
I personally have been absorbed these past two weeks with publishing and now promoting my new book (#communicationbreakthrough). Turning my attention back to the larger world brought me all this disturbing news. It was a relief to not read the news for a few weeks. As a little girl I had a good relationship with my strong and stable parents. When children have a secure attachment to steady and reliable caretakers, they can be absorbed in the whims of childhood play and with their own development. When the attachment is insecure, worry is omnipresent. That is what this presidency feels like to me. Children do not have the power to change parents. We just have to adapt as best we can. In my opinion it is time for the “adults in the room” to take further action to protect the children, in this case the nation, from unraveling into further bitter divisions and disarray caused by an unstable “father”, who is unfit for duty.