Opinion: President Trump’s careless words are proof of careless leadership – lsureveille.com
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On Oct. 5, President Donald Trump once again made a deranged comment that has — surprisingly and beautifully enough — infuriated both sides of the aisle. This isn’t anything new. In both of his terms as president of the United States, Trump has made salacious and bone-chilling comments that have offended many Americans. It’s simply disgusting and a new low for the leader of the free world.
At a rally in Nebraska, Trump said in relation to the Iran War, “They could take out a city … let ‘em take out Los Angeles. Let ‘em take out San Diego,” according to PBS. Of course, there are many rushing to contextualize what he said or trying to soften the blunt nature of his words.
Yes, this is a practice that American citizens have begrudgingly put up with for the last decade — rationalizing inappropriate remarks made by the people in power. That said, this is not the time or the comment to defend. Let’s be honest here: He said what he said, and it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t supposed to be.
Whether he was referencing gas prices hyperbolically or encouraging a literal act of violence on these cities, when did it become okay for a president to hint at any sort of physical or economic warfare on American cities? If he was actually referencing gas prices and not physical violence, why did it take us seven hoops and 40 hurdles to jump over and through to reach that conclusion?
Newsflash: It’s never been okay. Think about if any other president said this. There would be a rush to punishment. We are not outraged enough, and neither are the branches of government meant to check the executive power of the president.
Underneath my anger, and the anger of my fellow Americans, there is an issue that I’m not sure is being addressed fully. The model of an American president is someone who is charming, intelligent, level-headed and most importantly, articulate. The president should be a person who is able to say what they mean effectively and clearly without fear-mongering the entire country.
He or she should be someone that American citizens don’t have to read between the lines to understand. This is not a standard that we’ve pulled out of nowhere. This standard enforces integrity and trust. It encourages a feeling that allows the country to look to its leader with the knowledge that they have our best interests at heart.
And in President Trump, we’ve accepted less than this standard. To be frank, the bar is in hell. We’ve accepted a man who crosses his words so much that we’ve had to translate them, try to find the real meaning between them and even rationalize the many brash remarks he so frequently makes.
What is most concerning and terrifying is that the underlying meaning may be very clear, but Trump’s words are so vague and close to incoherency that they can be skewed into more palatable phrasing.
As unclear, whether intentionally or not, as Trump is, there are many times when he exposes himself for who he really is. At a recent rally in Clarkesville, Tennessee, Trump said that he “could say anything, and you’d clap.” Perhaps he simply says what he means, and he truly is simply careless toward the American people.
There are conflicts and deplorable situations arising all over the world, even within our own country, and our president can’t even take the care required to say what he means. I’m not looking at this just in the context of public rallies and White House sponsored statements.
The fact of the matter is that our country is at literal war, a war that just seems to be getting worse by the day, though it is often concealed under the guise of “military conflicts” or “operations.” We are involved in conflicts around the world as allies, conflicts that require clear thinking and speaking.
Imagine what these conference rooms sound like, what these negotiations sound like. If they sound anything like the comments made in Nebraska, there is a far more dangerous issue. As much as people want to soften Trump’s comments made in Nebraska, the truth is that there is no way to make that statement pretty. We need to stop trying to fix Trump’s haphazard comments.
Instead, we need to hold him accountable — impeach him, even. Not only for his carelessness in speech, but also in the manipulation of his words.
