Without a specific ideology and solid guideposts of any sort, Donald Trump’s presidency has become a journey on a long and winding road without a fixed destination. His time in office has been spent meandering from side to side, back and forth, lacking a definitive objective. At present, his main goal appears to be discrediting his own Justice Department, the FBI in particular, the other intelligence agencies, and of course the Mueller inquiry. Equally important is his constant enhancement of his own intelligence and achievements, virtually begging for praise and admiration from his base, the American public, foreign leaders, and Fox News.
In his interactions with the Mueller probe, he wavers between testifying and not dealing with Mueller, changing almost on a daily basis. While it seems as if he would like to testify according to what he has said, his attorneys and advisors have been against it, feeling that Mueller could trick him and that Trump’s propensity for lying would get him in trouble. At the moment, it looks like no dice.
Then there is the question of whether to fire Ron Rosenstein and Mueller, on which he also vacillates. Currently, they seem safe, but that may change tomorrow. Commentators on Fox News want him to get rid of these two thorns in Trump’s side, as do some very conservative members of Congress. But most Republicans have said no, with some senators declaring it would be the end of his presidency. Why is he so obsessed with Mueller and the question of collusion with the Russians? If he’s not guilty and there’s nothing to be uncovered by the investigation, why is he spending so much psychic energy trying to sew doubt about its fair and impartial nature in the minds of Americans.
Trump keeps calling it a witch hunt and says there is nothing to be found. If that is the case, why won’t he let Mueller and his team do their job and then be vindicated when the inquiry is completed? His behavior has to make unbiased Americans believe he has something to fear that has made him unable to let Mueller and his team proceed without interference, Trump continuing a steady stream of invective from the sidelines.
But it is not only the Mueller probe that has him on a long, winding road. There is DACA which he originally wanted to end happily for these immigrants, then changed his mind back and forth several times. He had opportunities to save the DACA kids but let them slip by.
And there are the trade issues and Trump the tariff touter. So far, he has given most of the world a pass on these tariffs he proclaimed, except for China. And where do we stand on Nafta and TPP on which Trump has also wavered. There are the mixed messages as well that Trump has sent on NATO, sometimes backing the alliance and sometimes criticizing it. Similarly, he has been ambivalent about sanctions on Russia, even when Congress wanted to punish them for interference in our elections.
On the Stormy Daniels incident, he insisted he did not pay money to his attorney, Michael Cohen to quiet Daniels, then said that he did when Rudy Guiliani, a new member of the legal team, opened his mouth on TV. He has also vacillated on members of his staff like General McMaster and General Kelly, first praising them, then bashing them. McMaster is out the door and Kelly hanging by a thread.
Trump is a man of no fixed compass, in his politics, policies, and interpersonal relationships. His attention span is minimal and he doesn’t read. How can he learn what the norms have been for presidential actions and behavior in the past? As long as Trump is in the White House, we can expect his journey on the long and winding road to continue, with change in direction possible at every bend and curve.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020