Donald Trump is no patriot
Many supporters of Donald Trump have asserted that he is a patriot. His shameful actions throughout his term, and particularly since the Nov. 3 election, have served to demolish such a claim.
With each day that passes without a recognition that he (legitimately) lost the election, with each day that passes in which no money is appropriated to the transition effort and Joe Biden and his team kept in the dark about national affairs and intelligence, the danger increases and the task of a new president taking office becomes much more difficult.
The transition period is always one of peril as our enemies may see it is an opportunity to engage in mischief and to test us. That is why honorable former presidents have graciously acknowledged their replacement and done everything within their power to provide for a smooth transition. We knew better than to expect such a thing of Donald Trump, whose posture toward the election was, “Heads I win, tails you lose. If for some reason I were to lose, the election was rigged.”
Donald Trump’s “patriotism” is overshadowed by his fragile ego, his selfishness, narcissism, and unwillingness to admit to the greatest defeat of his corrupt life. As I see headlines such as “Biden Defeats Trump,” “Trump Loses Election,” and references in even the most conservative news outlets to “President-Elect Joe Biden,” I can imagine the steam that is coming out of Trump’s ears, the rage that he feels.
As the president-elect appropriately stated, the tantrum now being engaged in by Donald Trump will not burnish his legacy and it is an embarrassment. It shows Trump as the spoiled baby that he is. His refusal to accept reality endangers our country and our democracy, and may ultimately take a toll in human life. Is that acceptable to Trump supporters? Do they recognize that some day, there is likely to be a Republican serving as president again? How would they react if a Democratic president refused to acknowledge that individual’s victory and if that president shut out the winner of the election for as long as possible out of spite?
Oren Spiegler
Peters Township