With the publication of Bob Woodward’s "Fear" and the recent anonymous op-ed in the New York Times, written by someone within the White House inner circle, I found myself having a new respect for my Republican friends.
Both the book and the op-ed describe what has to be a first in American presidential history, that those surrounding Trump include many who see it as their duty to protect the nation and the world from his irrational behavior. The one defining image that sticks with me is that of an aide to Trump swiping a sensitive communique off his desk before he could see it and react to it.
I was particularly taken with the reaction of Sen. Lindsay Graham when he was asked to give his reaction to Woodward’s book. I’m paraphrasing, but Graham said that the one important lesson to learn from Woodward’s book is that there are talented and capable people surrounding Trump. It’s significant that Graham didn’t lash out at Woodward, saying he was off-target in his portrayal of Trump, or that Woodward had made up “false news.”
Instead, Graham’s words should be taken to mean that he believes the country should take comfort in knowing that the people surrounding Trump are those who care deeply about the country and will protect the country and the world from this president’s excesses.
This doesn’t mean that Americans shouldn’t be worried about what we learned from Woodward’s numerous interviews with administrator insiders and the anonymous op-ed writer. Both pull back the curtain and reveal the chaos that afflicts the White House on a daily basis.
But we can do more than worry. We can strengthen the will of those in the White House who are trying to safeguard our nation and world from Trump’s instability by voting for Democrats in the upcoming mid-term elections to take back the Senate. That will create a second layer of those who will block Trump’s capriciousness and extremism.
Enough has happened in the nearly two years of the Trump era for voters to see where we are headed. For African-Americans, this is an election about Charlottesville and the alarming rise of white supremacists. For Latino-Americans, this is an election about the Dreamers who were born in this country and the children of those seeking a better life in our country not being separated from their parents. For Muslim-Americans, this is about preserving religious freedom. For women, this is an election of extra importance. Their message can be “Deal with us as equal human beings or face the consequences.” And for McCain Republicans, it’s time to admit that McCain would hardly vote to support a president whom he refused to invite to his own funeral.
One of the traits of former presidents that I admire has been their awareness that greatness has preceded them in this highest office. Presidents are prone to quote from former presidents and other national leaders, to link their vision for this country to that of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, King, Thurgood Marshall, and perhaps John McCain. Not only were all of those leaders great, but they understood that a great leader makes others great.
In contrast, Trump proclaims a new message, that greatness is proven by making others, even some who work closely with him, look small. For Trump, there has been only one great president, and that is he. When he tried out a line from his rallies at the United Nations recently—that no president in U.S. history has done more than he—there was a pregnant pause as his words were translated into the various languages in that room. And then what happened? The room broke out in uproarious laughter at the absurdity and hubris of the comment.
Assuming the upcoming mid-term election isn’t hacked, we as a nation have a golden opportunity to regain from those same countries a bit of the respect that Trump has squandered. Yes, before most elections, we hear “this is a crucial election; be sure to vote.” This time, that is no exaggeration.