Trump's in tailspin and taking nation down with him
By Eugene Robinson / The Washington Post
The most powerful office in the world is occupied — and being abused — by a man who is entirely unfit and is spinning dangerously out of control. Everyone needs to stop pretending otherwise.
And it’s all getting worse.
President Trump’s train wreck of a performance Wednesday, at a meeting with congressional leaders, represented a new low on a scale that seems to have no bottom. “I pray for the president all the time … I think now, we have to pray for his health,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said later, because “this was a very serious meltdown on the part of the president.”
Trump began by complaining about having to attend a meeting initiated by his own White House aides, according to published accounts. The subject was Trump’s sudden decision to move U.S. military personnel in Syria aside, allowing Turkish troops and affiliated militias to sweep across the border and attack the Kurds, who had been loyal U.S. allies.
Trump then tried to make the case that he did not actually condone the Turkish invasion. Attendees were given copies of a truly bizarre and alarming letter Trump had sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 9. Just four short paragraphs long, the letter begins, “Let’s work out a good deal!” It ends by telling Erdogan, “History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen. Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool! I will call you later.”
That is how the president of the United States communicated with a powerful foreign leader at a moment of crisis. We have all witnessed more sophisticated attempts at persuasion on kindergarten playgrounds. Erdogan reportedly threw the letter in the trash.
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https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/robinson-trumps-in-tailspin-and-taking-nation-down-with-him/
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