Martin J. Fischer: The nature of the man

Have too many Americans lost all perspective with respect to the true character of our president? Does his erratic, self-absorbed, vindictive, shameful behavior exemplify the expectation we have of our leader? Should we endeavor to divert our attention away from daily “scandals” and become focused on Donald Trump, the person, and how his negative personal qualities and lack of judgment are affecting our country in ways we could never have imagined possible?

Trump isn’t an honest man. When I was a young boy, the No. 1 rule of the house was to always speak the truth. These many years later, it’s difficult for me to observe the president’s inability to be truthful with the public.

Trump is insensitive. I can’t relate to the fact we have a president who constantly demeans people, whether they be those who offer contradictory opinions to his, or those in the media, or those at the highest levels of law enforcement. Notable Americans who Trump has denigrated include Sen. John McCain, who he stated isn’t a war hero because he was captured, and President Obama, who he falsely stated, on many occasions, wasn’t a U.S. citizen.

I also find it disturbing the president would like Americans to believe the free press is an enemy of the people and that it is “fake news” if it’s information with which he doesn’t agree.

He shows little empathy for the plight of those less fortunate among us. One of his first executive orders was to ban Muslims from entering our country. This wasn’t well received by Muslim Americans whose family members weren’t allowed to return to their homes. In addition, he’s unconcerned children born in the United States to immigrant parents live in fear of deportation.

Speaking of insensitivity, what better subject to address than his narrow-minded stance on environmental issues. He didn’t have the good and welfare of future generations in mind when he withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, resulting in our being the only major country not involved. His belief in fracking on public land and eliminating auto industry regulations, which were developed to improve air quality, are additional examples of his pernicious approach.

Trump is untrustworthy. The American people trusted our inexperienced president to recruit the “best” people, as he stated during his campaign. In reality, his staff and cabinet members were ill prepared and lacked experience. In the case of some cabinet members, he chose individuals whose philosophies were in direct contrast with the objectives of their departments, and in other cases, he chose individuals who were simply incompetent. These factors and the extraordinary turnover in this administration lead one to question his judgment in making these selections. Clearly, he feels loyalty to him overrides loyalty to the country.

The individuals who trusted the sales pitch and enrolled in Trump University subsequently learned it was actually a scam. He settled with the students based on advice from his lawyers, rather than a belief in his personal responsibility.

He can’t be trusted to make informed decisions. He can’t be trusted to keep his word. He can’t be trusted to put the needs of most Americans before those of the wealthy and our corporations, as is evidenced by the recently enacted tax plan. He has done nothing to substantially improve the lives of the middle class and, if anything, has diminished the quality of life for lower income Americans.

In my opinion, Trump is devoid of moral principles and is unfit to hold the office of president of the United States.

This brief review is a sad commentary on his promise to make America great again. I ask the logical question of our illustrious president, greater for whom?

Martin J. Fischer is a self described objective progressive independent who would welcome the future election of a candidate from either party who could restore the respect our country deserves.