Calming our president’s storm

Trump is certainly good at one thing: social irresponsibility. As a conservative-libertarian, I observe the endless barrage of cacophony on various media outlets and recognize the never-ending bitterness dividing not only the country, but also the Republican Party. Trump, in part, a consequence of the Republican Party’s internal bloodbath, continually exacerbates the current divisions within the party and the nation. Rather than focusing public attention at imminent threats or humanitarian efforts, he carelessly or unintelligibly ridicules colleagues – even his own Senate-majority leader. [caption id="attachment_20367" align="aligncenter" width="960"] President Donald Trump has gone on many Twitter rants, which many critics claim is irresponsible behavior for the president.
Photo via Pixabay/Geralt[/caption] Publicly targeting Senator Bob Corker (R) over taxes or ominously claiming “a calm before the storm” is happening in reference to North Korea serves no purpose, but to exploit America’s polarized culture. As president, Trump not only has a political responsibility, but also a social one. Provoking public outrage is not only irresponsible, it is immoral. Many Trump supporters laud Trump for his rambunctious behavior and avant-garde character – a President who supports the American people, rather than the Washington establishment. Furthermore, many compare Trump to former President Ronald Reagan. Reagan, a movie star and a Beltway outsider, faced much of the same criticism as Trump, but equating Reagan to Trump seems inappropriate and far-fetched. Peggy Noonan, a syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a bestselling New York Times author wrote an essay regarding Reagan’s character for her book entitled, “Character Above All.” “But you can’t buy courage and decency, you can’t rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him. If he does, they will give meaning and animation to the great practical requirement of the presidency: He must know why he’s there and what he wants to do,” Noonan wrote positively of Reagan. “He has to have thought it through. He needs to have, in that much maligned word, but a good one nontheless, a vision of the future he wishes to create. This is a function of thinking, of the mind, the brain.” Unfortunately, this quote captures the essence of what Trump is not: a dignified leader who thoroughly deliberates actions and comments before throwing them into the ether. According to the latest Harvard-Harris survey, Trump’s approval rating dipped to a new low, with a 42 percent job approval rating. I do not entirely disagree with Trump on policy, but he does not have any ideological foundation and his inappropriate, potentially dangerous behavior is frustrating. Trump’s supposed political incorrectness stretches beyond civil decency and falls, at times, into a category of absurdity. As Republicans and Americans, how do we handle our President’s social indecency and, sometimes, fanaticism? While the man with the nuclear codes may show an unpredictable demeanor, Americans should heal by trumping Trump’s social irresponsibility through civic engagement and social maturity. Thomas Schwartz is a sophomore history major from Nutley, N.J. He can be reached at thomas.schwartz@student.shu.edu.