The Los Angeles Times editorial board came out yesterday with what might be the single harshest criticism of the Trump administration yet. Despite all the warnings, the board said, ”nothing prepared us for the magnitude of this train wreck.” From wrong-headed immigration policies to trying to take away health insurance from millions, Trump administration policies have been nothing short of disaster. But they saved the most scorching commentary for Donald Trump himself:
What is most worrisome about Trump is Trump himself. He is a man so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation. His obsession with his own fame, wealth and success, his determination to vanquish enemies real and imagined, his craving for adulation — these traits were, of course, at the very heart of his scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed, some of them helped get him elected. But in a real presidency in which he wields unimaginable power, they are nothing short of disastrous.
Although his policies are, for the most part, variations on classic Republican positions (many of which would have been undertaken by a President Ted Cruz or a President Marco Rubio), they become far more dangerous in the hands of this imprudent and erratic man. Many Republicans, for instance, support tighter border security and a tougher response to illegal immigration, but Trump’s cockamamie border wall, his impracticable campaign promise to deport all 11 million people living in the country illegally and his blithe disregard for the effect of such proposals on the U.S. relationship with Mexico turn a very bad policy into an appalling one.
The LA Times vowed to double down and dig deeper into the Trump traits of showing a “shocking lack of respect,” an “utter lack of regard for the truth,” and “a scary willingness to repeat alt-right conspiracy theories.” The editorial board ended by saying it is up to us, all of us:
But if it is to do so, those who oppose the new president’s reckless and heartless agenda must make their voices heard. Protesters must raise their banners. Voters must turn out for elections. Members of Congress — including and especially Republicans — must find the political courage to stand up to Trump. Courts must safeguard the Constitution. State legislators must pass laws to protect their citizens and their policies from federal meddling. All of us who are in the business of holding leaders accountable must redouble our efforts to defend the truth from his cynical assaults.
Bravo! Give the whole editorial a read here.
For more community discussion, see Daily Kos user durrati's post on the editorial.