All leaders, especially political leaders, make decisions consistent with their own belief system and ideology. However, our current president is so pathologically self-absorbed that his personality completely dominates his presidency and his policies. His executive orders are not a statement of ideology — they are purely Trump.
Donald Trump’s life history is the opposite of philanthropic. Abandoning USAID, “Alligator Alcatraz,” and choosing the most dismal and dangerous places in the world for “detainees” reflect his heartless nature. It is demonstrated daily by his name-calling and the degradation of those who oppose him.
Trump has never lived by the laws, or even mores, of our society. Since becoming president, he has consistently broken the law and has our court system on overload with cases against him. With great pride, he pardoned over 1,500 January 6 insurrectionists.
In a 2017 TED Talk, Pope Francis talked about a culture of tenderness, asking that we consider the possibility that affluence alone will not bring us happiness. He felt that decisions should be made from the point of view of our humanity.
Sadly, under the rule of Trump, the United States is careening away from that idea at lightning speed. Instead, we are following the path of a heartless, cruel, lawless, self-centered narcissist who wants us all to be just like him.
Who of us is really OK with that? I’m not.
Paula Angelone
Southampton