Our System Is Rising Up To Challenge Trump

Amidst the chaos Trump's presidency continues to create, one thing appears to be coming out the winner - the checks and balances set up by our democracy. As much as Donald Trump is trying to rule by dictate, the pushback has begun.

The Republican party successfully deepened its own party divisions by bungling their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. What became their campaign battle cry has been defeated. The Freedom Caucus, the same hard line conservative group that pushed John Boehner out of the picture, has again made their voices loudly heard going up against Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and President Trump. They remained unsatisfied with the proposed healthcare bill wanting more drastic cuts, including an end to what’s called "essential health benefits".

Trump threw down the gauntlet and Republicans threw it back. Obamacare remains the healthcare law of the land. Our President has learned that using "Repeal and Replace" as a campaign slogan is a lot easier than turning it into reality.

We are seeing glimpses of a two party system at work again despite Republican control of the House and Senate. While fractious debate does not always lead to victory nor is it always the right course, Democrats appear determined to challenge the Trump nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy.

President Trump's ban restricting travel from Muslim countries has twice been struck down by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland. Despite a federal judge in Virginia recently backing the travel ban, the previous injunctions are said to remain unaltered. Trump is finding his use of executive orders not above the check and balance of our judicial branch of government.

Russia and Trump continue to be up front and personal despite Republican attempts to counter it. FBI Director James Comey has confirmed the FBI is investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are also conducting investigations into Russian involvement in the 2016 election, with the House Committee becoming increasingly politicized on the issue. The push for an independent investigation has become even stronger.

President Donald Trump is watching his poll numbers drop to their lowest point, hitting a 37% approval rating. The same poll showed 60% of Americans believing the President is dishonest. For a man who has a devoted love of poll numbers and ratings, a wake up call should replace his early morning Tweets. 

Failing At Presidential Leadership

Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0

We elected him.  We're now paying for it. President Donald Trump is working hard to succeed at the one thing our enemies crave and our friends fear. Destabilization.

We have become a nation filled with too much fear and not enough hope. In Trump we have a leader who appears almost incapable of showing the leadership we need at home and abroad, and sees not the error of his ways. Our global allies share in amazement as they try to shore themselves up in preparation for what the next day with our new leader at the helm will bring.

After President Trump's repeated and very public swipes at France and their security issues, President François Hollande diplomatically said, ‘‘I think that it is never good to show the smallest defiance toward an allied country". There is little diplomatic about Donald Trump.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Washington on March 14th for a meeting with the President. Trump wasted no time repeatedly challenging our relationship with Germany, while advisors to the Chancellor have reportedly "given up hope that the President Trump will act in a statesmanlike manner."

A President's cabinet and close advisors should represent an administration's strength. We have yet to see such strength emanating from a White House that apparently thrives more on chaos than anything else.

During the first weeks of the Trump administration National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned or was dismissed from his position. Then on March 9th Attorney General Jeff Sessions abruptly recused himself from investigations into any Russian interference related to the 2016 presidential campaign. He admitted to having conversations with the Russian Ambassador. Sessions, an early and vocal Trump campaign surrogate, was pressured by Congress to either resign or recuse. The President reportedly became furious that Sessions would dare take such action. 

Many had pinned their hopes for strong leadership on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but Tillerson has quickly assumed the lowest profile of any Secretary of State in recent history. He was denied his choice of Deputy Secretary of State by the Trump White House, and is still operating without a full house of critical staff support. Trump, meanwhile, is calling for severe cuts to the State Department budget apparently listening more to his son-in-law Jared Kushner on foreign policy than the Secretary of State. No wonder Tillerson has gone into hiding.  

Trump took no interest in learning the business of governing during his long run to the election. Today his words and actions continue to show too limited a knowledge base for a man normally viewed as the leader of the free world. 

Our country is crying out for real leadership. Instead we see a President floundering under pressure. We see a man lashing out, blaming everyone and everything but himself as he becomes more mired in dysfunction. A true sign of a leader is a person who rises to the occasion of challenge. President Trump appears to be sinking.