OPINION

As bad as we imagined

One hundred days is but a glimpse of a presidency. This time it feels like an eternity.

Four months ago I wrote that I thought Donald Trump was wrong to be president. His demagoguery, his foreign policy inexperience and his conflicts of interest were disqualifiers. Since Jan. 20, the president has proved me right.

He promised an isolationist foreign policy. Instead, in these first 100 days, we see him wandering into Syria and North Korea. He barely understands the issues.

Trump claimed an administration free of conflicts of interest. Instead his team uses issue waivers, flouting the very protections designed to stop emoluments violations. In President Trump's first 100 days, he still hides his tax returns and makes White House visitor logs private. Your browser history is up for sale, though.

If I were still a Republican precinct chairman, I'd be livid. Trump promised to repeal Obamacare. Even with Republican majorities, a replacement could not be put up for a vote. He meekly noted nobody knew health care was "so complicated." He must be the "nobody."

Donald Trump said he would address the federal budget. Instead of attacking trillion dollar deficits, he nibbles. He cut programs like Meals on Wheels and school lunches for children. While he takes away beans and franks from children and the elderly, he dines at Mar-a-Lago.

The security costs there are part of a Trump theme. Charge the federal government everything it can at Trump properties as long as it can. I am old enough to remember when the Republican Party attacked welfare queens. Now the GOP nominates and elects one of the biggest for president.

Donald Trump has yet to voice a coherent strategy for America. He only knows sound bites. They are fed to him by factions that compete for power within the White House. They have little interest in principle.

The White House is like teenagers on spring break with access to a car and booze, but with no sense of responsibility.

Trump is drowning. When you're gasping for air, a hundred seconds seems a long time. One hundred days seems like an eon. And the congressional lifeguard seems to be out to lunch.

------------v------------

Christopher Suprun is a paramedic and EMS educator in Dallas and a Republican presidential elector who would not cast his ballot for Donald Trump.

Editorial on 04/26/2017

Upcoming Events