Why Trump must go: Letter-Kleinman

The Island Now

Trump needs to resign or be removed from office. 

He is incompetent and corrupt.  He is a bigot, racist and misogynist.  He is mentally ill.  He violates the Constitution every day.  He places the interests of another country ahead of the U.S. 

It is clear Trump does not know what he is doing and has no interest in learning.  He does not know how government works. 

He does not understand or appreciate the complexities of international relationships. He has surrounded himself with the most corrupt cabinet in our lifetimes.  

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has reportedly stolen tens of millions of dollars from business associates.  Other top officials with reports of corruption include Ryan Zinke, Scott Pruitt, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Ben Carson, and Betsy DeVos.

Since he announced he was running for president, Trump has repeatedly attacked and belittled anyone who is not white.  He repeatedly questions the intelligence of African Americans who dare to stand up to him. 

He attacks Mexicans, Muslims and most other minorities.  He scapegoats these groups as the reason why his base of blue collar white Americans is suffering.

I am not a psychologist.  But it seems clear that something is seriously wrong with Donald Trump. 

He appears to be a malignant narcissist.  This includes having a grandiose view of one’s self, being delusional and being sadistic. Hitler and Stalin were also called malignant narcissists.  Trump has been called paranoid. He has no sense of reality, lacks empathy and believes in crazy conspiracies. Trump is clearly a pathological liar. 

Over 4,000 lies have been documented since he became President.  He seems to have trouble recognizing truth versus lies. His inability to read and stay focused could be a sign of attention deficit disorder. These and other conditions clearly indicate that Trump is mentally ill.

Trump swore an oath to defend the law and the U.S. Constitution when he was sworn in as President.  Yet he takes actions that are directly against the constitution. 

The emoluments clause is supposed to prevent him from being enriched from foreign agents or governments. Yet he profits every day from foreigners staying at his hotels and golf properties.

He has effectively accepted bribes from China and Saudi Arabia in return for policies favorable to them. His constant attacks on the media and charges of fake news violates the spirit of Freedom of the Press.

The most serious charges involve his support of Russia and his attacks on our Allies.  He has attacked the heads of Canada, England, France and Germany.  He continually bashes NATO.  Yet he refuses to criticize Russia for its cyberattacks against our 2016 and 2018 elections. 

He has a long history of laundering money for Russian oligarchs. Much of his business empire is financed by loans from Russia. 

And he certainly behaves like Russia is blackmailing him with secrets he doesn’t want disclosed.  I believe the seriousness of these charges constitute treason. 

There are several possible remedies to Trump’s attack on America. The easiest is for Trump to say he’s had enough of this and resigns. 

I don’t see this happening anytime soon. 

The second remedy would be for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove a president incapable of fulfilling his duties. This is also unlikely given how many members of his Cabinet are corrupt. 

The final remedy is impeachment.  Republicans have shown no spine and no interest in considering impeachment. 

After they lose in the mid-term elections, they might decide they have no use for Trump. 

Mueller could issue his report and include new charges and evidence of wrongdoing by Trump and his campaign. 

Republicans might then actually place the interest of the country ahead of the Republican Party. 

They did it in 1974 when they were ready to impeach Nixon.  Let’s hope they rise to the occasion again.

Robert Kleinman

Port Washington

 

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