The following article by Kenneth Walsh was posted on the U.S. News and World Report website February 9, 2018:
President Trump’s kinder, gentler attitude lasted less than a week.
President Donald Trump has marched back into political combat after a temporary truce. He is again picking fights and intensifying feuds with a variety of people he deems as adversaries. This is raising questions about whether he is making the divisions and bitterness in Washington worse as Congress attempts to find compromises on issues such as setting budget priorities, overhauling the immigration system and rebuilding roads, bridges and other parts of the U.S. infrastructure.
Trump’s latest targets include a key member of the House of Representatives whom he called a liar, congressional Democrats in general whom he blasted as “treasonous,” and pro football players who protest during the national anthem.
Trump’s return to pugnacity marks the end of his brief experiment with conciliation. He came across as toned-down and temperate in his State of the Union address Jan. 30 but the kinder, gentler Trump lasted less than a week. His friends and long-time associates predicted that this reversal would happen because he is a very combative person at heart and always wants to be the center of attention, so he says and does outrageous things.
Since the State of the Union, Trump has returned to form, as he has so often in the past, and resumed belittling his adversaries, inflating his successes, and seeking to win personal victories and force his adversaries to grovel before him.
“There is this feeling of chaos that people associate with Trump,” says Democratic pollster Geoff Garin. “People see him as very divisive and not in full control of how he relates to things.” This assessment was shared by swing voters in the Philadelphia area, where Garin recently conducted a focus group that discussed Trump’s presidency.
On Monday, Trump said Democrats who didn’t applaud him during his State of the Union address were being “un-American” and “treasonous.” During a speech in Ohio, he declared, “Can we call that treason? Why not? I mean, they certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.” He also praised himself for rejuvenating the economy during his first year in office, but ignored the sharp decline in the stock market Monday. And on Tuesday, Trump advocated shutting down the federal government if Congress failed to give him what he wants in legislation to limit illegal immigration.
Trump wrote on Twitter this week that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, is “one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington” – without Trump citing any evidence – and the president mocked the legislator as “Little Adam Schiff.” Schiff has quarreled with Trump and majority Republicans on the Intelligence Committee over the pace, scope and candor of the panel’s investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, and allegations of obstruction of justice.
At the same time, Trump lavished praise on Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Trump tweeted that his fellow Republican is “a man of tremendous courage and grit, may someday be recognized as a Great American Hero.” Trump was favorably impressed with a memo released by Nunes and the committee Republicans about the panel’s Russia investigation. Trump said the memo “totally vindicates” him but Democrats pointed out that it did nothing of the kind. Special counsel Robert Mueller also is investigating possible collusion and obstruction of justice.
Earlier, Trump again took on pro football players who kneel or sit during the national anthem at National Football League games to protest social injustice. About two-and-a-half hours prior to the Super Bowl, the White House released a statement in which Trump urged Americans to stand during the national anthem to honor the military. It turned out that no players knelt or sat in protest when the anthem was played before the big game Sunday, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-32. Trump’s statement expressed “appreciation for those who make occasions like this possible, particularly the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.” He also said, “Though many of our Nation’s service members are unable to be home with family and friends to enjoy this evening’s American tradition, they are always in our thoughts and prayers. We owe these heroes the greatest respect for defending our liberty and our American way of life. Their sacrifice is stitched into each star and every stripe of our Star-Spangled Banner. We hold them in our hearts and thank them for our freedom as we proudly stand for the National Anthem.”
Throughout the 2017-2018 NFL season, Trump criticized NFL players for kneeling during the anthem. The players, most of whom were African-American, said they were protesting against racial injustice and police brutality. Now some of these athletes from the Eagles are saying they won’t attend the traditional White House reception honoring the Super Bowl victors because they object to Trump.
One of President Trump’s problems has always been how to calibrate his pugnacity and petulance. His hard-core followers love his slashing attacks on the Washington establishment and his hyperbole. But by constantly currying favor with his base, Trump has been unable to expand his coalition or his party’s appeal. And this isn’t good news for Trump and for fellow Republicans hoping to hold onto their majorities in the House and Senate in the November elections.
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