Opinion: Donald Doesn’t Deserve Your Respect

Are American citizens required to hold the President of the United States in the highest regard and extend
he/she unwavering respect? By virtue of his position alone, is the American president entitled to unflinching loyalty and admiration from the people that he serves? Is the answer to that question as simple as the Bible verse “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” In the case of Donald Trump, the answer may very well be “You reap what you sow.”

Donald J Trump, the current POTUS provides an intriguing conundrum. While most of us have been taught to respect the president we have also been lectured on giving respect to those who have earned it and return the same to us.

While Mr. Trump has indeed been elected to the highest office in the land, there can be little debate that his words and deeds throughout his lifetime have garnered almost nothing to induce respect. In fact, Mr. Trump has seemingly almost gone out of his way to reflect the very opposite of presidential conduct.

Donald Trump on his way to, and while in the White House, has lied repeatedly and unabashedly. He has belittled physically challenged people, bragged of sexual assault and demeaned entire races of people. His behavior has spanned from infantile to absurd. Mr. Trump has exhibited serious lacks in judgment and virtually no self-control.

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His reaction to those who question his wisdom and fitness for duty has been to attack the messenger and behave in a manner that doesn’t reflect the position that he holds.

Mr. Trump has subverted decades-old political protocol in order to insulate himself from the usual public scrutiny faced by heads of state. Checks and balances have little to no meaning to him. He has bullied his way past other heads of state for photo opportunities and insulted the competence of another following national tragedy. Is this a man who deserves blind devotion and high respect?

Recently Mr.Trump has been publicly and harshly insulted by fellow elected officials, entertainers and talk show hosts. Supporters of the president have called for terminations and apologies from perceived offenders of conduct. Mr.Trump has never so much as acknowledged any unsavory behavior on his part, let alone offered an apology to the millions he’s wounded. He’s not deserving of preferential treatment because of the office he holds.

The office of POTUS is in fact just that. It’s an inanimate object that contains great history and tragic scandal. However, the men that have held that office is what requires our respect or lack thereof. Mr. Trump has not carried himself in a manner befitting the leader of the free world. He has ignored outcries to address domestic catastrophes while continually furthering a racist agenda abroad. He has misled the American public in a way that resembles the craftsmanship and malice of a con man. Americans have the right to voice their displeasure with what has transpired.

Mr. Trump himself has called for an end to political correctness. By doing so he has invited American citizens to say how they truly feel about him and his service to us. He is not owed an undue level of reverence because of the seat he sits in. He’s owed the truth of our feelings for him however harsh they may be because after all, he’s earned it…