George W. Bush Speechwriter Slams ‘Toxic’ Trump In Washington Post Op-Ed
Donald Trump Image by Getty Images
Washington Post columnist and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, Michael Gerson slammed President Donald Trump for his moral ambiguity as this latest scandal involving his son’s contact with a Russian lawyer unfolds.
The op-ed “An administration without a conscience,” published Thursday in the Washington Post, made no reservations in labeling the contact between some of Trump’s most senior advisors and a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin as collusion. In the piece, Gerson railed against Trump’s unapologetic response to these recent revelations, writing:
“… the most shocking thing is that no one on the Trump side was shocked. The most offensive thing is that no one took offense. Trump’s son, son-in-law and campaign manager treated the offer of aid by a hostile foreign power to tilt an election as just another day at the office.”
The explanation for this “toxic moral atmosphere,” Gerson argues, is Trump himself. In is his lust for victory at any cost and his paranoid belief that the system is rigged against him, Trump created the bedrock for this ethically questionable meeting to take place, even though he did not attend himself.
“Trumpism is an easygoing belief system that indulges and excuses the stiffing of contractors, the conning of students, the bilking of investors, the exploitation of women and the practices of nepotism and self-dealing. A faith that makes losing a sin will make cheating a sacrament.”
But the Trump’s aren’t alone in their guilt. Many Republicans, Gerson says, have too often and too easily employed excuses for the inept president. In some cases, even the most Christian of conservatives have tossed aside moral and ethical considerations when it comes to the administration’s scandalous behavior, wrote Gerson, who was raised as a Christian although his grandfather was Jewish.
“Their innocence, the argument goes, is proved by their guilt. This might apply to minor infractions of campaign finance law. It does not cover egregious acts of wrongdoing. Putting a future president in the debt of a foreign power — and subject, presumably, to blackmail by that power — is the height of sleazy stupidity. It is not a mistake born of greenness; it is evidence of a vacant conscience.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
