The Unprofessionalism of Trump and the Glorification of Obama
I’m gonna say it: I love that Donald Trump is unprofessional. I love the fact that he causes a stir on Twitter. I love the ridiculous way he acts and communicates. His behavior is amazing. Now before you start criticizing me and this article, hear me out. The fact that Trump acts like a buffoon teaches us a great lesson about politics and the office of the presidency: government is vulnerable, government is imperfect, government can be made up of despicable people, and the presidency is not immune to that.
Donald Trump’s antics teaches America that we should not be placing politicians on such a high pedestal. Presidents are people. The fact that someone is the President of the United States does not automatically make them a good person. The unprofessionalism of Donald Trump exemplifies this, and thank God for it! I don’t love that Donald Trump calls global leaders “short and fat” on Twitter because I think it’s funny (even though it kind of is). I love it because now we’re finally paying attention and giving presidents the kind of criticism that they have needed for a long time.
The glorification of former president Barack Obama exemplifies my discontent for “professional” politicians. Obama, whether you liked him or not, was a professional. He was charismatic, charming, well-spoken, and respectful. He lived up to the traditional expectation that the president be seen as an upstanding individual.
What did this get us? Glorification of a president who did terrible things. Lest we forget the kill list, the drone strikes, his blows against privacy, and the fact that our involvement in the Middle East hardly changed. The Obama administration deported more immigrants than any other president before him, for crying out loud! Nobody cares, though. People continue to praise the former president, acting as though he had a presidency that was free from error and scandals.
Have we as Americans been ignoring this because his professionalism masked it? Perhaps. I can’t predict that this is exactly the case, but I can assure you that thanks to President Trump, people are finally paying attention.
I do not intend to defend what Trump has done. Believe me, I’m just as pissed off as the next person. The thing, though, is that when Trump does something, we the people are quick to start laying down criticism. If Trump acted “presidential,” there’s a chance we wouldn’t be so critical, and that’s exactly what we don’t need.
Presidents need to be held accountable, and the monstrosity that is the Trump presidency has reinforced that principle into the American spirit. Despicable people in politics is more common than we perceive, but that’s masked by the so-called “good” politicians that occupy those offices, like Obama. The office of the presidency, and all the damage it can cause, has been protected by this for far too long. I said it once and I will say it again: thank God President Trump is an imbecile!
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