
The Donald Trump presidency has entered a new and disturbing phase. As if an impeachment inquiry wasn’t enough, Trump keeps digging himself a deeper hole.
Abandoning allies as he cedes northern Syria to Turkey. Planning to host the Group of 7 meeting at his golf resort. Stonewalling the impeachment inquiry. Insulting the speaker of the House.
And then the president’s acting chief of staff essentially admits a quid pro quo with Ukraine — an issue key to the impeachment inquiry — and then later denies his admission.
What a month so far. And it seems to just keep getting worse as the president bombastically continues sowing fear and division, and further undercuts the nation’s role as a world leader.
We never expected contrition from Trump. But it seems he has become more reckless. These are trying times for the nation. How and when we will return to an era of calm is unknown.
In the meantime, it’s hard to overstate the damage that’s being done by the president’s impulsive behavior, starting with his ungrounded foreign policy.
His decision to ignore his military advisers and give the go-ahead to a Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held northern Syria has upended the political balance of the Middle East.
No one wants what Trump calls “endless wars.” But the limited troops we had in Syria were there to help maintain a fragile peace that protected the Kurds, our key ally in the fight against ISIS.
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