THE PRESIDENT IS NO BOY SCOUT

 

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States.  In July of 2017, President Trump was asked to speak before a gathering of 40,000 scouts at the summer Jamboree in West Virginia. 

Mr. Trump began his remarks by saying:  “Who the hell wants to speak about politics?”  He then went off on a rambling address to deliver highly politicized remarks that were more appropriate for a MAGA campaign rally than an assembly of bipartisan young men and scout leaders. 

President Trump never joined the Scouts. This is unfortunate because were he a member, he would have recited the Boy Scout Law prior to each meeting of his troop.  I can think of no better standard than the Scout Law to both fact check and review the President’s performance during his first term in office. The Scout Law has 12 points. A Scout always tries to be:

TRUSTWORTHY. Tell the truth and keep promises.  On July 9, 2020, the President crossed the 20,000 mark in making false and misleading claims — an average of 23 claims a day over a 14-month period.  When the Washington Post “Fact Checker” first began keeping track, Trump averaged fewer than five claims a day. The tsunami of untruths just keeps multiplying.

LOYAL. Show that you care about your family, friends, school and country. The President needs and expects loyalty from all those around him. The Mueller investigation began when Trump demanded loyalty from FBI Director James Comey who refused to comply.  Trump seeks revenge against any present or former administration official who speaks truth to the media. On the other hand, Trump shows little loyalty to those closest to him. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer as well as Mary Trump, his niece, recount numerous examples in their respective new books of his disloyalty to his wife, children and close associates. Trump’s own loyalties are to himself, his profits and his next political campaign—and perhaps to Vladimir Putin.

HELPFUL. Volunteer to help others without expecting a reward. The President behaves in transactional terms, taking no action without a reciprocal payoff for his own interests.  His charitable foundation was forced to shut down after the N.Y. State Attorney General uncovered that Trump utilized the charity to benefit himself.

FRIENDLY. Be a friend to everyone, even people who are very different from you. The President cultivates a disrespectful, pompous, defiant and bullying demeanor. He openly favors “winners” (dictators, cutthroat capitalists) over “losers” (Western leaders with empathy, killed or captured soldiers). He offers support to white Christian nationalists and admirers of confederate treason, while attacking diverse ethnicities and religions.

COURTEOUS. Be polite to everyone and always use good manners. See “Friendly” above.

KIND. Treat others as you want to be treated. See “Friendly” above.

OBEDIENT.  Obey the laws of your community and country. No prior administration has pushed the envelope of the law to the same degree as the Trump White House.  He believes he is above the law. He has sought to undermine and halt investigations into his alleged illegal acts. He has ordered his Attorney General to prosecute political opponents. Lastly, Trump as President, has attacked the independence of the judiciary.

CHEERFUL. Look for the bright side of life.   Trump has almost no humor, even when the moment calls for it. Humor humanizes and puts people at ease. Trump’s method is the opposite. He wants people ill at ease. Doing so, preserves his capacity to wound, enhancing his sense of superiority.

THRIFTY.  Use time, food, supplies and natural resources wisely.  The President has few time management skills and makes decisions impulsively without setting measurable goals or creating strategies to achieve them.  He is extravagant with the public purse and has increased the national debt to 27 trillion dollars. In direct violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, millions in taxpayer dollars have found their way into the coffers of the Trump Organization.  

BRAVE.  Do what you think is right despite what others might be doing or saying.  According to journalist Bob Woodward who was granted an unprecedented 18 recorded interviews with President Trump, his handling of the ongoing pandemic was “a monumental, catastrophic leadership failure.”  Woodward concluded in his recent book that the President lied or misrepresented facts to the American people in an effort to improve his chances of reelection with little regard for public health and welfare.

CLEAN. Keep your body and mind fit.  The president is a self-described germophobe. According to a former top adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, Trump once said Covid-19 might be a “good thing” because it would stop him from having to shake hands with disgusting people.

REVERENT. Be reverent toward God and respect the beliefs of others.  Trump's attempts at public religion have been awkward at best. He said he does not ask for forgiveness and "does not bring God into that picture" when he makes mistakes. President Trump identifies as Presbyterian, but does not regularly attend any church.  He is openly hostile toward Muslims.

The President’s followers will argue that none of the above disqualifies him from serving a second term.  My response would be: Under what circumstances would an individual who in every respect, fails to live up to the Scout Law, make an acceptable candidate for the highest office in our nation?