True Totality: Despair and Hope in Trump’s America

  The solar eclipse on August 21st, proved to be a worthy of its billing as a rare and spectacular planetary event, but in the midst of all the excitement many Americans may have missed the significance of another, even more astonishing human event with similar effects, that took place just six days earlier. It was something I have never witnessed in my over 25 years living in America- the total eclipse of the moral authority of the person often considered to be the most powerful human being on the planet, the President of the United States. On August 15th during one of his characteristically combative press conference, Mr. Trump, commenting on the violence in Charlottesville, VA, appeared reluctant to call out the white supremacists saying that “both sides” were to blame for the deadly violence thereby creating a false moral equivalency between those who openly espoused racism and hate and those who opposed them. To paraphrase one of our most revered Presidents, August 15, 2017 will live in infamy in modern American history, as the day that an American President violated his most solemn responsibilities of uniting and protecting all the people of this nation. It is one of the events that parents will struggle to explain to their children what the President really meant. Some like me may even be forced to distort the truth a little, just so as not to give away the harsh reality that the President of the United States, when he had a seemingly easy choice to make, decided not to make a clear distinction between good and evil. I have termed the event “True Totality” because unlike the solar eclipse the darkness persisted long after the event.

I have learnt that one of the most enduring characteristics of the American people is their willing to accept and forgive the mistakes of others, even our Presidents. The ideas of redemption, amazing grace and second chances are not just part of our lexicon, but a part of the American creed. Presidents Regan, Clinton, George W Bush, and Obama make mistakes, but owned up to them, were forgiven by the people and went on to win 2nd terms. We give criminals, drug addicts, murderers, and other offenders a second and sometimes a third chance. Yet the American people also believe in a simple rule from the game of baseball- three strikes and you are out. In other words, if you keep repeating the same mistakes, you are unfit to play the game, much less lead the team. To many Americans, his weak, incoherent, and dog-whistles laced response (although I tend to agree with a TV panelist who called it a bull horn) to Charlottesville, represented the biggest, perhaps the most fatal, of a long series of strike-outs for Mr. Trump.

To his credit, Mr Trump has given us a rich menu of strike-outs to choose from. There is general consensus about the major ones after taking over as President: the reluctance to name and take firm action against Russia despite overwhelming evidence of tampering in our elections; the horrible rollout and eventual failure of the so called Muslin ban; the many failed attempts to influence and ultimately the firing of FBI Director James Comey who was investigating the Russian connection to Mr. Trumps campaign; the mean spirited public disgracing of his own Attorney General, federal judges, intelligence services, and even senior senators from his own party who spoke their mind; and, thanks to three courageous Republican senators who put country above politics, the spectacular failure of the repeal of ACA.

There are several less spectacular blunders that caused me just as much concern as the big ones and which many Americans count as strike-outs. Here are a few from my list: his inability to distinguish his role as a candidate from that of the elected head of state and thereby his failure to effectively communicate a larger, more compassionate and unifying vision to the American people; his willful attempts to distort the truth with bluster and name calling; his reckless blaming of the media for doing their job of asking questions, checking and reporting facts; his inability to inspire at home or lead overseas; the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, and the ban on transgender people from serving in the military. I have couple of strike-outs that are personal to me. First, if Mr. Trump is a big supporter of the Military, as he often claims, how come despite his two visits to France, he did not see it important to visit the sacred shores of Normandy, where thousands of American and Allied soldiers fought and died in defense of freedom. Although not a US soldier, my dad was a young sailor with the British Indian troops who fought alongside the Allied forces against the Germans in North Africa. Second, as the proud father of a boy scout, yet another huge strike-out for me was Mr. Trump’s shameful political rant during the annual jamboree of the one of our most treasured youth intuitions, the Boy Scouts of America.

Although I did not support Mr Trump in 2016, like most Americans I accepted the will of the American people. I had hoped that the realization of the solemn responsibilities of the Presidency and the awe inspiring stories of many of his great predecessors and fellow citizens would elevate Mr. Trump’s thinking, bring out the best in him and help him assume the role with some semblance of grace and dignity. Boy was I wrong! Now I have no choice but to join the few Americans who just cannot accept Mr. Trump anymore as our President. Before I made this decision I wondered: Is it possible that an American citizen is compelled not to accept the elected President and yet bear true faith and allegiance to his or her country? So I revisited the Oath of Allegiance that I took when I became a naturalized US citizen in 2003, and concluded that It is precisely my duty to my country enshrined in the Oath which states “I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same” that has left me no choice but to take this seemingly hostile stand. I will of course continue to perform all my civic responsibilities, pay my taxes, and be the best citizen that I can be.

Far from becoming cynical and giving up hope, I see many bright rays of sunshine that have emerged from the darkness. I saw true American grit in the hundreds of brave young people who stood their ground and protested against the white supremacists and in Heather Heyer, who was tragically killed in Charlottesville. I was moved when Heather’s mother, Susan Bro, took the stage at the 2017 MTV VMA awards alongside Robert Lee IV, a direct descendant of Civil War general Robert E. Lee, to denounce racism and white supremacy. My spirits were buoyed by the quick and unified condemnation of racism by the heads of the heads of the five branches of the US armed forces, all of who report to Mr. Trump. I am encouraged that the American media for the most part has not bowed down to Mr. Trump bulling. I see hope in the professionalism and independence that our civil servants, intelligence officials, and business leaders have displayed. I remain hopeful that more elected official on both sides will show courage in speaking up publically again what they know in their hearts to be unbecoming of an American President. The last few weeks, I saw brightness overcome darkness in Texas and Florida as ordinary citizens came together to help victim of the devastating hurricanes and floods, reassuring Americans that despite our political, racial, and religious differences, we are fundamentally one people. So I am completely at peace with the knowledge that like the eclipse, True Totality too shall pass and light will shine thru soon enough.

But for now, I have no choice but to place on record that following his response to #Charlottesville, which to use a Trumpian sound bite ‘the likes of which we have never seen before’; and because of what I believe is my fundamental duty as a citizen of these United States of America, I can no longer accept Donald J. Trump as my President. #NotMyPresident!

Note: Dr. Suresh U. Kumar is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, startup mentor, activist, and dad. He is a frequent op-ed columnist and social media commentator on entrepreneurship, leadership, and socio- political issues. The full article was published as an Op-ed in India Abroad and abridged versions in multiple news magazines and online forums. Follow him at https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/drskumar  and @drSuresh_Kumar