Thursday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing starring former FBI Director James Comey was must-see TV. For more than 2.5 hours, the world stood still to hear the testimony from the most famous former law enforcement official in the country. Is President Trump guilty of obstruction of justice or just simply negligence and a disregard for protocol and process during an FBI investigation? Either way, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has a tough job to do, and the stakes are incredibly high. But with the investigation in its early stages, one thing is already very clear: Trump’s entire legislative agenda is on life support. In other words, he can kiss it goodbye.
Candidate Trump campaigned aggressively and very successfully that he was going to “drain the swamp” in Washington. He also pledged, in a contract with voters, that in his first 100 days, he would reform the tax code, fix healthcare, build a wall and end illegal immigration. To a frustrated electorate, this was music to their ears.
As the best-selling author of The Art of the Deal, Trump promised to bring his skills to Washington and negotiate deals that would Make America Great Again. For the very first time, America would be winning. In fact, we’d be winning so much that we would grow tired of it. He was smart, and our politicians were “stupid.” And on the campaign trail he seemed to enjoy reminding the crowd how smart he was and that he attended Wharton.
But under President Trump, the country has seen very little winning. His push for a healthcare bill failed at first in March, and the House was forced to pull the vote to avoid embarrassment after earlier guaranteeing a legislative achievement. And the controversy surrounding Russia and his campaign and the word “collusion” have dominated headlines and weakened his ability to lead. His credibility has also taken a beating, and a historically low approval rating demonstrates that his entrance into Washington hasn’t been as smooth and seamless as he had promised as a candidate campaigning.
The real loser after today’s historic hearing is not the Republicans or even the Democrats — it’s everyone in the country. It’s the working single parent struggling to provide for her children or that middle-class, blue-collar family, or that small-business owner.
Why? Because Trump’s entire legislative agenda is now gone. Say goodbye to tax reform, or health reform, or infrastructure improvement legislation.
Trump may not have committed an obstruction of justice, but in the court of public opinion, he is now a liability and is untrustworthy. Image is everything, and perception is reality, and as an expert in marketing and personal branding Trump must know this. For decades, the name “Trump” was synonymous with some of the world’s tallest buildings. And today it is now a punch line.
America has always been great. And, as a country, we are resilient, and we will eventually recover. But so long as Trump is president, the country won’t be winning anytime soon – and those hurt the most will be the ones that voted for him.
Mark Vargas (@MarkAVargas) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is co-founder and president of tech startup Licentiam. From 2007-2010, he served as a civilian within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
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