The Wall Street Journal editorial board faulted President Trump for his controversial phone call with Ukraine’s new president, saying it “underscores Mr. Trump’s greatest flaw as President, which is his political narcissism.”
“Every decision boils down to how it affects him or his re-election prospects. Other Presidents have made similar calculations, but Mr. Trump lacks the basic filter to know when he is crossing a line that creates trouble for himself or the country,” the editorial board wrote Sunday.
At issue is a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump acknowledged Sunday he discussed his potential 2020 opponent Joe Biden. Trump reportedly urged Zelensky eight times to help his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on an investigation into Biden’s son Hunter. Hunter was employed as a board member for a Ukrainian natural gas company at the same time the elder Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees if Ukraine did not fire its top prosecutor, who had been accused of corruption and was investigating the gas company.
“Mr. Trump’s request showed bad judgment. He was trying to draw a foreign leader into the middle of American presidential politics, which can only lead to political trouble. We learned that from the Russia fiasco of 2016,” the editorial said.
The editorial board added that Trump’s request is “worse” if it was included with a threat to cut off U.S. military aid to Ukraine unless there was an investigation into the Bidens.
“Mr. Trump and others say there was no quid pro quo request. But we know the Trump Administration delayed U.S. aid to Ukraine in early July for unexplained reasons. The U.S. released the aid later after bipartisan criticism of the delay. Mr. Zelensky surely understood the potential risk of not complying with Mr. Trump’s request even if Mr. Trump wasn’t explicit,” the board wrote.
