Of the many unfortunate aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency, none is more disturbing than the way he treats career civil servants — especially those in our diplomatic corps. Not only does he not respect or appreciate them, he has obvious and dangerous contempt for people who have devoted their lives to serving our country abroad.
Never was this more grossly on display than in how he treated Marie Yovanovitch, former ambassador to Ukraine. Egged on by his publicity-loving and ethically challenged personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, whose self-serving sidekicks have been indicted on federal charges of violating campaign finance laws, Trump seems to have personally directed a vicious campaign to smear the reputation of a woman who has served her country loyally — sometimes in very dangerous situations — for decades and whose only “offense” was a reluctance to tweet words of praise for Trump.
Why he did this boggles the mind. Was it because he was afraid she would not look the other way when Trump pressed Ukrainian leaders to dig up dirt on a potential political rival?
No one disputes the president’s right to decide who should serve as ambassador to other nations. All Trump had to do was tell someone he wanted to replace Yovanovitch, and that would have been that.
But no. Bully that he is, Trump had to bad-mouth her to the leader of the country where she had served as our ambassador and make ominous comments that she would soon “go through some things.”
As if that was not enough (and it was), to the shock and horror of even his most loyal defenders, Trump sought to intimidate her and presumably other witnesses in a congressional hearing by tweeting rude and hateful comments as she testified.
No other president in recent memory has been so disdainful of the women and men who serve our country, especially those posted overseas. Trump’s behavior stands in especially sharp contrast to that of Ronald Reagan, who insisted that on virtually every foreign trip, his schedule include an event at which he could greet and thank embassy employees for their service to their country.
He always spoke from the heart on those occasions. For example, this is what he told the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia on one of the first foreign trips of his presidency:
He expressed similar sentiments in countless other cities around the world.
Even after he left the White House, Reagan made a point of thanking U.S. embassy employees for their service. For one post-presidency trip, we briefed him on the proposed schedule, which somehow did not show a visit with embassy personnel. Politely, but firmly, he said: “Let’s get time to see the embassy folks there. I’m sure they’re helping us with all of this, and I don’t want to disappoint them.” Yes, sir.
That feeling of appreciation for career public servants probably began during Reagan’s time as governor of California. Far from fearing a “deep state” aligned against him, Reagan wisely recognized the role of the established bureaucracy in advancing his agenda. He developed a fondness and admiration for the men and women in Sacramento, who came to work every day seeking only to do right by the people.
As much as Reagan genuinely admired those who made civil service their career, he was realistic about government employees. When he got to Washington, on more than one occasion, he said that he went to bed at night knowing that in the vast federal bureaucracy, “someone somewhere may be doing something they’re not supposed to.” And although he had no tolerance for anyone who abused their position and ill-served the American people, his general view was that the overwhelming majority of public servants were honest and acted with integrity. He was right.
Everyone who runs for president attacks Washington and rails against the federal bureaucracy. The proper role of government in our daily lives is a defining issue of the times. But even the most outspoken critics of Washington have refrained from saying anything against the men and women who go to work every day without any political agenda, seeking only to do their best for the American people by implementing the agenda of the legitimately elected leader.
Not until Trump, anyway.
To him, it seems that only those who came with him to Washington and who share his views are good public servants. What a naïve, paranoid, and ultimately unproductive view. Trump can seek to fill senior government ranks with as many loyalists as he can find, but at the end of the day, if he insults and demeans the bureaucracy, his presidency will fail. To put it in terms Trump might understand: If he pisses off the hard hats who pour the concrete, there will be no building.
Career foreign and civil service officials may not wear hard hats, but they face danger every day in their unselfish efforts to serve the American people to the best of their ability. That the greatest danger comes from the president — whose job it is to protect them — is disgraceful.
Mark Weinberg is an executive speechwriter and communication consultant. He served as special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary in the Reagan White House and as director of public affairs in the office of former President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of the best-selling memoir Movie Nights with the Reagans.
