Set aside the visuals, the tone of voice, and all preconceived ideas, good or bad, about President Trump. If you were to read the transcript of Trump’s brief remarks Monday morning about last weekend’s two mass shootings, you would see appropriate sentences and sentiments, ones that can and should come from whomever is president at such a time.
In short, Trump’s speech met the basic standards for the job.
What matters more than what he said, though, is how he and we act going forward.
As for Trump’s words, they were appropriately nonpartisan, showing appropriate avoidance of either political blame or of solipsistic defensiveness. Yes, of course “America weeps for the fallen. We are a loving nation and our children are entitled to grow up in a just, peaceful, and loving society.”
And, this time without the excuses about “both sides,” Trump rightly said that “in one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.” Trump needs to do more, a whole lot more, on this front, but it was a good start.
Trump outlined reasonable specifics, without overreaction, for concrete action to try to ward off future “barbaric slaughters” like these. He has the directed the FBI to take certain actions to better identify possible mass murderers and to track the internet for warning signals, but in no way did he suggest anything that sounded like an obvious violation of civil liberties. Good.
Trump also called for even more reform of the nation’s laws governing involuntary commitment of the mentally ill. He is right, although one could nitpick about tone and substance here. He should have noted that on the federal level, Congress, and President Barack Obama made a good start with provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, which already did some of what Trump suggested. Trump should have said the idea is to build on those reforms and to encourage states to emulate them.
In terms of tone, Trump’s one error was in making it sound (by implication) as if all the seriously mentally ill are “monsters.” Most who suffer from mental illness are nothing like that description. An expression of compassion and understanding, one drawing distinctions between those who are suffering and those who are dangerous or evil, would have been welcome.
Nonetheless, apart from that error in tone, Trump’s words on paper were largely adequate, for now. It would help if people on all sides would work together to find solutions without further politicizing the issue or playing the blame game.
This is an ongoing problem, and the solutions are not all simple. Nor are all the proposed solutions uncontroversial. It would help if both sides would avoid impugning the motives of those who sincerely disagree about what ideas truly will work. It would help if we all respected other views more, listened better, and tried harder to find common ground rather than political advantage.
Decent people all recoil, and ache, at news of atrocities like these. Some acknowledgment of common humanity and common desire to make things better would be a welcome beginning.
