By now it’s clear President Trump, like the presidents before him, has strengths and weaknesses, quirks and personality traits, good and bad ideas. For all the things he has done in this administration that are beneficial though, he lets some of his own glaring weaknesses dictate his decisions — this makes him look immature, thin-skinned, petty, and even dishonest. This kind of behavior, even in light of the positive things Trump does, devalues the presidency and makes the White House a playground.
For example, the White House invited the Philadelphia Eagles to an event to honor their Super Bowl win. Only a few team members of the Super Bowl champions wanted to attend, and in response, Trump disinvited the team. Not only did he retract his invitation, but he said that the reason the Eagles had chosen not to come was because they don’t agree with him about whether or not NFL players should stand for the national anthem. Here is the White House’s statement:
First, every Eagles player stood for the anthem every game this last year. So that’s a blatant lie. Second, several players have debunked the charge that the reason they didn’t all go was because they disagreed with the president about whether or not they should stand for the national anthem.
[Related: Fox News apologizes for images falsely suggesting Eagles players kneeled during national anthem]
So many lies smh
Here are some facts
1. Not many people were going to go
2. No one refused to go simply because Trump “insists” folks stand for the anthem
3. The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti military pic.twitter.com/89GUNhJ4eE— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) June 4, 2018
Of course the president can cancel any event he wants to, even if it includes disinviting this year’s Super Bowl winners — and of course, the Eagles players have the right to choose not to attend the event. But now, freedoms aside, this looks a little bit like a third grade playground: “You can’t play with me!” “Fine! I’m taking my toys and going home!”
Had the president maintained the invite and only 10 players showed up the Eagles would have looked like they were stiffing the office — but now that Trump disinvited the entire team, he looks petty and thin-skinned. To make matters worse, he twisted the entire event into a moment of propaganda for his office, painting the Eagles and their motives disingenuously, to make himself feel better for getting jilted. Even though the Eagles nonchalance hurt the president’s feelings, this is not a chance for him to stomp off with his toys and his pride — it’s a chance for him to be a bigger person, elevate the White House, and stay focused on larger issues.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
