With President Trump, everything is a transaction.
We see it in his trade policy, his diplomacy, and, most recently, his Wednesday campaign rally in Michigan when he criticized Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, for voting to impeach him by bringing up the one thing that should have been off-limits: her late husband, John Dingell.
In what was a remarkably petty display of contempt, even by Trump’s standards, the president patted himself on the back for giving John Dingell, who represented Michigan in the House for more than 59 years, the “A-plus treatment.” He had the flags lowered, attended Dingell’s memorial services, and offered his sympathies to Debbie Dingell, who expressed her gratitude to the president in return.
But that gratitude was short-lived.
“So she calls me up: ‘It’s the nicest thing that’s ever happened, thank you so much,’” Trump recalled. “‘John would be so thrilled. He’s looking down,’” Trump continued, mimicking Debbie Dingell. He continued, “I said, ‘That’s okay. Don’t worry about it.’”
Then, he added: “Maybe he’s looking up. I don’t know … but let’s assume he’s looking down.”
It was tasteless to suggest John Dingell is in hell, but that should go without saying. Besides, saying so won’t make a difference. Trump has made it quite clear throughout his presidency that civility isn’t his priority. In fact, the only people lucky enough not to be mocked or belittled by the president are those who have given him something in return: loyalty, support, and commitment.
And because Debbie Dingell did not give him that, he took what he had done for her and used it as leverage to make a point — a point that isn’t convincing anyone. The Battle Creek, Michigan, crowd’s response was muted, with several audible groans echoing across the field. These are the people Trump needs to win over in 2020, and insulting the man who represented many of them for decades, myself included, will not help.
Debbie Dingell’s response deserves recognition. She urged the president to “set politics aside,” reminding him that she is “preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love.” Unlike Trump, she is able to distinguish between a person and his politics, and she understands that there are some things that transcend the this-for-that politics of Washington.
Trump has never been able to do this because the lens in which he sees the world is a mirror. Every slight is a personal betrayal, and anyone who disagrees is an enemy. His allies will argue, as press secretary Stephanie Grisham did, that the president is a “counterpuncher” who is “under attack.” Well, Trump is also a petty, transactional man who can’t see the forest for the trees.
The Democrats are hoping that, come 2020, the American people will see what Trump can’t. Every time he opens his mouth, he gets that much closer to proving them right.
