In the unlikely event somebody has yet to make up their mind about the presidential election, Wednesday’s debate should have ended any doubt. In one simple exchange, Donald Trump reminded the nation that he is unfit for the presidency; that he has enmity for the American political system; and that his campaign has little to do with making America great and much to do with massaging his oversized ego.
Moderator Chris Wallace noted that “one of the prides of this country” is the peaceful transition of power and that such a transition is facilitated by the concession of the losing candidate. Asked whether he would accept a defeat at the polls, Trump responded, “What I’m saying is that I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense, OK?”
This continues Trump’s trope of recent weeks that the election is rigged, that there is widespread voter fraud, and that vast forces that include the media are conspiring against him. In truth, the statements reveal a man completely devoid of the composure and the demeanor necessary to be the chief executive of the world’s most powerful nation.
Trump is constructing a straw-man argument to explain a possible election loss, rather than risk the need to accept his own failures of policy and character. In the process, he is further revealing his infantile nature, one that has been demonstrated time and again as akin to that of a schoolyard bully. When challenged with facts, he answers with insults; when challenged with dissent, he responds with outrage; when challenged with possible failure, he fabricates conspiracies. Throughout the campaign, Trump has left no doubt that he would bring indignity to a most dignified office — an office that to the rest of the world is a symbol of the United States and her people.
