I watched the almost full-hour episode of the Oval Office meeting between President Trump (and team) and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy this morning on C-Span’s YouTube channel. One thing I’d like to comment on that I haven’t heard discussed is President Trump’s disrespecting his predecessor in front of the leader of another nation (e.g. “stupid president,” “incompetent,” “not a very smart person”). I miss decency.
I’ve always been taught that in job interview situations, for example, you don’t talk negatively about your previous employer, colleagues, or company that you worked for in the past. No matter how poorly you may have been treated, it’s seen as unprofessional.
Here’s the whole meeting without commentary. I’d recommend watching all of it if you can. Otherwise, the worst begins at 35:48.
I, for one, don’t want to see our President disrespect any former President; I don’t care who they are. Maybe they have to be critical during an election cycle when they have to differentiate themselves (even so, “stupid” and the like are out of line, in my opinion). But after the election, no. And certainly not in front of other nations and the world stage. And no, I would not want our next President to disrespect Trump like this either.
This is not the most important point of this fiasco, nor the greatest threat. Still, I’m concerned that this type of behavior in our top leadership will filter down to the people and our workplaces, and we may lose our sense of professionalism, decency, and respect. I fear that we are teaching our children (especially our boys) that this brutish behavior is acceptable and is masculine and the way to be “in charge.”
This is why character matters and, personally, my biggest criticism of this administration.
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