By Robert
Reich
Donald Trump issued the following tweet on the last day of 2016: “Happy New Year to all,
including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly
they just don’t know what to do. Love!”
The man who is about to become President of the United States
continues to exhibit a mean-spirited, thin-skinned, narcissistic and vindictive
character.
Trump sees the world in terms of personal wins or losses,
enemies or friends, supporters or critics.
He hasn’t yet figured out that a president holds a position of
public trust that transcends personal animus.
A president is supposed to
represent all Americans, including those who voted against him and may continue
to oppose him.
A
democracy depends on the freedom to oppose those in power, without fear of
reprisal, without being denigrated or labeled an enemy.
Happy New Year, Mr. Trump. You have 20 days in which to learn
how to act as a president. All of us – even those who oppose your policies and
worry about your character – sincerely hope you do.
ROBERT B. REICH is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at
the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center
for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton
administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective
cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fourteen books,
including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of
Nations," and "Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent,
"Saving Capitalism." He is also a founding editor of the American
Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary,
INEQUALITY FOR ALL.