For most of us, when we rate how we’re
doing in our jobs, we don’t say, “Nobody can prove I committed a crime!”
By
Donald
Trump is bragging that the Mueller report did not prove he colluded with Russia
during the 2016 election.
For
most of us, when we rate how we’re doing in our jobs, we don’t say, “Nobody can
prove I committed a crime!” or even, “I didn’t commit a crime!” and then pat
ourselves on the back for a job well done.
At
this point, we’ve seen the Trump White House in action for over two years.
Several investigative books and articles corroborate the chaos and disorder
within it.
Let
me say for a moment, to the people who are angry at the state of the country,
who feel left behind and disrespected by the media, government officials,
academics, and other elites, your feelings are valid.
Your
desire to be treated with respect and dignity, to have your concerns taken
seriously, and to have a government that makes policy to help you and your
family live safe, happy, and productive lives is valid.
However, even if Trump gives a voice to your anger, he doesn’t appear to do much more than that in terms of solving your problems, or America’s problems.
Trump
appears to run his administration like he ran his businesses — and in this
case, that’s not a good thing. When people advocate running government like a
business, I understand them to mean that the government should be more
efficient. However, there are some key differences between government and
business — and even more between government and Trump’s businesses.
A
business is accountable to its shareholders. The government is supposed to be
accountable to the American people. A business’s obligation to shareholders is
mostly financial. The government’s obligation to the American people is far
more.
A
leader in government should be a public servant, called to serve the people and
improve the nation. A business leader can just be someone who wants to get rich
for himself.
I
don’t want a leader who runs the country like a business. I want them to run
the country like a country.
Trump’s
business is even more different. He was born into wealth, connections, and
property, so he didn’t have to earn his way to the top with experience,
education, and skill the way other CEOs do. When Trump made bad financial decisions
and found himself in a scrape, his father bailed him out.
What’s
more, Trump and his father used corrupt practices and racial discrimination to build their real
estate empire.
Trump
appears to use his business and the presidency to bring wealth, glamour, and
attention to himself. If he’s doing so without producing evidence of the
specific crime of collusion with a foreign power, that doesn’t mean he’s doing
a good job for the rest of us.
OtherWords columnist Jill
Richardson is pursuing a PhD in sociology at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in San Diego. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
