An Open Letter To President Trump

Dear President Trump,

I’m under no misimpression that you give a damn what I think. Obviously, you feel you’ve been well served by listening not to your critics but to your sycophants; you clearly believe that being reinforced in your behavior by those around you makes you a stronger leader, rather than a weaker one.

I get it, too. I understand that you’re under fire nearly all the time, and that it’s dangerous to take every critique seriously.

But you’re running out of chances to get this right.

If you won’t take it from me, take it from Ann Coulter. If you won’t take it from Ann Coulter, take it from Michael Savage. If you won’t take it from Michael Savage, take it from the Senators and Congressmen who are now stampeding away from you.

You came into office with a Republican House and a Republican Senate and a massive legacy of Obama failure. You came in promising to get things done quickly and efficiently, to win and never stop winning. And you had the opportunity to fulfill some of those promises. Instead, aside from the wonderful nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, nothing of note has gotten done.

And that’s because of you.

Yes, dealing with Congress is like trying to herd cats. But you can’t herd cats if you’re too busy shooting yourself in the foot. Yes, dealing with media is like attempting to feed a pack of hyenas. But you can’t deal with them if you’re too busy providing them red meat to dissect.

Here’s the sad truth: your problems right now are of your own making. Democrats were always going to try to pillory you. But you had a defense: they had no evidence. And you could say that freely, because it was true! You could go along with their investigations, just keep saying that you wanted everything out in the open more than they did, and everything would have been hunky dory. If you’re innocent, sunlight would show it.

Instead, you decided that you were so irritated by the necessity of investigation or the possibility that aides had deceived you that you ignored input and then attacked the investigators. In doing so, you looked guilty, you bred accusations of obstruction, and you seemed petty and vindictive. Why is there a special counsel now looking at Trump-Russia issues? Because you hired a National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, that everybody knew had connections to foreign governments, despite all outside advice; you then fired him when those connections became apparent; you reportedly asked the FBI director to let Flynn off the hook; you asked your deputy attorney general to involve himself in creating a justification for firing your FBI director; you fired your FBI director and then admitted on national television that you fired him thanks to frustration over the investigation — necessitating that the deputy attorney general put forth a special counsel.

This isn’t on Democrats. This isn’t on the media. This is on you, because you decided that the political universe would bow to you, and when it refused, you crapped the bed.

Now, here’s the good news: you can fix this.

You can fix this by removing your ego from the equation. Your detractors will always believe that you’re guilty of something nefarious; your fans will always love you. But how you treat the special counsel will say something about how everyone else thinks. The appointment of Robert Mueller has removed Democratic ability to claim bias in the investigation; if you appoint a bipartisan FBI director, you’ll be able to remove their empty claims of quashing the investigation. Then, for the love of God, sit back. Sign off Twitter. Let people jabber and complain. Just keep saying over and over again that the investigation is moving forward with full speed, and you can’t wait to be exonerated.

And then work.

Pass your agenda. Bring the growth you promised. Sign executive orders.

Govern.

Or don’t. Keep feeding your ego. Keep complaining. Keep castigating the investigation as a witch hunt and playing the martyr. Keep insisting that your aides defend every indefensibly stupid thing you do — even when four simple words, “I made a mistake,” will buy you loyalty and instill the image of honesty. Keep saying there’s nothing to see, then reacting in the most suspicious possible way every time negative information leaks.

Right now, Mr. President, it’s you. You’re the problem. You can solve it. But only if you get over yourself.

For the sake of country, I pray you do.