Like many Americans, I thought the Donald Trump phenomenon would have faded by now. Now that it is very likely that Trump could be the Republican nominee in November, I feel obligated to share my concerns about Donald Trumps ability to be Commander In Chief.
Donald Trump, if elected, would be the 12th POTUS who did not have military service prior to being elected. While military service is not a prerequisite to be Commander In Chief, respect for the military, and those who served amongst its ranks should be. When Donald Trump called Senator, and war hero John McCain a loser for being captured as a POW, he lost any hope he had of getting my vote.
Words hurt, and words matter to most people, but they don't matter to Trump. Calling John McCain a loser for being shot down and captured is a place most decent people know not to go. I have never seen a presidential candidate rewarded for his insults, arrogance and lack of humility like I have witnessed for Trump over the past few months.
It is one thing to speak your mind; it is another to do so with reckless disregard for other people. Trump doesn't care what he says, or who what he says offends; if you think America is a polarized nation now, imagine what it would be like under a Trump presidency?
As Commander In Chief, you cannot litigate, attack or insult every person, group or country that doesn't agree with you, or see things the way you do. Trump is relentless when it comes to providing viscous and at times juvenile responses to critics of his ideas, policies, or character.
Trump is not intellectually or ideologically suited to lead the United States military. A responsible Commander In Chief does not tell the world he will authorize torture and target terrorist families; even if he is considering it, which is Trump's most fundamental flaw -- his mouth. Words do have consequences.
The next Commander In Chief will have extremely difficult foreign policy issues to address with when they take office next January: ISIL, an unstable Middle East, Russian aggression, and North Korea's obsession with acquiring nuclear weapons just to name a few. Dealing with the aforementioned matters will require a great amount of patience and skill from the next Commander in Chief.
Donald Trumps ascension to party frontrunner has the Republican Party in total disarray. We should have seen this coming. When a political party continually feeds red meat in the form of hate, and intolerance to angry mobs, chaos and infighting are unavoidable. Last week Mitt Romney was the latest prominent Republican to overtly attack Trump and his record; there will surely be others.
When Donald Trump was asked about comments made by former CIA/NSA Director Michael Hayden about changing torture laws, and the legality of targeting terrorist families. Trumps reply was "I'm a leader, I've always been a leader. I've never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, they're going to do it." Trump has since reversed some of his thinking on torture, but his initial response is what has so many military people and others concerned.
The next Commander in Chief will need to be knowledgeable, humble, diplomatic, patient, rational, compassionate, and willing to listen when determining if use of the United States military is required. I have not seen any of these qualities in Donald Trump. Being the leader of the free world, and Commander In Chief of the world's most powerful military is a huge responsibility, not a reality show!