Impulse Control

Tapper: The President of the United States Has “Impulse Control Issues”

KEVIN DRUM

CNN’s Jake Tapper today on the reaction in Parliament to President Trump’s retweet of a racist British hate group:

This concern about the president’s behavior consumed a great deal of time in Parliament today in London, where leaders are expressing concerns about the behavior and judgment about the president of the United States. But President Trump, as always, loathe to admit a mistake. He tweeted to Prime Minister May — quote — “Don’t focus on me. Focus on the destructive radical Islamic terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine.”

We are doing just fine. That is, of course, unless you’re in a U.S. Embassy bracing for violence because of the president’s impulse control issues, I suppose, or if you’re the parent of a Muslim American child and you’re worried that the president’s retweets of that bigotry might have some horrific action and response on your kid. Or if you’re an American just worried about fundamental basic loss of decency by the president of the United States. Except for that, we’re just fine except, absolutely.

This is the 21st century. A man with “impulse control issues”—I guess we’re still being polite about it—can’t be trusted in the White House. I wouldn’t love the policies of President Pence any more than the policies of President Trump, but at least I wouldn’t be worried having an unrepentant racist in the Oval Office. Or worried about the president starting a war by accident. Or worried about our allies basically abandoning us because they don’t feel like they can depend on the United States any longer.

One of these days Republicans need pull their heads out of their desks and think about this. They can still have their tax cut. It will just get signed by a different guy.