Character Still Matters in our National Leaders.

I have not been affiliated with a political party for over twenty years. Officially I am known as a No Party Preference voter in the state where I live. I am dissatisfied with both major political parties and feel that they play a role in Congressional disfunction, and in the political polarization across the country. I have voted for Democratic, Republican, Independent, and write-in candidates. I don’t vote for a candidate based on party affiliation. I vote for a candidate’s strength of character and temperament, followed by the policies they champion.
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The character of the individual candidate says a lot about the type of leader they will be. If a candidate lacks a minimum level of standards and moral integrity, I deem them unfit for office and won’t even consider them when casting my vote. To me character trumps (no pun intended) all other things that a candidate brings to the table, including political affiliation, policy positions, and promised giveaways to voters.

​Integrity: This is perhaps the most important aspect of a candidate’s character. Integrity implies a high level of honesty, morality and trustworthiness. In the context of a candidate for the presidency it also implies that they will respect the rule of law and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. 

​President Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk which read “The Buck Stops Here!” This was a demonstration that he was personally responsible for his actions and those of his administration. Taking personal responsibility for your actions is another attribute which shows character in a leader. This point brings me to Donald Trump. His moral lapses are well documented, his shady business dealings are legendary, and his legal entanglements could fill a law library. But rather than owning up to his many shortcomings he has perfected the art of denial, deflected his failings onto others, and has draped himself in the cloak of victimhood. 

In case you don’t follow Trump’s exploits as closely as I do, here are just of few of the legal entanglements he has faced in recent years which are reflective of his character:

• E. Jean Carroll Civil Lawsuits: On May 9, 2023, a New York jury ruled that Trump was liable for sexual assault and defamation of E. Jean Carroll. Carroll had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the 1990’s. When she went public with the information Trump accused Carroll of lying, leading to her lawsuit. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages. 
• After the first lawsuit, Trump continued to disparage Carroll, calling her story fake and totally made up. This resulted in a second defamation lawsuit against Trump which concluded in January of this year. Trump was again found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay an additional $84 million in damages. Trump is appealing both verdicts.
• Classified Documents Retention Case: On June 8, 2023, federal prosecutors filed multiple criminal counts against Trump for the willful retention of national-security information, obstruction of justice, withholding of documents, and making false statements. A Florida judge dismissed the case in July of this year, but the special prosecutor in charge of the case has appealed that ruling. The case is now pending review by the Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.
• Federal Election Interference Case: On August 1, 2023, federal prosecutors filed a four-count indictment against Trump in connection with his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to block the certification of the election on January 6, 2021. The case was paused after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. This week federal prosecutors refiled the charges against Trump taking into account presidential immunity. It will be up to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan whether the case moves forward, which I'm confident that it will.
• Georgia Election Interference Case: On August 14, 2023, Trump and eighteen other defendants were indicted for taking part in a criminal conspiracy to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia. This case is on hold pending an appeals court hearing scheduled for December 5, 2024.
• Civil Fraud Case: On February 16, 2024, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties after being found guilty of business fraud. The fraud resulted from a scheme to dupe banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements to lower his tax bill or to improve the terms of business loans. This case is currently under appeal.
• Hush Money Case: On May 30, 2024, a New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to cover up hush money payments to women who claimed to have had sexual relationships with him. This makes Trump the first former president to be convicted of a felony crime. Sentencing is scheduled for after the election on November 26, 2024. Trump will appeal the verdict.  

True to his character, Donald Trump has not taken any personal responsibility for any of his actions relating to the aforementioned criminal cases. Trump simply claims that he is the victim of election interference and political persecution. The prosecutors and judges in each one of these cases are “corrupt” according to Trump, and political lackeys of Joe Biden. 

​Character as a Guidepost to Leadership: This November we will not be electing a candidate for sainthood; we will be electing a president. No candidate for higher office is perfect, they are human after all. It is incumbent upon us to elect a candidate who has the character to rise above their inherent flaws and self-interest to do what’s right for the American people.  

Donald Trump’s leadership capabilities during his presidency and in the aftermath of his loss to Joe Biden were shaped by his character. Here are some of the things about Donald Trump that I have learned over the past nine years:

• He values loyalty over substance in his subordinates.
• He mocks and denigrates anyone who disagrees with him.
• He uses lies to shield against the culpability of his misbehavior and wrongdoing.
• He has allowed self-interest to get in the way of doing what’s best for the American people. This was made evident when he initially downplayed the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and then politicized his administration’s response to the national health emergency.
• His lack of humility and self-awareness led him to second guess the public health experts and insert himself into medical decisions during the pandemic.
• For political reasons and pure self-interest, he engaged in an orchestrated campaign to cast doubt on the integrity of the U.S. election system. As a result, a significant portion of the American people now question whether it is possible to have a free and fair election in this country.
• His ego prevented him from accepting the results of the 2020 presidential election even after his own attorney general and sixty courts of law could find no evidence of election fraud.
• His lies about the “stolen election” compelled thousands of his supporters to go to Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, to protest the certification of the election. At his urging Trump's supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol and a violent riot ensued.  
• He lacked the common decency and respect for presidential norms to attend the inauguration of Joe Biden.
• As demonstrated by his federal indictments in the Documents Case, he cannot be trusted with Top Secret documents.
• His vindictiveness has been on full display this campaign season, telling his supporters that he will seek retribution against those who have wronged him and them. 

There are several of my friends who readily acknowledge that Trump has flaws and cringe at some of his pronouncements, but are voting for him anyway. They agree with many of his policies and claim that they are voting for the Republican platform and not necessarily for Trump. But what they fail to realize is that Donald Trump has taken complete control of the Republican Party, and he is the platform.

The world is a complicated and dangerous place, and the U.S. President commands an influential and very powerful position. The presidency is perhaps the most difficult leadership position of all, requiring physical and mental stamina, courage, resilience, intelligence, competency and the highest level of integrity.
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Unchecked power in the hands of an unethical and morally corrupt person, backed up by the enormous resources of the federal government and military establishment, could lead to injustice, cruelty, and much, much worse. After the Supreme Court’s inexplicable decision this summer to strip away the Constituent’s checks on presidential power, it is more important than ever to elect a president of the highest moral character. Donald Trump is not that person.

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Thanks,
Armchair American