Trump Offends Soldier's Widow

Last week's news cycle brought to light the latest gaffs by Trump. I think this episode served to emphasize two things that many of us have come to realize about this TV personality turned politician.

Before I elaborate on those two things, I want to defend Trump on one issue: I don't think he intended to offend in his condolence phone call to a soldier's widow. But that actually makes his tactless buffoonery even more troubling.

This episode indirectly highlighted the fact that Trump continues to display no intimate knowledge of the difference between truths and falsehoods. Nothing he says can be taken as true without complete fact checking. Regarding his statements about presidents calling soldiers' widows, he fumbled the ball once again by making false claims about past presidents not making condolence phone calls.

This willingness to make statements without knowledge or understanding of the pertinent actual facts should not be surprising. Trump has long demonstrated a willingness to make untrue statements absent factual underpinnings. One doesn't have to do extensive research to understand this. Simply going back to Trump's birther allegations about President Obama are sufficient to put an exclamation point on the assertion that Trump is comfortable, even relishes, making uninformed, false statements.

If one followed the presidential campaign leading up to the 2016 election, it was also apparent that Trump is more than a profound ignoramus; he is an inveterate liar. So both the American public and the rest of the world including world leaders, who must interact and negotiate with Trump, know about his pathology regarding the truth, and must deal with him accordingly. I don't know how you feel about this, but personally, I find that extremely worrisome.

Regarding Trump's actual offending statement in his condolence call, there have been reports that prior to the call Trump consulted with Mr. Kelly as to what Trump might say. Apparently Kelly, in his discussion with Trump, used words like soldiers know what they are signing up for. A reasonable person will understand the meaning of those words, but a person with even an average amount of empathy for others will also know that these are not even close to what will bring comfort to a grieving wife.

In fact, just by Trump's need to consult with another person on what to say in a condolence call to a
grieving widow suggests that his self-absorption pathology is so deep, that he cannot understand the obvious things that must be said. Further, he has no rational filter. He blurts out whatever comes to mind without the ability to weigh the impact on the listener. This is bad enough when making a condolence call, but think about the potential consequences when interacting with world leaders on more volatile matters such as a potential nuclear showdown with an irrational despot.

Anyone with any sense of empathy would know that what Trump should have said would include the following:

• We are saddened by the loss of your husband
• We are deeply aware of you sorrow and loss
• We humbly and respectfully thank your family for the service and sacrifice for the country
• And so on...

Most would also know that is would not be helpful, appropriate, or comforting to say that the deceased knew what he was signing up for!!!!!!

This episode is just one more stone on the mountain of evidence that indicates how unfit Trump is to hold the high political office to which he was elected by an unfortunate confluence of several circumstances.