Opinion: The little boy president
How does US President Trump describe himself? 00:41
Story highlights
- Michael D'Antonio: Trump's firing of Comey is just the latest impulsive and childlike move he has taken as President
- He seems incapable of behaving maturely, even if it's in the interests of the American people, writes D'Antonio
Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN)Like most little boys, Donald Trump can be disarmingly honest, as when he once said,
"When I look at myself in the first grade and I look at myself now, I'm
basically the same. The temperament is not that different." The trouble
is that the first grader is now President of the United States, and his
temperament is on display for the world to see.
Unpredictable,
impulsive and immature, Trump acts in a way that would be expected of a
6-year-old boy, but is terrifying in a man whose moods dictate
decisions carried out by adults on behalf of the most powerful nation in
the world.
Michael D'Antonio
Trump's
dismissal of FBI Director James Comey offers a sterling example of the
childish -- and reckless -- Trump style. When Comey broke with bureau tradition
and spoke negatively about Trump's rival in the election, though
initially he was criticized by candidate Trump, he was later praised --
and effusively. Over and over again, the soon-to-be-president described
how Comey had done the right thing in criticizing Hillary Clinton. Comey
remained in Trump's good graces after he was inaugurated, and Trump's
team expressed confidence in him up until last week.
As
CNN's John King and Jeff Zeleny reported, the change in Trump's
feelings about Comey were evident to a friend who spoke with him last
weekend and noticed the President was "white hot" over Comey's recent
testimony on Capitol Hill. Comey had said he felt "mildly nauseous"
about the possibility of having affected the November election. This,
and continued investigations into possible connections between Trump's
associates and Russians who meddled in the election, were causing a
presidential temper tantrum.
Like
many a 6-year-old, the stewing President chose to act on his feelings.
Within days he had signed a letter dismissing the director. But instead
of doing the adult thing and firing Comey face-to-face, Trump sent his former personal bodyguard Keith Schiller to deliver it to Comey's office -- while Comey was away in Los Angeles.
Schiller's last star turn involved bullying
newsman Jorge Ramos out of a Trump rally. Long a human security blanket
for Trump, Schiller now hangs out at the White House. His appearance at
FBI headquarters signaled that the buddies -- Trump and Schiller --
were in charge of this power play.
Like a boy who plays with matches and sets the back yard on fire, Trump has been surprised
by the effects of his actions. He expected Democrats who resented
Comey's election season performance to applaud the firing. Of course,
this thinking ignores the fact that Comey was in charge of investigating
Russia's influence on the election and very real concerns about
providing stable leadership to the American people. The FBI is so vital
an agency that directors receive 10-year appointments precisely because
they shouldn't be fired on the basis of presidential pique.
In
the aftermath of the President's incendiary act, we have seen the
adults around him scramble to put out the fire. White House spokesman
Sean Spicer reportedly met
with his staff near bushes on the White House grounds while nearby
reporters sought comment, and Kellyanne Conway was dispatched to offer
on-air gobbledygook to CNN's Anderson Cooper. At one point, she
complained to Cooper that people "are looking at the wrong set of
facts."
Comey's out: What's next? 01:30
The
struggle of the administration officials tasked with cleaning up the
Trump/Comey debacle resembled the frenzied effort of parents who do
whatever they can to shield fellow diners when a child has a meltdown in
a restaurant. They know they have lost control of the situation, but
there's not much you can do once the meatball has sailed across the room
and the spaghetti has been dumped on the floor.
White House officials have tried to cover the mess with shifting explanations.
First it was a sudden loss of confidence. Next it was a long-simmering
dissatisfaction. And, most recently, Trump told NBC's Lester Holt it was
because Comey was a "showboat." But the equation doesn't add up.
Fortunately, the President himself, true to first grader form, can't help but give us clues to his process.
In
his first tweet about the controversy, he taunted "Cryin' Chuck
Schumer" and complained that the New York senator had gone from Comey
critic to defender. Hours later he was at it again, tweeting that
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal "cried like a baby" during a
previous and unrelated controversy. In the tweet, which was written as
Blumenthal spoke on CNN, he called the senator "Richie" and said, "He
should be the one who is investigated." Next he's going to say, "I'm
rubber, you're glue..."
Watching
Trump this week recalls the days when he was a tabloid sideshow in New
York City, and his antics energized headline writers who couldn't get
enough of his boy-in-daddy's suit behavior. In the most notable example,
Trump became a source in the war of scoops over his divorce from his
first wife Ivana.
But
now the man is President, and he seems incapable of controlling his
temper even if, in the long run, maturity would serve the country's
interests. If you want proof, just consider the report from
Time magazine on Trump's odd White House habits, including the fact
that he got extra dessert when he dined with the magazine's writer. A
grown-up, upon getting two scoops of ice cream when others at the table
only received one, would quickly fill his companions' dishes. A child,
who sees every moment as an opportunity to demonstrate he is the special
boy, would, as Trump did, just wolf it down.
The
solution to the problem posed by the fact that we have a first grader
in the Oval Office lies in whatever systems exist to take decisions out
of his hands. The courts have already acted to thwart him on his
proposed ban on Muslim visitors to the United States, and Congress
possesses the power to moderate other initiatives. Next must come
special counsel to run the Russia investigation, who could be appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Rosenstein
was the author of a critical memo that the White House is citing to
justify Comey's dismissal. By all accounts, he is an adult who
understands the need for a credible investigation of Russia's meddling
in the 2016 election. He should act before he's hit by a meatball.
Note: An earlier version
of this article cited news reports that Sean Spicer hid in the bushes to
avoid reporters' questions. It has been updated in light of a
correction in the Washington Post, which said, "Spicer huddled with his
staff among bushes near television sets on the White House grounds, not
'in the bushes.'"
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