To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race | Editorial

Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is
misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.
President Donald Trump at the first presidential debate Thursday. Trump�s
performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and
unfit for office.

by The Editorial Board
Published June 29, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET

President Joe Biden�s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed
responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the
presidential race.

But lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump�s usual bombastic litany of
lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance
demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for
office.

In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who
should withdraw from the race is Trump.

� READ MORE: The Trump Threat: Donald Trump is a danger to our democracy |
Editorial Series

Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos,
corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that?

To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is no
shining city on the hill. It�s just mourning in America.

Throughout the debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a �failing� country. He
called the United States a �third world nation.� He said, �we�re living in
hell� and �very close to World War III.�

�People are dying all over the place,� Trump said, later adding �we�re
literally an uncivilized country now.�
To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down, The Editorial
Board writes. There is no shining city on the hill. It�s just mourning in
America.
Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Trump told more than 30 lies during the debate to go with the more than
30,000 mistruths told during his four years as president. He dodged the CNN
moderators� questions, took no responsibility for his actions, and blamed
others, mainly Biden, for everything that is wrong in the world.

Trump�s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection he fueled was farcical.
He said a �relatively small number of people� went to the Capitol and many
were �ushered in by the police.�
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After scheming to overturn the 2020 election, Trump refused to say if he
would accept the results of the 2024 election. Unless, of course, he wins.

The debate served as a reminder of what another four years of Trump would
look like. More lies, grievance, narcissism, and hate. Supporters say they
like Trump because he says whatever he thinks. But he mainly spews raw
sewage.

Trump attacks the military. He denigrates the Justice Department and
judges. He belittles the FBI and the CIA. He picks fights with allies and
cozies up to dictators.

Trump is an unserious carnival barker running for the most serious job in
the world. During his last term, Trump served himself and not the American
people.
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Trump spent chunks of time watching TV, tweeting, and hanging out at his
country clubs. Over his four-year term, Trump played roughly 261 rounds of
golf.
The Editorial Board writes that the debate served as a reminder of what
another four years of Trump would look like: More lies, grievance,
narcissism and hate.

As president, Trump didn�t read the daily intelligence briefs. He continued
to use his personal cell phone, allowing Chinese spies to listen to his
calls. During one Oval Office meeting, Trump shared highly classified
intelligence with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.

Trump�s term did plenty of damage and had few accomplishments. The much-
hyped wall didn�t get built. Infrastructure week was a recurring joke.
Giant tax cuts made the rich richer, while fueling massive deficits for
others to pay for years. His support for coal, oil drilling, and withdrawal
from the Paris Agreement worsened the growing impact of climate change.
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Trump stacked the judiciary with extreme judges consisting mainly of white
males, including a number who the American Bar Association rated as not
qualified. A record number of cabinet officials were fired or left the
office. The West Wing was in constant chaos and infighting.

Many Trump appointees exited under a cloud of corruption, grifting, and
ethical scandals. Trump�s children made millions off the White House. His
dilettante son-in-law got $2 billion from the Saudi government for his
fledgling investment firm even though he never managed money before.

Trump�s mismanagement of the pandemic resulted in tens of thousands of
needless deaths. He boasts about stacking the Supreme Court with extreme
right-wingers who are stripping away individual rights, upending legal
precedents, and making the country less safe. If elected, Trump may add to
the court�s conservative majority.

Of course, there were the unprecedented two impeachments. Now, Trump is a
convicted felon who is staring at three more criminal indictments. He is
running for president to stay out of prison.
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If anything, Trump doesn�t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage.
Why even give him a platform?

Trump allegedly stole classified information and tried to overturn an
election. His plans for a second term are worse than the last one. We
cannot be serious about letting such a crooked clown back in the White
House.

If anything, Trump doesn�t deserve to be on the presidential debate
stage. Why even give him a platform?

Yes, Biden had a horrible night. He�s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be.
But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his
best.

Biden must show that he is up to the job. This much is clear: He has a
substantive record of real accomplishments, fighting the pandemic,
combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, and supporting
working families and the most vulnerable.

Biden has surrounded himself with experienced people who take public
service seriously. He has passed major bipartisan legislation despite a
dysfunctional Republican House majority.

Biden believes in the best of America. He has rebuilt relationships with
allies around the world and stood up to foes like Russia and China.

There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running
for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country
will be.

The Inquirer Editorial Board

This opinion was written by a group of journalists who work separately from
the newsroom to debate matters of public interest.

With an eye roll for the ages, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
appeared annoyed Thursday morning as she and other world leaders waited for
President Biden and the alliance’s Secretary Gen. Jens Stoltenberg to
finally grace their presence and open the third day of the NATO Summit.

Speaking with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Meloni looked up at the
ceiling and crossed her eyes dramatically before gesturing to her wrist to
reveal she was not wearing a watch, as the clock ticked past the scheduled
10 a.m. start time.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/video-grabs-italy-
prime-minister-85289363.jpg?resize=768,421&quality=75&strip=all

A third person listening to the conversation then pulled out his phone to
check the time, and she again rolled her eyes and scowled before apparently
noticing the cameras focused on her.

It’s unclear what the leaders were discussing, but the bold reaction caught
the eyes of some onlookers, including a Financial Times reporter who said
Meloni displayed “top eye-rolling form” in a post to X.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/video-grabs-italy-
prime-minister-85289476.jpg?resize=768,423&quality=75&strip=all

Biden and Stoltenberg finally opened the day at about 10:40 a.m. — after
Biden left the White House for the summit nearly 20 minutes after the event
had been scheduled to begin.

The White House also pushed back Biden’s highly anticipated “big boy” solo
press conference to 6:30 p.m.

It’s not the first time the 81-year-old president has kept Meloni waiting
this summer.

He was the last of the leaders to arrive at last month’s G7 meeting in
Italy’s Puglia region, awkwardly saluting her when she received him onstage
before the event began.

“You shouldn’t leave a woman waiting like this,” Meloni reportedly chided
Biden in an apparent attempt at humor.

Later during the G7, Meloni had to lead Biden back over to a skydiving
demonstration when he started to wander off, missing the action as he turned
around and shuffled away from his fellow heads of state to say something to
an officer packing a parachute.

https://nypost.com/2024/07/11/us-news/italian-pm-meloni-rolls-eyes-as-
biden-is-late-to-nato-summit/

On Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:07:50 -0000 (UTC), Aludyen <X@Y.com> wrote:

>To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race | Editorial
>
>Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is
>misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.
>President Donald Trump at the first presidential debate Thursday. Trump’s
>performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and
>unfit for office.

Now that he's negotiating directly with Putin an Xi through Orban, he should be arrested
and tried for bypassing federal prerogatives.

Swill