Peter Wehner Calls Trump Presidency ‘A Declaration Of Disruption’
- 7 years ago
Peter Wehner, who worked as a deputy director of speechwriting for George W. Bush and an adviser for three Republican administrations, has called the Trump presidency ‘A Declaration of Disruption.’
Peter Wehner, who worked as a deputy director of speechwriting for George W. Bush and an adviser for three Republican administrations, has called the Trump presidency ‘A Declaration of Disruption.’
Wehner writes in a recent New York Times op-ed, “One of the essential, if often unstated, job requirements of an American president is to provide stability, order and predictability in a world that tends toward chaos, disarray and entropy. When our political leaders ignore this — and certainly when they delight in disruption — the consequences can be severe.”
He goes on to warn, “A presidency characterized by pandemonium,” can leave, “people unsettled and on edge. And this, in turn, leads to greater polarization, to feelings of alienation and anger, to unrest and even to violence...chaotic leadership can inflict real trauma on political and civic culture.”
Wehner calls President Trump, “arguably the most disruptive and transgressive president in American history,” and, “the closest thing to a nihilist in our history…a man who believes in little or nothing, who has the impulse to burn down rather than to build up.”
Wehner’s op-ed follows some especially tense months.
In early May, Trump abruptly fired FBI director James Comey, who was investigating Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. election, and soon after told NBC’s Lester Holt that when he did so, he was, at least in part, considering “this Russia thing.”
The president has also, in recent times, escalated his attacks on the media.
Among Trump’s adversarial actions was the tweeting of a wrestling video that shows him slamming his opponent, a man whose head has been replaced by a CNN logo, to the ground.
Trump has been sharply critical of the previous administration as well. In early March, he made an unsubstantiated claim on Twitter, writing, "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"
Peter Wehner, who worked as a deputy director of speechwriting for George W. Bush and an adviser for three Republican administrations, has called the Trump presidency ‘A Declaration of Disruption.’
Wehner writes in a recent New York Times op-ed, “One of the essential, if often unstated, job requirements of an American president is to provide stability, order and predictability in a world that tends toward chaos, disarray and entropy. When our political leaders ignore this — and certainly when they delight in disruption — the consequences can be severe.”
He goes on to warn, “A presidency characterized by pandemonium,” can leave, “people unsettled and on edge. And this, in turn, leads to greater polarization, to feelings of alienation and anger, to unrest and even to violence...chaotic leadership can inflict real trauma on political and civic culture.”
Wehner calls President Trump, “arguably the most disruptive and transgressive president in American history,” and, “the closest thing to a nihilist in our history…a man who believes in little or nothing, who has the impulse to burn down rather than to build up.”
Wehner’s op-ed follows some especially tense months.
In early May, Trump abruptly fired FBI director James Comey, who was investigating Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. election, and soon after told NBC’s Lester Holt that when he did so, he was, at least in part, considering “this Russia thing.”
The president has also, in recent times, escalated his attacks on the media.
Among Trump’s adversarial actions was the tweeting of a wrestling video that shows him slamming his opponent, a man whose head has been replaced by a CNN logo, to the ground.
Trump has been sharply critical of the previous administration as well. In early March, he made an unsubstantiated claim on Twitter, writing, "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"