Loose Lips
During World War II, the slogan “Loose Lips Sink Ships” was used widely (in posters and in print) by our government to discourage American citizens from discussing anything that might provide military or industrial intelligence to German or Japanese spies. The implication was, of course, that there might be enemies all around.
Fast forward to now and that slogan might be revived as a warning to our president. It certainly does appear that Mr. Trump has enemies all around, and instead of sinking ships, he should take care that his own “loose lips” won’t sink his Presidency instead.
Trump supporters have long since made their peace with his missives on Twitter, in interviews and in his speeches. Supporters give him a “pass” on his “problematic” remarks simply because they know that the policies he’s pursing are the correct ones for our nation. But, I think it’s fair to say, the vast majority of his supporters (including myself and literally EVERYONE that I’ve talked to) wish he would stop. In fact, we PRAY that he would stop. I don’t know ANYONE that thinks his poorly considered pronouncements help his cause. In fact, increasingly, his remarks seem to be jeopardizing his entire agenda.
His own tweets, for example, have provided serious support to the obstruction of justice charges the Muller investigation may soon bring forth. Firing James Comey was NOT illegal. The head of the FBI serves “at the pleasure” of the president. To explain the firing of James Comey to the public, all Mr. Trump needed to do was refer to the letter by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recommending the dismissal. He did not do that, and, instead, indicated that he fired Comey of his own accord. Unfortunately, although it was perfectly legal to fire Comey, there are some that might consider it illegal to fire Comey if it was done IN ORDER TO OBSTRUCT JUSTICE. So, even though the firing was not illegal, an attempt to obstruct justice could be considered illegal. Trump’s ill considered remark, unfortunately, gives ammunition to the obstruction of justice narrative. This simply didn’t have to happen.
Likewise, in various, and often contradictory pronouncements on the Stormy Daniels nondisclosure agreement, he gives ammunition to those seeking “legalese” accusations of campaign funding violations, which might become a serious issue for him courtesy of the Attorney General of the State of New York. This too did not have to happen.
Aside from legal jeopardy, Trump’s tweets do something else: they call into question his credibility. When he describes former Secretary of State and former CEO of Exxon Mobil, Rex Tillerson, as “dumb as a rock and lazy”, NO ONE (even supporters) will believe him. No one doubts that to have become the head of one of the largest corporations on earth, you can be neither “dumb” nor “lazy”, so when the President claims that those statements are true, he will be considered to be either ignorant, a liar, or crazy. None of which, of course, will improve his credibility.
And not only do his tweets strain his credibility, they also give the impression that he’s mean spirited as well. Calling Stormy Daniels “horse face” was, in my opinion, particularly unfortunate. One can certainly understand Mr. Trump’s frustration with Ms. Daniels. She broke a non disclosure contract for which he had paid a large sum of money thereby causing him considerable embarrassment, and, perfhaps, legal jeapordy as well. One can also understand his dislike of the woman. She would certainly seem to be an opportunist bereft of what most people would call “morals”. Never-the-less, she is quite pretty and not a “horse face” by any stretch of the imagination. To claim that she is, once again, not only strains his credibility, but also casts him as quite a “meany”. Not the impression he should be putting forth, to say the least.
So, perhaps Jared, the Trump boys, or even Ivanka, might tack up a vintage poster on the Oval Office Door, hoping against hope that he might take the hint.
