Trump's utter lack of dignity

A soldier from the 3rd Infantry Regiment guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

I thought about the Old Guard this weekend when I watched a video of Donald Trump at a freak show memorial service for a MAGA “wackpacker” extraordinaire.

The Old Guard is the 3rd Infantry Division of the United States Army. They are the custodians of Arlington National Cemetery, which is the nation’s most “hallowed ground.” At the center of the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. The tomb is never unguarded. Never. The soldiers maintain their watch through hurricanes and blizzards in an elaborate ceremony of great dignity. Before it begins, the commanding sergeant addresses the onlookers and demands silence and respect during the ceremony. The perfectly uniformed soldiers have not left their post since 1937.

The American president should have dignity. The person who holds the office should have stature that is constructed from an array of worthy qualities that include honor, probity, rectitude, courage and respect. The president is the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world, and should have humility and patience. The president is the head of state of the United States. They are the representatives of a free people who have chosen the president in a free election and bestowed immense power upon them to preserve the liberty won in the American Revolution. The presidency is the only office in America that has an oath prescribed in the US Constitution which reads in part, “I do solemnly swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

On Saturday, Donald Trump spoke at a memorial service in North Carolina for Diamond of the Diamond and Silk sister duo, conservative political commentators who have long supported him. It must have been quite a shock to Silk when Trump said the following:

Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 @RonFilipkowski

After Silk goes on and on about how much she loves Trump and all the great times they had together, Trump gets up and says this: “I knew Diamond, but I didn’t know Silk at all. I just learned about Silk. You’re fantastic.”