Trump - A Man of Compassion?

Ariana Hoblin telling her story to the President in the Oval Office (JNS)

I know this will upset my friends on the Left. They might even ridicule the notion. But I am beginning to see President Trump as more than just a caricature of narcissism and boorishness. I still believe that the President is well out of his league when it comes to Presidential demeanor. And believe his habit of lashing out at his political enemies – or anyone that criticizes him (especially the media) is mean spirited.  But I also believe that this is not the sum and substance of the man.

I do think he cares about people in need. He has actually shown great compassion well before he was elected President. As was the case when he flew a sick Jewish child on his private plane cross country (I believe it was from LA to New York) for a badly needed surgery that could only be performed there. He did that without any fanfare or publicity. And never talks about it.

Unfortunately his out sized ego and the abrasive way he expresses himself is not exactly endearing. His sense of ethics is at best complicated and - at least on the surface - it seems he doesn’t have any sense of ethics at all. That – plus his ambition and drive have surely led him to be impeached by the House.

It is therefore not too difficult to understand why my friends on the Left hate him so much. And they are  in good company. Judging by the 2016 election – most voters agree and voted for his opponent. Including me. It is equally understandable why they so strongly support his impeachment and hope for his removal from office by the Senate. (Although that is not going to happen, Trial begins Tuesday.)

Although I tend to agree with the Left about his behavior. I do not see him only as narcissistic. I see a degree of compassion in him that those on the left do not. 

The President is so abrasive to his political enemies and the media, that they are blind to any possible positive traits. And judge whatever he does unfavorably. More often than not what Trump supporters see as a positive act or policy is seen by the left as negative. Objectivity is always lost when hate takes over. Especially when that hate is as extreme and palpable is the case with the Left about the President.

Just to illustrate, the impeachment is seen by Democrats based on solid evidence that he subverted the constitution in ways heretofore unparalleled.  They are in a virtual state of disbelief that there are practically no Republicans that see it that way.

Republicans on the other hand do not see the 2 articles of impeachment drafted by the House to be worthy of Trump’s removal from office. Even if everything witnesses have testified to is true. They see this as a political move to overturn Trump’s election - disguised as protecting the constitution.

I think the country is equally divided along these same lines.  If you like what he’s done for the country, you want to see him continue in office. And you don’t care about that phone call to the Ukraine, no matter what his intent was. If you think he’s hurt the country,  that phone call was the epitome of a high crime and misdemeanor making the President more deserving of impeachment than at any other time by any other President in American history. You want to see him out of office so that honor and dignity can be restored to the Oval Office as well as a return of the respect from our allies they believe has been destroyed by its current occupant.

Back to compassion. During an Oval Office ceremony where the President ‘signed an executive order to better protect prayer in public schools and federal funds for religious organizations’ he heard from Ariana Hoblin ,a Jewish teenage girl who reported how she was bullied by her classmates for simply being Jewish and asserting her constitutional religious rights. That bill was designed to protect people like her.

Sure... he had her there to make himself look good. But I don’t think that is was only about that. Nor do I think the people standing there with her thought that either.  I think he actually has compassion for vulnerable people that are bullied. The Left will scoff at that considering his own tenancy towards ridiculing others. He has done so countless times - harshly ridiculing his political opponents and various members of the media.

But there is a major difference between a vulnerable teenager like Ariana on the one hand - and hardened politicians and media people on the other.

Trump does not know how to overlook criticism. When he gets harsh criticism he returns it even more harshly. They should expect it. Unpresidential? Absolutely. But that is who the man is. He is not going to change. Gone are the days where they can say nasty things about a President while he overlooks them.  

So while it’s true that the President’s behavior lacks dignity (to say the least) and thereby has embarrassed his high office more times than I can count - I believe underneath it all is a human being that is a lot more compassionate than he is given credit for.

One may ask, what about the way he has treated illegal aliens? I must admit that seems to contradict any sense of compassion. Especially considering the ill conceived policy of separating children from their parents.  As disgusting as that was, his intent was to deter aliens from crossing the border illegally. I suppose he hoped that would stop them. It didn’t. It was a bad policy that was quickly abandoned.

Trump is a complicated man. Who occasionally makes bad policy decisions even to those of us that support most of  them. But I do not believe he is devoid of any compassion at all. Deep down I think he actually cares.