The Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos for issues that included lying and misappropriation of campaign funds. Ironically, many Republicans give Donald Trump a pass on behavioral issues that are even more flagrant than those of Santos. Here are some of the glaring issues with Trump: Trump often makes factually unsupported statements like saying the 2020 election was stolen. Trump clings to this lie in the face of overwhelming proof to the contrary. Can we trust a man who lies to the point of delusion? Probably not.
If you were in a position to select a board member for your church or charity, would you consider a man who previously headed a charity that was found to have misappropriated funds so badly that the government shut it down?
Probably not.
On Jan. 20, 2017, Trump put his hand on a bible and solemnly swore to “faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will do the best of my ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”
Four years later, Trump pressured Vice President Mike Pence to not perform his constitutional duty to certify Biden’s election.
When Pence refused and chose to follow the Constitution, Trump directed his supporters to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell or you won’t have a county anymore.” Trump broke his sacred oath to the American people. Can this man be trusted? Probably not.
Trump is on record as having made insulting remarks about women, committed adultery with a porn star and has been found liable for sexual assault. Would you want to live next door to this man?
Probably not. Trump has been convicted of falsifying business records. He has been successfully sued for not paying workers and also for cheating students at Trump University. Would you want to do business with this man? Probably not.
There is no personal conduct policy for being President of the United States. Perhaps there should be, but for now, we can only rely on voters who are willing to first consider if a candidate’s character and behavior make him or her fit to be president. Historically, voters have rendered such assessments — one clear example is with Gary Hart and the Monkey Business debacle. Trump should be no exception.
— Duff Pfanner
Anchorage
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