By Jesse Goodwin, Staff Writer
Yesterday morning, President Donald Trump was arrested outside the White House on charges of disorderly conduct.
An enraged Trump was spotted yelling at White House officials, exclaiming that the “fake news media” was undermining his accomplishments as president and cursing “traitors” who voted against the GOP’s American Health Care Act.
When police arrived at the scene, they arrested Trump and drove him to an undisclosed location after he refused their commands to return to the White House. Because the officers who arrested Trump, whose names were not released, did not negotiate with his lawyers or White House officials prior to making the arrest, he is expected to be released soon. The officers have been suspended with pay by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer has yet to make an official statement, but sources close to the president allege that he became upset while watching cable news, as he often does at the beginning and end of each day. After CNN suggested his allegations that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones were false, he threw the Android phone he and his staff use to tweet against a wall and began shouting, sources claim. Tensions between the president and his staff escalated as he chased them outside the building.
This is the first time the president has been arrested while in office since Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th U.S. President, was cited for speeding on his horse in 1884.
Trump’s arrest further proves that he lacks the temperament to lead the U.S. His frequent Twitter outbursts and provocative rally speeches have led to controversy, but this is unprecedented (or shall we say, unpresidented).
Disorderly conduct is not an impeachable offense, but given that the president’s temperament is getting even worse, it is reasonable to suspect he may commit one.
As tensions continue to escalate between Trump, his staff, and lawmakers who voted against AHCA, a major conflict is erupting within the federal government, the likes of which the U.S. has never seen before.
Trump often affirms that he will put “America First,” but his behavior—not just in this absurd, obviously fictional instance, but in reality, as well—indicates that he is doing just the opposite.
Satire such as this was never—could never have been—written about previous presidents, none of whom were temperamental. By contrast, Trump is a thin-skinned bully who seeks validation from cable news—by which, as the likes of the Washington Post and New York Times have reported, many of his frequent Twitter rants are inspired—and complaining when it is denied.
“People in Trump world say basically a lot of Fox,” New York Magazine reporter Ben Sherman explained on the March 20 edition of Slate’s Trumpcast podcast. “But the other thing he does, from a source close to the White House told me that he does DVR basically all of the cable news.”
“It’s kind of remarkable when you think about it, that someone would actually want to watch cable news on recording,” Sherman said.
“Donald Trump, apparently he does. And when he goes back up to the residence at the end of the day, I’ve been told does spend a lot of time flipping through cable networks, including CNN, and catching up on the way that he’s been covered.”
“This is a man whose validation is cemented by how the media covers him. So he sort of obsessively monitors his media coverage.”
Is it really so difficult to imagine an enraged Trump, after lashing out at staff and reporters, being restrained by law enforcement, if not arrested? Institutions such as the police who ostensibly support him may turn against him as his conduct continues to worsen.
Furthermore, many Republican representatives voted against the disastrous AHCA, pulling the bill from the House.
A very real conflict is emerging within the Republican party, and Trump’s narcissistic personality could prove politically inconvenient.
Perhaps it is uncouth of me to ruin the April Fool’s joke—which I would say wasn’t very funny to begin with—but although Trump’s lack of temperament is amusing to some, its implications are frightening.
The American people must continue to hold Trump accountable not only for his actions as President, as I have previously argued in this column, but for his conduct as well.