Photo by AP Photo/LM Otero
This evening, all former presidents who are still living gathered to support hurricane relief efforts at a concert in Texas. Four of the five men- Obama, George W. Bush, Carter and Clinton- also delivered short statements about the necessity of unity in the country during times of hardship. President Trump did not make an appearance at the event, but made a video where he shared his sympathies regarding the natural disasters.Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Clinton have been known to attend and aid charity events in the past to help raise funds for natural disasters. Trump, however, has a track record of criticizing Puerto Rican leadership when they were struggling to ensure citizen safety and health following the catastrophe. When the hurricanes were at their peak destruction, many complained about the president speaking out against Puerto Rico and tweeting from the comfort of the golf course, rather than taking action to provide help. Trump's lack of empathy towards those in need and the idea that former presidents step in more than him, can be interpreted as careless. It is quite possible that Trump could not attend the concert this evening due to his duties, however, it is also not unreasonable to conclude, based upon his actions in the past few months, that he was not there for self-involved reasons.
Regardless of whether you support Trump or not, do you find his leadership skills to be adequate or could they be improved? If so, how?
Attached are some Gallup polls reflecting nationwide opinion on Trump's leadership in 2016 and 2017. In the second poll, there is a clear divide between Republicans and Democrats regarding whether or not people believe that he "cares about individuals." Only 2% of Democrats participating in the poll rate this ability as a 4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale, compared to 64% of Republicans. This data emphasizes the drastic polarization in today's politics, as mentioned by the author of The Atlantic reading.
3 comments:
I think that for this particular occasion, President Trump not being physically present at the concert does not necessarily show that he is a bad leader. As I read the attached article a bit more, it seems that it is a 'precedent for former presidents [to join forces] for post-disaster fundraising." Since President Trump is obviously not a former president, it seems reasonable that he didn't attend, and furthermore, him filming a video for it was a very good gesture, in my opinion. However, I also believe that a leader is a "doer" and not simply a "talker." Therefore, I do agree that if he believed the Puerto Rican leadership was bad, he should have tried to help them out in some way rather than simply criticize them.
I'm not certain about the reason President Trump was not physically present at this concert, as I don't think this event was specifically meant for only former presidents, but other articles about this event are unclear regarding if Trump was invited in the first place. I think Trump's video contribution is good, but certainly not as impactful as actually attending a charity event like this concert. Regardless, I think Trump's criticism of Puerto Rican leaders is a poor reaction to their situation. As a leader, he should at least show sympathy to other countries/territories in the face of natural disasters.
While his video for the concert is a good show for the public, obviously attending the event personally would have been better. President Trump could have also disregarded the concert since his policies are putting America first over other nations, as opposed to President Obama's focus on helping other nations. I don't believe Trump's failure to attend the concert should be looked down upon too much though, as there could be a number of unmentioned reasons that he was unable to be present. Furthermore, the article states that it is often the former presidents who take part in these relief efforts. However, as the polls show, the average citizen does not believe in Trump's consideration for the individual. Trump's criticism of Puerto Rico in a time of catastrophe could be one of many factors that contribute to his low overall support in the polls. The President will have to work harder and make wiser decisions to regain the support of the people in the upcoming midterm elections.
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