The recent presidential election has left the country in a strange state of shock and fear. Donald Trump and Mike Pence will shortly be taking control of the country, yet their political agendas are so disturbing, especially for many specific areas that have enjoyed a great deal of progress in the recent years, that many have already started protesting the president-elect and his staff. Mike Pence recently experienced this firsthand when he attended a Broadway play called “Hamilton”. After the evening’s performance, the cast politely stopped the audience’s applause in order to give a powerful and respectful message to the new vice president.
The message centered on the idea that Pence, who is a known religious extremist and advocate against LGBT rights, should work to ensure the American people will be protected. The cast reiterated that their messages means ‘everyone’, including those with whom Pence inherently disagrees. In response to the message, president-elect Trump reacted in what can only be called a childish and irresponsible way.
After hearing of the incident, Trump took to Twitter in order to express his anger with the cast of “Hamilton”. He complained about how Pence was treated at the theater, citing it as a ‘safe space’, despite Republican opposition to such spaces, and he issued several cheap insults toward the cast.
Dan Rather, the legendary news reporter for CBS, went to Facebook to discuss Trump’s reaction to the seemingly peaceful and innocent remarks made by the Broadway cast. Rather pointed out that Trump’s childish behavior is akin to what you might expect from a classic bully. Trump is famously thin skinned and refuses to ignore any challenge to his persona or ideals. Rather continued that Trump’s actions are more closely related to something that might happen in a schoolyard and not at all becoming of the next President of the United States.
During his discussion of Trump’s reaction, Rather said that bullies are characterized by their ability to overreact, their notorious thin skin against challenges of any sort, and their failure to continue with their behavior once people lose their fear. He then pointed out that the greatest presidents were all profoundly opposite of these tenants. However, he continued, Trump easily fit the stereotype of a bully more so than the stereotype of a good president. Rather suggested that Trump should at least pretend to behave like a decent man would in the highest office of the land.
Rather also wondered why Trump was able to focus on such a small, insignificant issue in the first place. Shouldn’t the president-elect have more pressing issues? Does he not realize that the theater is a place for political and societal art? How does Trump justify the highly incendiary statements he made during his campaign, free of any apologies, when he feels the need to demand an apology for something that doesn’t warrant one? Trump’s one-sided view of what is ‘fair’ should be highly disturbing to anyone paying the slightest attention to the political spectrum.
It’s hard to say whether or not the public reaction to Trump’s whining is actually worthy of the incident, especially when compared to the recent $25 million that Trump had to pay in order to silence his Trump University fraud case. However, as the president-elect, Trump should be aware that everything he says and does will be highly scrutinized by all. Not only that, but his desire to react to such a small issue at all points to how easy it will be for foreign leaders to rattle Trump. These sorts of incidents only prove that Trump is vain, shortsighted, small-minded, and unnecessarily aggressive.