Perhaps one of the most troubling aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency is his bully mentality. Though I may not be a fan of much of his politics, the part that is hardest for me to swallow is his complete lack of respect for his fellow Americans. And that means Americans of all shapes, sizes, races, nationalities, sexual orientation and socio-economic level.
Trump has repeatedly bullied many groups and made disparaging remarks about many other groups. He attacked every single candidate in the Republican primaries and he continues to attack and bully anyone who questions his tactics or policies.
There really is no precedent for his behavior in the Oval Office. He has taken the abuse to a new level and his Twitter rants will be legend for generations to come.
But, the day of reckoning is on the horizon. The bully ALWAYS gets his payback.
In perhaps the most recognizable case of bullying in recent history, we need to look at the behavior of Lance Armstrong. Armstrong vehemently denied doping for over a decade. And he was not content to just issue denials. He viciously attacked anyone that questioned his integrity. Or should we say, his complete lack of integrity. He ruined lives. He filed lawsuits. He attacked the messengers. And the only reason that he was ultimately brought down was that a few of those people that he attacked would not take the issue lying down. They fought back. They knew he was lying. They had others who knew he was lying. And they continued to wage war against the Lance Armstrong machine and the army of lawyers that Armstrong set loose to attack anyone who dared make an accusation. Ultimately, Armstrong was proven as a doper. He admitted it. He went on TV, contrite. He tried to recapture his magic, but it will never be the same as it was. He was a great story. A hero. A cancer survivor. He had so much working in his favor and had done so much good for so many people. But it was all predicated upon his success in the Tour de France. Success which was propped up by performance enhancing methods. He let down and disappointed so many people. But he never relented until the federal investigation was bearing down on him. He realized that he could bully almost any individual, but that he would not be able to bully the U.S. Attorney’s Office. And in that case, he was right.
Sound familiar? Trump has been bullying everyone in sight. The media, his own cabinet, his own staff and millions of Americans. Who has the power to take him on? Certainly very few individuals have the financial resources or the inclination to wage that battle with him.
But soon, as the various investigations continue to ramp up, he will see that there is indeed a great likelihood of an investigation finding fault in his conduct. Will he ever fess up to his failures or his actions? Or is he going to be another story or hubris that was too stubborn to accept lesser consequences.
My guess? He will fight to the death. And ultimately, it won’t end well for him