The Dominion Post will not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2020.
How could we ever reach that conclusion 268 days out from the Nov. 3 election
Easy.
Pardon us, if we jump to conclusions, but we just took a page out of congressional Republicans’ playbook.
Unlike them though we did not ignore the evidence and disregard the pursuit of the truth.
No, we did not take an oath to defend the Constitution, as they did, but we will defend it from those who would shred it for the sake of fealty to any politician or partisan politics.
After 3 years we’ve also seen more than enough to convince us that not even knowing who Trump’s opponents will be, he or she may be a better choice.
We say may because we are not simply defaulting to whoever the Democrats nominate or a third party candidate.
If the Democrats don’t nominate a worthy candidate we may not endorse anyone, as we decided to do in 2016.
We will take a look at a Republican candidate for president if he or she bests Trump. That holds true, too, if an independent runs a credible campaign.
For the record, throughout the history of this newspaper we have supported Republicans for president far more times than Democrats.
Yet, Trump has proven again and again he is not only unfit to be president but has a greater contempt for his constitutional role than congressional Republicans do.
We can no longer accept this frenzy, this chaos, these juvenile tweets, this us vs. them mentality, this arrogance, this corruption and this deceit.
Though the down and dirty atmosphere of our elections and candidates’ attacks on opponents is almost a given. But it’s not just political opponents, or even facts and the truth that have been victimized by this president, but decency itself.
Trump has gone after everyone from teenage activists to Gold Star parents, and anyone else he disagrees with. We have yet to witness a single admission of fallibility, remorse or an apology for any of his acts or policies, either.
His recent acquittal, for instance, will be cast as an exoneration, rather than the cowardice of an unprincipled and craven Senate.
His signature policy of immigration has run the gamut of the separation of thousands of children from their parents to deploying troops and declaring national emergencies.
Then there’s that “long, tall, very powerful wall.” Three years ago, about 650 miles of the nearly 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexico border had primary barriers.
To date, that has barely changed. According to the latest government data, one new mile of “wall” has been built. Another 100 miles of dilapidated barriers have been replaced with new barriers.
Space does not allow us to cite his numerous foreign misadventures. Just leave it to say our allies are wary and our adversaries are glowing.
Trump’s term in office expires in 346 days — Jan. 20, 2021, at noon.
We need not suffer another day of this terrible mistake beyond that.
