President Trump.
Personally, I have trouble saying those two words in a single sentence.
But I tried to watch his inauguration speech on Friday with an open mind. And came away oddly impressed.
Unlike Donald Trump’s typical tone of a ninth-grade bully, his theme from the Capitol was harmonious, not divisive. His words were articulate, if not the stuff of Reaganesque inspiration. And it was all about vision, not ego. Our new president only three times said “I,” while much more often uttering “we.”
Not that itap a very high bar to reach, but Trump sounded more presidential than he ever has before.
Oh, that it should last. Oh, that Trump can win us “great schools, safe neighborhoods, good jobs.” As I’ve often preached, we all want the same things; we just have different notions of the best ways to get there. Trump called our common goals “just and reasonable demands.” He’s right.
But what I can’t shake is, is he committed? After all, there were sections of the speech that seemed downright antithetical to how the man has always operated. Like saying that as a nation we should follow two rules: “Buy American and hire American.” As we know though, Trump himself hasn’t operated that way to amass his own wealth. He pledged to reverse an environment in which “the establishment protected itself.” Yet from how he has handled his bankruptcies, his taxes, even his choices for the Cabinet, he has lived his own life protecting himself above all others.
What I also can’t shake is, does Trump make too many promises on which he can’t deliver? And I don’t even mean “The Wall,” which as it turns out will be paid for by us, not Mexico. No, I’m talking about another common goal for Americans: to eradicate terrorism. When Trump promises to erase it “from the face of the Earth,” he’s dreaming. The enemy is not an army, itap an attitude, a barbaric but obstinate attitude, which no one knows how to vanquish.
But there is more to say about Trump’s speech thatap heartening. Just as he sounded enlightened at the GOP convention when he told the delegates he would “protect LGBTQ citizens,” he struck an equally tolerant tone Friday: “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.” What I’m trying to shake though is the impression that the men he has designated for some of the highest offices in the land have themselves lived lives that put the lie to that sentiment.
So I’m still left with questions. Will the inclusiveness, the tranquility, the harmony, stick? If the history of Donald Trump is any guide, it probably won’t. Will the incomparable challenges of the office change the man, or will the man change the office? Will President Trump let the news media serve its historic purpose in this democratic society, will he curb his inclination to enfeeble American stock prices with temperamental tweets, will he proactively seek more commonality than conflict with our allies — and maybe less with Russia’s anti-American president?
The most perceptive part of President Trump’s address was what he said about the American people: “We all bleed the red blood of patriots. We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American flag.” Again, he’s right. I have covered wars, I’ve covered coups, I’ve covered revolutions that changed nations’ governments. We had none of that. The inauguration was a demonstration of one thing we haven’t lost: the peaceful passage of power. All of us, whether we cheer or jeer the new president, are a part of it.
So yes, I came away Friday more impressed than I expected to be. Not hopeless, not hopeful, but hoping. I am mindful of the first president I covered, Richard Nixon, whose Attorney General-designate John Mitchell told us, “Don’t listen to what we say. Watch what we do.” We’ll be watching, Mr. President.
Greg Dobbs of Evergreen is an author, public speaker, and former foreign correspondent for ABC News.
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