An Open Letter to Donald Trump

Mr. President:

     In spite of your disdain for opposition, the First Amendment protects my right to express my opinion.  Opinions are neither facts nor libelous and I welcome your rebuttal.

     Sir, I have given a lot of thought to your mental state over the past two years.  Having spent a good portion of my career in the service of lunatics and politicians, I am qualified to comment on your administration and some of the problems I see.  For the sake of the nation, I hope you accept this message as helpful; but, I believe you lack the requisite capacity to do so.

     “Capacity” is an important legal construct and is the basis of this one-sided discussion.  Before I explain what capacity is, I will tell you what it is not.  Capacity is not “authority.”

     Sociologist Max Weber defined “Rational-Legal Authority” as a power that is granted and acquired from a society's rules and laws. All presidents are bound by the constitution, legal precedent, and the separation of powers.  Rational-legal authority is the basis of modern democracies and allows elected leaders to make decisions and to set policies.  Essentially, the rules that create rational-legal authority also limit a leader from running amok.

     Much to your consternation, the courts used their ration-legal authority to overrule your executive orders for travel bans.  Don’t feel bad.  You’re not the first president to hit that constitutional wall. Even with your copious business experience as a point of reference, your lack of political experience resulted in predictable missteps.

     But, you don’t like rules and laws, do you, sir?  In your business dealings you demonstrated your lack of concern for laws, morals and ethics repeatedly for four decades.  You really never cared what effect your actions had on the lives of others as long as you got what you wanted.  Being elected president did not change you.  This is why so many people are concerned that you lack the capacity to rule our nation safely.  Capacity is defined in legal terms as follows:

“The ability, capability, or fitness to do something; a legal right, power, or competency to perform some act. An ability to comprehend both the nature and consequences of one's acts.

“Capacity relates to soundness of mind and to an intelligent understanding and perception of one's actions…”

     For just a minute let’s forget about tax records, blind business trusts, nepotism, fraud, obstruction, money laundering and treason. Let’s just focus on you and your mental state.  In my opinion (you can’t sue me for an opinion, Don), you appear to lack the legal capacity to appreciate the consequences of your actions and you lack the fundamental ability to be accountable for them.  Investigations might reveal impeachable crimes, but “capacity” is why I believe you should be relieved of your elected position.

     Some pundits and mental health professionals have ascribed terms like grandiose, narcissistic, sociopath, and paranoid to you.  While these terms have bearing on your behavior, I think such labeling oversimplifies certain rudimentary problems.  My theory is, deep down, you’re an infant who never won the love of his father and your entire life has been a series of efforts to get his attention.  Even though he’s deceased, you would like to think that he is proud that you are president, right?  Can we talk about your role models for a moment, Don?

     Your dad must have been a really frightful man.  Your grandfather, his role model, was an opportunistic “businessman” who favored get-rich-quick schemes, bars, brothels, dirty deals, criminal elements, dodging drafts (he spent time in jail for that) and concealing his immigrant status.  Although your grandfather died when your father was just a kid, his impact was made.  Your dad, Frederick Christ Trump, took on the mantel of “the man in the family” because he and your grandmother needed to survive and he simply did the things he learned from your grandfather.

     Given your father’s inauspicious history as a KKK sympathizer (and possible member), his mistreatment of immigrant construction workers and building tenants, his ties to mafia-owned construction companies, his war-time profiteering charges, and the competitive environment of your home the likelihood of your learning socially acceptable ethics and morals was slim.  Face it, the man was a stinking turd, but he was your dad.  Did he make you feel bad because you couldn’t read as well as your siblings? Did it make you sad when he shipped you off to boarding school? Did he say he loved you or did he just shove money at you and tell you to not screw up?

     Little is written about your Scottish-born mother, Maryanne.  I know she was beautiful.  I know she reportedly worked as a maid before your parents married.  I know she was nearly killed by a 16-year-old mugger.  That incident caused your dad to contribute to many medical charities.  But, Don, did your father respect her?  Was she allowed to teach you kindness and self-control or did your dad treat her like a pretty, little, baby-making machine who cooked and picked up after the children?  Was she expected to keep her mouth shut?

     Besides your brother, Fred, who died from his alcoholism at age 42, was there another heavy drinker in your house?  Were drunken fits of rage “normal” where you grew up?  Did you walk on eggshells?  Did you learn to not trust anyone?  Did you learn to be a two-faced liar to avoid getting hit?  Did military school teach you to hide your weaknesses with bragging?  When you were played for a fool did you call it “a win-win” to avoid being called “a loser?”  Did family cruelty teach you resentment and revenge?  Is fear of losing self-control what keeps you sober?

     With a family like yours, how could you be expected to internalize attributes like honesty and integrity?  How could a guy ever learn to validate himself when he was constantly being smacked down?  How could a young man develop himself if his father always had to be better?  How could you ever really be anything but a broken child?

     These days, you demand unflinching loyalty from your inner circle because someone needs to protect you.  You aren’t a grown-up, Mr. Trump.  Your daughter, Ivanka knows it.  Your wife knows it.  The White House staff knows it.  The press knows it.  Your party knows it.  World leaders know it.  Your enemies know it.

     Everybody knows you are an infant but you.  You have no self-control, you are not insightful and you never had the capacity of an adult.  This is why you don’t know how to sit still in a meeting.  This is why you have to touch everything.  This is why you are rude.  This is why you have temper tantrums on Twitter and in public.  This is why you do not accept “no” for an answer.  This is why you call people names.  This is why you think you can take whatever you want and not pay for it.  This is why you respond to facts about your bad actions by saying, “nuh-uh.”  This is why you don’t care who you hurt.  This is why you push, grab, and assault people.  This is why you wanted to play king of the world and why you never knew how “complicated” it could be.  This is why the Russians can count on you to brag about all the top secret stuff you know.  This is why the world is a second away from nuclear war.

     You lack the ability “to comprehend both the nature and consequences” of your actions.  You lack the “soundness of mind” and “intelligent understanding and perception” of how your actions affect everyone -- including yourself.  Capacity, Mr. President.  You are not capable of safely running a country in a very dangerous world.

     For once in your life, Donald, stand up to every bad thing your father ever did, and taught, and stood for.  Do not shame yourself by adding impeachment to your list of infamies.  Step down and put the world back into adult, capable hands.

Sincerely,

S. E. Lyon Kramer

American citizen