Opinion: Its not up to White House officials to undermine Donald Trump - Polidicks

Donald Trump's anger thundered through the White House and blasted through the twittersphere. "If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!," Mr Trump wrote. He was reacting to an anonymous editorial published in the New York Timeswhere a supposed Trump Administration insider detailed a concerted and deliberate campaign to thwart what were deemed as the president's destructive instincts and ideas, "working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations". The insider justified what they described as the interventions of a number of "adults in the room," describing the President as "impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective". "But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic," they wrote. If you don't like Mr Trump and see him as a danger to society, the actions of a cell of resistance from within is heroic. The US President says it's treacherous. He's right, and it raises several questions. Does the end justify the means? Are the actions of these few — if indeed it is a few — a necessary foil to an out-of-control president? Or is the democratic will of US voters being subverted in a dangerous and arbitrary manner? Like it or not, Mr Trump was elected as president less than two years ago. His administration is no doubt amongst the most chaotic and disjointed in memory, with a revolving door of officials and appointees. Friends and allies have become enemies. Policy often appears ill-considered and counterproductive. But his supporters, and there remain many millions of them, can rightly say they put him in the White House. They like what he's doing on immigration, trade and diplomacy. His supporters say Mr Trump has a right and expectation his staff will support, not subvert, him. ... Those that don't like what they see should leave. Then they are free to say what they like. But the sense that there are forces working against him from within will only fuel Mr Trump's narrative of a "deep state" out to get him, and reinforce the president's mantra of "fake news" that delegitimises truth. It will add to the distrust, even hatred, that has dissolved the trust of the nation's institutions amongst Mr Trump's supporters. America is already deeply divided. the common bonds frayed and tattered. If the US President is to fail or succeed, it's for the voters, the courts or Congress to decide. Not concerned White House officials, however well-intentioned. ... Read more of the piece by Philip Williams at Donald Trump may not be popular, but it's not up to White House .. Philip Williams is the chief foreign correspondent of ABC News Australia

It's up to absolutely everyone capable of doing so. The oath every public servant took is to defend the United States from enemies foreign and domestic, Donald Trump is an enemy of the United States, anything less than active opposition is a betrayal of that oath.

If there's one taboo broken in this government that I like it's that the cabinet has turned into a mini congress sapping power away from a branch of government I think has a bit too much with the rising tide of globalization. Having most foreign relations hinged on one single man in a world of complex trade and economics seems silly today. Secondly speaking of broken taboo It's apparently not treason to politically sabotage those of differing opinions anymore to obtain or maintain power utilizing any means necessary including the support of foreign powers. The republicans have made this abundantly clear with this neo-McCarthyist attitude to party lines.

But refusing to resign and publicly testify to everything they've stated is passive opposition.

If they recognize Trump as a threat to the United States they should either invoke the 25th, or provide the evidence of Trump acting as such to congress so that they can impose a check on him. We have some established systems for handling a president going off the rails. This shadowy shit is just self-serving. Right now these people are covering their asses and saving the GOP public humiliation instead of you know, defending the country.

I don't, because you're literally opening up the potential for a real deep state. There's appointed officials doing what they think is right rather than an elected official. And to see people supporting officials undermining the president, regardless of their intentions, is very scary.

If they resign Trump will appoint some yes-men sycophants that will do nothing to even attempt any resistance. They are better served in their posts resisting him as best they can rather than making a pointless public resignation who's net effect is streamlining the bullshit.

And if they don't resign then there's no public testimony to advance the cause of impeachment.

The "deep state" is the term for the military industrial complex not a bunch of monkies appointed by the president to do his job. This is how Clinton, bush, and Obama ran their presidencies anyway, at the behest of their cabinet with a dash of personal opinion a bit like a round table. Secondly learn what something is before using it as a boogeyman, Frankenstein only wanted a friend after all.

They would be patriots if they weren't taking advantage of him. What a patriotic public servant should have done is invoke the 25th amendment, because they clearly recognize Trump as a threat to the stability of the United States. Instead, they undermine him by taking documents and manipulating the conversation to advance their interests. They're akin to elderly caregivers taking advantage of their patients. They're sycophants taking advantage of a president unfit for office to advance their interests.

Symbolic gestures contribute more to ruining this country than they do to saving it. There aren't enough conspiratards in this country to prop him up, yes there's far too many of them but they're not numerous enough to keep him in power. He needs more of the GOP than just the hardcore support base that thinks he can do no wrong and who would be convinced there's a coup going on. And besides, those idiots are going to believe whatever they want to believe whether it's true or not. It's best not to worry about them, we know what they're going to do at the ballot box and nothing we can say or do will ever change their mind, so there's no point in even thinking about them.

This is the exact kind of sentiment which the article warned against. Donald Trump is a narcissistic ass. Hard for anyone to deny that. But labelling him as an ‘enemy of the United States’ (according to whom, you?) would be interpreted by his supporters as an attack against them. Just like if unelected bureaucrats were to undermine Trump as an elected official. Such things would further widen the divide in US politics, and cause Trump’s supporters to lose even more faith in the institutions of the US federal government. Unelected bureaucrats undermining Trump actually lends dangerous credence to Trump’s remarks about the ‘deep state’. No one is saying that Trump deserves respect. He doesn’t. But the office of the President deserves respect. And it’s very unfortunate that many people would be willing to show disrespect to the office, just to force Trump out. Imagine the outrage here if bureaucrats ousted a left-leaning US President.

If this fictional left-leaning president violated the constitution and committed acts of treason then there would be no reason to be outraged at them being ousted either. Also Trump was not legitimately elected so it's incorrect to apply the same standards to him that you would an actual elected official.

Unelected bureaucrats ousting an elected official is hardly a decent check and balance. That’s what the voting public, legislature and judiciary are for. Maybe those leaks in the White House should resign, and provide testimony in impeachment proceedings if/when they happen. Trump being ‘not legitimately elected’ is merely your opinion, don’t try to spin it off as a fact. Trump was appropriately elected according to the rules, and the legitimacy of his election has not been successfully challenged.

We have systems and checks and balances in place to keep the president in check or boot him on his ass But they don't work when those checks are complicit, and don't care because it's their side that's doing it. Those rules were written when men had some honor and integrity. They don't fly today

Your caveats are completely subjective. There are plenty of right-wingers who sincerely believe that Obama violated the Constitution. Hell, there are left-wingers who believe it to in regards to drone strikes and government surveillance. Has Trump been convicted in court of violating the Constitution or committing acts of treason? And we have a system of checks and balances. Unelected officials deliberately impeding the functioning of government aren't part of it. This is the epitome of 'it's okay as long as it aligns with my politics'. With government institutions trending conservative I absolutely do not want to see White House officials deliberately sabotaging the next Democratic president by secretly impeding their lawful duties.