Lesser Evil

 

In November I voted for Donald Trump for the first time in either a general or a primary election. It was entirely a case of trying to select the lesser evil. I knew he was unqualified in ability, knowledge, temperament, and character for the job. I thought his behavior after losing in 2020 and his later demands to overturn the Constitution and return him to power disqualified him from holding any office in the United States. I regretted that the voters in the Republican primaries did not agree. But I finally decided that he was likely to harm the country less than a fourth and farther left Obama administration led by a committed leftist with an unconvincing phony moderate act, a frightening running mate, and an inability to side unequivocally with Israel and civilization against Hamas and savagery.

I still think I probably was right. In just a few weeks Trump has done some good things and some harm. The tariffs and their capriciously changing implementations have been a mess, but there has been a successful beginning on work to cut bad programs and expenditures in the government and shrink its workforce. Trump’s absurd claim that Ukraine started its war with Russia was despicable, and cutting off support for Ukraine even temporarily was inexcusable. Yet he may be able to negotiate an acceptable peace. He selected some poorly qualified people for some important jobs in his administration, and picked a few who were totally wrong for the jobs they got. But he also has selected some strong people who are doing things that needed doing.

As with any other president, we should hope Trump succeeds when he tries to do something good and fails when he tries to do something wrong. I expect there will be plenty of each, and I still wish Republican voters had shown better sense in the primaries.