32 Time November 4, 2019
While we have seen the consequences of
Trump’s character throughout his presidency,
no series of crises has demonstrated his pro-
found flaws more thoroughly than the twin
foreign policy scandals in Ukraine and Syria.
All the character traits that Trump’s critics
most feared are present— including his petty
corruption, his temperamental unfitness and
his rank incompetence.
Let’s begin with Trump’s incompetence.
There is no question that Trump faced a dif-
ficult strategic and diplomatic challenge in
northern Syria. He inherited command of
a complex military conflict, and then pro-
ceeded to make terrible decisions that had
immediate and profound consequences.
In early October, America enjoyed an alli-
ance with the Kurds, who had borne the brunt
of ground combat (and taken horrific casual-
ties) in the successful fight against ISIS. America
also enjoyed a long-
standing (though
increasingly diffi-
cult) alliance with
Turkey. In mere
days, however,
Trump’s abrupt and
shocking retreat
after a single call
with Turkish Presi-
dent Recep Tayyip
Erdogan destroyed
our nation’s alli-
ance with the Syrian
Kurds, granted ISIS
a lifeline and put
our alliance with Turkey under unprecedented
strain. Americans watched in shame and em-
barrassment as Russian mercenaries and media
toured a hastily abandoned American base.
The Syrian disaster temporarily shoved
Ukraine from the headlines, but the impeach-
ment inquiry further reveals Trump’s corrup-
tion and unfitness.
Evidence continues to emerge that Trump
was attempting to coerce Ukraine to investi-
gate Joe Biden and his son. Beyond the blin-
dingly obvious quid pro quo revealed in the
summary of the conversation between Trump
and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen-
sky, messages show that an American diplo-
mat believed that Trump was conditioning
military aid on Ukrainian assistance.
Even the most defensible of Trump’s
requests—that Ukraine helped investigate
foreign interference in the 2016 presiden-
tial election—is tainted. He is obsessed with
fringe conspiracy theories, including the bi-
zarre idea that there exists a server in Ukraine
that either proves Russia didn’t interfere in
the 2016 election or contains Hillary Clin-
ton’s missing emails. There is absolutely no
evidence any such server exists.
While Trump’s entire presidency has been
marred by his chaotic behavior, his defend-
ers have repeatedly noted that many of his
policies—on taxes, abortion rights, court
appointments—have been squarely in the
Republican mainstream. They’ve also noted
that many of his advisers tempered his worst
impulses. But all that is changing. The guard-
rails have collapsed.
Trump’s character chased off his best advis-
ers. General Jim Mattis is long gone. He resigned
after Trump’s first attempt to destroy the Ameri-
can alliance with Syrian Kurds. White House
counsel Don McGahn is long gone. He arguably
saved Trump’s presidency by refusing to fire
special counsel Rob-
ert Mueller. John
Kelly is gone. H.R.
McMaster is gone.There was a time
when Republi-
cans believed that
character counted.
GOP officials
warned America
that Bill Clinton
was a lying lothario
whose personal
conduct was reck-
less. And they were
correct. Not even the great weight of the Oval
Office (much less his marriage vows) could
keep him from a tawdry affair, nor could an
oath keep him from illegally lying about his
misconduct.
But the partisan mind is capable of end-
less contortions and rationalizations in the
pursuit of power. For the GOP partisan, char-
acter is no longer destiny. It’s an increasingly
irrelevant factor in the quest for power—even
when the exercise of that power consistently
results in outcomes and policies that Repub-
lican stalwarts once opposed.
While it’s gratifying to see a number of
Republicans in Congress condemn Trump’s
Syrian retreat, few are acknowledging the
full truth of the moment that this is Trump
unleashed. This is the man in full, and he is
demonstrating that he’s just as corrupt, unfit
and incompetent as his critics feared.French is a TIME columnistTheView Opener
SHORT
READS
▶ Highlights
from stories on
time.com/ideasCharting
a courseIn Sailing True North,
TIME columnist retired
Admiral James Stavridis
looks at what 10
admirals can teach
us about character.
“The nature of any
human is not how they
do when the choices
are easy, and the
metaphorical sun is
shining,” he writes in
an excerpt, “but rather
what they do when the
options are morally
ambiguous, and the
seas are rough.”Fighting stigmaWhen Thinx, the maker
of reusable underwear
intended to replace
other period products,
made its first national
TV ad, networks refused
to air it unless the
company removed
a tampon string from
a scene. “About half of
the world’s population
will experience a period
in their lifetime,
so what’s wrong with
an ad depicting them?”
asks CEO
Maria Molland.Law and orderHong Kong Chief
Executive Carrie Lam
used the Emergency
Regulations Ordinance
to enact a ban on face
masks. But according
to Jan Wetzel, a senior
legal adviser for
Amnesty International,
it’s “a colonial-era law
whose implications
are far-reaching
and alarming.”President Trump at a Presidential Medal of Freedom
ceremony for Edwin Meese III on Oct. 8