Trump's 'Moral Character' Is Severely Lacking

Just when you think Donald Trump couldn’t do anything more despicable, he succeeds in proving you wrong.

I can see the boys after a few beers down at the corner tavern coming up with outlandish and insulting remarks—but come on, the president of the United States?

Trump’s broadside against the late congressman from Michigan, John Dingell, was disgusting and deplorable.

He also lied that he had offered to allow Dingell’s body to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda, something that is Congress’ call, not the president’s. He also lied that Debbie Dingell had called to thank him profusely for the honor. No, it was Trump who called her, but this alleged president lies so much, who even pays attention?

Many political leaders from both parties condemned Trump for the remarks, which, of course, were cheered by the crowd in Battle Creek. And also, of course, Fox News pundits and White House staff including Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, came up with excuses for such behavior.

Dingell, said Short, was no wallflower in Congress, and once called Trump an “imbecile.” Pardon me, but I don’t think he’d go to hell for doing that. I’d suggest that’s a sure pass to heaven.

Others claimed that the president was under intense pressure because Congress was impeaching him. Makes you wonder when else pressure gets to be too much for this guy.

This all happened at about the same time the editor of the magazine Christianity Today, founded by the late evangelist Billy Graham, called on the Senate to remove Trump from office and asked other evangelicals to examine their tolerance of Trump’s “moral character.”

Obviously, morals don’t matter to conservative evangelical ministers these days. Nearly 200 of them fired off a letter claiming editor Mark Galli had fallen in with liberals and considered himself an “elite” evangelical. In other words, whatever Trump says and does—whether it’s lying, partying with prostitutes, demeaning anyone who doesn’t agree with him or threatening retribution to those who speak out—is just fine for these supposed religious leaders.

Unless my own religious upbringing was so convoluted, I can’t grasp how—especially during the week the world is celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ— supposedly born-again Christians can pay homage to a man who represents the antithesis of what we’re told Christ was trying to teach us.

But there are a lot of things I don’t understand these days, including where we’re headed as a country.