Nhớ hồi Trump mới vào Nhà Trắng, thiên hạ la chói lói. Tôi cứ phải giăi bày rằng là nên đặt riêng những ǵ thuộc về cá nhân (personal) và những ǵ ông ấy làm thuộc về công vụ (public policy). Cá nhân th́ có thể ông ấy ko hoàn hảo, nhưng đó là tính cách riêng của ông ấy, ko ảnh hưởng tới quốc gia. Co`n khi nói về public policies, ông ấy dám làm và làm được nhiều thứ chưa tổng thống nào dám làm, kể cả DC hay CH.
Nhưng càng ngày, cái tôi cá nhân của Trump càng ph́nh to ra, gây hậu quả nhăn tiền. Những hậu quả này nằm trong public domain, ai cũng thấy, thành ra nó choán hết chỗ, che hết những cái promising public policies mà ông ấy dày công tạo dựng.
Tôi lấy đem ví dụ hai cái mà his personal ego seriously harm his image and his legacy:
1/ Thứ nhất là cách dùng người: Trump có thói quen ai không thuận theo ư ông ấy, dù nhỏ dù lớn ǵ cũng vậy, là phế bỏ. Đây là tư tưởng của mấy ông vua bạo chúa ngày xưa, vua luôn luôn đúng, quần thần luôn luôn sai, ai không nghe là chém. Chẳng có ai là luôn luôn đúng, kể cả Trump. Không phải ai bất đồng với ḿnh cũng là người xấu hay là không ủng hộ ḿnh. Tôi đưa ví dụ ba người bị Trump phế (hoặc chống đối mạnh mẽ) mà tôi thấy sai lầm là Dr Fauci, Brian Krebs (head of cyber security agency CISA) và vice president Mike Pence. Cả ba đều là highly competent people, very good at their job, straightforward people with integrity. Dr Fauci th́ các bác đă biết, c̣n Brian Krebs tôi đă nghe từ trước, he's one of the top experts in cyber security in the country. It's important to note that they're not against Trump, they're only doing their job, to the capacity they're allowed to do their job. A good leader will let good people do their job without interference. A good leader's job is not to argue with, pick a fight with, or retaliate against good people. Chính v́ Trump's team is so full of incompetent yesmen like Giuliani or his son or the Kushner guy, while good people are alienated, that he ends up where he is today.
2/ Thứ hai là cách Trump let his selfish ego drives the election protest. Granted, he felt the election wasn't fair. Big deal. Al Gore's circumstances were worse, much worse. If anyone has legitimate reason to complain about stolen election, it will be Al Gore. But he accepted it, and conceded eventually, before the inauguration. Because that's how you heal the country. You don't let your personal hurt divides the country and set a bad precedence. Bad precedence is a terrible thing. You may think you're "right" right now, but sooner or later, there will be people doing the same thing as you, just because you set the precedence.
Right now, Trump has already exhausted all *legal* ways to challenge the result. He should come out and immediately tell his supporters "we're done with our challenge. I now accept the result. Please stop the protest and support the new president". That will show how big he is. But he's not saying that. He continues to provoke antagonistic emotion. What does he expect to happen? That his supporters will occupy Washington DC and install him as their (unconstitutional) king? This is why the Democrats are putting the label "insurrection" (phản loạn) on him. His ego is so big, and his vision is so short, that he's willing do anything and say anything to satisfy his ego, while sabotaging the whole country stability and unity.
Let's say he (or Pence or Pompeo) runs again in 2024, and he wins. What will stop the Democratic loser from doing the same thing he's doing now? Meaning they will continue to defy and protest loudly, even after ALL legal pathways have ended, including the Supreme Court? What will happen to all the elections after that? It will continue on indefinitely. Where will the country be heading?
He and his supporters will say "but we're right". No, there's only right & wrong if there's a basis for impartial judgment. If you think the court is biased, work to change the court. (Although frankly, when you yourself picked 3 justices, and another 3 were picked by your party, for 2/3 majority, to say the court is biased against you is a bit far-fetched). Change the system so there can be impartial judgment. But you cannot use your subjective opinion as the verdict of right vs wrong. That is the path of tyranny. All tyrants in the past have always maintained that they're "right", and everyone else is wrong.
This is why, as much I appreciate his public policies, I think his personal character flaws have allowed his judgement to deteriorate to the point where it's better that he gives up his protest and just leaves. If he continues, or worse, if he somehow finds a way to jeopardize Biden illegally, I think it will be a worse outcome for the country than if Biden is just allowed to govern peacefully.