Like the petulant child in the playground who, unable to get along with anyone, takes his bat and ball and goes home, Donald Trump chose to disband his business advisory councils.
He did so in the face of mounting resignations and criticism from business leaders about his equivocal response to the tragic events in Charlottesville, Va.
“You can’t resign,” he said, “because I’ve disbanded them.”
In fact, members of the Strategic and Policy Forum had already voted to disband before Mr. Trump’s announcement.
So much for his special relationship with the business community that Mr. Trump touted so loudly.
The response of leading executives to Donald Trump’s failure to unambiguously address the racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry on display in Charlottesville, Va., was commendable.
It sent a message that all Americans needed to hear.
Sadly, we didn’t get that message from the White House.
Instead, we repeatedly heard the false claim that “both sides” were responsible and that there were good guys on “both sides.”
There are no good racists, anti-Semites or bigots.
But, why haven’t we heard the voices of the Jews in the Trump administration?
Why haven’t more congressional Republicans spoken out?
And why have those Republicans who have spoken tip-toed around the issue and refused to confront the titular head of their party?
This is not the time for moral ambiguity.
This is not the time to put party and personal interests ahead of country.
Our business leaders and politicians are in a unique position to speak truth to power. They cannot remain bystanders.
They cannot condone the actions of a political leader who threatens to tear asunder the moral foundation of our democracy.
One cannot help but recall the time when another country’s leaders, in order to protect their personal interests, acquiesced as their nation’s leader implemented his aryanization campaign.
And we know where that led.
This was a teaching moment and the occupant of the Oval Office failed his exam.
Sadly, Donald Trump didn’t learn anything.
Jay N. Feldman
Port Washington
