Jan 4, 2017 2 min read

Many knew that a bull in the china shop was being enabled when voters awarded Donald Trump an Electoral College victory in the presidential race. He has acted true to form in the weeks since his triumph.

Trump seems to believe that he took office as soon as the results of the election were in on the evening of Nov. 8, thus he has already: threatened our relationship with China by engaging with the president of Taiwan and questioning the longstanding “One China” policy; roiled the world by suggesting that we may commence a massive nuclear arms buildup; and, most recently, he went around President Obama, speaking with Egyptian and Israeli leaders in an effort to inject himself into the push to scuttle a United Nations resolution condemning Israel for its enhanced settlement activity. His public position on the matter placed himself in direct opposition to the man who, at least technically, will be president for another few weeks, causing our nation embarrassment as it is now seen as having two presidents.

The Republicans sent a message to President Obama that it will not allow him to govern until Jan. 20 when it refused even to provide a hearing to distinguished centrist Judge Merrick Garland, a Supreme Court nominee who has been hung out to dry. Now President-elect Trump is trying to assert presidential authority before he is inaugurated.

Has he no decency? The question is rhetorical.

Oren M. Spiegler

Upper St. Clair