By Gary A. Johnson – Publisher (Black Men In America.com)

Before I go any further, let me tell you where I’m coming from.

As a young man, I had the extraordinary opportunity to work in the West Wing of the White House in support of the National Security Council staff. I worked directly for the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. I was 23 years old.

And every day I walked into that building, I understood that I was someplace special.

I watched talented professionals from the military and the Intelligence Community operate. I saw the preparation, discipline and seriousness required of people entrusted with responsibilities at the highest levels of the United States government.

And I learned something that has stayed with me ever since: The presidency is bigger than the President.

The men and women who occupy the White House are temporary custodians of institutions that belong to the American people. That’s something that this President and his staff do not understand.

That’s part of the lens through which I look at Donald Trump today. And what I see troubles me deeply. Let me be clear about something. This isn’t about being a Republican or a Democrat. When I worked in the West Wing, I never saw or heard of anyone’s political affiliation being discussed. My bosses were concerned about having the best person being in a position to do their best work.

America has had conservative presidents before Donald Trump, and America will have conservative presidents after Donald Trump. I don’t have to agree with the president’s politics. But I do expect competence. I expect judgment. I expect decency and a sense of humanity, and not cruelty towards those who are different.

I expect respect for the Constitution, respect for our institutions and respect for the TRUTH.

And I expect the people surrounding the President to understand that their responsibility is to the United States of America—and not to businesses and entities who can write the biggest checks.

That’s where my problem with Donald Trump begins.

Look at the record.

• A federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. That $5 million verdict survived appellate review.
• A New York court found Trump liable in a civil fraud case involving financial statements. An appellate court subsequently threw out the enormous monetary penalty, while leaving important portions of the litigation and underlying findings contested through the appellate process.
• Trump-associated companies have gone through six Chapter 11 bankruptcies.
• And independent fact-checkers have documented false and misleading statements by Trump throughout his years in public life.

The lying bothers me for a reason that goes beyond whether somebody believes any individual statement. I’ve come to believe that the real danger of using his “Truth Social” platform to disseminate relentless misinformation isn’t necessarily getting people to believe the lie. It’s getting people to stop believing that truth exists at all.

Think about that. If every journalist who challenges you is dishonest…If every prosecutor investigating you is corrupt…If every judge ruling against you is biased…If every election you lose is rigged…If every institution that contradicts you is part of some conspiracy…Eventually people don’t know whom to believe. And that’s the point.

When citizens stop believing that objective truth is even possible, accountability becomes almost impossible. That is dangerous in a democracy.

Then we come to January 6.

On his first day back in office, President Trump granted sweeping pardons and commutations to people convicted of offenses arising from January 6, 2021. That sweeping act of clemency included people convicted of violent crimes and offenses.

I have a problem with that. Every American should have a problem with that. We tell Americans to respect law enforcement. We tell our children that actions have consequences.

And then the President of the United States uses one of the most extraordinary constitutional powers entrusted to him to eliminate or reduce consequences for people convicted in connection with an attack in which police officers were assaulted.

People can debate whether some January 6 defendants were punished too harshly.

That’s a legitimate debate.

But pardoning people convicted of violence against police officers raises a very different question about what “law and order” actually means.

And then there’s the money.

Donald Trump’s presidency exists alongside an extraordinary network of private businesses, investments, cryptocurrency ventures and family financial interests. That doesn’t automatically establish corruption, but I believe Americans should be asking hard questions whenever any president is conducting day trading and backroom details for the sole interest of the President and his family.

Where does public service end and private enrichment begin?

That’s not an anti-Trump question. That’s a pro-American question.

I would ask it about a Democrat. I would ask it about a Republican. I would ask it about anybody occupying the White House.

And then came something that, for me, captured another part of the problem.

As America commemorated 25 years since September 11, Trump publicly recounted his own experience near Ground Zero, including being carried away by firefighters amid fears that another building could collapse. That story immediately became part of the public discussion over Trump’s recollections of September 11.

And I found myself thinking: Why does Donald Trump so often have to become part of the story?

September 11 belongs to the firefighters who climbed those stairs. It belongs to the police officers and first responders who ran toward danger when everybody else was running away. It belongs to the passengers aboard Flight 93. It belongs to the thousands of innocent people who went to work that morning and never came home.

There are moments in American history that should simply be bigger than any politician. And that brings me to what bothers me most about Donald Trump.

In my assessment, eventually everything seems to become about Donald Trump.

• His grievances.
• His enemies.
• His victories.
• His loyalty tests.
• Who praised him.
• Who criticized him.
• Who should be rewarded.
• Who should be punished.
• Who gets credit.
• Who gets blamed.

That may work in entertainment as a reality TV star on “The Apprentice,” but the presidency requires something different. The presidency requires restraint, judgment, humility, competence, respect for institutions, respect for facts and most importantly, an understanding that presidential power does not personally belong to the man occupying the Oval Office.

It belongs to the American people. That’s something I learned many years ago walking through the West Wing daily. And maybe that’s why this bothers me as much as it does.

I’ve seen serious people doing serious work inside that building. I’ve watched people understand the weight of where they were and what they were entrusted to do.

So, my criticism of Donald Trump isn’t simply that I disagree with him politically. It’s about what I believe the presidency requires of the man or woman sitting behind that resolute desk.

• You can support lower taxes and demand integrity.
• You can support stronger borders and demand truthfulness.
• You can oppose Democratic policies and still believe presidential power shouldn’t become an instrument for personal grievance or personal enrichment.
• And you can vote Republican while still expecting the President of the United States to demonstrate character.

Those principles should not change depending upon whether the person sitting in the Oval Office has an R or a D next to his or her name.

Because eventually this discussion stops being a Donald Trump question.

It becomes an American question.

What standards are we willing to demand from the person occupying the most powerful office in our country? (This President thinks A.I. stands for American Idol). And if those standards change depending upon whether we voted for the person sitting behind that desk, then perhaps our problem is bigger than Donald Trump.

Maybe the real question is whether we still believe that truth matters. Whether character matters. Whether institutions matter.

And whether the presidency still means something bigger than the individual who temporarily occupies it.

I believe it does. I believed it when I worked there. And I believe it today.

The presidency is bigger than the president.  Period. Paragraph. End of Sentence aka “Mic Drop.”

Gary Johnson is the Founder and Publisher of Black Men In America.com and Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Gary Johnson Media, LLC. A longtime trainer, seminar leader, consultant, media entrepreneur and storyteller, Gary uses digital media, podcasts and community engagement to inform, educate and amplify stories and perspectives that deserve to be heard.

He is the author of “25 Things That Really Matter In Life: A Quick and Comprehensive Guide to Making Your Life Better—Today!” and a contributing author to two books examining Black fatherhood. Gary is also an advocate for Black farmers and created Justice for Black Farmers to help document their experiences and continuing fight for justice.

At the heart of his work is a simple belief: today’s story can become tomorrow’s legacy.