Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Bossange, a retired middle school principal who now volunteers on a number of nonprofit boards in the Burlington area.
Will a grieving president concede?
For anyone who has experienced a deep loss, most will recognize the five basic stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Despair, and Acceptance. As one who lost a spouse a decade ago and for all those who may also have experienced loss, we know that pain is more easily endured when you realize it will eventually pass as you move through the five stages of grief. Finally reaching acceptance is like a breath of fresh air.
Clearly President Trump is in grief right now over the loss of the election. Finding reasons to deny his loss through a multitude of election conspiracy theories are at the heart of his denial. Denial is often accompanied with isolation and we have seen the president playing golf most days now after the election decision. At the same time, he is showing anger by lashing out at those around him, blaming people for his loss, issuing a barrage of angry tweets, firing more agency heads and secretly planning various pathways to remain in power. Both denial and anger often go hand in hand when grieving a loss.
The question now is how long will the president remain in denial and anger, and begin to move into some phase of bargaining. For most of us who have dealt with loss, this meant thinking about what we should have done, feeling guilty for possibly not doing it, and thinking about a variety of, ”If only I had done …” scenarios. The logical result of such bargaining when combined with continued denial and anger is despair, the fourth stage of grief. Despair leading to depression sets in because you begin to realize there is nothing you can do to change the circumstances. We see some of this with President Trump, when he escapes to his golf courses and private properties as reality finally sets in.
Usually, over time, a balanced and healthy person who has experienced loss will eventually move into some degree of acceptance, make peace with the event, withdraw for a while, and find a new type of calmness in their life.
For this president who has a narcissistic personality disorder, the inability to naturally move beyond denial and anger should frighten all Americans, no matter your candidate or party. I am having a great deal of trouble seeing this president coming to peace with his loss. The firing of the secretary of Defense combined with last week’s firing of the leaders of our nuclear weapons program, the head of the National Security Agency, leaders of international aid, and electricity and gas regulations are troubling signs. Further, rumors of firing Christopher Wray of the FBI and Gina Haspel of the CIA clearly illustrate the president remains in denial and blame coated in anger.
The terrifying scenario of a coup is not out of the question with a president who is governed by his mental illness and grief, and not by a commitment to democracy. As Trump controls the Senate who fear his wrath, he controls Congress. With an attorney general sympathetic to a strong executive branch and a Supreme Court loyal to the concept of state rights, the president can extend the election fraud theory and recount process beyond the traditional date in mid-December when the present electors formally vote as their states confirmed this week. A protracted series of lawsuits opens up the possibility of some Republican-controlled state legislatures, supported by Republic governors, to then reappoint their own set of electors who can then cast their state ballots for President Trump, and not as required by the outcome of the election.
Finally, as the commander in chief, the president can federalize the National Guard. With Christopher Miller as the new secretary of Defense, a Trump loyalist, the president will be able to use the armed forces without the push back he received from recently fired Mark Esper. Appointing Michael Miller, chief counsel to Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, another staunch Trump loyalist, as the head of the NSA against the recommendation of intelligence officials, was a chilling announcement because our national security could be compromised.
All of these recent events following the loss of the election should alarm Americans everywhere. Compounding the situation has been the continued silence and now support from key Republican leaders. Our historic system of checks and balances is not set up to control a grieving, unstable president like this one. Our Founding Fathers worried about this and we should as well. The unwritten but well-understood cultural norms, which surrounded the presidency for 240 years have, for now, vanished. The question for all Americans is, will they return and who will take control to be sure they do?
