In a 2015 interview with Texas businessman Jim McIngvale at a Tea Party event, Donald Trump was asked to define “American Exceptionalism.”  He responded by saying he did not particularly like the term.  “Perhaps that’s because I don’t have a very big ego, and I don’t need terms like that.”  (No laugh-track required.)

As we now know, Trump was right.  The global view of American exceptionalism has all but vanished, replaced by American irrelevancy.  While the rest of the  world is forging alliances around climate change and trade, America sits on the sidelines.  Instead, there is a new definition of American exceptionalism, the belief in almost anything EXCEPT when it applies to Trump and his supporters. Consider the following examples.

Mishandling classified information is “extremely careless” EXCEPT when it is delivered directly to the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office.

Americans need to show more respect to law enforcement officials EXCEPT when the International Association of Chiefs of Police push for an extension of the assault weapon ban stating it had proved “remarkably effective in reducing the number of crimes involving assault weapons.  Since 1994 (until the ban expired in 2004), the proportion of assault weapons traced to crimes has fallen by a dramatic 66 percent.” (Source:  IACP President Joseph Polisar, Police Chief Magazine)

The need to protect the sanctity of the voting process as evidenced by the creation of the non-defunct Commission on Voter Fraud EXCEPT when it is under attack from a foreign adversary as determined by a unanimous consensus of the nation’s intelligence community.

Trump and his minions oppose any increase in spending that might raise the national debt EXCEPT when it applied to a $1.5 trillion tax cut (regardless of the beneficiaries) and a proposed $680 billion unpaid for increase in defense spending.

The belief that states should be allowed to establish their own definitions of “religious freedom” and moral conduct EXCEPT when it comes to the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana.

Repeating a mantra of “free enterprise” and “competition” EXCEPT when it applies to the ability of near monopoly internet service providers to control traffic over the information super-highway.

Remember, in January 2016, Trump said, “We have a president that can’t get anything done, so he just keeps signing executive orders all over the place.” That would make sense EXCEPT for the 58 executive orders he has signed since January 20, 2017 including ones that reduce environmental regulations, changing the order of succession in the Department of Justice, banning transgender Americans from serving in the military, making exceptions to ethics requirements for White House staff, a Muslim ban on entry into the U.S., revoking federal contracting requirements and promoting free speech (unless you do not clap at the emperor’s every word) and religious freedom (unless you choose not to say Merry Christmas 12 months a year). [HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Over the same period in his administration Obama issued 22 executive orders, the first two of which tightened ethics requirements on White House staff and increased access to public records.]

And finally and most recently, Trump spent much of the 2016 campaign decrying federal spending “waste, fraud and abuse all over the place” EXCEPT when it applies to staging a military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

If American EXCEPT-tionalism is the order of the day, I believe every citizen has the right to follow the same principle.  Therefore, I will continue to respect the “Office of the President” regardless of the individual who occupies the White House EXCEPT when such occupant is a lying, narcissistic, homophobic, xenophobic, racist, cowardly, treasonous, self-serving sexual predator.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP