The gravitational pull of Donald Trumps downward spiral – The Boston Globe

Was that just a year ago when Donald Trump provoked Stormy Daniels, only to get dragged to filth? In this upending, time-warping presidency, minutes feel like hours, hours like days, days like weeks.

Heres where we were just a year ago:

Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford. He cast doubt on Saudi Arabias obvious involvement in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He falsely hyped a migrant caravan moving toward the southern border to ramp up racist resentment before the midterm elections. At a Houston rally, Trump declared, You know what I am Im a nationalist.

Compared to the quicksand in which our nation is now rapidly sinking, history may remember last October as the halcyon days of the Trump administration. In this new dark age, there is no limit to Trumps stunning depravity or incompetence.

This has been an especially hideous time in an ugly presidency. With Trump facing an impeachment inquiry, he is terrified by the thought that, for the first time in his life, he may be held accountable for his actions. He reportedly had a meltdown during a meeting with House Democrats, prompting Speaker Nancy Pelosi to tell reporters, I think now we have to pray for his health. Trump, she said, seemed very shaken up by recent events.

That includes Wednesdays nonbinding resolution condemning Trumps craven betrayal of the Kurds. By an overwhelming 354 to 60, including two-thirds of Republicans, the measure highlighted not only Trumps disastrous approach to foreign policy, but also his callousness toward the Kurdish people who fought ISIS for years alongside now-withdrawn American troops.

(Vice President Mike Pence claimed Thursday that the administration negotiated a cease-fire, while Turkey, which has been killing Kurdish civilians, is using the more ominous phrase, a pause.)

Trumps foul decision in northern Syria, and its barbarous consequences, is even garnering a reaction from Senator Lindsey Graham, who was famously against Trump the candidate before he was infamously for him as president. Graham called it the biggest mistake of Trumps presidency. (FYI: Graham did not suddenly grow a conscience. Even as the death toll rises, Graham will continue to support Trump because, At least hell appoint better judges and hell do other things.)

Meanwhile, the Ukraine scandal metastasizes every day. Against Trumps wishes, more members of his administration are helping various investigations. Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, told Congress that Trump directed diplomats to work with Rudy Giuliani on matters related to Ukraine. I did not understand, until much later, that Mr. Giulianis agenda might have also included an effort to prompt the Ukrainians to investigate Vice President Biden or his son or to involve Ukrainians, directly or indirectly, in the Presidents 2020 reelection campaign, according to a copy of his prepared statement obtained by several news outlets. The wall Trump built around his administration is crumbling, and hes paying for it.

From his erratic press conferences to that bizarre, childish letter he wrote to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Trump is a man undone. It has become harder for him to gaslight anyone (other than his unmovable base) into believing a criminal act isnt a criminal act when the president commits it. Even Republicans are bristling at this presidents boldface corruption, not that anyone should bank on GOP senators, led by majority leader Mitch McConnell, to do the right thing, such as removing Trump from office.

Trumps downward spiral, and its gravitational pull on the nation, is growing perilously deeper. And this much we know he will get worse. He can only get worse.

Rene Graham can be reached at renee.graham@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @reneeygraham.

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The gravitational pull of Donald Trumps downward spiral - The Boston Globe