Grace, Service, and the Politics We've Lost

The president's reaction to Robert Mueller's death underscores how far American political culture has drifted from the values Mueller embodied.

President Trump's reaction to Robert Mueller's death was striking not only for its harshness, but for what it revealed about the tone of our politics. The president seems incapable of showing grace and his words about Mueller's passing set the worst possible example for our country.

No amount of disparagement by the president can change the fact that Mueller dedicated his life to our nation's well-being. Unlike so many of our modern leaders who live on social media and see their role as performing rather than governing, Mueller did his job quietly and never sought the limelight. He epitomized the quiet professionalism that more Americans used to value.

In 2017 Mueller was appointed to lead the government's investigation of alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He was selected because of his reputation for seriousness, his commitment to service and the absence of a partisan agenda. It says something about his character that he gave up a lucrative position in the private sector and returned to government just a few years after completing a career defined by federal service.

Like any public figure forced to navigate a complex challenge, Mueller's performance as special counsel wasn't perfect. His refusal to offer a definitive judgment on allegations that the president obstructed justice allowed both sides to propagate unsubstantiated views for political gain. At worst, his avoidance of a key issue was a moment of weakness in a career defined by strength. At best, it showed wisdom given the shock that would have accompanied his exoneration or implication of the president.

Mueller is most remembered for his time as special counsel but his service to the nation began decades before his appointment that role. He volunteered for Vietnam when many of his contemporaries were searching for ways to avoid the war. Mueller never asked for a medical or educational deferment and joined the Marines in 1966 soon after graduating from Princeton. His initial application was rejected on medical grounds and he was forced to wait for a knee injury to heal before reapplying. Mueller was looking for a chance to serve at a time when many Americans were going to significant lengths to be disqualified by doctors.

In the 1960s and 70s President Trump took a different approach. He sought and received five deferments from the draft, one of which was a medical deferment granted for bone spurs in his heels. The contrast between the men couldn't be greater. Robert Mueller led a Marine Infantry platoon in Vietnam, while the president navigated what he later described to Howard Stern as his "personal Vietnam," comparing the avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases in New York's dating scene to combat service overseas.

After completing his military service, Mueller became a federal prosecutor and spent most of his career with the Department of Justice, working to dismantle criminal organizations and holding criminals accountable. He was appointed as a U.S. attorney by Democratic President Bill Clinton and as Director of the FBI by Republican President George W. Bush. As President Trump was making a fortune branding hotels and creating reality television, Mueller was prosecuting criminals and transforming the FBI into an organization that could protect Americans in the aftermath of 9/11.

The president's disdain for Robert Mueller is reminiscent of the casual disrespect he showed to another Vietnam veteran, the late Senator John McCain. McCain spent five years as a prisoner of war enduring harsh conditions and refusing special treatment. The POW flag may fly at the White House, but in 2016 the president made it clear that he doesn't respect American service members captured by the enemy. While answering a question about Senator McCain, the president said he likes "people who weren't captured." This would have been a disgraceful comment from anyone, but it was especially jarring from someone who avoided the chance of being captured by never serving in the military.

Despite his rhetoric, for more than a decade most American conservatives have supported the president even though they disapprove of many of his statements and have reservations about his character. Their decision to offer support has paid political dividends, evidenced by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, lower taxes, and a regulatory environment more conducive to business. These wins, however, came at a cost. President Trump has institutionalized a crude and disrespectful form of politics that eats away at our national unity. Conservatives have been forced to put aside many of their core beliefs and find ways to rationalize the president's bad behavior.

It's past time for conservatives to realize that getting tax policy right doesn't matter if Americans learn to hate each other. Even reducing the number of abortions is a much less meaningful victory if these children grow up in a political system reshaped in the president's image. Some conservatives have seen President Trump as a shortcut to achieving their objectives, but there are no shortcuts to creating lasting change when it comes to complex and contentious issues. The president has done nothing to create a durable consensus by convincing the rest of America that conservative positions are right. His divisiveness has made it harder for conservatives to speak to the 70% of Americans who don't describe themselves as conservative. This doesn't bode well for the longevity of the president's policies.

Many conservatives continue to see the president as a useful vehicle to advance their aims, but driving policy is only one part of a president's job. The other part is setting a good example for Americans to emulate by acting in ways that make our country proud. Even after a decade of ugly comments and personal attacks, we shouldn't normalize the president's behavior.

Absent a religious experience it's probably too late for the president to change. As we look past the Trump era, voters should be wary of any leader who isn't capable of decisively condemning the president's unkind statements. Otherwise, we'll continue the path of division and lock ourselves into years of additional acrimony. Celebrating Robert Mueller's death was a shameful moment in a long line of shameful moments. As they begin looking toward their future leaders, conservatives should recognize that the trade-offs the president requires aren't worth their support. It makes no sense, after all, to gain the world if one loses his soul in the process.

Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a senior fellow at the Orion Policy Institute.