The only cause our President is willing to serve is his own well-being

For more than 800 years – since the Magna Carta was published in 1215 – British and then American philosophers and politicians have fought to limit the power of their political leaders. This is why the English Civil War and the American Revolution were fought. That is why, in 1689, the English Parliament published a Bill of Rights stating that it was illegal to suspend laws or to enforce them by royal authorities without the consent of Parliament. That is why, in 1789, the American states adopted a president's constitution "will ensure that the laws are faithfully executed", and why the First Congress has added 10 amendments to the Constitution "to prevent any misinterpretation or abuse of power ". That is why, less famous, the Congress adopted in 1883 the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which established the principle that federal employees would be recruited on the basis of merit, not political relations, and would serve the entire country. rather than just their political party.

If President Trump is aware of this story, he gives no sign of it. As others have noted, its guiding principle is borrowed from King Louis XIV of France: "The state is me" – I am in the state. If you keep in mind this simple maxim, its conduct, if not inexplicable, becomes too predictable. Whatever he does, he does it to his advantage. The conduct of others he judges does not rest on the well-being of the United States, but on that of Trump.

The president can not bother going out in the rain to pay homage to the war dead in America – nor to interrupt his frequent golf trips for an uncomfortable and possibly perilous journey to visit American troops in a war zone. Asked that soldiers were to spend Thanksgiving away from their families for a useless political deployment in Texas, Trump expressed total indifference. "Do not worry," he said on his way to Mar-a-Lago. "They are tough people." It is not surprising that Trump speaks of "my army": he treats his members with all the consideration he can give to the guardians of Mar-a-Lago grounds.

Trump does not fear the rejection of American heroes such as John McCain and William McRaven. In his mind, they had seen him coming because they had dared to criticize him, which was the only thing that mattered to him. Trump called McRaven the worst names he could imagine – a "Hillary Clinton fan" and "Obama support" – because that meant McRaven was not supporting him. Trump can not contemplate the possibility that McRaven is apolitical and that by shouting attacks on the press and abusing the security screening process, the retired admiral will act not out of hatred for Trump, but by love for the country. In Trump's mind, loyalty to a cause greater than one's own well-being is simply unimaginable.

The same solipsism is evident in Trump's nonchalant reaction to the assassination and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to Post. Trump dismissed the CIA's finding that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had ordered the crime, writing "maybe he's done it and maybe he's not there." did not do it! " All that matters for Trump is to preserve relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which he justified by whimsical and fictitious figures. – Sales of Saudi Arabian weapons worth $ 110 billion and a Saudi Arabian investment of $ 450 billion.

It is suspected that Trump's sympathies go to the Saudis for more personal reasons. The King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia laid the red carpet, literally, for Trump on his first trip abroad as president in 2017. They did not criticize him. Why should he criticize them? He is harder on the SEAL commander responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden than on the Saudi despot responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi – simply because it is more pleasing to him than the previous one.

And, let 's not forget that the Saudis have shown tangibly their respect for Trump. He now denies having done business with Saudi Arabia, but in 2015, he boasted: "In Saudi Arabia, I get along well with them. They buy me apartments. They spend between $ 40 million and $ 50 million. Am I supposed not to like them? I love them a lot. Perhaps another president would not let such pecuniary considerations affect his decisions, but in Trump's case, it is difficult to be sure that he will act according to a superior good.

His lack of respect for the principles of constitutional governance is particularly flagrant in his demands that the Justice Department terminate his investigation and, as the New York Times has just said, open an investigation into James B Comey and Hillary Clinton. Trump's attempts to politicize justice have been thwarted – but for how much longer has a politician been installed as Acting Attorney General? Whatever it is, the obstruction of justice, even if it fails, remains an impenetrable offense, as Richard M. Nixon discovered.

How could a president so seriously abuse his power? Simple. Trump does not recognize any loyalty to a cause other than his own well-being. Let's hope our political system is strong enough to disabuse it of this dangerous misconception that it shares with a long lineage of absolute monarchs.

Read more:

The Post's View: Trump slanders Khashoggi and betrays US values

Greg Sargent: No, Trump does not put America first. He stands first.

Paul Waldman: How the treatment of "winger" Matthew Whitaker made it perfect for Trump

Kathleen Parker: The new normal is not normal at all

David von Drehle: Do you think things are going bad now? Look back 40 years.