Trump turns a GOP warning into a name-calling spiral
After Rep. Justin Amash became the first Republican in Congress to say Trump’s conduct met the threshold for impeachment, the president answered by calling him a loser and a lightweight. Instead of trying to lower the temperature or defend himself on the merits, Trump made the dispute about petty insult politics. That gave Amash’s criticism even more oxygen and reinforced the image of a president who treats serious legal exposure like a cable-news grudge match.
First recorded May 19, 2019·Meaningfully updated May 19, 2019
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Trump turns a GOP warning into a name-calling spiral
After Rep. Justin Amash became the first Republican in Congress to say Trump’s conduct met the threshold for impeachment, the president answered by calling him a loser and a lightweight. Instead of trying to lower the temperature or defend himself on the merits, Trump made the dispute about petty insult politics. That gave Amash’s criticism even more oxygen and reinforced the image of a president who treats serious legal exposure like a cable-news grudge match.
After Rep. Justin Amash became the first Republican in Congress to say Trump’s conduct met the threshold for impeachment, the president answered by calling him a loser and a lightweight. Instead of trying to lower the temperature or defend himself on the merits, Trump made the dispute about petty insult politics. That gave Amash’s criticism even more oxygen and reinforced the image of a president who treats serious …
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