Grounds to impeach

On June 1, our abominable president announced, in his maximally truculent way, that the United States was exiting the Paris climate agreement. If anyone had any doubt about Donald Trump’s unfitness to be president, his action should have settled the matter.

He made it sound as though this was some real estate deal that the United States was being taken to the cleaners on, as though the nations of the world were competing to see who could get the best advantage of the others. As though climate change was something you could negotiate in the cutthroat manner in which Trump is accustomed to dealing.

But this was transparent cover for the spitefulness that really drove his decision. He’ll show the scientists, the liberals, the Europeans; they can’t condescend to him, lecture him, try to persuade him. God spare us from this ignorant, mean-spirited narcissist.

Impeachment is one avenue of salvation for the republic. Surely, by this action, Trump has provided ample grounds for it. In exiting the climate accord that so many people and administrations had for decades struggled to achieve, Trump could not have shown more disdain for his constitutional obligation to “promote the general welfare.” This is a “high crime,” if anything is.

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Grounds to impeach."