Trump and His Unacknowledged Errors

Donald Trump is never wrong, at least according to him. The incessant explanations he gave for his inaccurate warnings that Hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama, which resulted in days of mockery and skepticism, are just the latest example of his perpetual unwillingness to acknowledge an error, however harmless it may be. His fervent defense, which has gone on for days, has not only kept the focus firmly on his personal whims, but also on his willingness to deploy government personnel and resources in order to justify an inaccurate assertion, as demonstrated again on Thursday night. Presidential statements can influence markets, shake economies around the world and, in this case, unnecessarily alarm the inhabitants of a state. However, Trump’s relationship with responsibility and the truth threatened once more to undermine the importance of presidential words.

“Great presidents admit when they’ve screwed up, they fix it, and they move on,” said presidential historian Jon Meacham. “Right now, it is a mistake about a hurricane hitting a state. But it can also be a far bigger deal and cost people lives, and help create a climate where people can’t trust the government.”

It’s not the first time Trump has refused to admit to making a mistake. Examples range from the harmless, such as the declaration that his presidential inauguration had the largest crowd in history, to the most serious, such as his assertion of widespread election fraud in 2016 that led to the creation of an electoral commission in order to demonstrate and support his claim. The current controversy, stoked daily by the president, has ignited the social networks. The hashtag “Sharpie” trended on Twitter and the jokes flourished, but for some, this was a new referendum on Trump’s ability as president.