Mr. Terrific Temperament

[Content Note: Bigotry.]


Donald Trump appeared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos yesterday, and the entire thing was incredible, in every way, but perhaps the most amazing part was this exchange about his temperament:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hillary Clinton's speech—22 direct mentions of your name, 78 references, very tough, including this one hit on your temperament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: A man you can bait with a Tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANOPOULOS: She quoted Jackie Kennedy suggesting you're a little man moved by fear and pride.

TRUMP: She's a very dishonest person. I have one of the great temperaments. I have a winning temperament. She has a bad temperament. She's weak. We need a strong temperament and that's all it is, I have a strong temperament. And—

STEPHANOPOULOS: But there are—

TRUMP: —I do know how to win.

STEPHANOPOULOS: —polls do show some concern about this, that—whether you can be trusted with the nuclear codes.

TRUMP: Well, I think that's probably because Hillary, that's all they talk about is temperament. I think I have a great temperament. I beat 16 very talented people in—and I've never done this before. You don't do that with a bad temperament. I'm leading her in the polls, as you probably have noticed. And I think I have a great temperament. I have a temperament where I know how to win. She doesn't know how to win. She's not a winner. She doesn't know how to win.

Honestly, she lies a lot and she really—she should tell the truth. I honestly believe if she told the truth—because she made some reference to my campaigning, I've had a beautiful—I've had a—had a flawless campaign. You'll be writing books about this campaign. And yet she's criticizing my campaign. Now, her campaign, she couldn't beat Bernie, OK?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, she did beat him.

TRUMP: Well, barely.

Donald Trump believes he has a great temperament and has run a flawless campaign. DONALD TRUMP BELIEVES HE HAS A GREAT TEMPERAMENT AND HAS RUN A FLAWLESS CAMPAIGN.

Donald Trump does not have a great temperament. Just for a start, he is deeply unkind. And it's not just that he is a deeply unkind person. It's that he publicly rolls around in his own unkindness like a pig in shit.

The sheer glee at his own cruelty is terrifying. Someone who delights at their capacity to harm cannot be given any position of authority. It would be a grave mistake to ignore that he revels in abuse. Given the power of the office of the presidency, he would be a true villain.