The divider-in-chief

For presidents of both parties, one of their primary roles has always been consoler-in-chief, healing wounds, lifting hearts and unifying the nation in times of tragedy. Think of Ronald Reagan, comforting the country after the Challenger disaster in 1986. Or Barack Obama, singing “Amazing Grace” at the funeral of a murdered Black pastor in 2015. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in 1863 stands as our history’s most memorable consoler- in-chief moment. After the assassination of conservative icon Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump took exactly the opposite course. Instead of preaching unity and forgiveness, he advocated rivalry and retribution. Instead of closing wounds, he ripped them open. Instead of extolling one America, he emphasized differences and divisions: Red vs. Blue, Left vs. Right, Us vs. Them.