President Donald Trump is in the news again, thanks to what he recently retweeted on Twitter. A .gif of an edited video depicts Trump taking a swing on the golf course, followed by a golf ball hitting Hillary Clinton in the back, who then proceeds to fall, was retweeted from President Trump’s personal Twitter,
@realdonaldtrump. The caption of the .gif simply reads, “Donald Trump’s amazing golf swing
#CrookedHillary.”

Had this been a scene in a comedy, I probably would laugh. This is the real world, however, and I am not laughing.

I find it deeply disturbing that the President of the United States of America, who already has a track record of sexist comments, is back in the news for this type of behavior. After two years of evidence dating back to the 1980s began surfacing, such as the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape (in which he describes committing sexual assault in detail), and him making multiple incestuous comments about his daughter Ivanka, just to name a few.

The underlying message in the logic of him retweeting this, which in my opinion is equally disturbing, appears to be that he finds it acceptable to physically assault those who hold different views from his own.

After all, I’m sure we all remember those times then candidate Trump encouraged violence on the campaign trail, even assuring supporters that if they “knock the hell out of protesters,” Trump would “pay for the legal fees,” all captured on camera during his 2015 campaign trail stop in Iowa.

This is not how democracy works. If I offer my friend a Coca-Cola and they say they prefer Pepsi, I would not begin wailing on him with fists of fury. First off, that would be illegal. Second, what is the point in resorting to violence? While my friend may accept the Coca-Cola from me, they would most likely be doing so out of fear, not honest agreement. Now replace ‘Coca-Cola’ and ‘Pepsi’ with nearly any debatable political issue: abortion, immigration, health care… the list goes on and on. If you truly want to move opponents to your side, why wouldn’t you try reasoning with them in a respectful, mature manner?

Another issue I have with this is how President Trump has been fixated on both Hillary Clinton, as well as the results of the 2016 presidential election and his inauguration crowd size. These should be small potatoes to Trump, who, as he was so determined to do, won the election.

He should be shifting his focus from campaign issues to national and global issues. This .gif only reinforces the fact that he is having a difficult time moving on and, in turn, performing his presidential duties to his fullest ability.

Honestly, I can say that if Trump were not president, I would not even care if he retweeted this. The bottom line is that he is no longer the private figure he once was. He is now the President of the United States, and is to be held at a higher standard.

Each president should constantly be raising the bar for their successors, not pulling it down as Trump has been doing through actions like this. America does not need 71-year-old men retweeting juvenile .gifs of them assaulting others leading our country. America needs a president who is bigger than that. His supporters can send him these memes all they wish, but ultimately, the fact that he opted to retweet it speaks volumes for his character.