For a brief moment Thursday, President Donald Trump gave the world a glimpse of his capacity for reasoned calm.
The Wall Street Journal had posted an interview in which Trump came across as insightful and philosophical. Other news outlets were reporting progress on an immigration bill the president had promised to sign.
Then something hit the fan.
In a meeting with lawmakers about the proposed immigration legislation, Trump stunned visitors with a nasty, vulgar comment about immigrants from Haiti and African countries, The Washington Post reported. Trump wanted to know why the United States should accept immigrants from "sh___ countries."
Trump's comment _ made in the Oval Office, leaked to the Post and not denied by the White House _ is offensive and insulting to all Americans. It's insulting to all immigrants to this country, to all people of all nations. Most Americans, after all, arrived on these shores as "wretched refuse," as a Statue of Liberty plaque proclaims.
What Trump said is beneath the dignity of the highest office of the land. But it isn't surprising. His Twitter feed is a cesspool of negative thoughts uploaded directly from the president's raging id.
Trump has a boorish streak, a lack of respect for others and limited self-control. He should have recognized what he said was inappropriate and would be leaked. The president owes the country an apology.
