This is what the President of the United States tweeted yesterday:

The above tweet was removed and replaced by the following:

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

What kind of President calls legitimate news organizations the enemy of the American People? Our free press is one of the most important components of our Democracy. All news organizations are capable of error and bias, but those cited by Trump are not our enemies.

Trump constantly complains about “fake news”, but rarely provides any evidence. Facts that don’t depict him in a positive manner are always fake. Yet ironically, he has a prolific record as a promoter of falsehoods, such as his questioning of President Obama’s citizenship and his recent claims of voter fraud. He frequently practices psychological projection, deflecting his own negative qualities by attributing them to others.

An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that @BarackObama‘s birth certificate is a fraud.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012

Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

Why is Donald Trump working overtime to discredit the press? Is it just his usual criticism of any negative portrayal? Is it because he doesn’t like the accurate description of his February 17 presser as a rambling, defensive, incoherent mess? Or is it because he suspects the press is on to something about his Russian ties, and wants to diminish the impact of any evidence of a conspiracy they might find?

In his original deleted tweet, he writes:

“The FAKE NEWS media is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People. SICK!”

Allow me to offer a more accurate re-write:

“The FAKE PRESIDENT is his own worst enemy, and is the enemy of the American People and our Democracy. SICK!”

In just a few weeks in office, Trump’s constant attacking the press is just one of a multitude of troubling actions and inactions diminishing the stability and safety of our government, our people and our Democracy. All of this raises serious questions about the President’s mental/emotional health, his competence and integrity.

Congressional Republicans have been publicly quiet about this ongoing Presidential train wreck. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue that is fast becoming an American disaster. It’s time for all elected leaders to stand up and demand a standard of conduct, competence and integrity from Donald Trump that is worthy of the office he holds and the American people he serves.