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My late maternal grandmother — we called her Mawmaw — used to admonish her grandkids when we said something cruel with a simple retort: Jesus doesn’t like ugly. Donald J. Trump would have benefited from knowing my Mawmaw.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller died over the weekend at the age of 81, leaving behind a career that spanned war, national security crises, and one of the most politically contentious investigations in modern American history.
The president of the United States took to his Truth Social account upon hearing the news, writing: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
That’s disappointing, cruel, and the antithesis of what it means to be presidential.
Born in New York City in 1944 and raised in the Philadelphia area, Mueller graduated from Princeton University before serving as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He led a rifle platoon in combat and was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and several other decorations. After returning home, Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and began what would become a long career as a federal prosecutor.
Over the next three decades, Mueller worked in a variety of senior roles within the Justice Department. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney in both San Francisco and Boston, later becoming chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and eventually U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. His work frequently involved complex national security and organized crime cases.
In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Mueller as director of the FBI. He took office just one week before the September 11 terrorist attacks. The events of that day reshaped the bureau’s mission, and Mueller spent much of his tenure transforming the FBI into a more intelligence-driven agency focused heavily on counterterrorism. Congress later granted him a special two-year extension, allowing him to serve a total of 12 years as director.
Mueller returned to public prominence in 2017 when he was appointed special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation resulted in dozens of indictments and confirmed that Russia attempted to influence the election, though Mueller concluded the evidence did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. His report also examined potential obstruction of justice by President Trump, ultimately leaving the political implications of that question to Congress.
Trump clearly didn’t like Mueller. That’s fine. Most of us know people we dislike or strongly disagree with. But disliking someone does not justify celebrating their death.
Statements like the one Trump made — and many others he has made in the past — portray a man filled with resentment toward those he sees as enemies. That’s not good for the country, and frankly, it’s not good for Mr. Trump.
Left unchecked, hatred destroys a person from within. Abraham Lincoln once warned that an unforgiven grievance can slowly consume a person until it eats away at them from the inside. Trump sometimes seems dangerously close to that edge.
Perhaps worse, many of Trump’s lieutenants appear unwilling to speak honestly about his shortcomings — even when those shortcomings are obvious.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked about the president’s post. Bessent responded by recalling the Mar-a-Lago search, saying he had once watched Trump react to video of what he described as an “illegal raid” on the property.
“I watched the look in his eye,” Bessent said, “and I think that neither one of us can understand what has been done to the president and to his family.”
When the anchor pointed out that the search was tied to Special Counsel Jack Smith — not Robert Mueller — Bessent brushed past the correction and continued defending Trump.
“I think that we should all have a little empathy for what has been done to him and his family,” Bessent added.
Empathy, however, does not erase responsibility.
Trump has shown time and again — from the infamous locker-room tape to comments like the one about Mueller — that he struggles with a basic rule many of us were taught by our mothers: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
None of this should prevent Americans from hoping the president succeeds. His successes are America’s successes. He is, after all, our president.
But it’s not hard to see why many Americans hesitate to offer him their full support — especially parents.
One day, my children may ask whether I supported the president. I will answer yes, under the rationale just expressed.
And thankfully, I will also be able to look them in the eye and say that I never voted for him and explain why.