Thread by @brianklaas

1. A few thoughts as Trump goes off to D-Day commemorations.

When I was 19, I visited the beaches of Normandy and the cemeteries there. It was like a gut punch seeing all the young men buried there who were younger than me at the time. Just kids. I was in awe of their sacrifice.

2. That sacrifice can never be repaid, but it was clearly worth it. The sacrifices made that day helped to erase an order dominated by fascist dictators. It forged alliances that created the foundation of the post-war international order & peace. It made the world much better.

3. Today, America’s closest alliances — and the international order that the United States carefully designed — are under attack. But this time, the attack isn’t coming from a foreign tyrant. They are under attack from the White House.

4. 75 years ago, D-Day was about standing with allies, standing up to dictators, and defeating fascism. Today, Trump fawns over dictators, bashes allies, and gives a platform to neo-fascists.

5. 75 years ago, D-Day was about selfless sacrifice in pursuit of something larger than any one man. Today, nothing is larger in Trump’s mind than himself and he doesn’t understand the meaning of selflessness.

6. It’s telling that, as he heads off to commemorate D-Day, he is tweeting insults about Bette Midler and, yet again, claiming that he, the President of the United States, a man born rich from inheritance, who dodged the draft, is a victim that we should feel sorry for.

7. The good news is that America is bigger than one amoral narcissist. It’s a constant struggle, but America can live up to its ideals. But to do so, it must reject the unmoored selfishness and egotism of a man who thinks values can only refer to prices.

8. I’ll never forget being on beaches in Normandy that were covered in blood 75 years ago and seeing the grave stones of young men who were shipped off to die on a foreign battlefield. I hope that we can make decisions that do a better job of honoring their sacrifice.