This morning began with what has become a Washington ritual.  We all wake by the chirp of a morning presidential tweet and brace ourselves for what follows. Even with past tweet controversies, this morning’s missive was breathtaking.   President Donald Trump attacked the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe show in a pair of tweets that included a highly disturbing attack on co-host  Mika Brzezinski.  The tweet was not simply unpresidential, it was unhinged and inexcusable.

Notably, about a half hour before Trump’s tweets, White House Director of Social Media Dan Scavino tweeted: “#DumbAsARockMika and lover #JealousJoe are lost, confused & saddened since @POTUS @realDonaldTrump stopped returning their calls! Unhinged.”

Then, while the show was on the air, Trump attacked the show for being “poorly rated” and called the hosts names.    The first tweet was posted at 8:52 am”

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

Just for the record, Morning Joe recently hit an all-time high in viewership.

As many of you know, I am a regular on the show.  Notably, I have been one of those commentators who have been questioning the basis for criminal allegations against Trump as well as the calls for impeachment. I further have argued that the law is on Trump’s side on the immigration order.  Yet, I have been regularly asked to appear on the show by Joe and Mika.  Indeed, Joe has also questioned the basis for the lower court orders against the Trump Administration.  It is certainly true that there is much criticism of Trump on the show, but that is hardly a distinguishing characteristic from other shows on other networks.  Moreover, I have never met anyone who questioned the intelligence or stability of Mika. Indeed, even to write that line seems perfectly bizarre.

Yet, this is not about refuting allegations that the respected hosts are “crazy” or “psycho.”  It is about the standards that are expected of not just a president but an adult in a civil society.  This falls considerably short of that standard.

It then (as is often the case) went from bad to worse with the second tweet on the face lift.

Once again, I fail to understand the motivation or even the meaning behind these tweets. While they may thrill the lowest common denominator of our country, most of us recoil from such attacks. I have raised four children that they must remain civil and respectful in their dealings with other people, including those who criticize you.  Indeed, I tell them what my father taught me: you have only one unbreakable commitment in this family, you must pass along the family name in as good or better shape than you received it.  That means maintaining your dignity and civility in any circumstance, particularly when others might yield to the temptation of personal or petty attacks.  That is why I do not find White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders response very compelling: “This is a president who fights fire with fire.” There are no excuses for name calling or petty attacks. That is the test of every adult — to maintain decorum and civility regardless of the circumstance (even when others may call you names or insult you).

Republican leaders to their credit have already denounced the tweets as have Fox anchors and conservative commentators on publications like the National Review.  Sen. Lindsey Graham is quoted as saying “Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.” Others including Speaker Paul Ryan have followed suit and said that this is not acceptable for any president:

At a time when the White House needs every Republican vote to achieve meaningful reforms, these shocking tweets are causing considerable damage below the waterline of the Administration.  As with the tweets during the litigation, Trump has become the main witness against himself.  What is particularly interesting is that this has been a difficult week for CNN after retracting a story and having both a producer and a host taped privately questioning the Russian investigation stories.  This will succeed in reducing that pressure as everyone covers the latest personal attack on Twitter.  Each of these tweets unnerves Republican allies about the work ahead and trusting the White House to lead them into the mid-term elections.  That should not, however, be the criteria.  These tweets are deeply troubling and beneath the office of the President of the United States.