Trump in a mismatch

He is about to become the president of the United States and the leader of the free world, but Donald Trump just can’t stop himself from acting like his most prominent role still is as host of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Trump is getting some very bad advice from grown-ups around him who ought to know better — or perhaps he’s not getting any advice at all. All of his tweeting needs to stop. There are far more grave concerns for him at this point than in blasting his critics at every turn. It is undignified and unprofessional.

As an exchange with the esteemed actress Meryl Streep — who criticized Trump’s behavior on the Golden Globe Awards earlier this week — demonstrates, the president-elect needs to get down to preparing himself for the most difficult job on the planet. And, by the way, if he reacts in this way to the scolding of one actress, it’s disquieting to think what he might do if his friend Vladimir Putin offers criticism of an American ally or even the White House itself.

Yes, some might argue it’s time for the Hollywood elite to tone down the public criticisms of Trump, not because the actors and actresses and producers and directors are wrong, necessarily, but because Trump won the election and is going to be their president as well as everyone else’s president. But it is Trump who has the responsibility to rise above criticism, as every president must do.

This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Trump in a mismatch."