Faced with a newly elected Congress, including the small group of radical Democrats that he attacked at the weekend, President Trump issued the traditional call for unity in his state of the union address back in February. “Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history,” he said then, surveying the most diverse US Congress in history, even as the House of Representatives changed hands to his political foes. “We must choose whether we are defined by our differences, or whether we dare to transcend them.”They were fine words, as Mr Trump’s scripted speeches often are. But five months and various unscripted tweets later, he showed his choice was to revert to the divisive rhetoric that scores well with some of his…

Source: The Times July 15, 2019 16:08 UTC