# Is Trump, plain and simple, a traitor to his country?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-plain-and-simple-a-traitor-to-his-country/818154>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 18, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-plain-and-simple-a-traitor-to-his-country/818154 "2018-07-18T16:37:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 379

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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-plain-and-simple-a-traitor-to-his-country/818154/379 "2018-07-24T18:48:23Z")

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> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> We’ve already been over this ground. Merriam-Webster may not have defined it in a way that meets your exacting and particular standards , but they defined it, and [I’ve given that as the definition I’m using here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21093469&postcount=28). So please do not say again that I haven’t defined it.

You haven’t defined it – because your proposed definition contains words that you haven’t defined. Specifically, you claim he’s undermined America’s interests, but you haven’t explained either what those interests are, or (to the extent you have explained them) you haven’t explained what OTHER interests are implicated, what the balancing weights assigned to each are, and why your view of those weights is the authority here.

Just a few days ago, in a thread questioning a choice President Obama made, I said:

> [@Why did Obama issue a "stand down" order of counter-cyber activities targeted at Russia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-obama-issue-a-stand-down-order-of-counter-cyber-activities-targeted-at-russia/818217/24):
>
> This.
> 
> As President, Obama has a legitimate role (in concert with Congress) in determining what United States’ foreign policy should be, and also the ultimate role in weighing and balancing competing harms and arriving at a compromise.
> 
> Obama had, in other words, every right to say, “This is bad, but upsetting the apple cart would be worse,” and issuing the direction in question.

Does your definition of “traitor,” mean ANY act against America’s interests? Or does it make room for an act that may run counter to some of America’s interests in service of supporting another of America’s interests? If the latter, does Trump have the same authority as Obama did?

See? You haven’t defined ‘traitor,’ except by words that still permit slippery, undefined equivocation.

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