(CNN)Donald Trump did something this week that he had never done before during this campaign, at least not publicly: He spoke eloquently about American values.
The entirety of the foreign policy speech he gave Monday in Youngstown, Ohio, did not exactly offer new ideas. But when Trump explained his plan for restricting immigration he inadvertently gave voters something extremely useful: a guide for choosing the next president of the United States.
"We must," he said, "screen out any who have hostile attitudes towards our country or its principles."
Exactly.
Trump meant this as part of his "extreme vetting" plan to keep the wrong people from immigrating to America. But the idea makes even more sense when screening the candidates for the presidency. And unfortunately for Trump, this screening tool wouldn"t do anything for his chances.
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It"s an admirable idea, undercut by Trump"s own rhetoric. Trump"s troubling attitudes toward women, for example, are well documented. He has discussed a 10-point scale for women based on their sex appeal and has an extensive record of insulting them. That has translated into dismal approval ratings among women voters -- more than 80% of women say he doesn"t show enough respect for people he disagrees with, and 70% of women have an unfavorable opinion of him.
When it comes to gay Americans, Trump has tried to have it both ways, vowing to be their protector while presiding over a Republican convention with a virulently anti-gay platform. He also chose a running mate, Mike Pence, with one of the worst records in the country when it comes to ensuring equal rights for LGBT citizens.
Yes, Trump did a good job in his speech this week of distilling some of the most important elements of America"s values -- a rejection of bigotry, equal treatment for all citizens, freedom from oppression, and a clear rejection of hatred for members of minorities. The problem is that time and again, Trump has turned his back on many of these very same principles -- and encouraged his followers to do the same.
Still, Trump has done voters a huge favor. He has reminded America what it stands for, and provided a template for deciding which candidate is more likely to embrace these fine principles. The trouble for Trump is that he is clearly not that candidate.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/16/opinions/trump-citizen-test-ghitis/index.html
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