For purposes of discussion, let’s say that there are four broad categories where Donald Trump is concerned—those who adore him, those who merely tolerate him, those who think he’s a clown and those who know he’s a clown but pretend that he’s perfectly normal and, of course, The President, entitled to all the honor and respect that goes with the office.

In order to maintain the pretense that The President is normal, those who maintain that position have to hold certain beliefs.

They have to:

Disregard his repeated subservience to Russia and its ruler, Vladimir Putin, despite all the evidence marshaled by American intelligence agencies that Russia sought to undermine the 2016 election, and that it’s preparing to do the same thing in 2020.

Disregard his public denigration of men and women who he has appointed to public positions, including his Attorney General, his Secretary of State, his Secretary of Defense, his Secretary of Homeland Security, the Chief Justice of the United States, his Director of National Intelligence, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and on and on.

Overlook his repeated public criticism of long-standing allies of the United States while praising the autocratic regimes of American adversaries like the Soviet Union and North Korea.

Overlook his excusing North Korea’s several violations of U.N. resolutions because he trusts North Korea’s murderous leader.

Overlook his failure to say anything critical of the Saudi Arabian government in the face of assertions by American intelligence agencies that the Saudi crown prince bears responsibility for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who lived in the United States.

Ignore repeated instances of Donald Trump’s enriching himself at public expense byy using his properties to vacation so that the considerable number of staff and security traveling with him stay there as well—with the U.S. government paying the bill.

Justify a variety of his policies including a trade war with China being conducted without any apparent strategy at significant cost and damage to American consumers, manufacturers and farmers.

Ignore his attacks on a Republican and Democratic Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and Minority Leader, two committee chairmen of the House of Representatives and four female members of the House.

Ignore his encouraging a foreign government to deny entry to two member of the House of Representatives.

Ignore his implicit of white nationalist groups.

Ignore repeated attacks on four female members of Congress.

Ignore innumerable public comments widely perceived to be racist.

Ignore the thousands of Trump’s persistent, repeated lies and fabrications that continue to flood the public airwaves and Internet.

Ignore the contradictory statements Trump makes within months, weeks, days, hours and minutes.

Ignore the increasing indications that Trump is either mentally ill or demented.

Ignore the steps he has taken to not only reverse the prevention of climate change but accelerate it.

When Barack Obama was President, he was roundly criticized by Republican congressmen and senators as “leading from behind” because of his efforts to curtail America’s role as the international keeper of the peace. Trump is a literal no show at important international meetings, and when he does appear, he makes no effort to lead at all, either from in front or behind. The response from those same congressmen and senators?—absolute, total silence.

Where in the face of this bizarre, destructive, subversive behavior is the outrage from those who were so outspoken four, five and six years ago? Where is the criticism of his undignified, irrational, embarrassing antics?

The Emperor appears naked in public, but his retinue continues to maintain that he is garbed in the finest apparel, perhaps slightly “different” from his predecessors, but still entirely “normal”.

When will see any sign of courage from public officials sworn to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic”?

Here is the stark fact: The President of the United States has life or death power at his instant command. Do we want to entrust our lives, our children’s and grandchildren’s lives to someone so demonstrably unsuited to having that kind of power?

When will his official supporters say in public what they concede in private and stop pretending that what we are witnessing on a daily basis is normal?