EDITORIAL: Trump didn’t ruin Easter any more than tax-deadline Tuesday

April 17--President Trump should release his tax returns. Furthermore, he should not ridicule those who felt strongly enough about it to protest. They are his constituents and if he disagrees with them, he should do it respectfully, not disdainfully like he did Sunday on Twitter.

For those who don't already know, Trump tweeted a "Happy Easter," then attacked the weekend tax protests as "small" (they weren't) and paid for secretly (ridiculous; George Soros is only a billionaire). Then he repeated that he won the election and falsely inflated his victory margin for the umpteenth time, as if the election were a referendum against transparency (it wasn't).

Many of his critics noted he attacked the protesters on Twitter on Easter Sunday of all days. More than a few accused him of ruining Easter. This is a silly assertion that undermines and distracts from the real issue -- that he should be as open with the American people about his personal finances as every president since Richard for-gosh-sake Nixon has been.

Trump's behavior was consistent with what happens the other 364 days of the year. That it occurred Easter Sunday is irrelevant. It did not affect the celebration of Easter in any way. Trump was disrespectful, but not toward Easter.

He was disrespectful toward the protesters and, frankly, toward all Americans, including those who voted for him and don't care that he hasn't released his tax returns. His tweets showed his continued rejection of the concept that he has a responsibility to earn the people's trust and to serve them rather than himself. This is not a partisan issue. Any president should feel, acknowledge and embrace the responsibility to serve rather than be served, like Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan did.

But to seize upon the timing -- Easter -- and to attach a special significance as if the other 364 days didn't matter is disingenuous of Trump's critics. It's as bogus as the assertion that no Syrian refugees should be admitted to the United States until every last homeless veteran is no longer homeless. Or, on a more local level, that no dog park should be built or municipal swimming pool filled with water and staffed with lifeguards until the street pavement throughout the city is flawless.

If Trump is to be blamed for ruining Easter, it should not be because his inappropriate tweets were all the more inappropriate because he tweeted them on Easter Sunday. He can be blamed for stifling the flow of Mexican tourists who traditionally come to the United States to shop, celebrate Easter and return home. The Los Angeles Times reported a 7 percent decline in visits from Mexico to the United States, accounting for a direct loss to the U.S. economy of $1.1 billion. Those losses are expected to rise to $1.6 billion next year.

They are attributed to Mexicans' reaction to anti-Mexican sentiment encouraged by Trump's campaign rhetoric and immigration policies. The Times quoted an upscale Mexican man whose previous tradition was to celebrate the Easter holiday in San Antonio, San Francisco or New York, spending about $1,000 a day. He told the Times he has decided not to come back until Trump is out of office and the prevailing attitude changes. The man also has stopped buying products imported from the United States.

But even this doesn't equate to ruining Easter. Trump's disrespect toward Mexico is year round and will have year-round consequences. Likewise, his Twitter attack on the tax protesters happened on Easter Sunday only because the protests occurred Easter weekend. His refusal to share his tax returns is just as significant and relevant, if not more so, on tax deadline Tuesday.

___

(c)2017 the Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, Texas)

Visit the Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, Texas) at www.caller.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.