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Keller @ Large: President Trump Failing As Role Model

BOSTON (CBS) - If you're a parent, a grandparent, a big sister or brother, or any sort of authority figure in someone else's life, you are a key role model others look to for guidance on how to behave, where the boundaries are, what makes a good person.

And however imperfectly you perform that role, because none of us is perfect, you know you've got to think about what you say and do, lest you send that person looking up to you the wrong message.

Being President of the United States certainly falls into this category, but President Trump apparently didn't get the memo. Despite occasional speeches promising to "bring us together," the president can't seem to stop using his Twitter feed to promote racially and ethnically divisive rhetoric.

Perhaps the worst example of this so far happened early Wednesday morning, when Mr. Trump re-tweeted three videos promoted by a fringe anti-Muslim hate group in England purporting to show Muslims attacking non-Muslims and slandering Christianity. Top British officials are furious. People who work hard to keep Islamic extremism from poisoning relations between Muslims and other are appalled.

The only ones who seem happy are the British Muslim-haters and David Duke, the former KKK leader, who tweeted his approval.

Pathetically, presidential press secretary Sarah Sanders tried to pass this off as the president guiding the debate over border security, but that patently bogus spin just makes things worse.

Leaders need to set a good example.

This was an example of selfish, clueless, potentially dangerous pot-stirring from a president who has yet to prove up to his role model responsibility.

We'd like to hear your feedback. You can reach me by email at keller@wbztv.com, or you can reach me on Twitter, @kelleratlarge.

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