You seem to suggest that we just keep our mouths shut when our president does things that we don't like. This isn't new, every president has endured criticism, most with some degree of grace. But we have a government of, for and by the people, and our Constitution recognizes that such a government can't exist without freedom of speech. Some of that speech is negative, an expressed disapproval of actions by elected representatives that cause harm or perceived harm to one or another group of citizens. We expect people to take sides on common issues. We also expect citizens to do so peacefully, within the law.

Michael Gerson has long been a supporter and apologist for the Republican mainstream. Gerson has never supported Trump, who is an outsider, politically speaking. In this essay Gerson talks about the worst consequences of political polarization. Gerson points out that Trump was a divisive candidate, and that's plainly true. The positive implication is that Trump should cut it out.