Trump Is upholding the Constitution by calling out its weaknesses

When asked in May if he needed to uphold the U.S. Constitution, President Donald Trump responded, “I don’t know.”

That answer seemed to shock many, but perhaps it shouldn’t have. Rather than signaling disregard, Trump’s response reflected a rare, if blunt, honesty about the serious constitutional flaws that have allowed our federal government to grow unbounded and fiscally reckless.

To question whether one can fully uphold something so deeply compromised is not a betrayal. Instead, it is a challenge to do better.

It is easy to argue that Trump must preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, no matter what. That oath is solemn, and it matters. So does the substance of the document he and every president and other government officials have sworn to uphold.

But the Constitution has be