Yesterday, I gave Democratic commentators a hard time for some of their reactions to Trump’s Veterans Day message, saying they were counterproductive. Today, it’s time to give Trump a hard time for his Veterans Day message. The featured link is from Matt Lewis, and I picked it for two reasons.

The first is a little odd, yet it’s something I notice more and more and think is worth pointing out. The picture at the top of Lewis’s column is, put kindly, unnecessarily over-the-top. And yet it’s still there to tee up an otherwise serious piece, unnecessarily limiting its audience to the proverbial choir rather than expanding it to those otherwise receptive to what it might say. The Daily Beast does this kind of thing to all their stories, and it’s part of the reason I don’t check the site much anymore. But this practice isn’t just limited to The Daily Beast. Think of all the commentary critical of politicians you read in countless other publications. They all, more often than not, stamp an unflattering picture of the person at the top. Was a decent stock photo really that hard to come by? It’s an unserious way of dealing with a serious topic, and I don’t understand why editors allow it. All this is to say, if editors can’t do a better job of restraining themselves, it’s up to the reader to divorce the image from the editorial. Or at least be aware of the image’s intended effect.

Now that that’s done, the second reason I chose Lewis’ column denouncing Trump is Lewis is a Republican, and so his criticism should hopefully carry some extra weight for those in his party. There’s been a raft of news recently about Trump’s plans for his opponents should he reclaim the presidency, and his Veterans Day speech and “truth” post would seem to confirm those unsavory reports. Lewis wants no part of it. It’s worth noting he’s not putting words in Trump’s mouth. He’s not talking about dog whistles or trying to read between the former president’s lines. Lewis is quoting the man, warning us Trump is telling us his plans for the government and his opponents. A generous person might say Trump is known to exaggerate. That’s true, but it’s also true Trump exaggerates to see what boundaries can be pushed, what ground he might claim. It’s not appealing behavior in anyone, let alone someone looking to be the most powerful person in the world.