Look what happened. Shows how much character he has. There are no publicized and popularized examples of outstanding character in our culture. Do not look to politics for examples of character. Character does not win elections.
Displaying character has the unfortunate outcome of unpopularity.
Making moral and ethical unpopular decisions in the face of public or international opinion and actually taking accountability for those actions makes people unpopular. It is a sad state of affairs. I agree with you about the character of our country. It is going downhill fast. Our public education is a disaster.