Trump's comments on Kim represent a nauseating betrayal of American values

Trump's North Korea performance is bad enough on its own. Add the jarring, unwarranted mistreatment of our closest allies, before, during and after the G7 economic summit. Add the jarring, unwarranted suggestion that Russia -- the country that meddled in the 2016 election, on Trump's behalf; the country that the United States and others have just penalized for trying to assassinate a former spy -- should be invited back into the G7.

And add, if your stomach isn't already churning, what is happening on the home front. Parents are being separated from their children in the service of deterring illegal border crossings -- and with the false excuse that it is "the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats." One Honduran woman claimed that immigration agents took her daughter while she was breastfeeding. Others have been told, chillingly, that their children are being taken off to bathe, only to have them disappear. It is hard to believe I am typing these words, about my own country.

And it's almost as hard to believe that spineless Republicans acquiesce in the behavior of a president who, again this week, asserted that "Our Country's biggest enemy is the Fake News." There are episodic, ineffective bleats of protest from lame-duck lawmakers with no election left to lose.

But as the results of Tuesday's primary elections made clear, the Grand Old Party has degenerated into the Don't Poke the Bear Party. Elected officials, as soon-to-be-former Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., can tell you, cross Trump at their peril.

Wednesday's chilling message from the chair of the Republican National Committee: "Anyone that does not embrace the agenda of making America great again will be making a mistake." Proving the point made by departing Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, that Republicans "have a cult-like situation as it relates to a President that happens to be purportedly of the same party."

Meanwhile, the president of what was formerly known as the party of Lincoln cheers the election of Corey Stewart, a white supremacist sympathizer, to be the Republican Senate candidate in Virginia.

The word sickening is not strong enough.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.