Newspaper editorials bashing President Donald Trump are a daily occurrence. But an op-ed by the USA Today editorial board earlier this month turned things up more than a few notches. It also proved that many of the president's biggest critics continue to undermine their attacks by sinking to his level.

Responding to Trump's tweet claiming that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand would "do anything" for a campaign donation," the editorial accused him of hitting rock bottom and being unfit for office.

The key line in the column speaks for itself:

A president who'd all but call a senator a whore is unfit to clean toilets in Obama's presidential library or to shine George W. Bush's shoes.

Let's not be naïve. Love or hate Trump, the editorial made very good points about his incivility and disrespectful tone which adds to the already ugly level of discourse in this country.

This president takes advantage of the most powerful messaging platform in history. He not only has 44.8 million Twitter followers, but his every word is publicized and scrutinized.

Sadly, he routinely uses that attention to take potshots at his rivals and rarely takes the high road. Whether he's sticking it to Mika Brzezinski for "bleeding badly from a face-lift" or attacking senators from both parties, the national discourse suffers when he keeps in the gutter.

For that, he shouldn't get a pass.

But most of the correct points USA Today made about that issue were lost in a self-made haze of naked opportunism. These are failings that not only undermine this particular editorial, but a great deal of anti-Trump criticism.

The essay first fails when it trashes Trump's lowly behavior, and then matches it with equally low discourse about Trump cleaning toilets.