President Trump spoke appropriately in expressing “sadness, shock and grief.” He dubbed the shooting as an act of “evil” and praised the speed of the response by police and first responders as “miraculous.” His appeals to unity and the “ties of community” were aptly chosen and soberly delivered. And yet, his reputation as a provocateur and angry accuser now colors how many of us absorb his response. His frequent resort to race-baiting and contrived controversy lessens his effectiveness, and his erratic personality virtually ensures that in hours or days he will be back to his old stunts. His sincerity about unifying the country is immediately called into question.

Trump lacks the emotional stability to reduce emotions over the long haul. He lacks the intellectual sobriety to grapple with complicated, contentious issues. And we suspect he’ll soon return to senseless tweets and outbursts about the mayor of Puerto Rico, the press, Muslim immigrants, the NFL and the American flag, mention of which in remarks following a shooting would be unremarkable for any other president but sound like a dig at his adversaries coming from him.