President Trump is Our ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’

President Trump is Our ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’: Over a century ago, scientist John Scott Haldane, recognizing the danger of carbon monoxide in coal mines, introduced the use of pet canaries as an early warning system for miners.  The concept caught on quickly, and for three-quarters of a century, coal miners would come to trust their pet "canary in the coal mine" as their potential lifesaver: carbon monoxide would kill the bird first, giving the men time to escape the mine before the deadly gas could get them, too.

Former President Donald J. Trump is the Republican Party's canary.