Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies. – Groucho Marx.
Along with all his other factory defects, this saying describes Trump as a politician pretty well. What it does not say about him is the insulting and threatening way he applies his wayward policies via executive orders, ‘Truth’ Social posts or demands on the stump.
Then of course, there is the reversal of his position, sometimes multiple times. In a recent example, earlier in this term he stated that he would “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas because they were stealing America’s technology. This Monday, he did a complete volte-face, or is it a volte-farce, when he welcomed Chinese students but was ambivalent about the French just because he dislikes President Micron. In fact, every time they meet, he gets into a pissing contest with an endless who-has-the-manliest handshake.
Throughout his life Trump has used his wealth and thick skin to exaggerate, lie and bully everyone he has had business dealings with. In 2016 he suddenly found himself CEO of the biggest corporation in the world, USA Inc. He created a shambles then but he still had his training wheels on. After he lost to Biden, he spent four years having a pity party while marinating in his grievances and applying Mac sauce on his bone spurs. All the while he was building up a head of steam and had the support of Project 2025 with their 1000-page manifesto of how to govern America outside of the legal system and every rule, regulation and norm that has restrained every President before him. Basically his approach is, “I don’t give a F%$K!” After all, his toadies in the Supreme Court had his back when they ruled that he had immunity as long as his actions had something vaguely to do with being President.
Having created a cabinet of unqualified dingleberries[1] prepared to do anything, he has attacked his political enemies, real or imaginary, bombed Iran’s nuclear program into oblivion, made enemies of America’s strongest ally, Canada, alienated most western democracies, ignited a tariff war, sometimes for non-technical reasons, which is not his right under American or international law, pardoned Jan 6 insurrectionists and election officials trying to carry out his illegal wishes, gutted just about every Federal agency responsible for keeping America sane and safe – medically, environmentally, educationally, flying safely, predicting the weather correctly – and has sicced the Justice Department on everyone and everything he does not like, particularly immigrants. All the while he dares all the courts up to the Supreme Court to rein him in. He has halted all programs to provide clean energy while China adds more solar annually than what exists in America. He has withheld grants from top universities which he dislikes and opines that he knows better than engineers that old-tech steam catapults are best.
He is a President without precedent. All around him is chaos, dysfunction and mayhem. Yet he continues to live his King Midas dream while everything he touches proves to be fool’s gold.
[1] Dingleberry – a small piece of dried faeces clinging to the hair around the anus of an animal or person.