Corrosion, Chaos, and Corruption
What the Trump Presidency 2.0 will bring the nation and the world
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Note to readers: I apolgize for my long absence. Dealing with personal matters and a mysterious fatigue proved to be an obstacle to writing. The new year has brought renewed energy.
It may be perplexing to the rational mind, but Donald Trump, the 34-count convicted felon, twice-impeached former President, and instigator of a failed insurrection, has returned to the White House. He enters office not having won a majority but with a stated program of change and retribution: more tariffs, mass deportations, tax cuts, attacks on the civil service, and vengeful prosecutions of his perceived political enemies. Recalling his first-term promise to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it, how much of his hyperbolic bluster should we believe? His history tells us he never strays far from his core con man nature and his tendency to see all interactions as zero-sum transactions. His profound ignorance and indolent nature are the only constraints on his narcissistic need for attention. Rather than making America great, he is likely to do the opposite. He is the personification of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s statement that “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice”.
Corrosion
Flouting the traditional norms of political behavior is a hallmark of Trump’s public persona. Whether it is the childish nicknames bestowed on those who displease him or the social media attacks on critics, Trump degrades public discourse to a shocking level.1 Attempts to hold him accountable for his actions have been futile: The Republican-controlled Senate declined to convict him in either of his two first-term impeachment trials; and in his four-year absence from office, Trump thwarted the prosecutions for his most egregious transgressions- inciting the January 6 insurrection and the heist of government documents. His legal wiggling delayed proceedings until the Supreme Court gifted him a get-out-of-jail-free card with its presidential immunity ruling. Even his conviction on 34 felony counts in New York was effectively rendered meaningless when the judge issued an ‘unconditional discharge” sentence. Clear evidence of his corrosion of the criminal justice system was on full display when Federal District Court Judge Eileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the documents’ case against him on specious grounds. It is a bizarre irony that we elected a man to uphold the law who sees himself above the law.
Trump’s penchant for outlandish claims and promises leads one to believe he is either a grifting charlatan or ignorant of objective reality. Does he believe the things he says and does he intend to keep the promises he makes? No matter, since the result is the conditioning of a susceptible segment of the population to accept his version of events. He has been in office for more than the one day he claimed he needed to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine without any indication of an agreement. Less we forget, during the Presidential debate, he stated without evidence that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating cats and dogs. And after last fall’s hurricanes brought flooding to western North Carolina, he falsely claimed that FEMA diverted aid from Republican areas to illegal immigrants.
This is not normal Presidential conduct.
Chaos
The games, so to speak, began before his inauguration, as the President-elect floated several zany ideas: taking over Greenland (the large Artic island that is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark), seizing control of the Panama Canal by force, if necessary, and annexing Canada as the 51st state. Foreign leaders publically trolled him. Elizabeth May, a member of Canada’s Green Party, invited California, Oregon, and Washington to become part of Canada. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested in a cutting public statement that the US should be called “América Mexicana” as it was in the 16th Century.
In his first hours back on the job ,2 Trump issued a flurry of executive orders, some of which are certain to be quickly met by lawsuits. His stated intention to end birthright citizenship, for example, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, would likely not withstand a court challenge. The transition of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) to an executive branch agency by renaming the White House’s U.S. Digital Service as DOGE faces a lawsuit over whether DOGE operated in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. And the order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America was laughable.
Any hope that Trump would staff his administration with qualified people was dashed by the platoon of egregiously unfit persons nominated as possible government officials.3 He seems bent on decimating the institutions of the world’s longest-enduring democracy until the United States is a full-fledged kakistocracy.4 By implementing Project 2025, the plan developed by right-wing ideologues at the Heritage Foundation, to systematically dismantle the Federal bureaucracy, Trump hopes to make the bulk of the independent civil service Presidential appointees.
Imagine agencies such as the National Weather Service and the FAA staffed by MAGA loyalists instead of experienced professionals: What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps the goal is to create enough governmental dysfunction that people lose faith in our civic institutions and come to rely on the Dear Leader.
Corruption: The American Plutocracy Enters, Stage Right
The corrosion of norms and the chaotic conduct of the people’s business pales when compared to the extent Trump has found the religion of the Silicon Valley techbros, no doubt mesmerized by their fabulous wealth: Forget “come to Jesus” - the President has had a “come to Elon” moment. Despite Trump’s populist puffery, the incoming administration has all the trappings of oligarchy… Or a more apt description would be plutocracy (government by the wealthy). Reports indicate he will bring thirteen billionaires into the government in various capacities.
The rich have always exerted influence over American politics. From the accommodation of the wealthy plantation owners of the South during the drafting of the Constitution to include slaves in state population counts to a hands-off (laissez-faire) government role in the economy as the country expanded geographically and entered the Industrial Age, wealthy elites sought favors from government on all levels. Wealthy business interests- industrialists, railroad tycoons, oil barons, and bankers- worked to ensure the government protected their interests and granted them preferential treatment. The result was a paucity of government oversight and regulation of the large corporations and trusts. Blatant anti-competitive behavior and financial scandals were common. Beginning with the Progressive movement in the late 19th Century, through the New Deal of FDR in the 1930s, and from the post-WWII period until the 1970s, reform was a matter of two-step-forward-one-step-back as reactionary forces worked to undo changes. The past 50 years marked the triumph of the faux-conservative revanchists who waged a five-decade campaign to control the levers of political power, a campaign conducted in plain sight. Efforts were made to loosen regulation and to engineer the appointment of conservative judges. A series of Supreme Court decisions turned electoral politics into a big-money game5. The outcomes were obvious: growing income and wealth inequality, dangerous financial practices (as in the 2008 collapse), and loss of faith that government acts in favor of the majority of its citizens.
This brings us to the 47th President. He is the ideal tool for this moment when the traditional oligarch cohort (banking, oil, and industrial tycoons) has been joined—and seemingly surpassed—by the tech billionaires of Silicon Valley. The Musks, the Zuckerbergs, and the Bezos’ have a place at the table. (Elon Musk will have an office in the Executive Office building.) The goal of the Titans of Tech is freedom from government regulation and control of future technologies. This includes not only their current businesses6, but Artificial Intelligence, and cryptocurrency. Who would be a better partner than the master of The Art of the Deal, the most powerful politician in the nation? And what is the chance that an avaricious Trump could resist the temptation to enrich himself through corrupt means?
We already have a clear picture. Musk spent a reported $277 billion on Trump’s campaign. Bezos, Zuckerberg, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman each contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Bezos’ Amazon paid First Lady Melania Trump $40 million to produce a documentary that will stream on Prime Video. Musk, a supporter of cryptocurrency, the alternative monetary system that trades on exchanges, has Trump’s ear. Early in January, both Trumps announced separate forays into crypto by releasing meme coins ($Trump and $Melania). All this has the whiff of an old-fashioned pump-and-dump scheme with insiders driving the price up.
It is easy to be skeptical of Trump’s marketing ploys. We’ve already been offered cheap merchandise sold at premium prices: Trump sneakers, Trump bibles, Trump guitars, Trump watches, Trump NFTs. In the past, there were Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump University, and Trump the board game. We can also be sure that the Secret Service will pay top dollar to rent rooms and golf carts when the Donald gets a round in at one of his clubs.
Corruption will be an ongoing feature of this Administration. It is happening now, right before our eyes.
Coda
In Joe Biden’s last address from the Oval Office, he offered this warning:
“I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous concern. And that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
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E.g. Miming oral sex with a microphone at a campaign rally.
Given his laziness, it is my opinion that Trump does not consider the Presidency to be a “job” in the sense most people understand it. During his first term, he found time to play 308 rounds of golf. His average work day over those 4 years was slightly more than 6 hours.
The announced nominees, a motley crew of bootlickers, wealthy donors, and right-wing tv personalities, were breathtaking in their unsuitability for public office: The ethically-challenged, party animal Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, Putin fangirl, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of the Office of National Intelligence; conspiracy theorist Kash Patel as head of the FBI; and Fox news personality/sexual abuser Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Gaetz, despite being re-elected in November, resigned from Congress the day he was nominated for AG by Trump to avoid having the House Ethics Committee release a report on his sexual escapades and drug use. He withdrew as a nominee a week later. Trump then nominated another MAGA loyalist, former Florida AG, Pam Bondi, in Gaetz’s place.
kakistocracy /kăk″ĭ-stŏk′rə-sē, kä″kĭ-/ noun
Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.
Government by the worst men.
Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition)
Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976): SCOTUS eliminated limits on campaign donations by certain groups by equating money with speech, thereby invoking the free speech doctrine of the First Amendment.
Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010): Court limitations on campaign expenditures by groups such as corporations and labor unions as prior restraint on free speech.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, is CEO of Telsa, an electric vehicle manufacturer that receives government subsidies. He also heads SpaceX, a rocket manufacturer contracted by NASA, and Starlink, a network of satellites providing Internet service. He also owns “X” (formerly Twitter), the social media platform, which serves as his personal propaganda tool.
Jeff Bezos, the world’s second richest person, is the founder of Amazon, the online marketplace and cloud computing giant. He is the owner of the Washington Post.
Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO and principal shareholder of META, the parent company of Facebook (which he founded) and Instagram.
Hope all's well with you and yours.
Instead of a 50 state, all hands on deck, send out the cabinet to campaign everywhere campaign, Biden decided to campaign himself and failed all of the above failing in debate and policy presentations to prove himself. So with his obvious physical aging and focus on policy instead of voter concerns with inflation and personal wellbeing, he withdrew having Harris step into the box. She assumed the DNC mantle instead of having a repeat convention and primary selection process and failed to talk to the lower classes, young voters, black men and Hispanic/Latino voter segments and lost. It didn't help that she focused on the swing states too. Her ethnicity and race and gender didn't help either. Any of a handful of governors or members of congress could have done better, but weren't given the chance. Major political malpractice.
Too little, too late could be the mantra of the Justice Department's handling of crimes by Trump. It took judicial giant, but administrative midget Merrick Garland eons to get prosecutions underway against classified document et al lawbreaking by The Donald. Not enough time to finish given self-imposed restraints on presidential campaign v. prosecution timing. Big error.
Give the Supreme Court kudos in protecting their majority by Trump appointees granting Trump unequalled immunity from prosecution doing his 'duties' as president. Conservatives v Liberals held sway easily. All 3 Trump appointees fell in line with the 2 corrupt Justices Thomas and Alito to overwhelm the moderate-liberal women Kagan, Sotomayer and Brown. Chief Justice Roberts was not in control of the process and outcome.
Fault the media as well, given their unequal attention to the frailties of Biden and Trump, their 'warfare' focus on 'battleground' states, chances of January 6 repetition, and Trump hogging of the spotlight. Pelosi did her party no favors insisting on Biden stepping down last minute and the media, in love with her as first female former Speaker, doted on her status instead of Biden's. The media were overwhelmed with Trump 'flood the airwaves' lies, nonsense and wackiness to the detriment of the immense good done over 4 years by Biden, despite mild inflationary prices. Also, the notion of individual voting was drowned by non-stop airtime and print inches of head to head combat by the principals. Voting isn't combat but you'd never know watching cable reporters and moderators. Reporters should not talk about right wing combat and moderate-leftist susceptibility to attack. Individuals were not repeatedly told about their safer roads and bridges starting to be repaired or built; they knew not why gasoline prices were still stubbornly high from international oil company greed (and where was the effect of USA leadership in oil production for 4 years), hence 'drill baby drill' talk. Or, how about poor coverage of tardy covid responses by Trump that killed a million people (inject bleach, really? lose the masks for herd immunity, really?) Yet Trump took credit for covid shots, payments to voters and his own recovery moves not available to the public (Fauci was a traitor). And Trump non-stop tweeting, or is it 'X-ing' with nonsense covered slavishly by straight media was hardly fair and balanced reporting.
But racial politics always overcame rational actions to sink the DNC and its candidates. Due to the nearly unanimous Black vote, national leadership by inept minor black politicians, lack of attention to voter needs by Democratic incumbents, and the factors listed above, Dems had little chance to prevail in presidential voting. Emotion and lack of empathy with voters ruled against keeping the 74 million vote plurality racked up by Biden-Harris in 2020. Still the House is nearly evenly split in voting, and Senate minority members wield the same delaying power formerly held by McConnell and cohort. Who touted the phenomenal bill-passing by Biden's knowledge of how the congress works: pork-barrel dealing was never revealed to his credit. Yet GOP members claim ownership of ribbon cuttings despite their never voting for infrastructure. Who covered that theft of credit among the media?
We now know how weak is the cadre of college educated, minority, youth, Latinx in the face of fire hose lies, misrepresentations and distortions provided by right wingers abetted by covert manipulation by foreign and domestic actors aiming for total democratic dominance under Trump and his billionaires. We're headed for the same kleptocracy, plutocracy of Russia and peon dominance of the China Communist Party. Will our institutions on the state level, and freedom-loving office holders prevail against the lies, ignorance, pedophilia, grifting, rumor-mongering and stupidity of the next 4 years of Trump and sycophants?