Musings:
•The Sins of Donald J. Trump (chapter five): He has:
Frozen all military aid to Ukraine and suspended intelligence sharing, pending the satisfactory (to him) outcome of a peace treaty with Russia;
Ended re-imbursing state programs which supply fresh food to food banks;
Cut off Federal grants and contracts with Columbia University for failing to protect Jewish students from “leftist,” “anti-American,” and “pro-jihadist” elements;
Ordered changes to public loan-forgiveness programs in order to deny relief to those whose work is tied to “illegal immigrants” and “foreign terrorists”;
Undermined safeguards for combatting wild fires in order to promote logging and road-building in national forests;
Threatened Iran with military force if it does not negotiate a nuclear treaty;
Limited programs which would forgive Federal loans to student borrowers who take public-service jobs;
Threatened to withhold 100% of monthly Social Security payments from certain recipients who have allegedly received overpayments until such time as those payments are returned;
Frozen Federal funding of drought-prevention programs and ordered all reservoirs to be opened up;
Eliminated funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (a.k.a. Voice of America) and for the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
Shut down Internet freedom projects which help Chinese people to circumvent Beijing restrictions; and
Cut funding for programs which support low-income and disadvantaged farmers who supply fresh food for poor families.
•Is T. Rump a Russian spy? Inquiring minds want to know.
During The Donald’s first term in office (2017-2021), a retired KGB officer raised the question, and it has made the rounds again during the second term. Himself had visited Russia in 1987 for the purpose of negotiating a deal to build a hotel in Moscow. The deal fell through, however; but, according to the retired officer, The Donald was “recruited” and provided with a “code name” for the purpose of receiving his “orders” and transmitting intelligence to the KGB.
You will recall, dear reader, that there was a private meeting between T. Rump and Vladimir I “the Great” in 2019 (?) after which the former confiscated his translator’s notes and ordered him never to speak about the nature of the conversation. Since then, The Donald has showered praise upon his Russian counterpart, even during the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
So, is himself a Russian spy? And is he providing Putin with sensitive information? We may never know the truth, unless some trustworthy individual steps forward to confess all.
•To be sure, T. Rump is his own worst enemy. His colossal egotism and narcissism propelled him into the world of politics (but no one believed he had the proverbial snowball’s chance in Hell of winning), and they will be his downfall. He may hold grandiose rallies every other day, tell his loyal followers what they want to hear, and sign executive orders by the ream, but adoration is no substitute for actual experience.
Actual experience requires hard work and taking the bad with the good with aplomb. He has demonstrated time and again that he is not capable of aplomb. Instead, he flies into a rage whenever he does not get his own way and vows to take revenge upon those who hinder him. At some point, he will do/say something that even his MAGA’s won’t be able to stomach. And, if he rages against them, he will be finished as their leader. Calls for impeachment will beset him from all directions.
Raging against the machine day after day will also take a toll on his physical and mental health. Already, we see signs of disability, and we are in only his fourth month of office. He is on the same path which Joe Biden took: Forgetfulness, slurred speech, and stumbling. What may happen in the near future? Stroke? Aneurism? Psychopathy? Someone will trot out the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and T. Rump will be finished as America’s leader. The world will heave a sigh of relief.
Just a thought.