In no small part, the United States’ continued safety and stability have been made possible by two things: the peaceful transfer of power and stable military leadership.
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America has been respected for much of its existence as a shining light to other nations because we conduct free and fair elections and hand power from one president or one party to another with minimal drama. The U.S. has become a superpower not just because of military prowess, but because we administer that prowess with people who are sworn to protect the Constitution, not any particular political leader or party.
Donald Trump threatens both our political and military stability. He continues to talk about voter fraud that never happened while promoting voter suppression in many different forms, hoping to make sure his MAGA minions stay in power after the midterm elections. He prefers not to transfer power, and will never do so willingly.
As for the military, Trump has appointed a defense secretary who has indiscriminately fired qualified generals and endangered our entire military infrastructure in doing so. Trump needs to fire Pete Hegseth. Technically, Congress could impeach Hegseth (or any other Cabinet member), but don’t expect that to happen. Hell, don’t even expect Trump to fire Hegseth. Trump seldom does the right thing and won’t do it unless it is in his best interest.
Otherwise, Trump has shown no inclination to hold anyone accountable in his regime. We see less and less of him and he makes no sense when we do. Wednesday in the Oval Office was so off-the-wall bad I thought I was watching a B-movie about a minor mobster.
We are witnessing in real time an unprecedented presidential meltdown that makes the Nixon administration look like it was staffed by the founding fathers. As Trump’s cartoon reality crumbles, what is left of the press corps merely grins and asks ludicrous questions with Stepford-wife charm.
Trump appeared with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and several other sycophants to proclaim that tourism is fantastic in this country and that so many people love us because we’re on top of the world. Then Trump had Duffy and various other middle-aged white men approach him, bowing and scraping, to address him like Luca Brasi addressing Don Corleone at his daughter’s wedding.
Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Sean Duffy, said on Tuesday that Trump tapped her husband to be transportation secretary “because that was all that’s left.”
Apparently that’s not how Sean feels. According to him, it’s the best job in the world. Most presidents don’t care about infrastructure or transportation like Trump does, Duffy said, conveniently avoiding the fact that it was Joe Biden who pushed through a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill whose effects are visible all over the country.
Meanwhile, White House pool reporters reacted on Wednesday with nonsensical questions, equal parts banal and fawning. At one point Trump addressed the Iran war by telling us once again that the Tehran regime “grows weaker by the day” as the U.S.hit them with a “very heavy attack.”
He encouraged the Iranian people to rise up against their leaders for gunning down protesters, ignoring the fact that American bombs and missiles have killed innocent Iranian civilians, including children at a wedding party this week. Earlier in the war, of course, the U.S. bombed a girls’ school, killing more than 100 children.
Trump is also pushing the bewildering narrative that the six-month-long conflict actually ended after four weeks to satisfy Congress or, alternatively, that he actually won the war in a few days by destroying a weapons system he previously claimed to have “totally obliterated” a year ago.
Hegseth is the Fredo of the Trump administration. He’s “smart.” He wants “respect.” That’s why Trump won’t fire him — at least not now. He doesn’t upstage the boss, he does what he’s told and he’s not that bright.
Hegseth has followed Trump into this folly and turned the dial to 11. He has talked about juicing up soldiers with steroids, and dismissed concerns about dwindling stockpiles of munitions and supply issues caused by the Iranian bombing of a depot in Bahrain. He chastises reporters in his briefings, Trump-style, while ignoring serious questions, or answers them with childish sneers. Yes, in other words he’s the Fredo of the Trump administration. He’s “smart.” He wants “respect.” That’s why Trump won’t fire him — at least not now. Hegseth doesn’t upstage the boss and does what he’s told — and he’s not that bright.
For many MAGA enthusiasts, the Donald Trump era started like a kiss. But it appears to be ending with a curse.
As we approach the midterm elections, even some of Trump’s most ardent supporters are realizing there is no hope that he will come to his senses. He has none. There’s little hope other administration officials will come to their senses either — they’re too deep in league with the Don.
Trump himself is nothing but a huge reflecting pool. You see in him what you want, most often a distorted version of yourself. Only rarely do you see him for what he is. Even his detractors miss the point.
For white people who felt no enmity toward their fellow man, but who believed they were paying for the sins of their fathers, he was hope. For the all-out racists, he was retribution and justification. For the rich, he was their paid toy. For the poor in spirit, he was a fellow traveler. For the misogynists he was justification. For immigrants, he’s been a one-way ticket to hell. In many cases, meaning a country in which they’ve never lived.
He is all those things and none of them. He has no moorings, no internal guidance and no empathy. The growing fragility of his regime — even as he proclaims our country’s strength — is only mitigated by the fact that the rest of the world may be in worse shape.
With wars raging across the planet, Trump’s corruption and misguided anger continue to put the U.S. in a dangerous international position. On Wednesday, he again spent nearly 10 minutes railing against Canada, our northern neighbor and longtime friend. He accused Canadians of “ripping off the United States,” and said he didn’t care if people said he shouldn’t say that. He complained about Canadian banking laws and told a garbled story about some friend of his who supposedly couldn’t buy a Gulfstream jet in Canada.
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It’s hard to see that story endearing him to ordinary Americans who are having problems making ends meet and can’t imagine affording a private jet, but that went right over the heads of those reporters who kept questioning him about the failures of mainstream media. Trump long ago turned a wooden ear to the experiences of the average voter who pays taxes when he pays none and who struggles to get minimal healthcare while he has it all. In less than two years of his second administration, Trump has successfully destroyed any notion that we live in a democracy ruled by a constitution.
Trump’s defense secretary — sorry, “secretary of war” — continues to dismantle the military and fire any women or Black men who hold leadership roles, all while enthusiastically committing war crimes.
He even cheerfully promoted the fact that he thinks most of the countries in South America are now “leaning right,” as if we all want to see increased authoritarianism in South America. “They have a lot of respect” for our country, Trump reassured us. Actually, it’s probably more like envy. If they could steal our oil and get away with it, as Trump just did in Venezuela, you know a few of those Latin American regimes would eagerly do it.
Meanwhile, Trump’s vice president has once again been forced into service as a press secretary while his defense secretary — sorry, “secretary of war” — continues to dismantle the military and fire any women or Black men who hold leadership roles, all while enthusiastically committing war crimes. Trump has nothing but corrupt and unstable people around him, and he just doesn’t care.
He also keeps telling us he doesn’t care about the midterm elections, while reminding everyone that he’s not on the ballot but his supporters should act like he is.
He presides over a country that is dealing with floods, droughts, tropical storms, tornadoes, Sahara-scale heat in our biggest cities and mass shootings, while he’s at war in Iran and doing battle with Canada, Mexico, most of South America and our NATO allies, while making friends with Vladimir Putin. Dizzy yet?
He continues to claim that the war in Ukraine started by Russia wouldn’t have occurred if he’d been president instead of Joe Biden, in service of his false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen.” He conveniently forgets that Russia has been at war with Ukraine since Barack Obama was in office.
Once again, no one in the press pushes back against a narrative that has no basis in fact on any of its major claims.
Trump’s public appearances are staged and incoherent. He often sleeps through part of them. His schedule is littered with appointments called “executive time” or “meeting time,” as if he were a truculent child, in a Romper Room of his own making.
He ignores issues he can’t pigeonhole or for which he can’t find a convenient scapegoat — and usually settles on blaming Democrats whenever that happens. Otherwise, he simply tells us how great things are. We love data centers! (We don’t.) The economy is hot! (It isn’t.) Prices are coming down! (They aren’t.)
Most critics have grown weary and hoarse shouting about Trump’s lies and misdeeds, leading to over-the-top headlines that blame him for everything from tennis elbow to diaper rash.
We will survive all of this, hopefully, and if we do, it will speak to the resiliency of the American people as well as the Constitution that Trump so gleefully ignores.
But Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll’s resignation this week should give us all reason for deeper concern about our country’s fate. Driscoll apparently told Trump in a private meeting that Hegseth has gone too far in firing experienced generals and was placing our country in peril. Trump was apparently surprised. Uh-huh.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” wrote Sen. Thom Tillis on X. Reminder: He’s a Republican.
Sen.Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, has publicly called for Trump to fire Hegseth. “I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” the outgoing two-term senator wrote on X. Tillis described leadership moves under Hegseth as “amateur hour at best and deadly at worst.”
Trump cannot afford to ignore this problem, even though he obviously thinks otherwise. A weakened U.S. military would further destabilize the world. Hegseth is in so far over his head that he has no idea which way is up. Trump, unfortunately, seems to be in the same situation.
Just don’t expect to hear about any of this in the news. Many of my colleagues in the White House press pool are too busy asking Trump questions about our own failures, while cheering Trump’s actions.
But a military that’s short of munitions, can’t supply its troops and fires its best generals might have a hard time keeping peace in the world. Driscoll’s resignation brings those problems firmly into the spotlight. It’s one of the most important actions yet against the unyielding incompetence of the Trump regime.
If we want a safe and stable America, Hegseth has to go. Even Trump should be able to find someone better — although in this reality, he probably won’t.
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