It’s going to be a loooooong four years.
For sure, like many of you, I try to avoid the daily Trump-inspired mania besetting our country, indeed, the world. If I so desired, I could spend each full day reading and writing about another calamity the Orangeman is planning for us. I don’t.
Today, on the eve of our American version of the nakba, I will make an exception.
Perhaps the most damning and telling aspect of Donald Trump is the people in his orbit. As Gilda said to me, “What’s creepier than Trump? It’s the people surrounding Trump.”
Trump is more than a goofball showman. He will have unchecked powers, thanks to majorities, however slim, in the House and Senate, and, most importantly, a solid majority on the Supreme Court which granted presidents absolute immunity for any and all executive actions they take during their time in office.
So, if Trump wants to order under the Insurrection Act military units to “control” street protests or round up alleged undocumented immigrants, he can. Unlike during his first term, his soon to be confirmed secretary of defense, attorney general and FBI director will not restrain him.
Backbone is not one of the qualifications for office Trump is seeking for his inner circle.
Neither is respect for truth and scientific research, adherence to facts, competence and expertise in their designated assignments.
Fealty, bending the knee, loyalty, and, for many, good looks including good hair. Those are the dominant requirements to work in a Trump administration.
Don’t get caught up in legal arguments, whether his or their actions will be constitutional. The Roberts court has reimagined the Constitution to fit his and their actions.
Unless he dies in office, or retires prematurely, Trump’s successor will be the focus of intense speculation, beginning in 2026. JD Vance might think he is a shoe-in as he is his vice president, but I already am on record as believing Trump will seek to install his son Don Jr. at the top of the Republican ticket. Nothing says dynasty more concretely than having your bloodline succeed you.
Trump, for that matter, most Republicans, gained prominence nationally because of intensive local spadework while Democrats concentrated on national affairs. If Democrats want to take back control of our country’s direction they will have to undertake an extensive ground game addressing issues that matter to local voters on town, city, and state levels, with particular emphasis on education standards.
Define “patriot.” We might not agree on all the means a patriot might employ, but the basic thought is that a patriot acts in and supports the best interests of his or her country.
How patriotic are you? Do you want peace, or at least a cease fire, to be proclaimed between Ukraine and Russia? Israel and its Moslem adversaries? Even if peace is engineered by a despicable human being?
Do you want Trump to succeed in taming inflation? Raising the level of quality, well-paying jobs? Solving the border crisis? Preventing Iran from developing nuclear bombs and fomenting radical Islam? Balancing our dependence on Chinese trade?
The 2026 mid-term elections will be a referendum on how Trump has managed those issues and more. During his first term he lost a majority in the House in the 2018 elections. Will he be less divisive this time? From his campaign rhetoric, the answer is an apparent, NO!
But—and I admit it’s a big but (that’s but with one “t,” not two, though Trump does have a big butt)—Trump has proven to be a deft politician. As he doesn’t have to court voters for another presidential election he might temper his rhetoric with a more practical, even-handed administration.
His acolytes, however, the sycophants he has named to head departments and government agencies, might not feel the same restraint. How he manages their enthusiasm for his MAGA creed will be of pivotal importance.
We have less than 24 hours before Trump takes the oath of office again. For the last several days I have been absorbed by a 1965 Barry McGuire song that “references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East and the American space program.” I’m struck by how many of those issues, or reasonable facsimiles, remain with us.
Title of the song—“Eve of Destruction.”
