Friday Insights-December 27, 2024
Change is in the air--and it doesn't smell good
I hope you had a peaceful, safe holiday this week. I did for a while. Then, with this edition of Friday Insights in mind, I visited the president-elect’s social media site. My mood was spoiled. What is this nonsense about Canada becoming the 51st state, the U.S. seizing the Panama Canal, and the resurrection of Trump’s plan to buy Greenland?
As if threatening what might be considered acts of war worthy of Vladimir Putin were not enough, Trump posted a video of himself at the reins of a Christmas sleigh and an ad for his Trump-branded guitars. These buffoon posts were complemented by the announcement that he would vigorously pursue the death penalty.
I smell change in the air, and the odor is foul.
This morning’s Wall Street Journal reports that corporations are putting January 6, 2021, behind them and are lining up to donate to the Trump Inauguration, which will be the most expensive in history. I wonder how Trump will find the time to sign dozens of executive orders and presidential pardons while still watching the Inaugural parade.
I had hoped, naively, that if Trump won the 2024 election, he would be satisfied with getting his 747 back, frightening his political and personal enemies with “retribution,” and perhaps ordering tax audits against a few judges and prosecutors. I did not expect him to take Project 2025 and adopt it as a playbook for his administration.
I am worried but hope that Trump will get bored of announcing America’s golden age and return to the links. That may happen, but signs of it have not yet appeared.
Channeling Putin?
Vladimir Putin expects U.S. policy in Ukraine to change once Trump is in office. That is why he is launching missile and drone attacks against Ukraine in the hope of seizing as much of Ukraine as possible until Trump forces Zelensky to the negotiation table. That is tragic.
Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine has been costly to Russia, but Putin will declare victory once Ukraine “surrenders.” I hope I am wrong.
One unforeseen outcome of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine is Donald Trump’s new foreign policy. Trump has concluded that traditional diplomacy is a waste of time. Trump believes thug-like tactics like threats, punitive tariffs, and ridicule are more effective.
Short-sighted and isolated trade policies have led to war in the past. Could Trump’s tariff policies lead to armed conflict?
Mr. Hegseth and Ms. Gabbard.
I read the House Ethics Committee report on Matt Gaetz on Christmas Eve. The report received considerable press coverage but contained little new information. Those who have followed Gaetz’s political career already knew he was accused of sex trafficking, drug use, and misuse of congressional funds. The Ethics Committee reported that they found those allegations credible. They also reported Gaetz’s limited cooperation with their investigation and his claims of innocence.
Gaetz was forced to withdraw as Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Justice. We now know how utterly reckless Trump was in nominating Gaetz. Nobody troubled themselves to investigate the allegations against Gaetz—the fact that the Department of Justice chose not to indict him was enough for Trump. The president-elect equates the dismissal of charges as the equivalent of a finding of innocence.
This brings us to Pete Hegseth. The sexual assault allegations against Hegseth are worse than those against Gaetz. The former Florida Congressman paid for sex; Hegseth allegedly had sex with an unconscious woman. Trump demonstrated recklessness at least as egregious as shown with the Gaetz nomination when he decided to nominate Hegseth.
Will GOP Senators stand up and reject Hegseth? They should.
Worse than Hegseth is the choice of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Experts suggest Gabbard would not qualify for most security clearances. Why isn’t Trump worried that Gabbard could pose a major security risk? One response that comes to mind is “recklessness.” Another is indifference.
John Bolton, Trump’s National Security Advisor for 17 months in his first administration, offered:
The world is more dangerous than when he was president before. The only real crisis we had was Covid, which is a long-term crisis and not against a particular foreign power but against a pandemic. But the risk of an international crisis of the 19th-century variety is much more likely in a second Trump term. Given Trump’s inability to focus on coherent decision making, I’m very worried about how that might look.
This coin made me think of Mussolini.
A friend forwarded me an email from proudpatriots.com, identified as “an independent company that believes in keeping America great,” offering coins featuring the president-elect's image. I chose not to buy one despite the affordable price of $24.99.
Somehow, the coin made me think of Benito Mussolini.
Once back in office, will Trump seek legislation to replace George Washington’s image on the quarter with his own? I hope not.
Thank you.
I will return on Sunday for one last Substack post before the New Year. I am looking for something positive to say.