Friday Insights-March 14, 2025
Storm clouds are gathering
Another week of Trump is ending with the world less sure about the future. Trump’s attempt to secure a 30-day cease-fire in Ukraine failed. The stock market turmoil continues as Trump’s trade war escalates. Meanwhile, more federal employees are being fired as courts have ordered Trump to reinstate others. And the EPA administrator Lee Zeldin proudly announced that his agency plans to “a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”
Is it any wonder that on Wednesday night, Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC had a graphic “Trump insane” on the screen for much of his show? As I watched O’Donnell, who appeared visibly upset by Donald Trump or about the possibility of being laid off by the network, I worried about him. Will Trump sue NBC, O’Donnell, or both?
O’Donnell indicated that he was “exhausted” by Trump and would take time off from his MSNBC program.
Calling Trump insane is a tricky business. Is he insane or are his actions just so disruptive to the status quo as to freak people out? The former is more likely. One bit of evidence this week was the Tesla commercial videoed commercial promoting Tesla automobile sales in front of the White House. With Elon Musk on his side, Trump committed to buying a Tesla (a red Model S).
The stunt reminded me of Joe Isuzu, the dishonest car salesman in Isuzu car commercials in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It is a waste of time speculating whether Trump is insane because nobody in his cabinet or on Capitol Hill seems remotely interested in removing him from office. Thus, we are stuck with him. We must grasp at any sliver of hope for the future that comes our way—things like courts saying “no” to Trump’s attempt to punish the law firm of Perkins Coie, LLP for representing Trump’s political opponents is an example.
I close the discussion of Trump’s sanity with something the president wrote himself:
A government shutdown—maybe.
Conversations with friends this week included discussing whether Senate Democrats should support extending federal funding to avoid a government shutdown. Earlier this week, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (NY) appeared adamant in opposing the House-passed version of a resolution that avoids a government shutdown later today. Last night, Schumer reversed himself and will vote to support the resolution. The vote is scheduled for later today. I expect it to pass.
Greenland.
Yesterday Trump reversed himself on the subject of Greenland. He says he expects the U.S. to annex Greenland. At a meeting with the Secretary General Mark Rutte of NATO, Trump commented, “You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security - international - we have many of our favorite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful. We'll be talking to you.”
At his address to Congress earlier this month, Trump had promised to respect Greenland’s sovereignty if it chose not to join the U.S. The outgoing prime minister of Greenland, Mute Egede, responded to Trump’s comment: “The U.S. president has once again aired the thought of annexing us. Enough is enough.”
Trump also suggested the U.S. may send additional troops to Greenland in addition to those already stationed at Pituffik Space Base, located in northwest Greenland. (I worked on the base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in the 1970s. It was built to track Russian ICBMs launched over the North Pole. It is cold up there, even in Summer.)
Trump appears obsessed with Greenland. Republican legislators, already facing constituents angry about DOGE, continuing inflation, and more, are scratching their heads over why.
A change in Dean’s Issues & Insights.
Starting this weekend, Sunday Issues will only be written when news justifies it. I have found that sometimes it was duplicative with Friday Insights. I also am tired of commenting on how crazy the president appears and how Congressional Democrats have not yet figured out a means to stop him.
A thousand subscribers.
Substack informed me this week that I now have more than 1,000 subscribers. I thank all of them. Please also know that Dean’s Issues & Insights will remain free for now. And thank you to everyone else who reads Dean’s Issues & Insights, even if you don’t subscribe.
I have said this repeatedly: Forty prominent psychiatrists in their book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” diagnosed Trump as a malignant narcissist, a sociopath. Eight years ago their prognosis was that his behavior would become more extreme, erratic, and dangerous with time. He was deemed a “danger to humankind.” Prescription: He must be removed from power. It will get worse until he’s stopped. So, “insane,” yes, in layman’s terms.