“Donald Trump is not only the wrong man for the presidency, he is unfit to lead the country. Trump was far worse than Richard Nixon, the provably criminal president. As I have pointed out, Trump governed by fear and rage, and indifference to the public and national interest.
Trump was the most reckless and impulsive president in American history and is demonstrating the very same character as a presidential candidate in 2024.”
Bob Woodward, War, Page 362
At the outset I’d like to say that in comparison, Donald Trump makes Richard Nixon look like George Washington.
And no, the title of this piece is not taken from a kick ass Rolling Stones album. Although one of the tracks, Fight Number 505 takes on a different meaning than it had nearly 60 years ago.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about the ramifications of this election, and no doubt over the next four years the Musk, I mean Trump presidency. I think it’s too soon to definitively comment about the whys and wherefores of the November 5 results.
In short, only days after the shock of the return of Donald J. Trump to the levers of national power, it’s too early for my addled mind to comprehend all that happened.
Anything I write will be liberally laced with repeated and in some instances compound F-bombs, and nobody wants that.
So instead, I thought I’d point out some of the acts and policies Trump will commit and pursue in the early days of his administration. Credit where credit is due, what follows comes from a list compiled from videos of Trump’s speeches and comments by Ron Filipkowski’s MeidasTouch news site, with comments of my own. Some are as follows:
No taxes on tips.
Across the board income tax cut for every taxpayer.
Make previous Trump tax cuts permanent.
(Let’s review the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and apologies for getting a little wonky: Households with incomes in the top 1 percent will receive an average tax cut of more than $60,000 in 2025, compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for households in the bottom 60 percent (aka, most workers) according to the Tax Policy Center. As a share of after-tax income, tax cuts at the top — for both households in the top 1 percent and the top 5 percent — are more than triple the total value of the tax cuts received by people with incomes in the bottom 60 percent.
This is what Trump wants to make permanent. But beyond that, he wants a second across the board tax cut in 2025, which will only compound the inequities of his original cut. No amount of “no tax on tips” or “no tax on overtime wages” is going to equalize the built-in inequalities of both tax plans.
And wait until we get to tariffs below.)
All migrants, including those with pending asylum claims, will be taken into custody and deported immediately by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
(First, someone in Trump’s retinue actually read a book! That said, I don’t know how he’ll legally invoke the Act as we’re not at war with Mexico, Central America, Haiti, etc.)
Birthright citizenship will be ended by executive order. All persons who were born in the US to migrant parents will have their citizenship revoked and will be deported immediately.
(This will be a major constitutional test. My sense is that a president cannot define “citizenship” by executive order. Nor do I believe he can revoke someone’s citizenship in the same manner as he declassified the purloined documents that he brought to Mar A Lago. I think that this is red meat to feed the base and to keep Stephen Miller happy.)
Border will be closed with no migrants entering the US by moving thousands of US troops from overseas to be stationed on the southern border.
(Trump and his acolytes have never met a “problem” the military couldn’t solve. Relocating thousands of troops from overseas will weaken our alliances throughout the world. And there’s a Posse Comitatus problem with the use of the military in a civil matter on American soil.)
Construct 10 new 'Freedom Cities' in the US which will be completely free from all government regulations of any kind.
(This deserves some scrutiny. For instance, when he said “government,” did he mean federal/state/local governments? When he says “regulations” does he mean laws against criminal acts? Will these ten cities be Petrie dishes for RFK Jr.’s wacky theories about food and medicine? Will there be anyone to pick up the garbage or will they all be like Arlo in Alice’s Restaurant dumping the garbage anywhere they want? What are the population limits and who gets to live there?)
Homelessness will be criminalized and all homeless in the US will be arrested and given the choice of incarceration or admission into a new federal tent city for treatment.
(Ok, homeless people must live in a society that criminalizes their existence rather than in “Freedom Cities” where presumably there are no regulations governing their conduct. So, by my count, this new tent city is the 11th city to be built by Feds. Maybe it’s me but this new tent city sounds like an internment camp.
And if there’s one tent city, where will they put it? And will the feds pay for the transportation costs for those now criminalized homeless people to get to this city?
By “treatment,” do they mean mental and physical health treatment? What about those who, because of no fault of their own, are poor and priced out of the housing market? Do we throw them in the slams? Build more tents?)
Seize control of the District of Columbia and have all city agencies run and controlled by the federal government.
(Lincoln spent years trying to keep the south from seizing control of D.C. It bears reminding that Trump is no Lincoln.)
Create a White House Task Force called 'Salute 250,' which will organize one year of festivities across the US from Memorial Day 2025 to July 4, 2026.
(Not to be picky but there are 12 months in a year, but the timeline is 13 months long. And I think this is something that was done years ago. Now if I can just remember where and by whom? The place begins with a G…)
Create 'The Patriot Games' which will be an annual national competition for high school athletes in every sport similar to the Olympics.
(The Soviets did something similar in the 1984. Evidently Putin mentioned those “Friendship Games” in the phone calls he and Trump had over the past few years. Maybe Tom Clancy’s estate might look to see if there is a copy-write infringement here.)
Have the US opt out of the Paris Climate Accords.
Repeal Biden's Administrations motor vehicle emissions standards.
(That settles it, climate change is a hoax!)
The US government and agencies will only recognize people for the gender on their original birth certificate for all purposes.
All healthcare providers who perform gender reassignment surgeries are [sic] people under 18 will be permanently terminated from Medicare and Medicaid.
(I guess they have to do something to justify spending $30 million on the 30,000 dehumanizing transphobic ads they ran. An expansion of the demonization of those they consider “the other.” But it bears repeating that the policy Trump’s campaign tried to hang around Harris’ neck was the policy enacted by the Trump administration.)
Abolish the Department of Education.
(Clearly Trump and his acolytes want to ensure the perpetuation of their base.)
Parents of all public schools can vote to remove a principal at any time.
School principals will be elected by parents each year.
(One thing immediately comes to mind: will these recall and election processes be completed by paper ballot, with all ballots hand counted the same day? Trump wants to abolish the Department of Education but wants to unleash chaos on local public schools? Finally, do teachers get to vote?)
Seize endowments of universities who either have DEI programs, consider race in admissions or hiring, or teach CRT. Endowments will be seized by levying a fine in lawsuits brought by DOJ that is equal to the amount in the endowment.
Create 'The American Academy' which will be a University run by the federal government. Tuition will be free. It will be paid for by money seized from other Universities' endowments. Full curriculum will be online available to all Americans for free. Students will receive a fully credentialed bachelor's degree.
(So, let me see if I have this right, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, et al., are going to subsidize University of Phoenix? And let’s not overlook the additional attacks on “the other.” And how would the Feds confiscate the endowments without running afoul of the takings clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments?)
Teacher certification will be changed and governed by a new federal agency that will only grant certifications to teachers who "embrace patriotic values."
(This strikes a little too close to home. So, after abolishing the Department of Education the Trump administration is going to “certify” who can teach in a public school? Who, Steve Bannon? I think I am embracing “patriotic values” by pointing out what a load of crap this policy would be! This is the Make America Great for Fascists educational policy.)
Require the EU to reimburse the US for all aid provided to Ukraine from the time of Russia's invasion to present.
End Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office.
End the conflict between Israel and Gaza within 24 hours.
(Regarding Ukraine, that’s going to be a busy Inaugural Day! Twenty-four hours starting at 12:01 p.m. on January 20, 2025! He may not have time to deliver his American Carnage – Part II Inaugural Address. Well Mrs. Trump, no Inaugural Ball for you! Hubby’s too busy selling out 42 million people. To be clear, these negotiations will be between Trump and Putin, Zelenskyy being a mere afterthought if he’s given any thought at all.
Regarding Gaza, Trump has already told Netanyahu to do what he needs to do. Given Bibi’s posture in this conflict, along with his refusal to negotiate with anyone, it’s not hard to figure out the outcome of this conflict.
And I hope the Trump administration isn’t waiting for the EU’s reimbursements. The exchange rates from euros to dollars can be extremely complex and tricky.)
Create an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield that will protect the entire US.
Increase defense spending to highest levels in history.
(The Iron Dome is a Trump oldie but goodie. He was told by everyone even remotely connected to this idea that the technology supporting the Israeli Iron Dome is not transferable to the United States. Not to mention the false sense of security it provides, which in turn could profoundly affect our formulation and implementation of foreign policy.
Given the above being layered over to the spending we already commit, it’s easy to see defense spending skyrocket to unheard of levels. And yes, the pun was intended.)
Across the board 10% tariff on all foreign imports.
Tariffs of 20-60% imposed on all goods imported from China.
(Look, let’s get this straight for the last time. Tariffs are taxes placed on imported goods, paid by the importer, not the sending country. The importer then adds the increased tax into the cost of the item sold to the buyer/consumer. In short, a tariff is a tax passed along to the consumer.
An example. A widget costs $1.00 to import from China. Trump imposes a 20% tariff/tax (e.g., $0.20) on the item. The importer pays the tariff/tax and passes it along to the buyer, who now pays $1.20 for an item that previously cost $1.00.
Who takes it in the neck? China – no, it’s being paid for their costs for producing and exporting their goods, so the tariff has no effect. The importer – no, he’s paying the tariff/tax but gets reimbursed by the consumer. The consumer – he is the downstream payor who has nobody from whom he can be reimbursed. Therefore, the consumer takes it in the neck and pays the tax.
And a reminder from Trump’s first administration. He imposed tariffs on imported goods that resulted in other countries imposing retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural exports. Agribusinesses and small family farms felt the squeeze resulting in a $32 billion bailout of the agriculture industry.)
And related to this,
Tariff placed on all imports of Ibuprofen, Hydrocortisone, Acetaminophen, and Penicillin until 100% of each drug sold in the US is manufactured in the US.
(If you thought you had a headache, body aches, or an annoying itch, get ready to pay the man more money to get relief. Got a bacterial infection, pay with a smile!)
This is just the tip of an ugly political iceberg that can sink our country as we know it. As of this writing, nearly 75 million people voted for Trump. He made great inroads with Hispanic voters who will be targeted for detention and deportation. Their children born here and have birthright citizenship will likewise be deported.
Some Hispanic voters believe that only those “bad” immigrants (gangbangers, drug traffickers, criminals) will be targeted. Maybe they didn’t hear Trump when he repeated thousands of times since 2015 that these immigrants are not the “best.” In his eyes, whether naturalized or awaiting dispositions on asylum claims or work visas, all Hispanic immigrants are subject to removal.
There will be an outcry from those whose families have been ripped apart by the government they elected. This is foreseeable. Equally foreseeable is that these cries will be ignored.
To MAGA: to those of you who were convinced that Trump will restore a sound economy with greater opportunity, fair wages, and low inflation, think again. By any analysis, Trump’s tax policies will expand the wealth gap, and his tariff policies will ignite a round of inflation not seen since the Carter administration. Maybe not to Weimar Republic levels, but higher than anything experienced under Biden.
But all this will pale as the Trump environmental policies exacerbate the rate of global warming.
One of Trump’s greatest tricks, began by others but weaponized by him, is to get large numbers of people to suspend facts and reality. For example:
Think that the sometimes inconvenient steps to combat climate change are unnecessary? Climate change is a hoax.
Think that public school kids are being exposed to Critical Race Theory? He will mandate what parts of American history can be taught.
Think you don’t want vaccine mandates? Fine, it’s all junk science.
Think that Trump can close income and wealth inequality? Great, he’ll throw some tax reduction crumbs your way while the rich get the bulk of benefits of those tax cuts.
Think that China will pay for the tariffs and Mexico will pay for the wall? You’re a chump.
Think Trump is being needlessly persecuted for crimes he committed? You’re a sucker.
So MAGA, in suspending your disbelief and drinking the Trump Kool Aid, you’ve put us all in a precarious position. We have seen where this rolling political fiasco is going: Homan at the border, Stefanik at the U.N., Zelden at EPA, and Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff.
Don’t forget the walking, breathing conflict of interest Director of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. He will find waste and fraud in every program that doesn’t affect his government contracts.
Look Trump voters, I don’t give a rip if you’re liberal or conservative, MAGA or nonMAGA, democrat or republican, male or female, young or old. As a citizen, as a patriot some claim to be, you had only one job and that was to keep the convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender – not to mention the guy who absconded with top secret documents and the guy who attempted the overthrow of a free, fair election – away from the Oval Office.
One job and you screwed the pooch. So, to those who think you owned the libs, as we slide into the dystopian hell you’ll be coming with us. For those who voted for Trump because you didn’t like the status quo, you’ll get your wish as things go from what you call “bad” to objectively far worse. And to those who like Trump because he’s his own man, you nailed it – he looks out for himself. Bob Woodward is right, Trump doesn’t care about the public’s or the national interest.
Thanks to you, we will all have a front row seat to hell, as all the devils are here.
Comments