I don’t check on the news, at least until I’ve had come coffee. I’ve been around for 75 years, but the news is more depressing than ever in my memory. It’s hard to imagine what voters are thinking when they elected Donald Trump. A president makes a lot of decisions. Historically the decisions are about the condition of the country and what the citizens want to happen. Trump only considers one factor in making decisions: What is best for Trump.
His time in the office has been characterized by examples of decisions that define corruption. The best example is the payment of $90,000,000 by Vietnam to allow their products to be imported and sold in the U.S. The payment did not go to any government agency; it went to Donald Trump.
His decisions are openly and obviously corrupt. The fact that a significant portion of Americans still support this crook. I’d like to consider those people as the lunatic fringe, but it is more than a fringe. And it should be clear to everyone that he intends to institute a fascist system and destroy the 240-year-old democracy.
His co-conspirator, the vice-president, once referred to Trump as “America’s Hitler.” I don’t think his opinion has changed, but like Trump, he is motivated by the prospect of more power. Most politicians seek power, but not many of them seek absolute power. That is one thing that reveals that he is very dangerous.
I studied World War II and the events leading up to the invasion of Poland in 1939. The actions of Trump follow the same pattern as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party followed, first subduing any opposition, then proceed to gather all power to himself. If you oppose him on any issue, he will do whatever avenue available to him to silence any opposition. Lawsuits are a major weapon. Whether the suit has merit or not he authorizes his attorneys to institute a “scorched earth” complaint. And the war by litigation, with Trump’s lawyer given an unlimited budget, is more than most opponents can mount as a defense. Perhaps the best example is his stated intention to deport American citizens who criticize his actions or are expressing what he sees as “traitorous.”
Hitler’s rise to power was supported, at least for the early years of his rise, by the SA, the Brownshirts. Led by Ernest Roehm, a fanatical follower, the main role of the SA was to intimidate any opposition. Calling themselves as the “Proud Boys”, the parallel to the SA is clear. And as Hitler did, when the Proud Boys are no longer useful in his pursuit of absolute power, they will be disbanded and the leaders of the SA killed, that destruction of the SA known as the “Night of the Long Knives.”
Anyone following Trump’s steps in following Hitler’s pattern cannot have missed his recent action of forming “teams” which he claims are to be dispatched to areas of activity of which Trump disapproves. A step beyond what was done in sending troops to Los Angeles, these “teams” are responsible only to Trump. Creating these “teams” was done in an attempt to avoid interference by the Judicial Branch.
The best way to stop Trump’s activities lies in the mid-term elections in November of 2026. As his popularity continues to decline, it is likely to result in a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. For that reason, Trump’s program for avoiding dealing with a Congress that will oppose his dictatorial actions is going on right now. Pressure is being applied to Republican Governors to redraw the legislative districts to give an advantage to Republican candidates. The term is “gerrymandering.” The term arose from legislative districts that, when re-drawn to give advantage to a Party, sometimes resembled salamanders. If you do the research, you will likely find a drawing of one of the revised districts which looks like the drawing of a salamander, stretched out over areas, with what compared to legs on the resulting districts.
I have been a registered Republican since I was eligible to vote. Currently, I am embarrassed by what is happening. Why the Republicans in the Congress act as the servants of earlier times, following Trump’s direction on all issues, I don’t know. One possible reason is the threat to have Trump loyalists run against the incumbent Republican, supported by virtually unlimited campaign funds. It’s too bad that those Republicans value their seat above their oath to uphold the Constitution.
Thoughts From The Road 