Trump 2.0: Tyranny of the Majority -Edit March 5 2025
Donald Trump and Don King with a deal on their minds
On February 19 Donald Trump claims that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine should have ended the Ukraine – Russian war in the past three years. He shifted the blame away from Vladimir Putin creating an existential political crisis in Europe. That the United States would negotiate an end to the war in Saudi Arabia among Russian and American officials without the invitation of Ukrainian officials runs counter to the strength of multilateralism and democratic principles. However, this version of Donald Trump 2.0 is already more tyrannical for the international community with his penchant for tariffs, and even among Americans with Elon musk cutting away jobs with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE.) Now, that isn't to say that the American civil service didn't need downsizing because, like Canada's, it has become bloated during the Democratic years – Justin Trudeau in Canada. And so, considering a plutocracy, America can be considered that, just as Canada has been during the Trudeau years both with Pierre Trudeau and Justin Trudeau. There were some rumours today that Donald Trump, who is predictably unpredictable may be attempting to pivot American foreign policy towards Russia, thus creating a stronger alliance away from China.
Among President Trump's early decisions include one, naming Robert F Kennedy to health minister, while, two, appointing Elon Musk to oversee cutting government waste through DOGE. Three, in typical US policy he continues to support Israel with impunity despite Benjamin Netanyahu being guilty of war crimes against Gazan's, while promising to turn Gaza into a tourist zone creating a massive refugee crisis for Palestinians and the Middle East. Four, Mr. Trump is pardoning- politically Vladimir Putin, who has a warrant on him for war crimes committed against Ukraine. Five, Trump has railed against the ICC undermining the integrity of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations. Six, undermining the integrity of NATO by suggesting members spend up to 5% GDP because, as he rightly states, the world is more dangerous now and it will be in the future. Ironically, he would make this claim while supporting authoritarian leaders that undermine the rules-based international order and individual rights and freedoms. Seven, thriving democracies such as Canada, Mexico, Panama and the Ukraine that are being subject to their territorial integrity imperilled by threats and expansive tariffs. Eight, today the Department of Justice announced that cuts have to be made to defense spending for the next five years when increases are necessary, particularly, to counter China's growing PLAN (Peoples Liberation Army Navy.) Nine, The Trump Administration ordered a freeze on American aid (USAID) impacting conflict areas such as Sudan where scarcity is rendering many without necessary nutrition to sustain roper health. Moreover, this financial cleavage is creating a spot for Beijing to step in, though, China is known as a lender and not a donor state as the U.S. Chinese officials will offer incentives through its infrastructure program: BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) to give the appearance of aid, though, it is widely known as a debt trap.
In sum, chaos has returned to the White House with no respite for the next four years. Donald Trump may attempt, as other authoritarian leaders, like Xi Jinping have done recently, and impose unlimited term limits. The Democratic Party must get their act together and offer a viable opponent to counter Donald Trump and his strong base in time for the mid terms in 2026. Political strategist James Carville noted on Wednesday February 26, that support for Donald Trump is "cratering" and the administration cannot sustain itself. Carville, while reputable, is known for his Democratic Party allegiance.
Remarkably, during today's press conference, Donald Trump referred to President Zelensky as a dictator. European leaders came to his defense.
"Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson denounced Trump's use of the word "dictator" while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the comments "absurd"."
"If you look at the real world instead of just firing off a tweet, then you know who in Europe has to live in the conditions of a dictatorship: people in Russia, people in Belarus," she told broadcaster ZDF.
From the New York Times: A 36-year-old special operations soldier fighting in eastern Ukraine, who asked to be identified only by his call sign, Cap, for security reasons, went a step further. “I can be blunt: Trump is like Putin,” he said. “He’ll never tell the truth and will make up whatever he wants.” He added that Ukraine should not rely on Mr. Trump.
“Whenever soldiers hear what Trump is saying, it gives them a nervous twitch,” he said.
From Reuters: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said "it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy".
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made it clear he backed Zelensky in a phone call to the Ukrainian president.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir "expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine's democratically elected leader".
AND...
Yulia Hrebnyeva, a member of the City Council in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, said she had “no understanding whatsoever” of Mr. Trump’s speech on Tuesday, with its echoes of Russian propaganda.
“We were expecting from him actions that could help us win, not that he would just sit and talk with our enemy,” she said. Early in the invasion, Ms. Hrebnyeva’s house was hit by a falling Russian fighter jet. At the time, she was hiding in the basement with her children.
February 28 2025
The Trump Administration, which views day to day business as transactional, attempted to bully the Ukrainian leader into accepting a mineral deal. This is a clear indication of Conservative realist ideology that looks closely at the near term effects of foreign policy. Let me coin a term for the Trump administration: "hamburger diplomacy" that is fast, tasty, and inconsequential- it lacks purpose. Trump has vendettas that override common sense; he mentioned Putin and him facing a witch hunt. Ukraine must pivot to the European Union and NATO for military support. If the American President will come to his senses, he will begin to understand how crucial the rules based international order is for democracy and human rights and commit to those causes as America has done since WW2. However, Trump is an autocrat and the only thing holding him back are the checks and balances of Congress.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni responded supporting multilateralism diplomacy, and unity in Western values vis a vis rules based international order: Giorgia Meloni has stressed the importance of unity on major issues.
"Any division of the West makes us all weaker and favours those who would like to see the decline of our civilization. Not by its power or influence, but by the principles that founded it, first and foremost freedom. A division would suit no one," she added, reports KosovaPress.
March 2
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a EU meeting in London today to forge a Euro peace plan for Ukraine to present to President Trump. "The three essentials Starmer listed for a successful peace deal were: arming the Ukrainians to put them in a position of strength; including a European element to guarantee security; and providing a “U.S. backstop," to prevent Putin from breaking promises." From AP.
The principle challenge is to get unanimity among EU leaders. Currently, UK and France provide the bulwark of diplomatic manoeuvring and funding.EU Commission Pres. Ursula van der Leyen cites the need to act now keeping the worst outcomes in mind. Hence, EU countries need to spend much more on defense to counter all threats. China is not waiting in the wings as they reman the existential threat to the rules based international order, while Putin's goal is a Russia similar in strength to the Soviet Union and his place in Russian history as a progenitor of a new Russia.
From Reuters
The prime minister says leaders at the summit agreed four important steps:
- To keep military aid flowing into Ukraine while the war is ongoing, and increase economic pressure on Russia
- Any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and security, and Ukraine must be at the table for any peace talks
- In the event of a peace deal, European leaders will aim to deter any future invasion by Russia into Ukraine
- There would be a "coalition of the willing" to defend Ukraine and guarantee peace in the country
The EU must provide 50 bln USD in defense for Ukraine in the next 30 - 60 days to counter a potential drawdown in American funding. Starmer and other EU leaders (France - Macron/ Italy - Meloni) need to work closely with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to counter Russia and other threats.
March 3
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said Ukraine’s allies needed to turn the country into a “steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.”
Russia has used ceasefire deals in the past to “advance its war aims,” Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister warned Monday, accusing the Kremlin of a pattern of “deception, false promises, and escalation.”
“One of the more than 25 times Russia merely used ‘ceasefire’ as a means to advance its war aims, was on December 9, 2019, when Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia met and agreed in Paris,” Yulia Svyrydenko posted on X. “Moscow signed the deal – only to break it immediately.”
Earlier today, Trump said the US “will not put up” with perceived resistance from Ukraine’s leader who said the end of the war is “very, very far away.” - CNN
How Donald Trump handles his personal affairs is with deception aka misinformation that is a hallmark of Russian propaganda. It is easy to see why they (Trump and Putin) share a kinship.UK Prime Minister Starmer is leading the EU push for peace, that will inevitable goad Trump into a solution that includes Ukraine in any peace talks. Failure to include Zelensky in talks makes any peace agreement superfluous. Moreover, American integrity will be strained and force the U.S. further inward and away from the rules based international order. In this aftermath, what can bring the U.S. policymakers back to their senses: A Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Ezra Klein from the New York Times interviewed Yuval Levin "The Breaking of the Constitutional Order" re the early days of the second Trump Administration and cLevin exclaimed:
"And it’s because they’re thinking about presidential power as a concrete reality and the people affected as an abstraction — when it’s actually the other way around."
There is a profound truth to this claim as Trump is operating with "unspoken" immunity and is being seen as a tyrant throwing the social service into chaos with Elon Musk leading the charge. Levin, a Washington veteran, notes that other administrations at the outset throw all policy initiatives against the wall to see what sticks. Levin says Biden did this, too. Trump 1.0 was disorganized and chaotic; not this time. Still, with the Democrats getting organized, Congress' checks and balances can eventually find their footing. Levin's reality/abstraction principle sounds similar to the 80-20 rule with people "eventually" controlling 80% of the political narrative and the government 20%.
As just reported, the U.S. is pausing all military aid to Ukraine, leaving them in a quagmire. Russia fired 150 drones into Ukraine since Friday's imbroglio at The White House. Putin is now emboldened to seize what he can.
March 4
"This time, any loss of U.S. artillery supplies should not deal as big a blow, as Europe has significantly stepped up its supplies of shells, and other countries have contributed directly or indirectly."
