The Madness of King Donald
After the recent bewildering slew of Trump administration outrages, Alexandra Hall Hall questions conservative commentator and fierce Trump critic Bill Kristol
Amidst the mayhem of the Johnson/Truss/Sunak years I once posted on X that I could not tweet as fast as new scandals occurred. I feel the same about Trumpâs America today â where every day brings some new outrage, that would normally be enough to bring any other President down. Republican members of Congress would be baying for blood if a Democrat President committed even a fraction of the outrages which Donald Trump seems to get away with, time and again.
Just in the last two weeks, Trump has
Embarrassed America on the world stage at the UN General Assembly, by delivering a grossly self-indulgent, self-congratulatory speech full of outrageous slurs against other countries, factual distortions, and misplaced boasts of his administrationâs alleged achievements
Eradicated any pretence that he was not using the Department of Justice to persecute his perceived political enemies, by berating Attorney General Pam Bondi on Truth Social for failing to indict former FBI Director James Comey, firing the Virginia attorney who had been supervising the investigations into Comey, and replacing him with a legal puppet, Lindsey Halligan, who promptly secured a Grand Jury indictment against Comey on the flimsiest of pretexts.
Continued his mob-style shakedowns against media companies which Trump believes have crossed him, most recently, ABC and Disney, for reinstating the Jimmy Kimmel show. This week YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump after he was suspended from the site following the January 6 insurrection.
Endorsed ludicrous medical theories about autism by quack Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, by blaming it on pregnant women taking Tylenol, sending Tylenol parent company Kenvueâs shares plummeting, and undermining trust in one of the only safe pain killing drugs available for women during pregnancy.
Offered to bail out Argentinaâs struggling economy, but only provided that Argentinaâs voters stick with the coalition of Trumpâs chum, Javier Milei, in the countryâs midterm elections next month. Never mind that the administration has cut billions in foreign aid for far more worthy causes in other countries around the globe, allegedly to save US taxpayersâ money.
Told hundreds of Americaâs top generals and flag officers convened to a special gathering just outside Washington DC, to prepare to take the fight to Americaâs cities, claiming that America was âunder invasionâ from within. His disgraceful remarks were preceded by an equally deplorable speech by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in which he denigrated the physical fitness, moral worth and capabilities of Americaâs top military leaders, and went out of his way to imply that women and people of colour did not deserve to be in their ranks.
Posted deeply offensive and dishonest AI-generated memes on Truth Social and X showing Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and a moustache, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer speaking in a fake voice, suggesting that undocumented immigrants should get free healthcare.
Announced new deployments of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, allegedly to tackle âlawless mayhemâ outside immigration offices, without providing any proof of violent protests, and over the opposition of Oregonâs local and state officials.
Exposed the utter folly of his tariff plan in a move worthy of a Kafka plot by declaring that the administration will provide more subsidies to Americaâs farmers, who have lost market share as a result of trade disputes caused by those tariffsâŠusing the income generated from those very tariffs.
Precipitated a shutdown of the entire Federal Government by refusing to negotiate with Democrats on the terms of a budget extension. Thousands of Government workers are now on furlough or are working without pay, and many also face being laid off altogether, harming Government services, adding stress to the economy and exacerbating dire job statistics. As part of his administrationâs pressure tactics on Democrats to cave, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced that funding for two massive transport projects in New York would be frozen, and that nearly $8billion in funding for environmental projects would also be cancelled, all of them in states which lean Democrat.
MeanwhileâŠ
Trumpâs henchmen continue to gloat at the abhorrent scenes of masked immigration agents grabbing people of the streets, who they suspect of being in the US illegally, at times, literally tearing them away from the arms of their sobbing spouses or children, bundling them into vans and sending them into remote detention centres, with inadequate facilities, and with their longer-term fate or destination unknown. Many of those seized have turned out to be here legally, or to be US citizens. Several have died in custody.
In one notorious incident, an ICE officer was recently recorded on video slamming to the ground a young woman who was desperately pleading for help finding her relatives. The officer was temporarily suspended, and then returned to active duty â one can only presume, following an intervention by a senior Trump official, such as White House advisor Stephen Millar, for whom these images of abuse send a welcome message of intimidation.
These are only some of the outrageous recent actions of this administration, which I can recall off the top of my head. Across the Government, his toadies are implementing equally egregious policies, straining the bounds of constitutional authority. It is impossible to keep track of them all, digest their consequences, or brace yourself for the next rounds of executive overreach.
A Permanent State of Whiplash
Living in America today is like being in a permanent state of whiplash. Trumpâs behaviour has become increasingly erratic and unhinged, his speeches ramble incoherently, and his words and actions regularly violate every notion of decorum and every norm of democracy. He is the very definition of a mad King, dragging his country to destruction.
And still, no-one seems willing or able to stop him. His closest advisors are by now so corrupted that, if only for their own self-preservation, they have a vested interest in him staying in office. Most Republican members of Congress long ago sold their souls, either pretending there is nothing to see or deflecting blame onto Biden and the Democrats. The Democrats lack effective leadership and remain internally divided on the best way to resist.
A few weeks ago, I spoke to Bill Kristol, the well-known conservative commentator and writer, to seek his views on how America got to this point, and what we might expect next.
Former Hawk Turned Trump Critic
Ever since 2016, Kristol has been one of Trumpâs strongest critics, a supporter of the Never Trump movement, and founder of several organisations aimed at countering Trump, such as Defending Democracy Together, which includes projects such as Republicans for the Rule of Law, Republican Voters against Trump, and the Republican Accountability Project. He is also editor-at large for the political publication, The Bulwark, and a frequent guest on its associated podcast, which has become a leading platform for conservative and centre-right voices opposed to the direction of the Republican Party and America as a whole under Trump.
His comments confirmed my worst fears â that America was âgoing in an authoritarian direction at an accelerated paceâ, characterised by the centralisation and personalisation of power within the executive, under Trump, expanding attacks on independent institutions such as civil society, universities, businesses and law firms, and the criminalisation of protests, opposition and dissent. âAll the USâs checks and balances are collapsing.â
He said that though some of Trumpâs policies were causing him to lose support, for example, his âfoolish and arbitrary tariffsâ, it was not enough to cause conservatives broadly to jump ship.
Kristol described how Trumpâs ability to come back from January 6, win re-election, consolidate control over the Republican Party, get all his nominees approved by Congress, and his âbig, beautiful budget billâ passed, had given him the belief that he could literally do anything he wanted.
Kristol said he had also underestimated the extent to which his supporters were motivated by hatred. âOnce grievances are exploited by a demagogue like Trump, they take on a life of their own. Itâs typical for mass movements to lose touch with reality.â
I asked if Americaâs fabled system of checks and balances would survive this onslaught. Kristol felt the question was moot. âWeâre beyond the stage of asking if our institutions will hold. They havenât. They could try to reassert themselves, but that depends on people being willing to stand up, and vigorously try to stop him.â Unfortunately, he thought it might already be too late for effective resistance. Trump had consolidated his power across Government, with some agencies such as ICE and DHS, now become âwell-funded, semi-lawless private organisations working directly for him.â It would be very hard for any successor Government to undo the damage which has already been done.
He feared there was a genuine prospect that the 2026 elections would be rigged, and also that Trump would try to run again in 2028, if his health was good enough. âA lot of their policies simply donât make sense if they were thinking of leaving office. By 2028, they will have established so much control that they will be very hard to dislodgeâ.
He predicted that for the foreseeable future, the Republican party would remain semi-populist and semi-authoritarian. âThe old party of John McCain or Liz Cheney wonât come back for a long time.â
I asked how the Democrats should handle this moment. Kristol said he did not buy the argument made by some, that it was the Democratsâ fault the country was in this mess. âYes, the Democrats are a damaged brand and are currently in disarray. Sure, Joe Biden or Kamala Harris were not ideal candidates. Maybe they had a few poor policies. But people have agency. The choice in the election was obvious.â
Kristol felt the Democrat party needed to stop fighting with each other, and rehashing past arguments. He recognised concerns over whether individuals like Zohran Mandani, (running for Mayor in New York) might be too left-wing to win over moderate voters, but felt Democrats needed to welcome newcomers and establish the biggest coalition they could get.
Kristolâs remarks were deeply unsettling. But perhaps his most disturbing observation, for those of us with an international background, was his warning that Americaâs path towards authoritarianism was becoming a global phenomenon.
âWeâre leading the way, but others are following suit. Whatâs happening in the UK is following our pathâ.
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