Space Junk: Trump’s Knee Jerk Reactions to Any Pushback
Tariffs, not tariffs? Musk or the Cabinet? Love Russia or sanctions?
We are witnessing exactly how vulnerable Trump is to any public criticism this week, as he seesaws back and forth on practically everything. And in the process, sows uncertainty with every move, rattling the markets, leaving every federal employee in a state of fear, and trying to both threaten and please our allies at the same time.
This is not leadership, this is flailing about, trying to please everyone while pleasing no one.
Before I get into that, there is something I want to mention. Yesterday Elon Musk’s big rocket blew up over Florida, the second one in a row, and threatened to rain down debris on the state. Several airports had to pause flights in case the debris posed a danger to aircraft. Maybe Mr Musk needs to pay a little more attention to his business before it kills someone.
Ok, got that off my chest. Trump’s vaunted tariffs, applied with much fanfare earlier this week, are already turned off, at least for those companies who got on the phone and explained to him that he was royally screwing over their businesses. He reversed them for a month for the three top US car companies, though what a month accomplishes is questionable.
Actually if he thinks the car companies can change their supply chain in a month, he is revealing exactly how dumb he is as a businessman. The reality here is he couldn’t take the heat and made this change as a publicity stunt. Of course he will claim he is simply using the tariffs as a bargaining point.
Except, capitulating in less than twenty-four hours is not exactly negotiating, it is caving. This is what happens when reality runs into fantasy and bragging about accomplishments that you know nothing about catches up to you.
Canada is standing up to his baloney with retaliatory tariffs on things like oil, gas, and lumber that will immediately hit Americans with increased home prices, gas prices, and more of those darned consequences.
Let’s swing over to Ukraine. After beating up on Zelenskyy along with pit bull JD Vance (can someone tell me why he wears eyeliner?), Zelenskyy does the right thing and tries to reopen talks. That’s called serving his people. And yesterday Trump reversed course and threatened more sanctions on Russia.
Apparently his affair with Putin is not flying well with a lot of Americans. Except, it was announced that he will deport 240,000 Ukrainian refugees we invited here when the war started. So, what is it Don, do we support Ukraine or are we buddy buddy with the Russkies?
Confused yet?
We’re not done yet. Also this week, after criticism of Musk’s wholesale firing of critical employees, like those who oversee our nuclear armaments, Trump announced that Cabinet members would now make those decisions for their departments based on input from Musk, but he also said if that doesn’t move fast enough Musk will do the firings. This is called have your cake and eat it too.
That announcement, another obvious attempt to quell criticism while changing nothing, reflects Trump’s desperate need for approval and acclaim from minute to minute, explaining his constant shifting from one position to another. This is a major weakness that our enemies are exploiting as they recognize his neediness.
And it is one the resistance should be hammering him on, this lack of policy or planning and, again, considering consequences (my favorite word this week). We need to call him out and ask him directly, what exactly is our policy on each issue and what is the thinking behind it?
Right now all of this paints a picture of a White House out of control and getting worse as Trump depends on his impulses instead of the expertise of others, something he has no respect for because of his massive ego.
It also shows the huge flaws in the Project 2025 Plan his people are using as a blueprint and his reliance on Elon Musk. Neither of these factors seems to have considered the real world blowback of the actions they are implementing and we are just starting to see it.
As my readers know I am pretty underwhelmed by the silence of Congress and party leaders. Apparently there is a group that believes we should be silent and let Trump do himself in with this stuff. I’m sorry but the stakes are too high for inaction, and, to be realistic, Trump and his people are probably counting on this, with good reason. He can’t stand anyone actually standing up to him.
Trust me, it’s going to get a lot worse. Earlier I brought up the story of Musk’s rocket blowing up and creating temporary panic in Florida’s airspace. Musk has fired 600 NASA employees from the agency that is charged with regulating space flight and that pays Musk’s SpaceX billions annually.
Musk’s companies are known for ignoring regulations and working in an impulsive knee jerk fashion and now he is bringing in inexperienced people to make critical decisions in our government. And, predictably, it is a mess and they are trying to lie and exaggerate their way out of it.
This all would be fun to watch if it was not so terrifying. The reality is that we do not know what talent and experience is walking out the doors of government because Trump and Musk don’t care and just need talking points. And those people are unlikely to return if needed because they now have no reason to trust the government as an employer.
I know I pay too much attention to this but even with trying to think it through I see no clarity about where we are going. Imagining the future is impossible as we try to sort through the day to day chaos. This is not governing.
And silence is not resistance, not when we have a President who cannot handle even the smallest criticism. We need to turn it up.
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Martin Edic
Maybe when these idiotic and unconstitutional policies start personally affecting our elected democrats they will start speaking up. I am so surprised, shocked and disappointed that democrats are so blind to the trouble we are facing. What are they thinking, that being passive aggressive is going to help?!?! What a DISGRACE!!
I suspect the pharmaceutical companies will be calling him when he and Kennedy want to stop measles or other vaccine production.