As each day passes, what at first appeared to be a well-oiled government wrecking ball is slowly grinding to a halt as the realisation dawns that Republicans can’t get reelected on an agenda of tyranny and extortion. Every day, Trump becomes more radioactive as voters emerge from the coma that is Trump’s fantasy world. A world in which the lies are finally colliding with the truth and coming up short. The problem with only governing for the top 1% is that the forgotten 99% start asking awkward questions, like ‘Why can’t I afford Christmas this year?’ and ‘Why is the cost of my healthcare doubling?’ These are simple questions that any transparent government can address. But when your whole narrative is built on a lie, the problems begin.
I have spoken many times about the number of moving parts that shape public perception of government competence. Trump is losing this war on multiple fronts because the administration is working on the assumption that the American people will accept modern-day feudalism as an acceptable form of government. It’s a measure of the arrogance shown by a president governing with a plurality of the vote, while falsely claiming to have won a ‘landslide’ victory in 2024.
Trump’s whole agenda is built on a lie, and it’s important to summarise that lie every so often to remind ourselves of the endless broken promises. From claims of falling food prices, to non-existent inflation, to record low gas prices, and I could go on. None of it is true, NONE OF IT. If you want to take a closer look, check out this CNN fact-checker piece by Daniel Dale from November 10th 2025. I’m not going to summarise it in this piece, because the lies are so extensive we’d be here all day. I suggest you just read the article linked above, which, in my view, gives Trump the benefit of the doubt far too often.
We live in a strange world where Americans go to the supermarket, endure the lived experience of paying far more than expected for the basics, then go home and believe Trump when he says prices are down. It’s surreal to me. I’m really not sure how you counter that level of stupidity. This is the reality of supporting Trump, who, by the way, thanks to taxpayer generosity, has spent $71 million playing golf since returning to office. It’s worthy of note that if he relied on his golfing skills for a living, he’d be queueing outside a homeless shelter tonight.
In a recent Judiciary Committee report by Democrats published on November 24th 2025, which is well worth a read, it notes:
In the year since his victory in the 2024 election, Donald Trump’s fortune has expanded monumentally, largely because of his crypto dealings. According to Reuters, the Trump family raked in more than $800 million in income from sales of crypto assets in the first half of 2025 alone.1 Although it is difficult to determine the precise value of President Trump’s cryptocurrency holdings, public reports make clear the number is in the billions with some estimates putting the value of the holdings as high as $11.6 billion.2 He has built this wealth from the Oval Office by steering investment to his family firm, shielding his investors from federal fraud and securities investigations and prosecutions, bilking his political base, and degrading the federal agencies ordinarily responsible for investigating bribery and tracking known bad actors online
This is a man who has turned self-enrichment while holding the highest office in the land into a fine art. Usually, when we look at the performance of a government, we have come to look at it through the lens of the words of Abraham Lincoln from the Gettysburg Address, of November 1863, “government of the people, by the people, for the people". The interpreted meaning being:
Of the people: The government originates from and is constituted by the people.
By the people: The government is run by the people’s elected representatives.
For the people: The government’s purpose is to serve the welfare and needs of the citizens.
We often bump into the word ‘interpretation’, which, sadly, has become the root of the problems democracy faces in America. Tragically, since this vision was shared, greed and power have reshaped politics to the point where even the mention of the US being a Democracy is like a red rag to a bull. The retort usually is, ‘The US is not a democracy, it’s a Constitutional Republic, ’ as they attempt to excuse some cruel, spiteful or racist driven action. ‘Interpretation’ has always been the best friend of the hard right, given they are constantly in search of excuses for abhorrent behaviour.
It was a behaviour envisioned during the founding of the principles of government that America has inherited. The various arguments about the nuances of governance are well documented in the Federalist Papers (1787-88), a series of 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & John Jay. You can find the full texts on the Library of Congress website. I’ve been studying them for a while now and am at Federalist 51. I have to tell you, it has been a revelation. The level of detailed thought and discussion contained in what, for me, are masterful works of deliberative literary articulation. They represent artworks as important as the Mona Lisa and other visual masterpieces by great painters throughout history.
In an age of soundbites and social media, to someone like me who loves the written word, research and history, reading these essays is like soul food, enhancing my understanding of the nuances of the Constitution's original intent. They are evidence of how malign political actors have subsequently taken the Constitution hostage in the service of power, greed, and wealth. It’s the same as they have done with their bastardisation of the Bible, using deliberate misrepresentation of scripture for political gain. In the very first essay, Federalist 1, Alexander Hamilton saw the threat of populism even in 1787 when he spoke of:
“dangerous ambition” behind the “specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people,” and thereby pave the road towards despotism. Such politicians, he argues, “have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people”.
As a non-US citizen commenting on current-day American politics, I am reminded that in the 18th century, there was a remarkable understanding and ability to articulate human nature that never changes. It was just as easy then to understand the dangers it poses to an equitable society. It led me to look back in history to understand the brief period when social and economic equity reached its pinnacle following World War II, when the wealth gap was at its narrowest.
As with all societies, war changed what people at the bottom would settle for after fighting the rich men’s fight. They didn’t forget the unfairness of a society that had often left them in social deprivation before they risked their life going to war to defend the liberty of their abusers. When the men returned, they felt they had earned the right to better opportunities, which led to the birth of the Labour Movement. By 1947, union membership reached an all-time high, with over a third of non-farm workers joining a union. Not only did this raise the wages of these union workers, but it also raised those of non-union workers. This then led to economic growth being shared more fairly across the population.
It was also a time of high progressive taxes. Top marginal tax rates reached 91% in the 1950s. The result was that the incomes of top earners were used to fund public investments. Now, before you jump off the deep end, it was public investment that then delivered sustained strong economic growth in the 60s. It marked an era of children doing better than their parents, of women entering the workforce, and of the birth of the civil rights movement, along with significant technological advances.
Along with progress came wars and societal change that the rich saw as an opportunity to weaponise for profit and reimagine America in their image, eventually arriving at the inflexion point of the Reagan administration. Since then, we have seen wealth and income inequality returning to levels not seen since the 1920s Gilded Age. The rich learned not to allow men returning from war to dictate the terms of their reintegration into the workforce. They ensured there were no ticker tape parades as they swept the conflict under the carpet. It was the biggest betrayal of men who were sent to fight a war in which incompetent politicians failed them. I have made a long study of the Vietnam War, and I would say to any veteran of that campaign, I salute your service and deeply regret the lack of support so many received when they returned home.
Returning to the economy, worker productivity has remained strong despite the rapid expansion of the wealth gap, so this is not about a lazy workforce; this is about the greedy rich.
This potted history should tell you everything you need to know about where we are today. Republicans tell you, ‘Be compliant, we know what’s best for you.’ They believe America should return to the 1950s, when blacks were second-class citizens, homosexuality was swept under the carpet and decapitated when it raised its head. The days when a woman’s job was to iron clothes, prepare meals for their husbands and produce children. This remains the essence of the MAGA agenda, in contrast to the broader world that has moved on with protections for immigrants, women, gay and transgender citizens. Renewable energy is driving the economies of the future. The US abandonment of green energy is yet another massive self-inflicted economic wound that has allowed China to step in and dominate the market at the US economy's expense.
The rapidly growing global green economy is estimated to be worth over $10 trillion annually. At a time when China is surging forward and outpacing energy generation with an ever-increasing shift towards cheaper, more sustainable power, the US is trailing behind as AI energy demand grows exponentially. Trump’s inability to anticipate downstream economic impact is an arterial bleed to the economy that will allow its primary economic competitor to lead the world.
The truth of the matter is, the US is becoming a self-destructive relic on the global stage of economic progress. It is only hanging on because the dollar is the international reserve currency and global trade has been constructed around its consumer-driven economy. However, what we are seeing right now is that, in just a year, global trade is beginning to rewire itself, slowly reducing reliance not just on US trade but also on security. The US economy, by Trump’s own admission, will collapse if the Supreme Court Rules against his tariffs. The bottom line is that the US Treasury has now become dependent on a $29 billion-per-month federal sales tax ingestion disguised as tariffs on imported goods. The Treasury’s revenue stream is being held up by Americans paying an average of 18% more in taxes. He’s extorting his own population for economic survival.
For a Party that believes in low taxes and small government, it seems odd to me that, this year alone, far from dealing with the national debt, Trump has added $2 trillion to it. There are no positive economic indicators for the US as we approach the end of the year. This is why this administration is slowly unravelling. The level of incompetence is off the charts as deficits and debt continue to rise. Trump has chosen to throw away $90 billion in state and federal taxes from undocumented workers, choosing instead to spend $170 billion to deport 14% of the US workforce that will never be replaced with American workers. It’s the type of economic lunacy that defines Trump as an economic imbecile, earning him the label of global village idiot.
He’s a president for the social media age, selling a fantasy to the uneducated during an epidemic of ignorance and stupidity. In a nutshell, Trump could not care less about America, the American people, or small businesses; his sole objective is to fill his pockets with the proceeds of whatever it takes to enrich himself and his family, be it war, international extortion or stealing money from the working poor, they are all legitimate targets of what he believes to be his entitlement as President of the United States. If the American people want this to be their epitaph as a nation, please feel free to carry on.
As always you are right on point saying out loud too many Americans willingly or ignorantly refuse to admit. It seems many Americans are slowly waking up but it's not fast enough. It is greed and power against ignorance and apathy. We'll soon see how that ends up.
Great piece. ...but don't give him the credit of being a "fine artist" of Anything!