President Trump has been President for a week and is proceeding at lightning speed to restructure the U.S. government. President Trump actually started his administration weeks before his inauguration. His actions so far have been bold and decisive, often at the expense of the Congress and the Constitution.
From his decision to pardon all indicted and all convicted people involved in the January 6th insurrection, to his decision to fire nearly all Inspector Generals from his government, and to his decision to eliminate all government positions related to DEI initiatives, President Trump has shown no respect for the legal system and due process and has shown no compassion for those whom he has fired.
President Trump has exerted his will over the Republican members of Congress, who will almost certainly confirm without question every appointment that he makes, starting with his cabinet, regardless of the level of relevant experience of his appointees, any conflicts of interest they may have, or questionable past conduct or statements made.
In addition, President Trump has threatened allies and enemies alike with tariffs, annexations, and holy hell should they not accede to his demands.
It has been a week of weeks, and this is only the beginning.
President Trump insists that the American people have given him a mandate to change the country as he sees fit and is proceeding accordingly. He acts as if the checks and balances to presidential power as stated in the Constitution do not apply to him. President Trump controls the Congress, the legislative branch of the government. He acts in a manner that suggests he fully expects the Judicial branch of the government, i.e., the Supreme Court, to also fall in line.
There is an understandable concern that President Trump will exceed his constitutional authority unchecked and will engage in actions that threaten not just people who entered this country illegally, but those who are here legally, those who are naturalized citizens, those who want access to contraception and early-term abortion, even those who question the constitutionality of his actions or simply voice their disagreement with them.
This is certainly the potential downside to this new Trump administration, a ruthless control of society and a silencing of dissent. Many Trump supporters may be in favor of such measures, not understanding that these actions are in accordance with the type of Trump fascism that people were warning about leading up to this recent election.
President Trump’s nominees to various senior positions in his cabinet reflect his intention to act with an iron fist. His nominees suggest that President Trump believes that it is necessary for him to have people in these positions who share his willingness to act in ways that ignore the Constitutional limits of executive authority.
Of concern as well is President Trump’s ongoing purge of government employees, which is a confirmation of his need for retribution and unquestioning fealty. Many of these firings, such as those involving independent inspector generals, are of questionable merit even in light of his need for absolute control. At the very least, the extent and breadth of President Trump’s purge shows an absence of thoughtfulness and any concern about short-term pain or long-term consequences.
There are now comparisons being made detailing the similarity between the actions of the Trump administration and the Project 2025 manifesto, suggesting that President Trump mislead everyone when he denied having any knowledge of Project 2025. This pretty much confirms that President Trump will say whatever he needs to say in order to achieve his objective. So much for honesty.
In any event, all of President Trump’s disruptive actions will be over by the end of the first 100 days of his presidency. At that point we will have a clearer picture of the degree to which the Republican-controlled legislative branch of the government intends to perform their constitutional responsibility as being a check and balance.
Given its current commitment to supporting President Trump’s agenda without reservation or deliberation, it is unlikely that the Republican-controlled Senate and House will be anything other than a mindless rubber stamp.
It is unfortunate that President Trump has taken this sledgehammer-like approach to governance. It takes away from his perceptiveness in identifying the critical failings and weaknesses of our country, both domestically as well as internationally.
To begin with, the border security of this country has been severely weakened by the Biden administration’s policies. There are between one and two million dangerous illegal aliens in this country. They must be located and removed, which is happening now.
Side Note: It would be best if there was complimentary legislation establishing a more robust working visa program so that critical work being performed by illegal immigrants was acknowledged and legalized. This is unlikely to happen in the current environment where the focus is on removing as many illegal immigrants as possible regardless of their personal and employment history in this country. The American economy will suffer from this short-sighted approach.
Next, the geopolitical security of this country has been weakened by this country’s complacency and vacillating approach to strategic threats around the world. This is not a world of love and sense of community. It is a world of transactional decisions and alliances. This country’s generosity, openness, and sense of responsibility/guilt has been used to manipulate our foreign policy and access our wealth. A hardnosed review and rebalancing of our foreign relations is long overdue.
Side Note: The threat of tariffs and sanctions to induce cooperation by other countries in the interest of achieving a rebalancing of our foreign relations is an entirely acceptable strategy as long as there is a clear, reasonable, and justifiable basis for our actions. It is a harsh and direct approach to changing the status que, but this country can no longer accept any agreements that place us at a strategic or economic disadvantage.
Next, there is a need for strengthening the international rules-based order that has allowed most of the world to flourish despite widespread corruption in many countries. The United States has been seen as the leader of the free world since the end of World War II, and this is a role that must continue because there is no alternative. Diplomacy is certainly an important part of this effort, but having a strong military deterrence has become increasingly more important. The threats to international rules-based order are primarily aggressive in nature, ranging from terrorist activities to cyber-attacks to actual invasions. All threats must be addressed in a timely, direct, and multi-national manner.
Side Note: The military industrial complex based in the Pentagon is currently unable to develop and procure the weapons that this country requires to sustain a strong military deterrence. This is due to a concentration of military production in a limited number of profit-driven corporations that have undo political influence, both in Congress and in the Pentagon itself. Instead of relying solely on domestic weapons technology and manufacturing capability, the technologies and manufacturing capabilities possessed by NATO, the Quad countries, South Korea and Israel should be incorporated into our defense planning.
Next, there may be an opportunity to reduce the Federal budget by eliminating unnecessary programs and redundant agencies, and by reimagining how services are being provided. In addition, procurement methods may be inefficient due to various restrictions and regulations. The creation of a cabinet level Department of Government Efficiency has the potential to identify this type of government waste, although it is unclear at this time to what extent it will be able to act independently of political bias and influence.
Side Note: The assumption has been made that the Federal Government is too large and has too many people. Considering that the number of Federal employees has stayed remarkably consistent over the past 40 years, excessive headcount is unlikely to be a significant cause of the growth of the Federal budget, and yet this seems to be a primary focus of DOGE. So too, the firing of so many inspector generals removes independent oversight and increases the likelihood of corrupt practices flourishing in government agencies due to the amount of money involved in grants, programs, and contracts. This would appear to have been a self-defeating measure.
Next, there are undoubtably regulations and permitting requirements that restrict more efficient business development and expansion instead of protecting the public interest. Whereas most regulations and requirements were established to address an immediate need, their effectiveness over time may have turned into an unnecessary bureaucratic nightmare. Periodic review of all regulations for relevance and continued need should be an integral part of the work done by every agency in every department throughout the entire Federal government. Unfortunately, this is the type of unglamorous work the value of which is not immediately apparent and therefore is likely to be left undone.
Side Note: In many instances, it is politically expedient and highly profitable to eliminate regulations that require the public interest to be considered and protected. Great care should be exercised in the elimination of regulations to ensure that these actions are in the public interest. However, given the number of extremely wealthy businessmen/investors who will hold high-level positions within the Trump administration, it should be expected that many regulations will be eliminated so as to allow the exploitation of the public interest by private business interests.
Next, the United States is the largest market for international trade, and has traditionally run a deficit with most countries, importing more than exporting. This country’s reliance on China as a primary trading partner has proven to be problematic due to their unfair, manipulative, and somewhat threatening practices. Encouraging the development of other sources for goods, services, and raw materials is a prudent approach. Restrictions and tariffs on Chinese imports is also a prudent approach to counteract their strategic, destabilizing efforts.
Side Note: It is unclear to what extent the trade deficit has a negative effect on the economy of the United States. In theory, a balance between imports and exports may very well be a preferred condition, but in practice what this would mean for the U.S. economy needs much more study. Imposing tariffs to address existing trade deficits without this in-depth study, as is being done with Canada and Mexico, may not result in the desired outcome of balanced trade, but is likely to result in a worsening of relations with these countries. This should matter to the Trump administration, but it does not appear to factor into their actions.
Next, this country needs to become more tolerant towards those who have different ways of looking at life. This applies to our own people, as well as to our relationships with other countries.
Side Note: This is where President Trump has been and will continue to be an abject failure. He seems to be fundamentally unable to understand the concepts of tolerance and diplomacy. The difference between being a tough-minded leader and an intimidator-in-chief is lost on him. President Trump does not believe in thinking things through and considering the ramifications of his words and deeds before speaking and acting. He believes in his own infallibility and sees any questioning of his decisions to be evidence of disloyalty. “I and I alone can solve the problems of this country” is President Trump’s underlying conceit. It simply is not true.
So, could Donald Trump be right?
Yes, in that he has identified a number of ways in which this country could improve itself from where it is today.
However, in the first few weeks of his administration, President Trump has acted imperiously with complete disregard to the ramifications of his actions and is likely to have exceeded his constitutional authority.
Whatever mandate President Trump believes he was given by the American people certainly did not extend to the removal of the inspector generals who monitor government departments for corruption and other forms of malfeasance. So too, it is doubtful that the carte blanche authority President Trump has given Elon Musk to eliminate major parts of the federal government without debate or discussion was anticipated by the more moderate Trump supporters.
In comparison to the weak and unfocused leadership of the Biden administration, it is refreshing and reassuring to many that President Trump is taking decisive action. There is a sense among many that whatever President Trump does must be good for the country and that his actions should not be questioned.
It should be clear by now that President Trump and his administration are intent on a wholesale transformation of this country in the spirit of Project 2025. Once the giddiness and euphoria has passed, and the reality of the Project 2025 vision begins to become clearer, it will be time to take a much closer look as to whether or not this is in the best interests of our nation.
But that time is not today.