Trump the Chump

January, 2018

Well, Mr. Mueller is still searching for answers.  What indeed did the Trump campaign do with the Russians?  Did they conspire with the Russians or were the various Russian meetings just innocent contacts designed to strengthen our diplomatic ties with an important foreign nation? With this in mind, a question arises. Why did the various Trump people choose to lie about these meetings, especially in an environment where so many Americans were questioning the possibility of actual “collusion” between the Trump campaign and Putin?

Trump has continually denied any improper association with the Russians yet he continues to plant “doubt” about his veracity in the minds of many. He always acts as if he is hiding something and trying to cover his tracks on the Russian issue. Remember, he fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. He then followed-up with the firing of U.S. Attorney General Preet Bharara and FBI Director, James Comey. He also went after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but that didn’t work out supposedly because Sessions’ capital on Capitol Hill exceeded Trump’s.  All of these government professionals had the potential to impact his business and/or legal interests.

From his presidential campaign through his presidency thus far, Mr. Trump has been the source of countless verifiable misstatements and lies. He does not seem to be as interested in unifying the country as he is in playing to his base and keeping them loyally “on-the-hook”. He is their pied piper and his keen supporters are following him to the wherever, leaning on his promises, trusting his promises.

Where will Trump lead us? No one really knows. He just scored a win with the passage of his tax reform package. However, he seemed more interested in a major 2017 legislative win than increasing an already excessively high deficit by another 1.5 trillion bucks. I guess in Trump’s mind, “A win is a win; we’ll worry about the deficit later.”  He probably figured that when workers see more money in their paychecks, they may show their appreciation at the ballot box in favor of the Republicans. Is this his idea of a calculated tradeoff?  With the passage of tax reform Trump won the day at the eleventh hour. However there are still many serious unresolved issues that are facing Trump.  The continuing Mueller probe may result in litigation against his staff, his family, and himself. There are several past business suits and sexual misconduct claims that are still outstanding. In addition there is the North Korean problem and other world issues that can become time consuming crises. Also, Trump’s style of governing does not play well domestically or internationally and this may well affect his ability to effectively get important things done. Many people have said that his credibility is shattered both at home and abroad. With all of this, and more, Trump faces an uphill battle.

Come summer or fall, we’ll see if Trump is still polling high among his most loyal supporters.  Will they finally see him as most of the world has learned to see him—as Trump the Chump, with a most tenuous political and personal future, or will they continue to be deluded by this champion of delusion?