To Win the Nobel Prize Trump Needs to Clean Up His Act

After the American Century

                                                        Makeover Needed

Dear Donald Trump 

You have been campaigning to get the Nobel Prize for one spectacular action. Negotiating a peace agreement. But you have to do more. You need a track record. Gotta be long-term noble to win the Nobel.

Look at who wins that prize. Often, it recognizes decades or even an entire lifetime dedicated to the cause of peace. In 2024 the prize went to Nihon Hidankyō  - the survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack who have worked tirelessly to prohibit the use of such devastating weapons ever again. In other years the prize has been given to journalists who bravely stood up to dictators, or to an activist, such as Narges Mohammadi,  who has stood up to the Iranian state demanding human rights. In 2025 the prize has been awarded to María Corina Machado a leader of the Venezuelan opposition to the Maduro regime. Such champions of democracy and human rights tend to receive the prize.  

So, Mr. Trump a few friendly words. Of advice.

A president who murders people on the high seas, when he might arrest them instead, seems a poor candidate for the Peace Prize.  So put that on hold. It's not noble.

Nor does a president who tells a nationwide audience that he hates his enemies seem like a champion of peace. Tone that down. Go to church more often. Try to look noble.

Nor does a president seem to deserve the Peace Prize if he sends troops into large cities on the pretext that they are riotous when in fact their crime rate is down. So stop that,  and instead hold some-feel good cultural events at the White House.

Nor was it a smart move for ICE agents to run around in masks arresting people based on their appearance and locking them up without specific charges, without a hearing, and no access to a lawyer. It would be better if these guys did not resemble the Gestapo. Get new white uniforms, so they look more like medical workers. Mr. Kennedy has a lot of surplus gear after he slimmed down that department. And send them some place that really is crime ridden.

Nor was it a smart move to rename the Department as Defense as the War Department. It would be better to rename it the Department Protecting World Peace. Rename the Navy Seals as the Navy Doves. 

Anyway, Donald. You are right! About that Peace Prize. Its definitely the highest award. The highest. Most noble. Ever. Go for it. But be less combative. Not so angry. Stop threatening people. Let Melania out more often. Serve Mexican food to the journalists.

Even despite your mistakes so far,  you have a chance to win. The BIGGEST. A very Noble, and # 1. Of all prizes. 

How? Look a a map, Donald. The Norwegians give the Peace Prize. Norway is not in the Middle East. It borders on Russia. Norwegians have no love for Putin. None. No love. You be tough with Putin and Norway will like it.

And Norway is very committed to NATO.  Support NATO more and the prize gets possible. 

End the war in Ukraine, the Norwegians feel safer. The Prize gets closer still. 

Drop tariffs on Norway's exports and you can get on the short list for the Prize. 

Then, invite previous Peace Prize winners to a White House conference. Call it "Steps Needed to Achieve World Peace." Get yourself a selfie with every winner.

The President Has No Clothes

After the American Century

Hans Christian Andersen wrote a prophetic story about a king who thought he was acquiring magical clothing that was of superior quality. In fact, he had been fooled into thinking the clothing existed, when in fact he was "putting on" nothing at all. Two men who claimed to be weavers had pretended to make magical garments that were so fine that only intelligent people could see them. The King wanted such clothing, for he would not only appear splendid but he would be able to discover which subjects were fools. However, no one would admit that they could not see the new garments, because then they would appear stupid and unfit to keep their position. And so, the entire city praised the non-existent garments. The King strutted before his court and his subjects, convinced that he cut an impressive figure. Until a child said the obvious thing, that the King was stark naked. 

I used to think that Hans Christian Andersen exaggerated, for surely it would not be possible for an entire society to pretend their monarch was beautifully dressed when he was buck naked.  But the spectacle of Mr. Trump in the White House has shown that this fable is grounded in a deep insight into human nature.

Any child can see that Trump is not in his right mind. When he speaks, he rambles. He claims that there is an insurrection in the United States and sends troops to places where the crime rate is low, while ignoring other places where it is high. He orders the death of people in small boats in the open waters of the sea, claiming without a shred of evidence that these people are terrorists or drug runners. He has a large navy and air force, and these boats could be captured without killing anyone, but he bombs them instead. He continually makes statements at odds with irrefutable facts, and then orders out the National Guard. He posts strange videos from the White House depicting magical beds that will cure anyone who lies in them or demeaning political opponents. He appears to be out of his mind. If anyone else said and did these things they would be sent for psychiatric examination or put on trial for murdering people on the high seas.

Instead, news reporters, government officials, foreign heads of state, and legions of followers treat Mr. Trump as if he were sane.  He clearly is not, but the United States seems as a whole to be deranged. The man suffers from vast delusions of grandeur. He claims he ought to get to the Noble Peace Prize, yet he commits murder, arrests citizens without a warrant, slanders judges, and does his deranged best to intimidate opponents.  

During the first Trump administration, the Washington Post kept a list of the lies Trump told, and it eventually contained more than 25,000 items. Many of those lies are still being repeated with new absurdities added daily, to the point that half the public is convinced of supposed conspiracies and non-existent dangers. They have become as deranged as their leader.

As a result, the nation has become a state in national paralysis. The government is in lockdown and the Republicans will not even call the House of Representatives into session. They have abdicated their role in the political system. Representative national government has ceased to function, leaving a vacuum to be filled with the lunacy of a madman and his entourage at the White Asylum, where a new ballroom is being built.

Anderson ends his tale this way: 

‘But he hasn’t got anything on,’ all his people finally cried out. This gave the emperor the shivers, for he sensed they were right, but he reasoned: ‘Now I’ll have to stick the procession out.’ And the chamberlains walked on bearing the train that wasn’t there."  

(translation by John Irons)

Trump Has Weakened the American Economy

After the American Century          

[updated Oct. 7, to include information on stocks, declining foreign student enrollments, and the government shutdown]

When Trump took office the dollar was strong, but since then it has fallen, weakening the purchasing power of Americans in the world economy. The short term effects are worrying; the longterm effects are dire

Short Term Effects

ON January 13, 2025, at the end of the Biden presidency, the dollar and the Euro were almost equal in value. For $102 you could buy €100.  Yesterday, it cost $117 to purchase €100.  The dollar lost roughly 15% of its value in 8 months. 

Add the tariffs to this equation. Assume the smallest tariff that any nation gets, 10%. That pushes up the price to €110, or $128.70. An increase of more than 25%! 

Furthermore, consider this along with other trends under the Trump Administration

1. The dollar has fallen 15% against the Euro since Trump became president.

2. The job market has stagnated since April, with almost no new jobs. 

        Comparison: The last two months under Biden there were 500,000 new jobs.

3. Trump's policies have angered Canadians and Europeans. Fewer are coming to the US in 2025. Current estimates are that the loss of tourism in 2025 will mean $12.5 billion loss of revenue. Add to this a sharp decline in the number of foreign students, a loss of more than 75,000 according to the New York Times. Some have been frightened away by the arrest and persecution of many foreign students in the spring 2025, others have been put off by a slow down in visa processing.

4. Demand for electricity is increasing.  Some experts think the demand for electricity will rise 25% in the next ten years.  But Trump is killing wind and solar projects that could help meet that demand. When supply is inadequate, energy prices rise.

5. Inflation is up. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland tracks and predicts inflation. The Consumer Price Index has moved from 2% to 3% already since Trump took office, and the tariff effects are only beginning to be felt. Prices of new cars, for example, will increase due to tariffs. If energy costs continue to rise, it is possible the rate of inflation could reach 4%.

6. To reduce inflation, the usual strategy is to raise interest rates, which dampens demand and slows down economic growth. But that is not an attractive option when the labor market is already stalled. Trump is pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower interest, which could lead to the higher inflation, rising even beyond 4%. At the same time, the goveernment shutdown means that no data will be available on the levels of unemployment or inflation, which means the Federal Reserve decision will be based on guesswork.

7. Stock markets in other countries have had a better 2025 than the US. According to Fidelity, in 2024, US equities were up 25%, well ahead of Europe at just 2.4%. But as of the end of June in 2025, the US equities were sharply up and down, with a half year result of 6.7%. In contrast, Europe, at 9.7%, is ahead of everyone else, including Asia. Factor in the declining value of the dollar, and foreign investment in US equities during 2025 was a losing proposition. Assuming one invested $100 at the start of the year, it grew to $106.70. But the value of $100 fell by more than $6.70. Buying US government debt was an even worse investment.

8. The government has been closed down now for a week, with no end in sight. There is no budget, and the Republicans have refused even to hold sessions in the House of Representatives. They have abdicated all responsibility! With most federal employees sent home without being paid and many vital institutions closed down, the economy will contract a little. J. P Morgan estimates that "“Each week, a shutdown subtracts about 0.1% of annualized GDP growth." Now entering the second week with no end in sight, it seems GPD will contract a minimum of 0.2% on this factor alone

In short, Trump's policies have weakened the dollar, stalled the labor market, driven away tourists and foreign students, halted energy development, relied on deficit spending, pushed up inflation, and brought the government to a standstill.  He has also alienated traditional allies, notably Canada and the EU, and angered nations the US once was trying to woo, notably India and Brazil. 

Long Term Effects

Those are immediate effects. More longer term, Trump's policies are driving away top scientists and handing China the chance to take global leadership in science. Indeed, one could argue the US is already in second place. The World Population Review reports that "China has authorized over 2.53 million patents in the past five years, with a 13.4% average annual growth rate." In 2023 the Chinese received almost 800,000 patents. By comparison, the number of US patents has been declining slightly for several years, hovering just under 600,000. The US ought to be pumping more money into scientific research, but Trump has cut funding instead. The US is falling behind already, and it is likely to get worse because thousands fewer foreign graduate students enrolling due to Trump policies. In the past, many engineering and science graduates have remained in the US after graduation. So many, in fact, that four out of ten employed in these fields were born abroad.

Annual GDP Growth per capita, China vs The United States, 1980-2024

As the above chart from the World Bank shows, in every year since 1980 China's economy has grown more rapidly than the American economy. Note that this graph concerns growth per capita. China has by far the larger population. China has been rapidly raising the income level for its more than 1 billion citizens. The Americans are still ahead in income per person, but the advantage is eroding. Note, however. that the spectacular Chinese growth rates between 1980 and 2010 probably cannot be duplicated.

Conclusion

Trump's first 8 months as president have been a disaster. He inherited a strong economy with rapid job growth and low inflation, but he has squandered both in a quixotic quest to revert to the American economy of 1925, an economy based on extensive use of fossil fuels, low taxes, and high tariffs. But these short term mistakes pale by comparison with his failure to understand that in the long-term the United States can only prevail with strong foreign alliances and through leadership in science and innovation. He has undermined the US internationally, angering allies, and driven away potential friends with abusive tariffs. China appears, by comparison, to be a dynamic nation, both economically strong and technologically agile. 

If these trends continue for three more years, then the Trump presidency will mark the end of American leadership, leading to a global realignment. A new order is already emerging, and it can take more than one possible form.  The worst scenario is that Trump will continue to dither over what to do about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His inaction and unreliability have already pushed Germany to begin rearming and troubled the NATO alliance. Trump may pretend otherwise, but to lose Ukraine would be to lose the world order that prevailed in the Cold War. If "America First" means no meaningful support for Europe and going it alone, then Trump has chosen decline. By 2028 the nation may find itself mired in debt, plagued by stagflation, and distructed by former allies. The dollar might even cease to be the world's currency, as no foreign nation will want to buy the trillions of dollars in US bonds needed to pay for runaway national debt. But surely, you wonder, could that ever happen to the "land of the free and home of the brave.'' We shall see.

Renaming: Suggestions for the Trump Administration

After the American Century

Trump has decided to rename the Department of Defense, as the Department of War.  

Presumably, other parts of the government also will be renamed, hence the following suggestions

Present name                                Proposed change

President                                               Godfather

FBI                                                        Federal Bureau of Intimidation

Department of Justice                           Department of Payback and Reprisal

Supreme Court                                      Court of Presidential Rubber Stamping  

ICE                                                        American Gestapo

State Department                                  Department of America First

Treasury Department                            Department of Deficit Spending  

Department of the Interior                    Department of Resource Exploitation

Department of Agriculture                    Department of AgriBusiness

Department of Labor                             Department of Wonderful Statistics

Department of Health                           Department of Just Say No to Science

Center for Disease Control                   Center for Home Cures and Quackery 

Department of Energy                          Department Promoting Fossil Fuels

Homeland Security                               Department of Urban Occupation 

Department of Education                     Department of Mythology

Department of Transportation              Department of Gasoline 

    

Foundation for Humanities                  Foundation for Prejudice, Pride & Patriotism

Federal Trade Commission                  Arbitrary Tariffs Commission

Civil Service Commission                   Employee Termination Service

National Science Foundation               Department of University Shakedowns

Social Security                                     Ephemeral Pensions Administration

Trump's Hundred Days of Infamy Provide Three Grounds for Impeachment

After the American Century

Donald Trump has violated his oath of office multiple times in his first 100 days. Why is no one saying this? The servility of the Republicans and the cowardice of many Democrats explain it only in part. Just as serious is the failure of the legal profession to take a stand and the failure of the press to hold Trump to the same standards that have protected the government from tyranny for 250 years.

There are many grounds for impeachment, but here are three of the most egregious problems with this would-be monarch. Each would have triggered a demand for impeachment had any earlier president done the same.

(1) Trump has grossly and repeatedly violated the emolument's clause of the Constitution.The President and his family are not allowed to use the office to enrich themselves with gits from foreign governments or individuals, but this is precisely what they have done on many occasions. The most egregious is creating a new crypto currency corporation and the promoting its sales, which have created millions in profits for the President, while hiding the origins of the money coming in.

    Another matter that cries out for investigation is the extent to which Trump and his close associates have used insider knowledge to play the stock market. It is not clear how much this has been going on, but certainly there were sudden purchases of stocks by some people immediately before Trump announced reductions in tariffs, which caused a sudden rise in the market. See the ABC news report, one of many on this matter.  Trump's sons have alos made lucrative real estate deals with foreign governments, and Trump has held a golf turnament at his Florida Doral goft course, where one literally had to pay to play. The sponsor of this tournament? The Saudis. (See New York Times for more details.) This is a short list. Trump has trampled all over the emoluments clause on many occasions, and this alone should never be allowed. He is using the office of president to enrich himself. Impeach Trump!

(2) Trump has overseen the deportation of American Citizens, legalimmigrants, and others to a prison in a foreign nation, without allowing them due process of law, without making formal charges, without even allowing them to have a lawyer. What crime could they possibly have committed that would land them in a Central American gulag? Instead of defending the Constitution, he is intentionally violating it. Impreach Trump! 

(3) Trump has repeatedly defied the courts, followed up by verbal attacks on the justices. This violates the Constitution in an unmistakeable way, and he ought to be rebuked by Congress. But instead, Congress has failed in its duties. In the first 100 days it passed only 5 laws, none of which were substantial. Meanwhile, Congress allowed Trump to carry out continual violations of the Constitution in the form of executive orders. It is not the role of the President to destroy programs that have been passed into law and funded by the Congress. If he wishes to close down a department or a program, rather than allow it to function with the allocations that it has received from Congress, then he first must get the approval of Congress. Instead, he has created an extrajudicial, unelected cadre of people who have no legal standing, and he has allowed them to fire people and close federal agencies. The Republican controlled Congress does nothing. They have failed to do their duty, and in their arrogant apssivity they show contempt for the Constitution. The Republicans will go down in history as a party that lost its way in 2016. That is why it will be difficult to Impeach Trump.

Trump is the worst president in the history of the United States. He has alienated American allies, disrupted the economy with exaggerated tariffs followed by backing down followed by new crazy tariffs. He has weakened the dollar, enabled widespread destruction of the federal government, and appointed a cabinet of toadies who have seriously damaged every government department, most notably the Departments of Justice and Defense.  His tenure as of April 30 has been 100 days of infamy. The nation will be the laughing stock of the world if it proves unable to stop his inanities, provocations, and predations.

Impeach Trump.

Make America Civil Again

What if TrumpPutin Wins Ukranian War?

After the American Century

President Don TrumpPutin has achieved a diplomatic victory. In a demonstration of the "art of the deal," he posed to be a peace-maker, when in fact he was collaborating with the Russian leader Vlad PutinTrump. 

If this deal goes through, not only will America WIN, but just as important Ukraine and Europe will LOSE. The United States will get mineral resources from Ukraine, in exchange for support given in the past (under President Biden).  AND the United States will get investment opportunities in Russia in exchange for support given it during the "peace negotiations."

Russia will be rewarded with territory, and the economic sanctions against it will be lifted. Its bombing of hospitals, schools, and other war crimes, and its kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children will not be punished.  It also appears likely that Russia will not object should Trump-putin acquire Canada and/or Greenland.

Ukraine will get nothing. The war has given it billions of dollars of damage, plus thousands of dead and wounded. If the plan goes through, Ukraine will be crippled. shrunken, bankrupt, and denied membership in NATO or the EU. President Trump-putin says this is only fair because Ukraine started the war by forcing Russia to invade. (Trump repeats this nonsense!)

Europe gets a lesson. Do not count on the United States. When the United Nations was founded, the Americans signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It promised to uphold the right to national self-determination, and the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and due process of law. President Trump-putin is actively working against these rights at home and abroad

The era of international law appears to be coming to a close. This marks the end of the American Century. When entering World War I, Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the world safe for democracy. But the US Senate embraced isolationism instead, and it refused to ratify American membership in the League of Nations. Trump is the political descendant of those Senators.

His policy is "America First," which apparently means "Russia second, Britain third, Europe fourth, fourth Canada, fifth Mexico, far down the list, Denmark, near the bototm, Ukraine, and China last." This ranking can also be seen in the Trump-imposed tariffs. There are no tariffs for Russia, low tariffs on Britain, higher tariffs on Europe, higher still for Canada, and more than 100% tariffs for China. 

Some possible consequences of Trump's policy toward Ukraine. 

1. Europe rearms; Germany reasserts itself as a military power. 

2. Europeans join Canadians and Mexicans as "former friends" of the US, and as a result no longer support the American dollar, travel less to the US, and move some of their trade elsewhere.

3. A wave of Ukrainian refugees floods into Europe.

4. China avoids tariffs by exporting through shell companies in Russia. More importantly, China grows stronger and becomes the world's dominant economy.

5. The United States, its moral leadership in tatters and its military support uncertain, withdraws from NATO. 

6. Russia rebuilds its armed forces and plans further attacks, since its ambition is to recreate the geographical boundaries of the Soviet Union before it fell apart.

Greenland: Not American Security but World Environmental Security Is at Stake

US ownership of Greenland is the path to environmental insecurity.

After the American Century

Every generation or so, some American politician gets the notion that the United States ought to acquire Greenland. Often, this is justified by reference to the Monroe Doctrine, proclaimed in the 1820s, which proclaimed that European powers should stay out of the Americas. However, this is a rather silly attempt to dignify acquisition of Greenland, which has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for one thousand years. Long before Columbus discovered America, the Vikings had explored Iceland and Greenland. The idea that the Monroe Doctrine applies to events more than eight centuries before it was proclaimed is absurd. Nor is the US close to Greenland, which lies between Iceland and the coast of Canada. The people of Greenland do not want to be bought or sold. Nor does Denmark want to sell Greenland. 

Map courtesy of the Arctic Center, University of Lapland
Its extensive home pages provide a wealth of useful information.

Whatever the justification for buying (or seizing) Greenland, there are two reasons why its acquisition looks attractive: Natural resources and military bases. There seldom seems to be any US government interest in the Greenlanders themselves, whose language and culture could easily be utterly destroyed after acquisition. There are only about 60,000 people living on the vast island, much of which is frozen all year round. Almost the entire population lives along the southwestern coast, one third in the capital, Nuuk. There are no roads connecting most of the towns together. 

In military terms, Greenland looks important because it is halfway between Washington and Moscow. For that reason, the Americans already have one base on the island, Thule, which is on the west coast, just about the only settlement in the far north. Another American base, called Century, was located inland on the great Greenland ice sheet. Established in 1959 in a series of tunnels and excavations into the ice sheet, it was occupied full time until 1964, it became a seasonal base (closed in winter), and then was abandoned in 1967. Today it lies buried in ice and snow that have since accumulated. In other words, at the height of the Cold War, the US did not find it necessary, and they found it expensive and difficult, to maintain an inland base. Greenland has an extreme environment, and after struggling to sustain bases, it became clear that the Soviets could hardly sneak in and create a meaningful military site, much less continually supply one. It is exceedingly difficult to move around on the inland surface of Greenland, which is why almost all communities are on the coast. In short, this is not a place for ground forces, base camps, and troop movements. It is rather a place for early warning systems and other equipment designed to monitor the sea and the sky. Denmark is a member of NATO, and in addition the Americans have a treaty with the Danish government, allowing them to operate the Thule military base. They can also move ships and submarines around the coast to their heart's content. In short, from a military perspective, owning Greenland will not suddenly improve American security, and if new bases are necessary (although no one seems to have said they are) that could be negotiated. I cannot see any important military advantage to be gained.  "National security" is a bogus argument for acquiring Greenland. 

In terms of resources, Greenland potentially is a bonanza. Even with much of it explored primarily from the air, it is clear that it has uranium, rare earth minerals, oil, and gas, with potentially far more still undiscovered. Why have these resources not been exploited already? First, there is the high cost of development. There are no harbors convenient to or roads to most of these resources. The weather makes it difficult or impossible to operate outside for much of the year. Such practical problems make it uncompetitive with other locations where resources are more accessible. The second reason is important. Many Greenlanders fear that an influx of mining companies will despoil the landscape, pollute the environment, and undermine their way of life. Possibly some limited mining could be negotiated, provided strong environmental safety regulations are enforced. However, the US has a disgraceful history with mining on Native American lands, notably with the uranium mining of Navajo land. More than 30 million tons of uranium ore was extracted. As the American Environmental Protection Agency summarizes, "a legacy of uranium contamination remains, including over 500 abandoned uranium mines as well as homes and water sources with elevated levels of radiation. Potential health effects include lung cancer from inhalation of radioactive particles, as well as bone cancer and impaired kidney function from exposure to radionuclides in drinking water." The mines were closed in 1986, but even in 2025 after spending more than $1 billion, many of the mines are not cleaned up. Something similar could easily in Greenland if mining companies operated with the weakened standards and poor oversight likely under the Trump administration.

Furthermore, if oil drilling is permitted, Greenland will contribute to the global warming that already is melting their ice sheet. This is not a small matter. Greenland impounds an astonishingly large portion of the earth's fresh water. Its ice has been shrinking every year for 28 years. The United Nations estimates that during 2024 it lost "50 million litres per minute, 9,000 million litres per hour" for a total of 80 gigatons of water during that single year.  Scientists estimate that were all of Greenland's ice to dissolve into the sea, the oceans would rise about 7 meters. If CO2 emissions are not drastically reduced, within one lifetime the ice melt from Greenland (with even more water released from Antartica) will flood coastal cities in all parts of the world, including Copenhagen, New York, much of Bangladesh, about half of Florida, and many island nations, to make a suggestive short list.  Greenlanders take global warming seriously, but the current President of the United States does not. Trump calls global warming a hoax, and he is passing legislation designed to increase fossil fuel exploration and consumption. If the he acquires Greenland, it will be in order to "Drill, baby drill." This makes the United States the worst possible owner of Denmark. 

Ownership of Greenland is a matter of security. But it is not a matter of American military security but the security of Greenland, as a landscape and a people. Allowing the United States to seize Greenalnd endangers the world's environmental security. It also violates a fundamental principle of international law: respect for international borders.

The Supreme Court's Decline in the Polls

After the American Century

A court without legitimacy is a danger to democracy.

For decades the Supreme Court enjoyed a high rating in the polls. It was generally approved by more than half the population, who believed it upheld the law and the Constitution. Back in the middle 1990s the Court enjoyed immense popularity with approval ratings as high as 80%. In 2000, more than 60% of the public approved of the court, and less than 30% disapproved. But as the Court has become increasingly polarized, public trust in the Court has fallen. Between 2014 and 2018 more people disapproved than approved of the Court. Then it briefly recovered its good standing with the people until 2022 when it fell precipitously. Since that time, its disapproval rating has never been higher than 50%.  In January, 2025,  just 38.8% approved of the Court.  

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

More than 60% of the public do not trust the justices to do the right thing. It does not help that the Court lacks ethical guidelines concerning conflicts of interest. Nor does a majority of the public agree with its decision that presidents are immune from prosecution for their actions. Nor are the Court's decisions on abortion approved by a majority of Americans. Nor are Clarence Thomas's acceptance of many expensive trips and gifts from wealthy conservatives acceptable. Nor has it been a good thing for American democracy that the court has sanctified unlimited private spending by candidates, equating campaign donations with freedom of speech. The Court no longer seems impartial or wise.

Back in the 1990s, both Repblicans and Democrats had extremely high levels of satisfaction with the Court. No more. Today, only one in four Democrats approves of the Court. In contrst. 3 out of 4 Republicans like what it is doing. The Court has adopted a partisan agenda, and in doing so it has lost its aura of impartiality. It risks seeming an illegitimate rubber stamp that most Democrats and a majority of the American public disdain.

In short, the legitimacy of the Supreme Court was once unassailable, but now it is questionable. Will the Court's reputation decline further during the Trump second term? How much lower can it go before it loses the credibility and respect that are necessary before its decisions will be accepted? A court without legitimacy is a danger to democracy.

Trump's illusion of a "Golden Age"

After the American Century

In one of the worst inaugural addresses in American history, the new Felon in Chief spouted falsities and insults, made vague promises, and proclaimed that the United States had entered a new golden age. There was not a single new idea in the speech, nor a single line that will be recalled with respect generations from now. The Republicans who repeatedly rose to their feet and clapped at his inanities demonstrated a level of servility and stupidity that I never thought possible in the United States.

Trump has pardoned the treason and in some cases murderous acts of thousands of men and women who attacked the Congress of the United States on January 6, 2021. That day will live in infamy, along with his false characterization of these convicted criminals as "political prisoners."  They physically attacked the Congress. They maimed and murdered police officers, and they will always be remembered as a rabble of traitors inspired into action by Trump himself, who watched the attack on Congress seatedin the White House and did nothing for hours. That he could be nominated and elected president is a now a permanent stain on the national character. 

Trump denies the reality of global warming, and he has become a tool of the oil corporations, amping up CO2 emissions instead of leading the adoption of the wind and solar power, which are cheaper, which create more jobs, and which produce less pollution, than drilling for petroleum. Far from creating a golden age, he is hastening a global warming apocalypse. It will be measured in forest fires, frequent hurricanes, tornados, and irregular rainfall. And to make certain that these disasters cause long-term damage, he is now threatening to get rid of FEMA, the federal agency that deals with disasters. He says the problems can be dealt with at the state level. This is nonsense, as disasters do not respect borders. When the Mississippi rises over its banks, state borders do not halt the flood, and states without FEMA will have to invent ways to coordinate their response to disaster.

Trump has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, offering the reason that the US pays too much. If that were the problem, then he could negotiate a different payment rather that withdraw. He also attacked the WHO's handling on the COVID crisis, when it is he, Donald Trump, who spread disinformation about the disease, politicized the response to the crisis, and undercut the medical profession. Any doubts about Trump's stupidity on this issue are laid aside by his appointment of Mr. Kennedy to oversee the nation's health. He rejects the very idea of vaccination, including well-tested shots that have saved millions of lives. 

Trump has resurrected the jingoistic language of Manifest Destiny and made factually inaccurate statements to justify his demands that the United States take over the Panama Canal, acquire Greenland, and annex Canada. This is naked imperialism and colonialism, and it has nothing to do with national security.  The United States already has bases in Greenland, for example, which means it is under the protection of NATO, since Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO member.  Trump's language and actions have aroused anger in Latin America, Canada, and the Nordic countries and they have poisoned relations with the European Union. A nation that attacks its friends on all sides is not entering a golden age.

Further lowering American prestige, Trump has threatened to raise a high tariff wall against imports from the EU, China, Canada, and Mexico. Such threats and blustering do not bring in a golden age. They bring in protectionism, bankrupt companies, higher prices, and weaker economies. Indeed since Trump took office the economy has stopped growing and has shrunk slightly. 

And to end a short list of Trump's malicious behavior, he has launched an attack on undocumented immigrants to the United States and sent the army to close the Mexican border. This macho posturing is popular with his base, but it will not solve the problem, as many illegal immigrants come by plane, on student visas, or as tourists. Moreover, several million "illegals" were brought to the United States as children, and they know no other country. Through no fault of their own they are caught in a no-man's land with no citizenship. Nor will the economy improve if Trump drives out millions of people, many of them working in housing construction or caring professions, such as nursing homes.  The immigration problem is complex, and it will not be solved by sending troops to the border.

There is nothing noble about Mr. Trump. He is a bully, a liar, and a charlatan, and this is a short list of his  predations. If he remains in power for four years, the United States will enter not a golden age but a dark tunnel of distrust. division, hatred, and chaos. The nation has already lost much of the world's respect. This is a wannabe emperor, not a president, and the "golden age" he conjures up is an illusion. The minister of the gospel and the teacher will long struggle to explain why this vain, corrupt, licentious, litigious, prevaricating felon could ever be elected president. He brings shame on the United States.