The Trump Challenge
Trump, our president, threatened this week to bomb the Iranians “into the Stone Age.” At the last minute, he called it off, at least for the moment. But now we know that he is willing to play around with genocide. His narcissistic rage is so great that he has to have what he wants – or else. He had to win the 2020 election. He could not tolerate the fact he didn’t, claiming to this day that it was “stolen” from him. He had to win then, and he has to win the midterms in 2026. Already, his administration is violating the law by demanding that states hand over the voter rolls, and at least 10 states have complied.
All this is horrible, and the majority of us know it. Many of the institutions that serve us have been dismantled in whole or in part. Trump and his family are gluttonously feeding on our wealth. Reports estimate that since 2024, his wealth has increased between 1.4 billion and 3 billion. This is the standard autocrat move — funnel the funds that belong to the people into the pockets of the oligarchs. Is this okay with us? Even if it’s not, do we have the energy, courage, or imagination to figure out how to do something? Do our politicians? And if they don’t, do we have the energy to hold them accountable?
If we can’t rise to this challenge, how do we avoid complicity? Who are we in this?