Will Trump's Startling Incompetence Save our Democracy from Him?

Will our democracy be saved by our president’s sheer incompetence?

No longer can anyone seriously doubt that democracy is under siege. Trump and his minions have eliminated from government offices and the military top officials more loyal to the Constitution than to Donald, appointing clowns like Pete Hegseth as our Secretary of Defense, Pam Bondi (Attorney-General), and Krish Patel (FBI Director). They illegally fired seventeen inspectors-general – a position Congress created as a watchdog in important agencies. They’ve attacked law firms, universities, and media for doing their jobs. Threatening Harvard University with losing its tax-deductible status and CBS with losing its license, to intimidate everyone into silence about what’s going on may seem absurd; but if you’ve put folks into the FCC, DOJ, and IRS who will do Trump’s bidding rather than the law’s, who knows? Meanwhile, if every entity that might do some charitable work Trump doesn’t like or report administration abuses knows that truth-telling could cost zillions of dollars in legal fees, citizens may not hear much that Trump-Musk don’t approve of.

Trump won the popular vote and took office with higher poll ratings than he’d previously had. Traditionally, newly-elected Presidents get a useful “honeymoon” period. Trump used his to sink his own poll ratings through an extraordinary run of especially stupid moves, notably his on-again, off-again tariffs. He lacks even a schoolboy’s understanding of tariffs. He’s tried a series of silly explanations. He’s aiding China’s effort to replace the U.S. in global importance. But what’s saddest is that, when the stock market tanked, apparently that surprised Mr. Trump. I could have told him tariffs would torpedo stocks, and I’m an idiot about economics; and who reading this does not know that what most frightens investors and businesses is uncertainty – such as not knowing which crazy tariffs will be implemented (or not) next week?

Trump’s popularity has declined rapidly, especially with independent voters and moderate (or sensible?) Republicans. Although Trump is idiotically proud of his tariffs, a Senate vote to undo them failed on a tie vote – with two Democrats and Republican Mitch McConnell unavailable to vote against the tariffs. (Three Republicans did.) Independents disapprove his performance 68-32%. (In 2024, independents, grown to one-third of the electorate, preferred Kamala Harris 49-46%.)

It’s an interesting race between a suddenly aroused populace, trying to awaken more of us, and Trump-Musk working to keep citizens from (a) getting reasonably accurate information and (b) voting based on it.

Indivisible is extremely popular here. The 50501 Movement, labor unions, and faith-based groups are organizing everywhere. Some number of Republican leaders with some respect for the rule of law are tiring of Trump, with a few even daring to say so. Even the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, both of which would likely consider me a communist, have seen enough of Trump to be scared – at least for our economy and maybe for our democracy.

But many get their news from X, and other sources that have historically been unusually friendly to Mr. Trump. (Doesn’t Fox mind that Trump wants its polling department fired or jailed for reporting that people see that he’s naked? ) Mr. Trump simply lies. It’s his way. Supporters don’t care if he’s truthful, while most others won’t belief him anyway. When his mistakes hurt Trump voters, they’ll blame Biden. And Congressional Democrats don’t do splendidly in polls, either.

Donald is our best hope for preserving democracy from him.

                                                              --30 – 

[The above column appeared Sunday, 4 May in the Las Cruces Sun-News, and on the newspaper's website and the KRWG website (under Local Viewpoints). A shortened and sharpened radio commentary version will air during the week on KRWG (90.1 FM) and KTAL-LP (101.5M / http://www.lccommunityradio.org/.)]

[Little more to say except: (1) that moments after I sent in the above column to the newspaper, I received news of the federal judge’s decision in the Southern District of Texas throwing out the whole idea of mis-applying the ancient Alien Enemies Act to deport people to that El Salvador torture chamber. I immediately sent off an alternate column, which is also on the Sun-News’s website and which I’ll post herre tomorrow; and (2) Trump reached a new and special level of idiocy when asked by ABC News, on camera, what the declaration of independence meant to him.

Immigrants seeking citizenship must answer a very similar question. You be the judge of whether Mr. Trump would pass or fail on this question.

Trump’s response was:

“Well, it means exactly what it says, it’s a declaration,

it’s a declaration of unity and love and respect, and it

means a lot and it’s something very special to our country,”

Fact is, it’s a blunt warning to Great Britain that men should be free of kings and emperors and that we’re free and independent states that will fight if England wants to maintain its rule over the American colonies. Trump’s blather sure wouldn’t cut it if I were judging immigrant’s answers.

I’m not sure where this ranks among his statements that we could or should nuke hurricanes into submission, that global warming is a Chinese hoax, and that wind turbines cause cancer.]