Donald Trump’s ‘universe’

Donald Trump has never believed in the rules that supposedly govern the American system. His personal history has been built on breaking these rules, avoiding their consequences, and congratulating himself for doing so. As a result, for those who viewed the United States as an example of institutional stability, respect for democratic norms, and proper conduct by its leaders, it was unthinkable that someone like him would become president in 2016.

Even more surprising was that, after losing in 2020, he could win in 2024, overshadowing the chaos of a failed administration responsible for millions of deaths during the pandemic, leading an attempted coup, and facing 34 legal cases, making him the first president in the country’s history to be convicted of crimes.

The truth is that, despite everything, 77 million Americans voted for him, setting a record for a Republican candidate. They did so intentionally because, although he is known for his lies, he was quite open about his agenda and has executed it fully.

In just six months of his administration, Trump has laid off over 200,000 federal employees and compensated another 75,000, turning much of the country’s administrative structure upside down. Although almost no one has escaped the onslaught, and rationalization could be justified in some cases, it is clear that the main cuts have focused on areas such as education, public health, environmental protection, as well as consumer and minority rights. His “Big Beautiful Bill”, narrowly passed by Congress, confirmed this policy and provided significant tax breaks to the wealthiest. What this is really about is not reducing the size of the government—always a goal of conservatives—but rather changing the makeup of the bureaucracy, replacing old employees with those trusted by Donald Trump and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. Whether it’s the Librarian of Congress or the person in charge of labor statistics, the Republican far right is taking over the government institutions and imposing its own conditions for working there, which will have consequences that go beyond the current administration.

At the State Department, long regarded since the McCarthy era as a nest of ‘communist infiltrators,’ Secretary Marco Rubio has fired over 1,300 officials and appointed his far-right Florida allies or personal friends of the president to senior roles, especially millionaires who enjoy spending their free time on international protocol and financing it. The same fate has befallen federal agencies considered independent, particularly those that conservatives see as responding to the liberals’ “woke” agenda, such as those dealing with issues like gender, race, sex education, or foreign aid, often viewed as the ‘good side’ of American foreign policy.

With very few exceptions, the country’s most prestigious universities have had to bow to government demands, not only to comply with conservative ideological requirements but also to dismantle affirmative action programs that favor minorities and accept police measures aimed at controlling students and their political activities. The same applies to other cultural institutions and educational programs at all levels. We are witnessing an ultraconservative cultural revolution, and not even children’s stories are safe from the censorship of far-right doctrinaire fundamentalists.

Breaking with tradition, Trump pardoned en masse those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, along with 50 other individuals who had been particularly generous to the president during the election campaign. Among those pardoned are two former advisors and his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, who has admitted to 18 federal crimes and was also appointed ambassador to France by Trump.

At the same time, he has filed lawsuits or indictments against federal judges who challenged his policies, against law firms or prosecutors who acted against him, threatened journalists and artists, mistreated generals, and even accused politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi of corruption, perhaps to show he is not the only criminal in Washington. Trump doesn’t hide his desire for revenge; just read his books to see how much he enjoys it. “From prey I have become the hunter,” he reportedly said when he took office again, and he has turned the Department of Justice into a personal weapon for going after his enemies.

His policy against immigrants shows no decency or compassion, even surpassing the most cruel moments in American history on this issue. He has brutalized victims, broken laws and court orders, and imprisoned and deported thousands without due process, sometimes sending them to countries where even their own lives hold little value. The border is more secure, says Donald Trump, perhaps because he has turned it into the ‘border of hell’ for many.

Even boasting that he takes pleasure in harming and mistreating people, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem likes to photograph herself in front of half-naked prisoners in El Salvador or touring the facilities of the “Alligator Alcatraz” prison, recently built in the Florida swamps to house captured immigrants. It was even inaugurated by Trump, as if it were one of his hotels.

To suppress protests, whether against immigrant persecution or in support of other causes like Palestine, Trump has resorted to extreme measures such as mobilizing the National Guard and the Marines, increasing the capacity and brutality of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and forcing many local police forces to collaborate with these agencies, reminiscent of Nazi raids against Jews.

Rudeness and intimidation are part of the governing style, not only for Trump himself, who has made profanity and mockery official language, but also for other officials, such as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who enjoys insulting reporters when their questions don’t please her. Not even Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has escaped the government’s insolent pressure, though he has been one of the few to stand up to it, perhaps because he represents big business and everything has limits.

The Trump administration’s foreign policy has also been marked by a disregard for international norms and the sovereignty of other nations. It has disrespected allies, humiliated “friendly” leaders, and imposed unfair agreements on its key trading partners or strained relations with others. Driven by expansionist ambitions, the United States has seen its relationships with Canada, Denmark, Panama, Brazil, and Colombia affected by interference in legal cases involving the far-right former presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Álvaro Uribe, possibly encouraged by Marco Rubio, who is a true supporter of these individuals.

It accuses Mexico and Canada of failing to control fentanyl trafficking to the United States, as if American consumption and the impunity of American traffickers were not factors in this equation. It threatens the BRICS countries for seeking alternatives to the dollar; he is trying to impose an ultimatum on Russia to negotiate with Ukraine, while continuing to sell arms to its opponents. China is declared ‘the main enemy’ for no real reason other than the efficiency of its economy.

Trump has been complicit in Israel’s genocide in Palestine, not only by selling bombs previously banned by the US government itself but also by persecuting anyone who condemns these crimes inside or outside the country. Canada has faced repercussions for recognizing the State of Palestine. The United States withdrew from UNESCO and has sanctioned UN and International Court of Justice officials for the same reason. Additionally, the United States has sanctioned Palestinian government officials for no less than “failing to fulfill commitments to peace in the region,” according to a State Department statement.

He has failed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine or to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, both of which were campaign promises. On the contrary, he has become dangerously involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran, bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. Instead, thanks to the European Union, which has just bowed to Daddy Trump’s demands by setting a 5% of GDP for the military budget, he seems determined to become the “largest arms dealer in history,” as he often repeats in his frequent displays of uncontrolled megalomania.

According to his own statement, the word “tariff” is more beautiful to him than the word “love.” As a result, he has imposed and removed tariffs worldwide, causing turmoil in international trade and stock markets with a protectionist policy aimed at addressing the lack of competitiveness of American industry and the effects of the dollar’s dominance in the international market by artificially inflating the price of foreign products.

No one knows for sure what the outcome of this policy will be. For now, whatever happens, many suspect it could be a lucrative opportunity for the president and his cronies, who are playing with marked cards. This is hardly surprising, considering that Trump is a compulsive predator of values and money.

Dining with Trump can be very costly, but it’s usually worthwhile because business tends to happen after the reception. Whenever possible, official meetings, both domestic and international, are held at his property, and even the White House has been used to promote automobiles, especially when Elon Musk was his close associate.

He received an airplane as a gift from Qatar, stole the Club World Cup and a gold medal from FIFA, and induced them to open their offices in Trump Tower in Manhattan. Even Marco Rubio lost a grandfather clock inherited from his grandfather because Trump liked the item and reminded him that, as president, he could take whatever he wanted.

He has also been a predator of women, as shown by at least 18 women coming forward with accusations of sexual harassment or assault, and the president’s own statements, made to ingratiate himself, speak for themselves about his behavior. There’s no need to declassify the files of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein; there are plenty of photos and testimonies to document the sexual follies of the current American president.

The appointments of secretaries, judges, and prosecutors have been major scandals because of the candidates’ clear incompetence and concerns about their personal ethics, but almost all have been confirmed by the Republican-controlled Congress. He has also garnered support from the Supreme Court, which has reversed most decisions from lower courts, sometimes in outright violation of the Constitution, and has even challenged the federal authority of these courts by limiting the scope of their potential decisions.

But, above all, Trump has enjoyed the support of a large segment of the American people. Although polls show his popularity has declined, over 40% of the population still says they are happy with his administration and admire the neighborhood bully who represents them. Neither Donald Trump’s faults, his arrogance and nonsense, nor even his absurdities, like praising the president of Liberia, a country “invented” by the United States, for “speaking English well,” have dented his base.

Undoubtedly, many Trump supporters are part of American society, but behind the fanaticism lies a well-funded far-right movement that, for convenience, worships the false Messiah, with the goal of maintaining itself in American political life. It appears that what is being organized now is an assault on the electoral system, all happening before the astonished eyes of the Democrats, who have not yet recovered from the shock.

Of course, there are people with sensitivity and principles willing to challenge this situation. They are the millions protesting in the streets, those who oppose Trumpist policies in their respective fields, such as many judges, intellectuals, and artists. They might even become a majority among voters if someone can mobilize them, but the economy and politics are not designed for them to lead the country.

Donald Trump’s ‘universe,’ where his lineage has thrived and can continue to reproduce, is the American political scene and the global order that surrounds it. Like Rome, its decadence reflects the decline of its leaders.