Rising US joblessness and higher rates of inflation is the perfect cocktail for the disaster of any government. Add to this a dash of spice in the form of a President in an advanced state of denial, and the conclusion is not difficult to foresee. Certainly, those in high office who are not in denial of the facts step in every once in a way to make sure the rot of denial does not cut into core national interests. An example is flying together with the Japanese Air Force and US Air Force nuclear capable bombers. It is a clear sign to China that efforts at intimidation of feisty Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her pro-Taiwan stance will lead to disaster for Being. Japan has been a treaty ally of the US since the US defeated Japan on the devastated nuclear wasteland of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The new avatar of President Trump does not appear to be recognizing the sanctity of treaties with Japan that have been in operation since the country was rescued by military dictatorship and fashioned into a democracy with lightning speed after the 1941-45 war between Tokyo and Washington. As for international law, the seizure of an oil tanker belonging to Venezuela violates that, but if the reward for removal from power of Nicolas Maduro is full international access to Venezuelan oil, it is worth paying. More Venezuelan oil on the market would mean lower oil prices and a consequent effect on inflation. However, it is doubtful that even a change of regime in Caracas would result in an overflow of Venezuelan oil in world markets. Given that the US is enjoying a surplus where oil is concerned, at the cost of nature through increasing fracking of shale oil, a lower price may be resisted by the White House. The obsession there is to try and protect the expressed interest of every Trump voter. In the process, what goes unnoticed by President Trump is that for every vote protected, he is losing more, often much more, of others. But try telling President Trump that he is often penny wise, pound foolish and you will forthwith be banned from entry into the White House and not just the Oval Office.
Given present trends, it is likely that the 2026 midterms will result in a blowout victory for anti- Trump Members of the US Congress. His personal dislike of his predecessor, Barack H. Obama, extends to his opposing the stellar Affordable Care Act (ACT) simply because it is referred to widely as Obamacare. His recent repeal of several of the benefits to less financially off US citizens cost him substantial goodwill. Several who voted for him in 2024 now regret their choice, as they too and not just voters for Kamala Harris need such subsidies to have foodstuffs.
A welcome addition to the Trump Presidency is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is incurring the ire of large corporations by systematically freeing the consumer of what is in effect on health junk food, albeit attractively packaged. RFK Jr has thus far managed to hold on to his Cabinet job despite the large corporation bias of the White House. Now that their domestic market in the US is shrinking, corporations in the processed junk food industry now seek to dump their toxic wares on large markets such as India. The NDA under PM Modi has correctly withstood such coercion, refusing to compromise the health of ordinary citizens of India for the benefit of the processed junk food corporations in the US market. Rice is a product of particular concern. US rice (that heavily relies on chemical fertiliser and is genetically modified) is tasteless to most palates, which is why it is shunned at US dining tables. In contrast, Basmati rice is delicious, and is winning a small but rising market share in the US, now about 6%. It is to protect that tiny segment of 2024 Trump voters that the US President is trying to bully India into accepting the dumping of tasteless US processed rice through unreasonable tariffs that he is threatening to increase. Trump in the White House was once feared by the CCP leadership, but is now the toast of the leadership because of his shedding of allies and US interests at the altar of his ego. Many Republicans want to see a swift premature end of the present US Presidency, and the signs are increasing that their wish will get fulfilled. The functioning of the new avatar of President Trump is a cautionary tale for political leaders everywhere. Lose large elements of your base through corruption and maladministration, and your fall from power will be swift.
