You have to ask yourself–what’s going on in our commander-in-chief’s upper story? His obsession with getting the land title to Greenland, even if it breaks up the NATO alliance, is absolutely bizarre. The U.S. can already use Greenland for just about anything we want–military bases, mining its minerals to our heart’s content, whatever. But Trump won’t be satisfied until he has a deed to the property because, as he said, it is: “Psychologically important to me. Now, maybe another president would feel differently, but so far I’ve been right about everything.”
Trump has not ruled out military action to get what he wants, saying he can do it the “easy way” or the “hard way.” That echoes the threat he made before sending the military to snatch President Maduro of Venezuela. He has now threatened to impose tariffs on eight of our NATO allies–Germany, Britain, Norway, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark–who oppose the unlawful land grab. The tariffs will start at 10% on February 1 and increase to 25% on June 1, until the nations cry “uncle.”
This is in addition to the tariffs agreed upon just last year.
Our European allies are considering possible retaliatory moves, some of which could possibly devastate the American economy. The principal measure, often called the EU’s trade “bazooka,” deserves an explanatory column of its own. This and a variety of other off-putting actions against some of our staunchest traditional allies have caused massive efforts to forge new trading relationships between and among them, as well as stronger ties to China, our major adversary.
It may not have occurred to Trump that the U.S. Supreme Court is currently getting prepared to issue an opinion on the lawfulness of Trump’s use or misuse of the constitutional power of Congress to impose tariffs. While the Court must rule just on the case before it, the vote of individual Justices can be swayed by extremely troubling current events. This naked misuse of power to coerce our closest allies certainly can’t convince members of the Court to let Trump run roughshod over the Constitution.
If this were the only inexplicable action of our nation’s chief executive, it would be bad enough. In combination with a steady stream of unhinged actions, it is truly frightening. The man behind the nation’s wheel appears to be in serious need of mental help.
Let us briefly consider just a few of Trump’s recent actions. One that has not gotten nearly enough attention is his encouragement of demonstrators in Iran and promise that “help is on its way.” Help was definitely not on its way. In fact, the Iranian regime used Trump’s intemperate statements to convince many in Iran that the U.S. was the instigator of the riots. That, in turn, intensified the violent suppression of the riots. Iranian dissidents now rightfully claim that Trump betrayed them.
Or, how about his latest imperial decree—that no other college football game can be aired at the same time as the Army-Navy game. He’ll be in attendance and is setting aside an “EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window” for the game, and “No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”
Here’s the guy who cajoled Maria Corina Machado, the rightful president of Venezuela, into regifting him her Nobel Peace Prize, when he had initially given her the cold shoulder. He looked genuinely thrilled with the undeserved boost to his ego. It did not take long for her to figure out that continual, unremitting praise is what fuels him. His sycophantic cabinet members heap adulation upon his slumbering presence until it surpasses the gag reflux level. He is certainly the neediest president in our history.
What I’m driving at is that Trump has exhibited a lust for power and praise that is becoming practically insatiable. In the old days we called it megalomania. A megalomaniac is a person who has an excessive belief in their own importance, power, or abilities, often leading to delusions of grandeur and a lust for power. Nowadays, the symptoms are associated with narcissistic personality disorder. Dr. John Gartner, a distinguished psychologist, has offered an intriguing explanation of how Trump seems to fit the profile of what he characterizes as a malignant narcissist. He posits that Trump may not be able to serve his full term as president because of the malady.
If Gartner is correct, there should be serious consideration of invoking the 25th Amendment. It provides authority for a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president disabled, making the vice-president the acting president. The president can contest the declaration, leading to a Congressional decision. This is an issue that must be addressed before a major catastrophe befalls our beloved nation.
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