byTerence Smith
Unkind as they may be, those two words, gross incompetence, strike me as the common characteristic of the first two years of Trump 2.0. Nearly everything has gone wrong. Consider the bigger issues:
- The Iran War: ill-conceived, virtually unplanned, launched at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for his own domestic political reasons, the war that was supposed to be over in “four or five weeks” has lasted more than six months with no realistic end in sight. Nor is there any concrete plan for achieving the stated purpose: preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
*Ukraine: instead of being resolved in Trump’s first 24-hours as President as promised, it, too, continues with no realistic conclusion. The casualties are appalling. Trump has tried everything with Putin, from shameless flattery to intensified sanctions, to no avail. His latest maneuver: inviting Putin to attend the G-20 meeting in December at Trump’s Doral golf course in Miami. (Putin has not been welcome at a G-20 since his invasion of Crimea in 2014.)
*Gaza: despite the declared ceasefire, Israeli strikes continue, Palestinian casualties mount, Israeli settlers on the occupied West Bank have been given license to harass Palestinian residents. Trump’s Board of Peace seems to be an empty shell, unable to enforce even the most basic law and order, much less rebuilding Gaza.
*The U.S. economy: inflation is up, prices are climbing, the bond market is shaky.
*Tariffs: the crazy on-again, off-again Trump tariffs have raised prices at home, alienated Canada and other important allies and failed to rebuild American manufacturing.
*The environment: nearly every federal regulatory weapon against climate change has been revoked or suspended, coal mining has resumed, oil and gas drilling are up, pollution controls relaxed or suspended.
*ICE: tens of thousands of immigrants have been rounded up; many have been sent to hostile third countries where they have been jailed or abused.
*The Kennedy Center: a fine cultural center that brought theater and music and art to the nation’s capital has been effectively shuttered over an inane squabble over whether Trump’s name will be on the wall.
*Washington D.C.: the Capital has been effectively occupied by national guard troops. Trump’s name and image have been plastered on buildings throughout the city. Arguments continue over the demolished East Wing of the White House, the proposed triumphal arch/sniper monument and Trump’s stated plans to convert the affordable public golf courses into exclusive, tournament-level sites.
All of the above strike me as gross incompetence at the highest level, carried out by an administration that truly does not know what it is doing or how to fix the damage it is causing. It is a genuine crisis that the American voter will get to address in November. Let’s hope the voters speak with a loud and clear voice about what they think of the first two years of Trump 2.0. President Trump has urged voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” He may well get his wish.