This is an important analysis --- and very disturbing because it hits the proverbial nail on the head. Trump's shooting people in the middle of Fifth Avenue, metaphorically --- his ballroom, the slush fund, the Kennedy Center, his proposed giagantic arch to honor himself, the continuing attacks on our institutions, and too much more to even list in one line...
Such a clearly written analysis of Trump's corruption and how we have become accustomed to seeing it in plain sight. Yes, we are learning to be helpless.
Thank you for writing this clear analysis, Michael. You unveil “the pieces being moved on the chessboard” very well. Each one is meant to communicate that the occupant in the White House can DO ANYTHING HE WANTS! So many of Felon47’s outrageously bold architectural desecrations: the paving of the Rose Garden; The destruction of the East Wing of the White House; the proposed Ballroom; the desecrating the Reflecting Pool by having the bottom of the channel painted a garish swimming pool blue; the Oval Office redecorated like a cheap bordello are desperate attempts to visually establish dominance.
On a positive note, I was very glad to hear that there is a lawsuit seeking to stop the money- making UFC fights on the White House Lawn on the basis of unprecedented commercialization and corruption using the sites of Washington D.C. sacred monuments. We are still fighting back! I believe that the “No KIngs” Day Demonstration also scheduled on Felon47’s birthday will be the largest protest yet!
And trump's plaything in the House, Mike Johnson, indeed defended the stupendous level of WH corruption by saying this about trump's machinations: "Whatever President Trump is doing is out in the open. They’re not trying to conceal anything… President Trump has had nothing to hide. He’s very up front about it.” And we all know what "it" refers to, don't we? Which validates the argument here that the flagrancy of the corruption is open, and is somehow excused — or even redeemed — because it isn't hidden, like Nixon's Watergate scandal, and in a circular argumentative sense, being so open encourages more of the same, because it's so open.
It's time we acknowledge the real 'King Maker' here. That would be Rupert Murdock. Think about it........he gets the 'TV watching public' both coming and going. He owns The Wall Street Journal, recently and fairly exposing many of Donald's most recent Shenanigans as well as Fox New. No need to comment on Fox's biases.
I believe that if Murdock was to personally and vocally disown Donald Trump his Maga following would be caught in the headlights. No telling what that would lead to.....
Good analysis and I think it's accurate. The same thing happened with the Trump as Jesus meme. That wasn't a mistake either. It was a way of numbing any critics even evangelical critics. I don't think Americans like corruption though and I think that will come out loud and clear this November.
I personally feel he’s trying to bankrupt the U.S. government as he did with his other “businesses”.
Take everything he can and leave unscathed to be able to pick up and find another grift. I just hope the corrupt family, administration and “friends” have met their match once he leaves and they are ALL held accountable
Id love to see them stripped of their “wealth” and sent to CECOT
‘The man that pays the piper calls the tune’. The ultra wealthy are paying him to do their bidding and govern by their rules; end democracy, no tax on the ultra rich, and no rules or legislation should affect them.
Outstanding, thought-provoking analysis, Michael! This one I've re-read and there is more reflection to do... specifically, this looks in fact, true, so it's critical each of us moves to personally work against this learned helplessness, re-energizing ourselves... which I'm having to admit I'm pretty exhausted from these past 20 months since the 2024 election and especially since Jan 20 2025.
Your review is raising crisis alarm bells for me. You are always measured and optimistic. This one falls darker than most, more analysis, deeper reflection. Well done and much gratitude for your keen mind, 'seasoning' and brave pen!!
I would go a step further and say that political corruption has become America's form of government. Tthe U.S. today is fast becoming a bigger, more polished version of Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana prior to the 1966 coup. While Uday, Qusay and Jared Trumps’ scams are exponentially larger and more ambitious than Crackhead Biden’s, they are not significantly different. In his 1975 book, Political Corruption: The Ghana Case, political scientist Victor LeVine examined how corruption became a pay-to-play form of government, like communism or constitutional democracy, under Nkrumah. We would be wise to apply LeVine’s analytic model to the U.S. and accept that presently we have a similar form of government. Today, pay-to-play is the preferred modus operandi for many of America’s “winners.” Look no further than Zuckerberg, Bezos, Cook, Chew, Altman, and Pichais’ inaugural “kow tow” to Trump. Eric Hoffer put it best, “Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.”
FWIW, Iran accepts payment of it's "service fees" through the SOH in yuan (Renminbe) . stable coin and Trump coin. The last is a smart way to buy him off, and while at it, recall that Trump wanted in the action be become a partner with Iran in collecting tolls or fees.
This is an important analysis of the growingly public corruption of the Trump regime. Trump no longer feels any need to pretend that he's anything other than a corrupt grifter using the US as his personal ATM. Each corrupt action by him or members of his corrupt regime has ultimately been met by a collective shrug in Congress. Even when they woke up enough to protest Trump's outrageous $1.8 billion fund to reward the January 6 insurrectionists, Congress left in place the far more valuable piece the funding bill: the shielding of Trump AND his family members from future tax audits. This means that even with irrefutable evidence of criminal tax evasion, the Trump crime syndicate cannot be prosecuted for their crimes.
THE NORMALIZATION OF CORRUPTION IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN IN PROCESS FOR SOME TIME BUT NEEDED THE COMBINATION OF A PROJECT 2025 AND A DONALD J TRUMP TO EFFECT THE DAMAGE WHICH SEEMS SO SUDDENLY OBVIOUS 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Doing this stuff openly *also* lets disingenuous Republicans say things like “Well, he’s not hiding it, so there can’t be anything wrong.” As if killing someone in the woods is worse than offing them on 5th Avenue in broad daylight.
Great piece. See how the media from across the political spectrum, has been tracking as covered the corruption issue. I need more people to see and help me shape my work. Please take a look
This is an important analysis --- and very disturbing because it hits the proverbial nail on the head. Trump's shooting people in the middle of Fifth Avenue, metaphorically --- his ballroom, the slush fund, the Kennedy Center, his proposed giagantic arch to honor himself, the continuing attacks on our institutions, and too much more to even list in one line...
well said Greg....
Such a clearly written analysis of Trump's corruption and how we have become accustomed to seeing it in plain sight. Yes, we are learning to be helpless.
Thank you for writing this clear analysis, Michael. You unveil “the pieces being moved on the chessboard” very well. Each one is meant to communicate that the occupant in the White House can DO ANYTHING HE WANTS! So many of Felon47’s outrageously bold architectural desecrations: the paving of the Rose Garden; The destruction of the East Wing of the White House; the proposed Ballroom; the desecrating the Reflecting Pool by having the bottom of the channel painted a garish swimming pool blue; the Oval Office redecorated like a cheap bordello are desperate attempts to visually establish dominance.
On a positive note, I was very glad to hear that there is a lawsuit seeking to stop the money- making UFC fights on the White House Lawn on the basis of unprecedented commercialization and corruption using the sites of Washington D.C. sacred monuments. We are still fighting back! I believe that the “No KIngs” Day Demonstration also scheduled on Felon47’s birthday will be the largest protest yet!
Thank you for writing more detail. An important article.
And trump's plaything in the House, Mike Johnson, indeed defended the stupendous level of WH corruption by saying this about trump's machinations: "Whatever President Trump is doing is out in the open. They’re not trying to conceal anything… President Trump has had nothing to hide. He’s very up front about it.” And we all know what "it" refers to, don't we? Which validates the argument here that the flagrancy of the corruption is open, and is somehow excused — or even redeemed — because it isn't hidden, like Nixon's Watergate scandal, and in a circular argumentative sense, being so open encourages more of the same, because it's so open.
It's time we acknowledge the real 'King Maker' here. That would be Rupert Murdock. Think about it........he gets the 'TV watching public' both coming and going. He owns The Wall Street Journal, recently and fairly exposing many of Donald's most recent Shenanigans as well as Fox New. No need to comment on Fox's biases.
I believe that if Murdock was to personally and vocally disown Donald Trump his Maga following would be caught in the headlights. No telling what that would lead to.....
Good analysis and I think it's accurate. The same thing happened with the Trump as Jesus meme. That wasn't a mistake either. It was a way of numbing any critics even evangelical critics. I don't think Americans like corruption though and I think that will come out loud and clear this November.
I hope you're right!!
Mr. Sellers has written words I've rarely seen in analyzing Ds actions. Excellent & insightful article.
You nailed it!
I personally feel he’s trying to bankrupt the U.S. government as he did with his other “businesses”.
Take everything he can and leave unscathed to be able to pick up and find another grift. I just hope the corrupt family, administration and “friends” have met their match once he leaves and they are ALL held accountable
Id love to see them stripped of their “wealth” and sent to CECOT
‘The man that pays the piper calls the tune’. The ultra wealthy are paying him to do their bidding and govern by their rules; end democracy, no tax on the ultra rich, and no rules or legislation should affect them.
Outstanding, thought-provoking analysis, Michael! This one I've re-read and there is more reflection to do... specifically, this looks in fact, true, so it's critical each of us moves to personally work against this learned helplessness, re-energizing ourselves... which I'm having to admit I'm pretty exhausted from these past 20 months since the 2024 election and especially since Jan 20 2025.
Your review is raising crisis alarm bells for me. You are always measured and optimistic. This one falls darker than most, more analysis, deeper reflection. Well done and much gratitude for your keen mind, 'seasoning' and brave pen!!
I would go a step further and say that political corruption has become America's form of government. Tthe U.S. today is fast becoming a bigger, more polished version of Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana prior to the 1966 coup. While Uday, Qusay and Jared Trumps’ scams are exponentially larger and more ambitious than Crackhead Biden’s, they are not significantly different. In his 1975 book, Political Corruption: The Ghana Case, political scientist Victor LeVine examined how corruption became a pay-to-play form of government, like communism or constitutional democracy, under Nkrumah. We would be wise to apply LeVine’s analytic model to the U.S. and accept that presently we have a similar form of government. Today, pay-to-play is the preferred modus operandi for many of America’s “winners.” Look no further than Zuckerberg, Bezos, Cook, Chew, Altman, and Pichais’ inaugural “kow tow” to Trump. Eric Hoffer put it best, “Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.”
To the helplessness of Congress and Courts and people.
Frightening analysis of Trump’s patrimony and self dealing corruption leads t
FWIW, Iran accepts payment of it's "service fees" through the SOH in yuan (Renminbe) . stable coin and Trump coin. The last is a smart way to buy him off, and while at it, recall that Trump wanted in the action be become a partner with Iran in collecting tolls or fees.
This is an important analysis of the growingly public corruption of the Trump regime. Trump no longer feels any need to pretend that he's anything other than a corrupt grifter using the US as his personal ATM. Each corrupt action by him or members of his corrupt regime has ultimately been met by a collective shrug in Congress. Even when they woke up enough to protest Trump's outrageous $1.8 billion fund to reward the January 6 insurrectionists, Congress left in place the far more valuable piece the funding bill: the shielding of Trump AND his family members from future tax audits. This means that even with irrefutable evidence of criminal tax evasion, the Trump crime syndicate cannot be prosecuted for their crimes.
THE NORMALIZATION OF CORRUPTION IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN IN PROCESS FOR SOME TIME BUT NEEDED THE COMBINATION OF A PROJECT 2025 AND A DONALD J TRUMP TO EFFECT THE DAMAGE WHICH SEEMS SO SUDDENLY OBVIOUS 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Bravo. Valuable insight for policymakers and the resistance in particular.
Doing this stuff openly *also* lets disingenuous Republicans say things like “Well, he’s not hiding it, so there can’t be anything wrong.” As if killing someone in the woods is worse than offing them on 5th Avenue in broad daylight.
Great piece. See how the media from across the political spectrum, has been tracking as covered the corruption issue. I need more people to see and help me shape my work. Please take a look