Do you see meaningful parallels between Maoism and Trump’s instinct for institutional destruction, not in ideological content, but in psychology and method? Specifically, I’m thinking of the drive to purge perceived enemies across all domains and the glorification of collapse as a welcome and necessary prelude to rebirth that only Trump can deliver. It feels less like traditional authoritarianism than a kind of inverted Cultural Revolution.
Terrific, if scary, piece. I'd make one additional point: Trump is also setting about destroying the internal beauty of America. Degrading their National Parks and great monuments, and eroding the capacity of its people to help each other in times of crisis, will serve to extinguish what little pride Americans will be able to salvage for themselves in the coming decade(s).
the feeling of dread permeates the U.S. consciousness like the end of Deep Impact as father and daughter wait for the tsunami wave to obliterate them. The existential hopelessness felt by the characters in Sartre's No Exit is being perpetrated on the American psyche in a way never before felt in modern times . as Shakespeare wrote" oh what fools these mortals be".
Sadly the the wave of threat emanated from Washington about executive and sycophantic legislative body.
Chilling but all-too-reasonable assessment of where the Trump administration is taking us. Trump is creating the "American carnage" he described in his first inaugural speech. Supposedly, then he was condemning what the Obama administration had wrought; little did we understand that, no, it was presaging what he would deliver given the chance.
It actually seems that the collapse of the government is the goal, so that we will no longer have a democracy and the oligarchs will take over. We the citizens will have no way to exert any power. The military and police force will be privatized with no courts or maybe just courts like Russia has.
Larry, it was about time that we, the American people, had a President that would defund and dismantle USAID and all the other “international aid agencies”. These organizations had grown into great septic tanks for flushing American tax dollars for the benefit of a few connected deep state actors. Just look at their guilded class headquarters builds and the level of compensation that their multilevel management received courtesy of the taxpayer. Good riddance that they have been disavowed by the current administration. And Larry you do not have to worry about aid to your Israel, Israel has never had a better friend in our White House. You should worry about all the left wing Jewish Americans that are so blinded by their hated of our President that can not see the reality of situation.
Did you even read the piece? You and millions of other fools are destroying our nation. The center of the cesspool is now located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The corruption would be stunning if it weren’t so predictable.
Hi MAP, just saw the link, so some IG put out some report and got fired, no big deal. I would venture to guess that the waste, fraud, and abuse was phenomenal at USAID so that is why those defending it are so excited and venomous. Really thought it is water under the bridge. The Congress is going to resend funding for the current fiscal year and zero out the budget next year.
There were legal (and Constitutional) ways to defund USAID and other agencies. Even if Trump and Musk had the right motive the means they used were corrupt. The ends do not justify the means.
Trump is turning into the greatest leftist President delivering what we have long wanted - the US out of world politics.
Do you see meaningful parallels between Maoism and Trump’s instinct for institutional destruction, not in ideological content, but in psychology and method? Specifically, I’m thinking of the drive to purge perceived enemies across all domains and the glorification of collapse as a welcome and necessary prelude to rebirth that only Trump can deliver. It feels less like traditional authoritarianism than a kind of inverted Cultural Revolution.
Terrific, if scary, piece. I'd make one additional point: Trump is also setting about destroying the internal beauty of America. Degrading their National Parks and great monuments, and eroding the capacity of its people to help each other in times of crisis, will serve to extinguish what little pride Americans will be able to salvage for themselves in the coming decade(s).
the feeling of dread permeates the U.S. consciousness like the end of Deep Impact as father and daughter wait for the tsunami wave to obliterate them. The existential hopelessness felt by the characters in Sartre's No Exit is being perpetrated on the American psyche in a way never before felt in modern times . as Shakespeare wrote" oh what fools these mortals be".
Sadly the the wave of threat emanated from Washington about executive and sycophantic legislative body.
Chilling but all-too-reasonable assessment of where the Trump administration is taking us. Trump is creating the "American carnage" he described in his first inaugural speech. Supposedly, then he was condemning what the Obama administration had wrought; little did we understand that, no, it was presaging what he would deliver given the chance.
I wrote about an egregious Trump science budget cut, one that shows the lack of knowledge and strategic thinking involved, here: https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/why-you-should-care-about-gravitational-waves
The gutting of USAID has already killed people. But the MAGA cultists don’t care:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/pepfar-evangelical/683418/
Everything he touches, dies. Thanks, red hats.
It actually seems that the collapse of the government is the goal, so that we will no longer have a democracy and the oligarchs will take over. We the citizens will have no way to exert any power. The military and police force will be privatized with no courts or maybe just courts like Russia has.
Watched an interview with M. Gessen on the YouTube Daily Beast podcast with Joanna Coles. Your observation is exactly as they described the situation.
Larry, it was about time that we, the American people, had a President that would defund and dismantle USAID and all the other “international aid agencies”. These organizations had grown into great septic tanks for flushing American tax dollars for the benefit of a few connected deep state actors. Just look at their guilded class headquarters builds and the level of compensation that their multilevel management received courtesy of the taxpayer. Good riddance that they have been disavowed by the current administration. And Larry you do not have to worry about aid to your Israel, Israel has never had a better friend in our White House. You should worry about all the left wing Jewish Americans that are so blinded by their hated of our President that can not see the reality of situation.
Did you even read the piece? You and millions of other fools are destroying our nation. The center of the cesspool is now located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The corruption would be stunning if it weren’t so predictable.
Hi MAP, just saw the link, so some IG put out some report and got fired, no big deal. I would venture to guess that the waste, fraud, and abuse was phenomenal at USAID so that is why those defending it are so excited and venomous. Really thought it is water under the bridge. The Congress is going to resend funding for the current fiscal year and zero out the budget next year.
There were legal (and Constitutional) ways to defund USAID and other agencies. Even if Trump and Musk had the right motive the means they used were corrupt. The ends do not justify the means.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/11/politics/usaid-inspector-general-fired-trump