The ring of the cash register with Trump's name on it (in gold letters of course) in the background is deafening. However I think that there are two issues to consider here (there are more, though here's two)...
Trump, whose deceitful record with anything involving money was publicly well known long before he was given executive power by enough voters, has always shown a willingness for exploitation; it's clearly ingrained in him, a character feature that cannot be stopped, treated, or modified. Despite clear evidence of this, the USA system and enough of its politicians and citizens enabled Trump into office, they will not now blow the whistle even on deals Trump makes behind the scenes with murderous psychopaths in foreign states for his own private benefit. Generally speaking, the world knows this must be happening, it is pretty clear to see. As a country, (which no longer looks nor sounds anything like a true republic as it was once intended to be) the USA is now enabling Trump and other megalomaniacs who are heads of state. It's credibility is already so compromised as to be destroyed. So why should Trump care at this stage? He knows they had their chance to stop him, and instead they chose to elect and enable him. He believes he has carte blanche.
Secondly, it is manifestly clear that his refusal to place his business affairs into a blind trust, his refusal to come clean on his tax stuff, his general shiftiness with all things money, supports his compulsion to exploit any situation for his own personal benefit. This hallmark character feature of Trump's is also so engrained, so obvious, that he was virtually given the highest form of permission to do so. Anyone can see (if they wish) how the Washington DC hotel is used by the Trumps to enrich them as a whole family, and as just one example of a breach of the emoluments clause, it is raking in many more millions in profit for Trump's personal benefit since his election, and this is not a coincidence. Even foreign psychopaths like Duterte and MBS know that Trump is a volatile, mean-spirited man, and any threat to his paper thin ego (not staying at his hotel) would trigger Trump to lash out in a public way. They don't want their hidden dealings to become visible, having taken great steps no doubt to keep them concealed.
This is a grim, terrible and dangerous situation, and not only for the USA. It could not only enable events such as those recently, but something far more terrible for the world, which is becoming more likely because people the people who could still stop it think they will be safe whatever happens, fatuous though that may be.
20 Oct 2018, 10:25 am
