The Trump Portfolio: Honorable Dementian

As I sat down to work on today's article, I realized that I had no idea what to write about.  Not that there wasn’t anything, but because there was much, much, much, much, much, much too much.  And it was all lunatic.

Trump making Herschel Walker ambassador to the Bahamas.

Trump naming Mark Burnett, TV producer of The Apprentice, to be special envoy to England.

Trump making the wife of Newt Gingrich, Callista Gingrich, ambassador to Switzerland.  (At least she previously served as ambassador to the Holy See in Rome -- not an actual country, but still... -- appointed by Trump.)

Trump naming the wife of senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller, Katie, to the Department of Government Efficiency to serve with acting-president Elon Musk and acting-sidekick Vivek Ramaswamy.

Trump naming convicted felon, pardoned by Trump, Charles Kushner -- father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka – to be ambassador of France.

Trump naming the father-in-law of his other daughter Tiffany, Masad Boulos – owner of a car dealership in Nigeria, who falsely claims to be a billionaire – to be senior adviser of Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs.

Trump trying to bully the Prime Minister of Canada, our closest neighbor and friend, and claiming it should be the 51st state.

Trump trying to bully the President of Panama into returning the Panama Canal to the U.S., despite it being legal Panama property, and responding to the Panama President, who reiterated this reality and that they’re not giving it back, by tweeting, “We’ll see about that!”

Trump's company being accused of tax evasion in…(wait for it…) – Panama!

Trump saying…no, sorry, there’s just too much here already.  And he won't even be in office for a month.  In fairness, I know that all the above didn’t happen over the weekend.  But much did.  And most within the past week.  And all within the last couple weeks.  And once he’s in office, it will be this every week – often most days, I suspect.  I am sure I will be facing this problem, "O dear Lord, what to choose from to write about today??", a lot.  (A lot.)  So, perhaps it will just be best to simply list everything in one Trump Portfolio, and let the list of the day speak for itself about who Trump, with early dementia, is.

So, what I've decided is to just go with that much, much, much, too long list, and instead single out one other item to speak for it all –

Trump gave a speech over the weekend in which he showed how shaken he is by the jokes (based on touches of reality) about the power Elon Musk holds over him running the country.  And what he actually, really truly said, because he wanted to be sure everyone knew and understood, is that, no, Elon Musk “is not going to be president. That I can tell you. I’m safe. You know why? He can’t be. He wasn’t born in this country”

If anything shows how insecure and troubled Trump is about the perception of the richest man in the world’s authority over Trump (based on touches of reality – including Musk spending $270 million to help elect Trump and perhaps wanting some return on his…er, investment), it’s that statement.  Because Trump not only actually felt compelled to say he's "safe" (!!), but also gave as the reason he wanted you to know he’s “safe” in his job the fact that Elon Musk...wasn't born in the United States.  That was the best reason he could come up with!  (As if Musk had been born in the U.S., Trump might not be "safe.")  Rather than just saying, as most secure people, especially ones about to be President of the United States and the most powerful person in the world, "Elon Musk is a wonderful spokesman. I am president, I was elected."  And leave it at that. 

Or better still…not say anything.  

But making it even worse, this actually does speak to a very real problem Trump faces even if Musk truly is just doing Trump's bidding with no interest in power on his own -- which seems unlikely.  Because even if that, it will always raise the question of who's running who:  the most powerful man in the world (with dementia) or the richest man in the world (with Asperger's syndrome).  And if Trump asserts his legal authority, how much does that risk upsetting the world's richest man who has already threatened MAGOPs in Congress with being primaried if they don't do what he likes.  And that question will remain unless Musk on his own loses interest and moves on to another arena, other than having a hand in running the world -- which seems unlikely.  

The only alternative is that the two men actually will be able to create a symbiotic relationship and operate in close, mutual support without troubling the other.  And despite both being authoritarian racists of monumental egos with problematic personal issues driven for individual power as solitary, fascist leaders,  that is absolutely possible.

But seems unlikely.