1. Billions of people all over the world have been shaking their heads in shock, wondering how the USA elected a comprehensively corrupt crook like Donald Trump to be their President in November 2016. Throughout his election campaign his vile intentions, motives and views had been clear for anyone to see and hear. Trump is not just some Madman isolated high up in a remote Castle with no external support or influence. He operates within and has been allowed to 'stretch' the 'normal' conventions of the USA's toxic political-business culture where ''Greed is Good is central to the neoliberal capitalist fundamentalist belief system. Under Trump this has been transformed into neoliberal fascism. He has assembled around himself hundreds of supporters and enablers, including the Republican party hierarchy and members, and millions of Americans who support Trump's toxic trash-talking and hate-speaking. He is now an ongoing serious political and constitutional crisis - at the head of the most powerful country on earth. This is a risk that is becoming clear to everyone on the planet. Among other things, Trump is a shameful example of mysogyny, sexism, patriarchy - and fascism (more on the latter below). In the view of many American citizens this situation is unparalleled in the USA's history. And it could get worse before it gets better. Below we profile Trump by looking at just a few of his many gross failings, including his fascism. In these difficult times it pays to keep sight of the good news (there is some), so we highlight this in the first paragraphs below. We cover more fully here "Trump's End Times".


SOME GOOD NEWS FIRST...

2. The USA's Constitution and its Laws did nothing to prevent Trump from rising through the USA's toxic political-business culture. They did nothing to prevent him standing for election in the most politically, economically and militarily powerful country on earth. They did nothing to prevent him from conducting a corrupt election campaign - doing what he has always done - selling delusions, telling lies and engaging in illegalities and cover-ups which have begun to unravel. The US Constitution and Laws have done nothing to stop Trump running what many Americans now regard as the most corrupt Presidential administration in America's history. And he is doing this with the full support of the Republican Party hierarchy. All this indicates that the US Constitution, Legal and political system is in need of a major overhaul, not just a bit of 'housecleaning'. But, things are changing...possibly.

3. So, up to the time of writing, the US Constitution and Laws have (so far) not derailed him in Office, but the good news is : Trump's end times have begun (see more here). Trump's downfall, however drawn out it might be, is coming and the law is catching up with him - its already started to catch up with many of those around him.

4. Trump has been under criminal investigations (by the FBI, the Special Prosecutor, and by Investigators and Prosecutors in multiple States) and on multiple fronts. He is clearly implicated in several matters which Courts have already determined are criminal acts. Criminal investigations are already running and more are sure to follow. There are already grounds for Trump (if he were anyone other than the USA's President) to be indicted, tried and convicted. For example, for the violation of campaign finance laws (with Michael Cohen, already convicted) and for the ten or so 'Obstructions of Justice' spelled out in the Report of the Mueller Inquiry (see more here).

5. All of those working with Trump, including members of his Cabinet, his White House staff, his Press/Media Officers, his personal business staff and his family members are already facing severe legal danger for having assisted in the Mueller-specified 'Obstructions of Justice' and for conspiring in some of Trump's crimes and cover-ups. Many are also in legal danger simply for spouting the constant stream of lies and deceptions which are designed to cover-up or obscure the facts of cases which already are, or soon may be, the subject of Criminal Trials or various Congressional Investigations. The many attempts to evade or obstruct justice by Trump or his administration are Federal Crimes, already referred to in the Impeachement Inquiry which is taking place in the US House of Representatives.

6. The sheer stupidity of some of Trump's people has been mind-boggling but all of their activities have been designed to progress Trump's foul, divisive, racist, sexist, fascist politics. It may have been happening too slowly, but the US laws should, in time, deal with Trump and his cronies. Many of his staff have left, or been forced to leave, or been indicted, or convicted, or have been issued with subpoenas to appear before Congessional Investigators. Many posts in the White House remain unfilled.

The Impeachment Process

7. Trump's political supporters in the Republican Party have nearly all backed him throughout his Presidency, so they are complicit in Trump's wrondoings. However, since the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives in the US Congress in November 2018, this severely reduced both their power and his. The Republicans retain control of the other part of the US Congress, the Senate. In the USA the Constitutional method of removing a President or senior political figure from office is called 'Impeachment'. The Impeachment process is a political-legal process in which the House of Representatives (now controlled by the Democratic Party) acts first as the Court which makes and investigates the allegation against an accused (for example the sitting President). They investigate, hold 'Hearings', interview witnesses under oath, either voluntarily or under Subpoena. After this, if more than 50% of the House of Representatives vote for Impeachment then the accused is Impeached. That much is feasible in a Democrat-controlled House. However, the process then moves to the (currently) Trump-supporting Republican-controlled Senate which would hold a Trial of the accused for 'High Crimes or Misdemeanours' - only the Senate can actually Convict in the Impeachment process. Conviction can only happen if two thirds of the members of the Senate vote to Convict - so a Conviction is very unlikely as things stand (there is currently a slight majority of Republican members of the Senate). If an accused President is Impeached and Convicted by the Senate, they can be removed from Office with immediate effect and be replaced by the Vice President. Looking back into history, in 1973 Richard Nixon was under investigation and likely to be Impeached for his role in the burglary (in June of the previous year) of the Democratic Party's National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington and for his role in the cover-up afterwards. He and his cronies denied everything. However, the pressure on him built up and less than a year later, in August 1974 he resigned in disgrace - just before the Impeachment process was about to start. Unfortunately, he was immediately Pardoned by the incoming replacement President Gerald Ford (another Republican). So, since then there has been little incentive for Presidents to behave better. However, the scope of Trump's known crimes, misdemeanours and transgressions against the Constitution are far greater and much more serious than those of Nixon. Trump's hand-picked Attorney General William Barr was appointed in the Spring of 2019. The Attorney General is the country's most senior Law Enforcement Official. However, from the start it has been clear that Barr is in post to do a job for Trump. Barr is clearly representing and defending Trump when the Constitution actually demands that he should be representing US Citizens and the rule of law, not Trump. So, this is currently playing out and we will see where it leads.

8. Once out of Office, a President charged with Federal offences can then be put on Trial and, if found guilty, they can be convicted and jailed just like any other criminal (that has never happened before in the USA). That is if they are NOT pardoned by the incoming President, as happened when Ford pardoned Nixon. Incidentally, the local or State Courts in the USA can 'Try' a sitting President at any time (even when they are still in Office) as for any other criminal suspect. Several Prosecutors or local Attorney Generals have already launched local (State) cases against Trump and are preparing to Try him and his associates for a variety of Crimes. For example, New York's Attorney General has been proceeding against Trump and his three children, alleging they used Trump's Foundation to benefit him financially and politically. Trump has subsequently closed the Foundation but the criminal charges remain and are the subject Trials. The State of New York also want Trump banned from running any charity in the state for 10 years for being reckless, unethical and unfit to run a Foundation.

9. So there is more still to come. The Impeachment process has started but will Trump really be Convicted (see more here) ? How far will the Impeachment process get, as things stand ? How much will Trump and his associates (such as the Attorney General William Barr) succeed in disrupting or destroying the investigations and Impeachment which threaten him ? Now that the House of Representatives is Democrat-controlled it could take action on the findings of Mueller's Investigation, for example on the ten or so crimes of 'Obstruction of Justice' committed by Trump. The House of Representatives can expand investigations or open new ones, if it wishes. To what extent will Trump be made accountable to the law - or will he be helped and allowed to continue defying the laws and the Constitution ? Will he be allowed to put himself above the law and become a real Despot - thereby transforming the USA from a self-proclaimed 'Democracy' into a full-blown fascist Tyrrany ? Will there be 'Deals' between the Republicans and Democrats that enable Trump to escape all or some justice ? Will Trump be thrown out of Office before the next US Presidential Election (in November 2020). Or will he reach that Election where the US voters will either throw him out - or re-elect him ? These are scenarios now facing the most economically and militarily powerful country on earth. It is impossible to predict how long or what precise course his downfall will take. The Trump situation is unprecedented in US political history.


Trump - The Mysogynistic and Narcissistic Con Artist

10. Moving on from the above questions about whether or not Trump will be thrown out of offfice, it is widely recognised that he epitomises (among his other other ills) patriarchy in an extreme form. In fact, Trump’s deep mysogyny and sexism were well-established many years before the USA's 2016 election campaign even began. His business involvements with Casinos, model agencies and the Miss Universe contest had thrown up a number of fundamental questions about his personality and behaviour. Stories about his relationship with porn stars and the trafficking of young models and drugs at parties hosted by Trump and his 'Friends' have been swilling around in the US press and media for years and they are not reducing but growing with time.

11. During his election campaign he was caught on tape bragging about his sexual assaults on women. He has so far (up to mid-2018) been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 16 women. A group of these women have asked the US Congress to investigate him. Since he took up office the whole world has seen how he is unable to stop himself from bragging about many things - anything. Asked a serious question about a serious matter he will often leave the question and start bragging and inflating his own ego. Everything is about self-aggrandising - about selling himself and his 'brand', driven solely by his self-image. His conceit is gargantuan, his delusions abound.

12. As his 2016 Election campaign progressed it was obvious that his flagrant lying, misogyny, sexism, racism, xenophobia, fascism (more on this below) and other multiple defects are all packaged inside an emotionally immature, impetuous, narcissistic, ignorant, egomaniac who is simply a Con Artist. Fundamentally, that is what he is : A trash-talking, hate-speaking real estate Con Artist, with a lust for money and power, among other things. In his first year in office he showed that he is capable of crossing just about every red line there is. Trump is fact-averse, science-averse and truth-averse. It is a horrifying problem that the whole world has been watching unfold - in the so-called 'leader' of the most militarily and financially powerful nation on earth, helped by his enablers, collaborators and supporters.


The USA’s Business-Political Culture - Trump is an Unsurprising Result

13. Trump's life inside the USA’s toxic business culture (including in celebrity TV) has meant that he has never needed to have any coherent or respectable political philosophy or morality, which could be debated, challenged and investigated. His fascism (more on this below) - like all fascism – emerges from his own ignorance and vindictiveness and thrives on the complacency of others. Trump began his ‘career’ with the privileges of his father’s fortune plus some shark-like instincts which he has used (despite some major ‘mistakes’) to con his way to a bigger fortune in the real-estate world - that is, if he is to be believed. Underneath all this, the descriptors ‘sociopath’ and psychopath’ are the key to defining the internals of the Trump problem. He is fact-averse and truth-averse and could not care less about the massive harms he does to anyone else, he is oblivious to them. All that matters in Trumpland is himself. He is an extreme narcissist selling delusions - always.

14. With enough experience of life, you might have come across people with some of these traits before and you can spot problem personalities like Trump at a distance. Anyone who studies Trump's history will see that the ‘Trump Problem’ has been running through his whole adult life (i.e. over five decades). From birth he has lived as a privileged rich person inside the USA’s hyper-capitalist and toxic business-political culture. In this culture 'Greed is Good'. To this toxic tribe the planet and its people do not matter. In Trump's business life there have been many insolvencies, many defaults, people have been ripped off, he has been sued thousands of times and there have been many, many lies (more here). One Example : From 2005 until 2010 Trump ran a scam real estate training program which he called ‘Trump University’. It was a complete fraud - and after multiple lawsuits, it is now defunct. In August 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit against 'Trump University' alleging illegal business practices, running an unlicensed university and defrauding its students. Former 'students' also launched two class action lawsuits. In October 2014, a New York judge found Trump personally liable for operating the company. Despite repeatedly insisting that he would not settle, Trump (shortly after being elected to the presidency) settled all three lawsuits in November 2016 for a total of $25 million. The New York Attorney General stated that the settlement and payment by Trump "is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university." Trump has continued lying about it (and plenty more) ever since then. This stinking pile of Trump lies is just one more indication that he is a major-scale delusional con-man. Through this case, and throughout his career, Trump's vile and narcissistic personality traits have continued to develop unchecked. That is a condemnation of American business culture and the failings of its legal system to punish con-men more severely. It is also a condemnation of the US Constitution and political system that it could allow such a crook to even stand for Election to any position in public life.

15. Trump is far from alone, either in the US or globally. Within the US he is one of many thousands of rich and powerful people with similar mindsets and instincts, moving around in the same extremely toxic political-business culture – the 'Holy Land' of today’s neoliberal capitalism. He is surrounded in his cabinet and his administration by thousands of like-minded politicians millionaires, billionaires, business people, press and media moguls, celebrities and Republican party supporters who share Trump's venal right-wing mentality. Since this is the toxic pool from which the USA picks its leaders it is no surprise that the politicians who emerge from it are poisonous and poisoning. The USA is the 'Holy Land' of neoliberal capitalism with Trump and his toxic tribe now at its core - all selling delusions. This is also no surprise. It brings to mind the former President Calvin Coolidge's saying : "America's business is business", no more, no less. The thoroughly corrupt Trump and his administration are simply a predictable result of normal US political-business culture. He and it are as American as Apple Pie. Trump and his administration are the latest version of its rotten core. There have been at least a couple of centuries of its cancerous growth up to this point and there is no clearer example of 'State Capture' in the world today than the USA. The 'Holy Land' of neoliberal capitalism is here and this is what it looks like. In the USA this toxic culture spreads beyond the Republican party - too many at the top of the US Democratic party have been the same, or are today very similar. That is why some of them have been very slow to accept the idea that if ever there was a President who deserved to be Impeached it is Donald Trump.

16. For contrast and for some perspective : A 2014 academic study of 1,779 policy issues by the US academics Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page showed that the majority of Americans have little influence over the policies their government adopts. Their government adopts the policies put forward by the economic elite and the Corporations and the many Lobbyists and interest groups which they fund. According to the Gilens and Page study the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact on public policy. This is a very long way from democracy.

17. So, just like Russia (and plenty of other countries) the USA is not a democracy but an Oligarchy, run by and for the tiny minority that is the Corporations and the ultra-rich. In the USA Corporate money has brought about Corporate Tyranny. They fund the 'Think-tanks', the Lobbying groups and the politicans and political parties to make and removing laws, as they wish. Under Trump this is rapidly evolving into a Despotic Tyrranny. Trump (ensconced in the USA's rich elite) has many enablers and collaborators and they are all complicit in what he is doing. These wealthy people and the Corporations keep the politicians as their 'minions', their little servants. In the USA this elite also use their vast wealth to fund the two big political parties, the politicians, as well as thousands of lobbyists, so-called 'Think-tanks' and 'Research Groups' (which, despite their names, are virtually all right-wing political lobby groups). This elite also own the mainstream press, media and social media and they have used these to foster the toxic business-political culture which ensures that the government pursues policies that go on expanding their own wealth and power. They own and use most of the 'News' and 'Current Affairs' sources (TV and Radio Stations, Newspapers, Websites, etc) to push their toxic ideology and propaganda. So the mass of the population, if they want to, must search out alternative sources of the real news and critical social and political debate(we include a few in our Links here). The consequence of all this is that the vast majority of US citizens have many decades ago had democracy stolen from them and have had all the destructive policies which are now commonly known as ‘Austerity’ shoved down their throats. This is the core of neoliberal capitalism, a disastrous ideology which many countries over the past few decades have been pursuing. As we said above, the USA is the 'Holy Land' of this fundamentalist belief system. In the USA today, the Trump Organization includes over 500 businesses, inter-trading with each other, often covertly, in more than two dozen countries, including in Tax havens. Trump's own business structure therefore epitomises the criminally corrupt reality of how Corporations are set up to operate in the neoliberal capitalist system (more here). All of this has been gradually normalised in the USA over more than a century, its not new. We repeat : this is the rotten core of 'American as Apple Pie'.

18. Only a minority (just 27%) of the USA's eligible electorate swallowed Trump's lies and delusions and voted for him. Whatever else they were thinking, they were choosing between two Candidates, two evils offered to them by the USA’s two-party Oligarchy. They clearly chose a Con Artist - one who reflects and represents the ugliest things in American culture. Both the Candidates were funded by money from the rich and from corporations and both stood for the interests of the rich, of Wall Street and of corporate power. Any idea that they stood for the people or democracy was an illusion. All US Presidents over the past several decades (at least) have shared this loyalty to the rich, so Trump is just the latest – albeit very dangerous - progression of this pattern. Most of his policy preferences are the same as (or similar) to other recent US Presidents, candidates, politicians, parties or elite political groups. Trump is really an outcome or consequence of the bigger problems with the US’s political-business culture and system. The US Constitution continues to enable and perpetuate this sick and toxic system.


Systemic Problems Opened the Door To Trump

19. As stated above, it helps to remember that Trump was elected into the most powerful position in the world by only 27% of the USA’s eligible electorate. Many of the electorate chose not to vote and many were prevented from voting (as always happens in the USA’s nightmarishly dysfunctional version of ‘democracy’). Why those 27% bought his delusions and could not distinguish this man as a Con Artist is a question to ponder. The answer seems to be that people like him and the corruption he personifies have been normalised over many decades within the US and its political-business culture. So, nobody should have been surprised when his campaign promise that he would look after the interests of ‘the working man’ were immediately dropped when he took office. Since then Trump has been doing the opposite - that's what Con Artists do. The reality is that Trump and his Republican Party set to work destroying public and welfare services, implementing lavish tax giveaways for the rich and inflicting tax increases on the poor. They are also trying to reshape the American Constitution, the election system and the legal system (for example by giving right-wing zealots lifelong appointments to the Supreme Court), all to further help their super-rich and corporate paymasters by rigging the system to benefit them even more in the longer term.

20. However bad Trump has been so far, sadly the worst of him is probably yet to come. He and his collaborators and enablers are implementing more and more policies that poison and divide the USA, put democracy further out of reach of the public and threaten security across the world. People are right to be very anxious about him but Trump is an unsurprising consequence of three even bigger and long-term systemic problems :

(a) Firstly the awful state of the money-centred and lies-driven toxic US business-political culture (this has assisted his rise in business and politics). It ensures that Trump has many like-minded enablers, collaborators and supporters;

(b) Secondly the defects in the US Constitution and electoral system. These allowed a person like Trump to gain a massive set of presidential powers which he has since been exploiting and corrupting. He and his administration have been actively disregarding and distorting the Constitution to his own despotic ends.

(c) Thirdly, the inability of the US Constitution and Laws to (without delay) detect, investigate, suspend and dismiss any bad leader (and collaborators) and quickly hold them to account for things which are already - or should be - unconstitutional or illegal.

21. Even if Trump was to disappear tomorrow, these big problems with the US Constitution and political culture would still exist and need to be solved. Trump alone is not the biggest problem. The big problem is that of ‘State Capture’. The US has long ago been captured, taken over by the extreme right-wing economic elite, the rich, big business and corporations, interested only in enriching themselves at the expense of ordinary citizens and weaker countries. Trump is one of their minions - he is a consequence of these bigger systemic problems in the USA. However old and dysfunctional this system is, it could be changed. The election system could be changed. The funding of elections could be changed. The qualifications and qualities of candidates could be assured by a ‘quality system’. The Presidential role and responsibilities could be changed. Appointments to the Judiciary (e.g. the Supreme Court) by politicians could be changed or stopped. Policy changes made by Trump could one day be reversed. More socially just policies could eventually be taken forward. Much could be changed but we will not let hope overtake expectations.


Trump in the White House – A World of Chaos & Wrongdoings

22. We looked above at Trump’s problematic personality before he took office. Turning to the problems he has been causing in office, we can here only scratch the surface of this ongoing political crisis. Even before the day he took office he had already established himself as (and partly turned the USA into) a laughing-stock across the whole world. But he is a very dangerous character, who now has his finger on the USA’s nuclear button and its panoply of other military resources. Since Trump entered office in January 2017 the shock and disbelief has not subsided but grown with daily examples of his gross personality defects, irrational decisions, impetuous announcements often via Tweets, and the implications of these for the citizens of the USA and the world. Most people on this planet know that Trump has called many countries (even the USA's long term allies) "Enemies", "Foes" or even "Sh**hole countries". Trump is unmoored from any morals or ethics and deeply ignorant of the world.

23. Trump epitomises genuine 'Government by Chaos'. His administration is in constant turmoil. Whenever one of his personal appointments (..."He's doing a terrific job"...etc...) has to leave - or he sacks them - he will replace them with another ethically-challenged lackey. Press conferences in the White House pour a constant stream of gross lies and distortions into the media machine. For a long time now, nobody with any sense has believed a word spoken by the various Presidential spokespeople. Below we will just highlight a few actual examples of what Trump has actually done in his first years in office. There have been so many alarming Trump words and deeds – we are all spoiled for choice - so we have just picked a few.


(a) Trump's Nepotism

24. Trump is inimical to democracy. His nepotism was clear from the start. His wife, children and other family members attend important meetings, including with leaders of other states. They are presented by Trump as if they are elected representatives of the USA – of course none of them are any such thing. They turn up in important meetings of international bodies as the official representatives of the US. Neither the US Constitution nor the Laws of the country or its political-legal institutions seem to prevent this. Through his family and hand-picked associates he also appears to have effortlessly preserved his own vast business interests in close parallel with his role as President – apparently untroubled by the US laws or the constitution.


(b) Divide and Rule – By a Poisoning, Polarising Politician

25. His poisonous personality has continued fomenting division and anxiety within the USA. It is a country now more divided and destabilised than it has been since its Civil War in the 1860s. Everything about him is deeply divisive. The fact that only 27% of the eligible electorate voted for him gives hope - if this base of public support declines. If it does, then the possibility that he will be impeached by his own Republican party will increase. But don’t hold your breath. The Republicans are finding that having Trump drawing all the attention to his ‘shop window’ is giving them great cover, diverting public attention away from other problems, keeping some of what they have been doing out of sight, in the shadows. The Republican party has always attacked immigrants, it has always denigrated the poor, it has always depended on ‘divide and rule’ as a core of its strategy. Trump is a perfect fit with them.


(c) Trump’s Travel Ban

26. One of his promises during the 2016 election campaign was his islamophobic travel ban on people from Muslim-majority countries. This has caused much outrage around the world but Trump listens only to his own bigotry and to others who are equally bigoted. After a few months of legal blocks the US Supreme Court voted to allow the wholesale implementation of the measure in relation to six countries, pending the outcome of various legal challenges. That was an important legal victory for Trump. It may be many years before the Supreme Court delivers a final verdict, if it ever does. As long as most of the Supreme Court judges are Trump supporters then they cannot be expected to overturn bigotry and uphold human rights. And remember - they are appointments for life, so their support for bigotry is deeply embedded and it will last for decades, unless the US system is radically changed.


(d) Trump - The Fascist President

27. In August 2017 Trump praised racist and hate-filled, torch-bearing neo-Nazi Ku Klux Klan (KKK) white supremacists (many of them armed) at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He suggested that these neo-Nazis KKK white supremacists and those demonstrating peacefully against them were both to blame for the deadly violence that broke out in Charlottesville. Trump claimed that the neo-Nazis KKK were merely expressing peaceful disagreement with the planned removal of a statue of the confederate slavery-supporting Robert E. Lee. The Fascist and fact-averse Trump was utterly wrong.

28. The demonstrators standing against the neo-Nazis KKK engaged in no violence whatsoever. The whole event was filmed by TV crews and many social media users. The only violence was committed by the neo-Nazi KKK white supremacists. One of them drove a car at speed into the peaceful demonstrators, injuring several and killing Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old legal assistant with a law firm in Virginia, who was a champion of civil rights. The demonstration, of which she was part, against the neo-Nazi KKK white supremacists was entirely peaceful and legal. Shortly afterwards a 20-year old man was arrested and charged with Heather Heyer’s murder. Subsequently, this man was sentenced to life in prison for federal hate crimes. He also faced further charges, including the murder of Heather Heyer and injuring over 20 others and a Jury recommended a sentence of life plus 419 years for these crimes.

29. The torch-bearing at Charlottesville was hugely significant in the US because it is a direct ‘take’ from the awful rallies, lynchings and burnings carried out by the fascist and racist KKK through the twentieth century. The current leader of the KKK actually led the neo-Nazi fascists in Charlottesville. For Trump or any US politician (nevermind a President) to support neo-Nazi KKK white supremacy sent big shock waves throughout the US and around the world.

30. Numerous world leaders (even some not very worthy ones) quickly criticized Trump, condemned him for his views and disassociated themselves and their countries from him. A commonly expressed point was that : “There is no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them”. Trump’s profound ignorance and bigotry underpins all his racist, fascist views and he can obviously never see that he is wrong (about anything), much less ever admit an error. The whole world understands this about him and it has been confirmed by his own actions and words many times. This is a massive character weakness in Trump and a massive criticism of all those who support him and keep him in power.

31. Among many criticisms of Trump from other leaders were :

• "The 'leader of the free world' loses moral authority when he cannot call fascism by its name"

• "The president of the United States has just turned his face to the world to defend Nazis, fascists and racists. For shame."

• ”Trump has shown he is unable to detach himself from the extreme right and racial supremacists"

• "What happened in Charlottesville was the Ku Klux Klan and its supporters, white supremacists, arrived in Charlottesville in order to cause trouble. Surely every president of every country in the world should be able to condemn that."

32. Even leading figures in Trump's Republican party reacted angrily to his comments, with Republican Speaker Paul Ryan saying: "White supremacy is repulsive. There can be no moral ambiguity.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat) expressed outrage : "The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate" She declared on Twitter : "This is sick." Since then Trump has stuck to his disgraceful views, forever faithful to his own stupidity. In February 2018 Trump asked his most senior Military officials to start organising a massive public display of US Military forces. No doubt, he imagined himself at the centre of this, just like all the worst fascist leaders in history. Later in 2018 the Military quietly dropped the idea.


(e) ‘Taking A Knee’ Highlights Trump’s Fascism

33. We applaud the many professional sports people and others in the USA who, following Charlottesville (see above) chose not to stand for the US national anthem at sports events but to go down on one knee – to ‘take a knee’.

34. In August 2016 Colin Kaepernick (*see Note below), a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, first kneeled during the playing of the USA's national anthem ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ to protest against the multiple killings of African Americans by US police officers. Some other players then also refused to stand, followed his example and 'Took the Knee'. In September 2017, at a rally in Alabama Trump ranted about these football players who 'Took the Knee' during the national anthem, calling on the football club owners (“friends of mine”) to fire any “son of a bitch” who dared to protest.

35. Later, on Twitter, Trump retracted an invitation that had been given to NBA champions the Golden State Warriors to visit the White House after the team’s star player, Stephen Curry, expressed reservations. This action by Trump ensured that the ‘Take a Knee’ protest went viral. Dozens of football stars and other athletes 'Took the Knee' over that weekend, as did musicians Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams and John Legend. We applaud them all. Because of his Alabama rally rant (and his accompanying Tweets) their target was clearly Trump.

36. In this and other ways Trump is making himself perhaps the best inspiration for protest ever seen in the USA. Many famous black athletes and entertainers have protested in the past and been respected for it, not just in the USA but around the world. In 1964 Baseball hero Jackie Robinson abandoned the racist Barry Goldwater’s Republican party in 1964, because it had given him “a better understanding of how it must have felt to be a Jew in Hitler’s Germany”. The career of the great boxer Muhammad Ali was greatly damaged and he risked jail and the end of his career by refusing the Vietnam war draft in 1967. Athletics stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved fists in a salute for human rights (often called 'The Black Power salute') while standing on the winners podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. They had just won the Gold and Bronze Medals in the 200 metres final, with Tommie Smith breaking the World Record. They were banned by their own country from taking any further part in the Olympics and given 48 hours to go back to the USA. Peter Norman, the Australian winner of the Silver Medal was told in advance by Smith and Carlos that they planned to protest on the podium and, to his everlasting credit, he said “I’ll stand with you” - and he did, despite the Australian authorities refusing ever to select him again to run for his country. All three medal-winners wore the '[i]Olympic Project for Human Rights[/i]' Badge on the podium. In 1974 the musician Stevie Wonder taunted the then President Richard Nixon in ‘You Haven’t Done Nothin’, which topped the US charts the week that Nixon was forced to resign over his Watergate scandal. On the issue of ‘taking a knee’, as on so many other issues Trump behaves like a vindictive and impetuous bully with the attention span of a gnat (although we do not wish to be unkind to gnats).

37. In Trump’s world he imagines that everyone should, exactly like him, see the American flag and the national anthem as the highest, most sacred symbols, not so much of America’s stature but of his own importance, his own stature. He assumes that he is integral with the symbols of state and that everyone should defer to him and accept his word on all things. His support for the neo-Nazi white supremacists at Charlottesville (see above) and his reaction to ‘Taking a Knee’ are about as clear a sign of fascism as you can ever get. Think of Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy and Franco in Spain - these were the three most infamous fascist leaders in history (but not the only ones), responsible for carnage in their own countries and elsewhere on a horrendous scale. They insisted that they were the State, the State was embodied by them, they were the absolute rulers, everyone else was subservient to them. They insisted that their sick version of ultra 'patriotism' must be followed by everyone - the symbols, insignias, flags and anthems of the state were entirely tied up with their own personal image and power which must be defended and displayed above all else. They employed highly stage-managed public rallys, placing themselves above everyone else, at the centre of every event. Trump is copying them.

38. He wants every public appearance, every one of his stage-managed rallies and every state occasion to reflect his self-importance. If you do not think that Trump has yet shown any signs of Fascism then you have not been paying attention. In February 2018 he asked his military officials to start organising a massive public display of US Military forces. AS we said above : The US Military (to their credit) quietly declined to obey this ridiculous request, so this one of Trump's demented desires is unfulfilled - so far. There is no doubt that he wants to be seen at the centre of such big public events, just like all the worst fascist leaders in history. There is no doubt that this is a fascist mindset. His many enablers, collaborators and supporters are all complicit in this Fascism. If humanity has learned one thing from past Fascist leaders (see here for some examples) it is that they must be spotted and stopped at the earliest possible stage, before they cause massive harm. So, we applaud the ‘Taking of the Knee’ by US sports and entertainment stars, and everyone who is actively calling out his Fascism at the earliest stage.

*Note : In April 2018 Amnesty International, the global human rights organization, awarded Colin Kaepernick its highest honour - the 2018 Ambassador of Conscience Award. We applaud him and Amnesty for this.


(f) Global Instabilities Created by Trump the ‘Moron’

39. Trump has exacerbated tensions across the world and introduced dangerous new instability with threats in many directions (North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, etc). His obvious and profound ignorance, his multiple misconceptions, his impulsiveness are ensuring that the sense of alarm and fear is rising with the passing of each month. Many commentators and observers across a wide political spectrum in the US see him as the worst President the USA has ever had.

40. Even many people who are part of Trump's ‘natural’ support in the Republican Party have spoken out against him. His first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (the former President of the Exxon Oil Corporation) was reported in August 2017 to have called Trump a ‘Moron’. Trump sacked Tillerson in March 2018 in a Tweet and this was how Tillerson found he was no longer US Secretary of State.

41. In the Spring of 2018 Trump added to global instabilities by launching a ridiculous Trade War against the USA's nearest neighbours, as well as the USA's main allies and China. In June 2018, at the annual meeting of the G7 nations (Canada, USA, France, Italy, UK, Germany and Japan) the other six nations were seeking to overcome deep disagreements with Trump over his protectionist moves on trade. Trump had already launched new Tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the USA and threatened further tariffs on many other items including automobiles. At the end of the meeting a communique agreed by all seven nations was released. Minutes after the communique had been released Trump withdrew his agreement to it. President Macron of France commented : "Let's be serious and worthy of our people. We make commitments and keep to them...International co-operation cannot be dictated by fits of anger and throwaway remarks." In response to Trumps's Tariffs on China, Chinese media carried the message : "Wise men build bridges but fools build walls"

42. Trump has also been widely condemned globally (and within his own country) for his withdrawal of the USA from its pledges to the 2015 UN Paris Accord on Climate change (more below). Also, his announcement that Jerusalem is the new Capital of Israel was immediately condemned and rescinded by the UN (more below). His withdrawal of the USA from the international agreement to reduce Iran's nuclear weapons potential is irrational and counter-productive - all the other parties to this agreement (including Iran) are continuing with it (more below). These are just some of the big international issues on which Trump is adding to global instability. In June 2018 when Trump departed in a fit of rage from the G7 meeting with the USA's close allies (see previous paragraph) he was rushing off to Singapore to make 'friends' with the brutal Totalitarian Dictator Kim Jong-un of North Korea.


(g) Its Nuclear Nightmares All Over Again - Kim Jong-un is Threatened by Dim Dumb Don

43. In August 2017, in what we call the Kim Jong-un v Dim Dumb Don dispute, Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen” on North Korea if it continued to expand its nuclear weapons programme. Shortly afterwards the Republican Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused Trump of setting the US “on a path to World War III”. Subsequently, this Committee, for the first time in over 40 years, started to examine the US President’s authority to launch a nuclear attack. Senator Chris Murphy (Democrat, Connecticut) explained the reason for this : “We are concerned that the President is so unstable, is so volatile, has a decision-making process that is so quixotic, that he might order a nuclear weapons strike that is so out of step with US national security interests.” That is a good assessment of Trump and they are right to be wary of his role in relation to nuclear weapons (or any weapons). He is so ignorant of all international diplomatic or political conventions that he has - again and again - openly promised to commit war crimes as a matter of policy.

44. In the meantime, Trump’s personality is taking the world back to the extreme tensions of the ‘Cold War’ era. When tension is high, the possibility of an error or a misreading of events increases. With Trump in office it is important not to forget how previous periods of international nuclear tension involving the USA arose. Some of us recall that in 1961 the USA tried to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and failed. The next year the USA and Soviet Union confronted each other over US ballistic weapon deployments in Italy and Turkey (aimed at the Soviet Union). At the same time Cuba and the Soviets agreed they would deter the US from any future invasion attempts on Cuba by jointly setting up a ballistic missile launch facility in Cuba. Then, in September-October 1962, US spy planes discovered and photographed nine weapon sites in Cuba and also Soviet missiles on board a Soviet ship approaching Cuba. The 'Cuban Missile Crisis' began. After a couple of weeks of stalemate, threats, and secret negotiations (and with the whole world holding its breath in a state of intense stress) the US and Russia both agreed to back away from this imminent all-out nuclear conflict. The whole global population had been staring at the imminent possibility of our own incineration and the end of civilisations across the world. As part of the 'climb-down' agreements the weapons in Cuba, Italy and Turkey owned by the USA and Russia were then removed. It was the closest humanity has so far come to nuclear self-annihilation.

45. The Trump v North Korea dispute, though different in its character, might be heading towards a similar critical moment. On the one hand we see a brutal Totalitarian Dictator and on the other hand a Fascist wannabe Dictator. Since Kim Jong–un seems to be at least as quixotic and impulsive as Trump, its possible that critical mistakes and misjudgements might be made at any stage, leading to disaster. Trump thinks he won the Twitter exchange with North Korea in January 2018 now known as the 'My red button is bigger than your red button' spat. That showed again his appalling ignorance of global politics and diplomacy ! This ignorance (on both sides) lay underneath Trump's impulsive announcement in March 2018 that he would meet Kim Jong-un soon. They met in June 2018 in Singapore - a global public relations Fest for both of these bad leaders - but very little can be discerned from their subsequent vague announcements and claims. Trump seemed to portray the whole exercise as a prelude to real estate development. In a Press Conference he was dreaming aloud of condominiums along the beautiful beaches of North Korea. As usual, the delusional Trump is selling what he knows best - delusions. As time has passed, Dim Dumb Don and Kim Jong-un's extremely vague accounts of what was apparently 'agreed' have diverged, leaving only friction, anger and possible conflict. That is all that can be expected from Trump's impulsive 'diplomacy'/PR stunts. Trump seems to expect North Korea to give up its own weapons while the USA keeps its economic and military stranglehold in place. The USA exploits its vast military presence and its military exercises to project its power around the whole of the south east Asia region. What the world actually needs is the complete de-militarisation of the Korean peninsular (north and south) and the land and seas around it. Certainly, the quixotic, impulsive and vindictive Trump should be kept well away from any military decisions, if we all want to stay safe. Kim Jong-un's role as a brutal Dictator is well-established. He runs one of the most impoverished states the world has ever seen, where state-caused poverty and famines have been normal for decades. He and his regime are responsible for some of the most extreme human rights abuses on the planet. They enslave their own people, with a psychopathic disregard for even basic concepts of humanity (there are similarities with Dim Dumb Don in that regard). The latter shows no interest in making these critical points about North Korea. It would be a mistake to believe either of these two very bad leaders claims about their publicity stunt in Singapore - until real de-militarisation, real economic progress and real human rights advances are achieved - in both countries.

46. While we are considering Trump's involvement with nuclear issues and nuclear buttons, the risks in the Trump v Iran scenario are also very high - and rising. Trump has withdrawn the USA from the world’s agreed and established means of reducing Iran’s nuclear capabilities, so its impossible to say what will happen next in this fraxious relationship. The other parties to the Iran Nuclear Agreement have said they will continue in partnership with Iran to implement it fully. This would certainly help to reduce nuclear, other military and political tensions in the Middle East, the most volatile and dangerous region in the world. However, in late June 2019 following explosions on two oil carriers in the Gulf, Trump announced he had just cancelled (with only 10 minutes to go) his military attack on Iran - a country without nuclear weapons. Within a few days he made his hasty visit to the militarised zone between North and South Korea solely to appear in a photo-opportunity with Kim Jong-un on the Border. This was another empty public relations exercise. So, Trump had been very keen to attack Iran (a country bound by an international nuclear agreement, and with no nuclear weapons) whilst playing best pals with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, the brutal dictator of an illegally nuclear-armed country which is not bound by any such agreement. This is the crazy world of Dim Dumb Don.


(h) Did Russia Help Trump Get Elected & Was Trump's Campaign Corrupt ?

47. In January 2017 the USA's own intelligence services concluded that Russia had tried to sway the Presidential election in Trump's favour. Former US intelligence chiefs say Trump's denial that any Russian meddling helped him gain power at the 2016 election is putting the US at risk. Trump caused uproar by saying he believed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin who told him there had been no Russian interference. The two leaders had briefly discussed the allegations at an Asia-Pacific summit. Trump also disparaged key figures in the US intelligence community who concluded that Russian 'meddling' had taken place. Russian meddling in several other country's elections has been categorically proven and has been called out around the world.

48. Former national intelligence chief James Clapper said he was alarmed by the president's comments that : "Every time he [Putin] sees me he says ‘I didn't do that’, and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," Mr Trump told reporters. "I think he is very insulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country." For a US President to be so at odds with the US Intelligence services would appear to be a dangerous place for a President to be. Congress set up a Special Counsel, Robert Mueller to investigate this matter and his Report on these findings were very interesting. There were plenty of signs that this investigation did not go Trump’s way. However, Trump's own hand-picked Attorney General, William Barr prevented the release of the full Report, mis-represented some of its findings and failed to turn up for questioning in Congress, even though he was Subpoena'd to do so. At November 2019 it is still unclear where this will all end up. Trump is trying to sweep aside the US laws and Constitution and the US Attorney General is assisting him in this. 'Obstruction of Justice' is a clear crime under US law. The Mueller investigation unearthed many interesting things, not only about Russian meddling in the election but also about Trump's murky business dealings relating to Russia, Trump's multiple 'Obstructions of Justice' and many other matters. A number of Trump associates, including some appointed by him to his administration have had shady dealings with Russian Oligarchs, businesses and politicians. The Trump links with Russia go deep. In the course of all this, another factor has emerged which may have helped Trump's election win. Investigation by Channel 4 News in the UK led to them broadcasting, in March 2018, footage of an extremely revealing undercover interview which they staged with executives of a company called Cambridge Analytica (CA). CA claims to be the biggest and most significant Political Consultancy in the world and it conducted in detail Trump's 2016 political campaign for the Presidency. What CA did should shock anyone who thinks they live in a Democracy. You can watch this undercover interview in this Video :



49. The CA company was set up and run by Trump associates, Steve Bannon (Trump's former 'Strategist'), the billionaire Mercer family and others. CA purchased the details of at least 87 million FaceBook user accounts and then used them without the users' knowledge or consent. CA used this data in a detailed and sustained way to target Trump's manipulative campaign messages to those FaceBook users and to others linked to their accounts. CA implemented a massive campaign of micro-targeting through a social media blitzkrieg via FaceBook, Google, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. A whistleblower, former CA employee Christopher Wylie, has stated that the data bought by CA was first used to psychologically profile people and then target them with specific pro-Trump material during the election campaign. Wylie has stated that CA or its parent company SCL "don't care whether what they do is legal" as long as they "get the job done". He also criticised the company for running campaigns in other struggling democracies, which he called "an example of what modern-day colonialism looks like". "You have a wealthy company from a developed nation going into an economy or democracy that's still struggling to get its feet on the ground - and taking advantage of that to profit from that."

50. The revelation of this large scale manipulation of the US democratic process by CA's Trump campaign has created big trouble for both Facebook and for CA. That is a good thing. However, we await evidence that any serious legal and other data protection steps will now be taken urgently to protect the democratic process in the USA (or in any other country) from anything like this happening in future. We are not waiting for CA or FaceBook to be punished by US laws - that seems to be too much to hope for, as things stand. The Channel 4 evidence revealed that CA has done similar (or worse) things in many other political campaigns and countries - indeed CA's CEO bragged about them in the broadcast video (see above). So, this story of electoral manipulation is likely to expand from the USA into other areas as time passes. In the meantime, Trump has repeatedly claimed that Congress's Investigation by Special Counsel Mueller was a 'Witchunt' against him and should have been stopped. There are indications that he tried to get Mueller sacked and tried to close down the Mueller investigation into Trump's wrongdoings. There are multiple indications that Trump regards himself as having the right to be above the law, along with his criminal collaborators. However, a historical precedent shows that all this is very dangerous for Trump : President Richard Nixon, then under investigation for his Watergate scandal, actually fired the special prosecutor Archibald Cox in late 1973. Cox's firing produced a political and public relations disaster for Nixon and set in motion Congressional proceedings which forced Nixon's resignation in disgrace less than a year later, in August 1974 (just before the Impeachment process actually started). Of course, Nixon was then immediately Pardoned by his incoming replacement, Gerald Ford (another Republican). So, since then there has been no incentive for new Presidents to behave better.


(i) Trump’s In Need of ‘Day Care’ – He’s Debasing the Nation

51. Bob Corker, Republican Senator for Tennessee tweeted : “It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.” Corker followed this with an Interview with the New York times and included a few more damning quotes : "I don't know why the president tweets out things that are not true. You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does."…"A lot of people think that there is some kind of 'good cop, bad cop' act underway, but that's just not true."…"I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it's a situation of trying to contain him."

52. In a series of Television interviews, Corker again accused the president of lying. Nobody in the White House has so far accused Corker of 'defamation of character' and sued him. They would obviously have no basis for that because Corker is simply telling the truth - speaking 'Truth to Power'. The influential Senator Corker unleashed a blistering attack on Trump, calling him "utterly untruthful". In these TV interviews, Corker accused the president of lying, adding that he debased the US and weakened its global standing. Corker added : "He is purposely breaking down relationships we have around the world that had been useful to our nation."…"I think the debasement of our nation is what he'll be remembered most for". The Senator added that the president has "great difficulty with truth".


(j) Trump's Drone Killings

53. Over the past decade or so the USA’s Presidents have authorised the illegal killings (murders) of hundreds of people around the world using Drones and ‘automatic aircraft’. About one third of the people killed have been innocent children. Many more have been innocent adults, guilty of no crimes other than being somewhere near one of the USA’s ‘targets’. These murders are said to be ‘signed off‘ by the President in routine weekly meetings and carried out by Drone Operators working their shifts, sitting safely inside bases in the US or on board US warships or airplanes.


(k) Parties, Models & Drugs : Trump's Mysogyny & Sexism

54. In the course of his election campaign Trump’s business activities and involvements with a model agency and the Miss Universe contest threw up a number of fundamental questions about his personality and behaviour. The stories of the trafficking of young models and drugs at parties Trump hosted in the 1990s have surfaced in the US press and media. During his campaign he was also caught on tape bragging about his sexual assaults on women and at the time of writing (late 2017) he has so far been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 women. A small group of these women have asked the US Congress to investigate him. Trump epitomises (among many other ills) patriarchy and mysogyny in an extreme form. He is not so much a President as an ongoing serious political crisis, in charge of the most powerful country on earth.


(l) Trump’s Administration is Alone in its Extreme Denial of Climate Science

55. By November 2017 all of the original 195 parties to the UN Paris Agreement on Climate Change had ratified the agreement and were fully signed up to support it – that is all except one – the USA. Trump had previously announced he would pull the USA out of the agreement and he did this in June 2017. The Paris Agreement is the world’s agreement and plan (although it is far too weak) to reduce the man-made greenhouse gas emissions which are warming our planet, raising sea levels and leading us into humanity’s biggest ever problem (more here).

56. Since then Trump's White House has also tried to downplay a major climate change report, which was compiled in 2017 by 13 of its own US Federal Agencies. This report contradicts assertions from Trump and several senior members of his administration. Trump and they are science-averse and more generally fact-averse. Trump had previously made the ridiculous claim that the concept of global warming was invented by the Chinese in order to make American manufacturing less competitive. Running to nearly 500 pages, the 2017 report confirms the view of climate scientists globally that the current period is "now the warmest in the history of modern civilisation"…It is "extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause" adding that "there is no convincing alternative explanation". Trump and his collaborators are in complete denial about all of this.

57. He has already made it easier for US industry to pollute, he has appointed to key government positions people who represent the interests of the US fossil-fuel corporations, he has set about tearing up regulations which protect the environment, he is reinvigorating a declining coal industry and giving the fossil fuel corporations all kinds of subsidies, he is giving permissions for fossil fuels corporations to desecrate indigenous and other lands with pipelines. He is doing all this at a time when scientists globally, the UN and the other 194 countries in the Paris agreement have committed themselves to seeking ways to leave fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) as far as possible where they are – in the ground. Trump’s collaborators are not just dismissive of their own scientists but also, like Trump, they are irrational and fundamentally fact-averse. Like Trump they are psychopathic in their disregard of the fact that global warming is being caused by burning fossil fuels. They are not simply closing their eyes and ears to the irreversible catastrophe all this entails for global humanity, they are actively selling delusions - as usual. This should surely be defined as a Crime Against Humanity and Trump and his collaborators should be tried by the International Criminal Court.

58. Fortunately, there are hundreds of Towns, Cities, States, Universities, Businesses, and other Organisations in the USA who ARE pushing ahead with Climate actions despite Trump. They are a growing and already powerful group who are all working together to make sure that their parts of the USA do fulfil their Climate Change commitments under the Paris Agreement. They went to the November 2017 meeting of all the other 194 countries who are signed up to the Paris Agreement. This large group from the USA registered their support for global action to tackle climate change - in no uncertain terms. They were welcomed by all the other states and parties present and they had a very positive impact. By comparison, Trump's administration sent only a small delegation of fossil fuel corporations to promote their own narrow business interests and they had only a trifling effect in the meeting.


(m) Trump Claims Jerusalem as Capital for Israel

59. In December 2017 Trump announced that the US would be moving its Israeli embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem and declared that Jerusalem was now the new ‘capital’ of Israel. Trump’s arbitrary and reckless announcement is contrary to all existing UN Resolutions and other international Agreements to manage and sort out the Israel-Palestine situation. Over several decades, the UN Resolutions and other Agreements have recognised that the rights of the Palestinian people have been stolen from them and they need to be returned. Trump has simply thrown fuel on the smouldering flames of this extremely dangerous situation in the most dangerous region of the world.

60. Firstly, Trump’s intervention is a dangerous violation of international law. It can have no legal impact on the situation and is as good as void. Secondly, neither Trump nor the US have any agreed international rights or role in deciding on other nation’s capitals. Thirdly, Trump’s endorsement of Israel’s attempt at ‘grabbing’ all of Jerusalem as its capital contradicts long-standing US policy. Fourthly, US policy has long been that the city’s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, for whom East Jerusalem is the capital of their future state under the internationally promoted ‘two-state solution’. Lastly, not only does the US not have any right arbitrarily to intervene in a wholly one-sided way in favour of Israel in this situation, Trump’s intervention will do nothing to help peace and stability in the middle east.

61. Trump's need for attention has recklessly fanned the flames and could plunge this most dangerous region into violent reactions and result in many unnecessary and avoidable deaths. Shortly after Trump's announcement 57 predominantly Muslim nations called on the world to recognise "the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital". It also said that Trump's illegal move had signalled the USA's withdrawal from its role in the Middle East peace process and that the UN should take over this role. Clearly, the US would be unacceptable as a 'mediator' because it is heavily biased in favour of Israel and against the Palestinian people. Trump's reckless action is seen widely across the world as an attack on the rights of the Palestinian people. Later in December 2017 the UN voted to rescind Trump's (and anyone else's) claims to make Jerusalem the Capital of Israel.


Who Is Responsible for The Trump Mess ?

62. However terrible Trump becomes we must keep things in perspective and never forget to ask the right questions, for example : Is the bad leader causing bad governance or vice-versa ? Which comes first, the chicken or the egg ? In this case the bad leader (along with all his enablers and collaborators who are complicit in his wrongdoings) has risen to power through the USA's toxic political-business culture while the electoral rules, the constitution and laws have not stopped him. So the ultimate responsibility lies with the US political system. All of the big concerns and risks now being faced are a consequence of the USA’s system deficiencies being exploited by a bad politician with the help of his enablers and collaborators. Remember : Only 27% of the eligible electorate voted for him, so it would be a mistake to blame the whole population for this dire situation. The US's system defects have allowed other problems in the past, those defects have multiplied in modern times, bad standards of behaviour have become normalised, these are playing out today - and have allowed the crooked fascist Trump into power and delivered the US into chaos. If the chaos is not overcome and if the system is not properly fixed then similar, or worse, problems will almost certainly evolve out of the current fiasco, and worse could happen in future.


Can Things in the USA Ever Be Better ?

63. Trump has brought the USA’s own deepest structural nightmares and darkest systemic demons up into the daylight. These are self-created by the USA and it must now face and overcome these as best it can. If it fails to move onto a path of real justice and democracy, then the consequences for the US and the whole world could be very dark indeed. This requires a constitutional showdown in which the USA amends its system of government so that it reliably and consistently reflects the real best interests of the great mass of citizens and not the self-interests of wealthy elites. Although that currently seems very unlikely in the USA, without that decisive change/transition, Trump now and other bad leaders in future will continue to lawlessly exploit the country with impunity, endangering all of humanity and the planet.

64. In a more perfect USA, the country would have a constitution, electoral system and laws that would spot and exclude people like Trump (and his many enablers and collaborators) very early, and prevent them from ever having any role in public life whatsoever. There is no doubt that there are plenty of very good people across the USA who are far more worthy than Trump to lead their country towards a more just and truly democratic future. The transition to a system of good governance in the USA is possible, although at present this may seem impossibly difficult – but that is what bad leaders and bad governments want you to think.

65. Bad leaders and bad governance are two sides of the same coin. It should be clearer now than ever before, that all global institutions and all states need constitutions and laws that will prevent power ever finding its way into the hands of bad leaders and bad governments. However, the whole world is unfortunately still a long way from that situation, which is one of the main reasons why many of the big global concerns have been so enduring.