Yesterday, in Robert Reich’s Substack column (which I read daily) posed the question, “What is Trump trying to do?” Reich argued that Trump is trying to consolidate his power by putting die hard loyalists in every senior position in the government who will blindly carry out his orders – the law and the Constitution be damned. I wholeheartedly agree with this. However, it made me think about the related question, “Why is Trump doing what he is doing?”
There is the ‘retribution theory’ which some of us believe drives many of Trump’s actions. He is so thin skinned and his ego is so fragile that any perceived or real slight, criticism, or attempt to hold him to account is met with an immediate desire for some type of retribution. This certainly explains some of the Executive Actions he has implemented and some of the cabinet picks he has made. However, I’m thinking retribution is really just a bonus for him. I don’t think it’s the primary driving force.
There are those who might argue that his actions are part of some strategic vision for ‘Making America Great Again.’ However, using the words ‘strategic vision’ and Donald Trump in the same sentence seems quite incongruous to me. Trump is capricious, reactionary, and very transactional in his view of the world. I think there might be a strategy behind what is driving Trump, but I do not think it is of his own design.
That brings me to what I think might really be going on and since conspiracy theories are all the rage these days, I feel free to offer my own. It is a fact that Elon Musk spent around a quarter of a BILLION dollars helping to get Trump elected. Trump clearly owes a big debt to Musk and now Musk has been elevated to the post of ‘co-president,’ ‘chief hitman’ or whatever you want to call him. He is clearly the most powerful civilian to wield the kind of power he has. He and his merry band of hackers have infiltrated almost all government systems despite the fact they have bypassed all normal rules for obtaining security clearances and no one really knows for sure what the hell they are doing. Trump owes Musk.
It is also no secret that Trump has an unnatural affinity for Vladimir Putin, who is an enemy of the United States and Western Europe. Why is this? There are three compelling reasons. First of all, when the Trump organization was having financial trouble and no U.S. bank would touch them, the Russians poured tons of money into Trump properties helping to bail him out. Money like that does not flow out of Russia and into the U.S. without Putin knowing about it. Trump owes Russia.
Despite all the rightwing denials, there is no doubt the Russians interfered in the U.S. elections in both 2016 and 2024 with the objective of getting Trump elected. The Mueller report reached that conclusion. A Congressional committee reached that conclusion. And the intelligence agencies of the U.S. reached that conclusion. People can deny it all they want but the facts are there. The Russians interfered in our elections to get Trump elected. Trump owes Russia.
There have been rumors for years that Russia has compromising information on Trump. No one has been able to provide definitive proof of any such information, but the rumors persist. Anyone who is reckless enough to store classified information in a bathroom at Mar a Lago is clearly reckless enough to put themselves into a compromising situation. If Russia has such information, Trump will do whatever Russia wants to keep it from coming to light.
There is an acronym used to describe why people commit espionage or turn against their own country. The acronym is MICE (Money, Ideology, Compromise, Ego) This makes Trump an easy target. Everyone knows he loves money so if Musk and Putin promise to make him richer – check that box. I don’t believe Trump has any real ideology so we can skip that one. If the Russians have compromising information on Trump – check that box. Trump loves to have his ego stroked and the Russians are experts in doing exactly that. Check that box.
As I stated, I don’t believe Trump himself has any long-term strategic vision. I do think that both Putin and Musk have long term visions that may not exactly align but certainly overlap enough to where they can herd Trump a direction that is beneficial to them both. And for my money, I think that is exactly what is going on. I think Putin and Musk are the ones ultimately pulling the strings and Trump is just their useful village idiot. As long as they continue to let Trump think he is in charge, stroke his ego and promise him even more wealth, he will do whatever they want.
So, in answer to the question, “Why is Trump doing what he is doing?,” I believe it is because he is being manipulated by people to whom he is beholding and who are much smarter than he is. Trump (and all the MAGA Republicans) has made a Faustian bargain with Putin and Musk and we will all pay the price for it.
