The Fall of America
Diana Hochman, March 2023
The more Trump alienates friends and affronts foes, the less inclined other nations will be to trust America and to do business with America.
Donald Trump is misguided by delusions of grandeur. He is malevolent. His entire world vision is predicated upon taking America back to a time in history when America ruled the world through military might and financial dominance and oppressed ‘lesser nations’ across the world through conquest, endless wars, rape, pillage and plunder.
One may not lead others if one is not capable of leading him or herself
There are two places that no human can ever exist in, the past and the future. There is only now. The present demands courage and vision in order to keep apace with the changes of life and to navigate the tumultuous challenges invariably born of the past and of the storied history of time. To successfully navigate the tempestuous storms of life requires much more than resilience, courage, power and strength. One must also be educated, have an intimate knowledge of history, cultivate emotional intelligence and deep self-awareness, and the ability to introspect and learn the lessons that life affords each of us. Above all, one must be willing to change one’s mind. To remain pliable and learn new tricks, as it were. Only in this way, is one capable of leading others. While no person is perfect, a leader is a person who is capable of self-mastery.
Trump is a convicted felon, and a cheat, a con, a liar, and an accused rapist. Moreover, his manner is simply uncouth, repulsive. That he became the president (again) in 2024 is a disgrace for the United States of America. Having a crook as a president is like having the prisoners run the prison. Trump runs America the way he runs his businesses and he treats international relationships in the global bloc, both friends and foes alike, as he treats women, with utter disrespect and disregard. He takes what he wants when he wants and discards with disdain when he is done simply because he thinks he can. Trump thinks he is the highest authority, he has no moral fiber, and thus acts with impunity.
A major risk of group dynamics is that often the oppressed becomes the oppressor
One must place Trump’s character in the context of a broader framework. That of unipolar hegemony vis-à-vis the macho male dynamic. Imperialist Britain birthed colonialist America. Just as England oppressed many people in the world, in order for America to rule the world, it had to keep other people down, oppressed, dominated and controlled, both domestically and internationally. Domestically, Blacks, women, disabled people, gays, Native Americans, and even Japanese, were ghettoized and thus disenfranchised in order to maintain the might vs. right hierarchical dynamic in America. Over time, oppressed people in America fought back and slowly they achieved greater freedoms.
Positive examples of emancipation are when slavery was abolished in 1865, the national ratification of granting women a right to vote in 1920, or when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. Heroes of these times are President Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, her successor Carrie Chapman Catt, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. respectively. For all of these historic successes, like in all journeys, there were missteps, detours, u-turns, wrong turns, and even sometimes a few steps backwards. A prime example of a step in the wrong direction in America is affirmative action, which is a reverse form of discrimination.
Ultimately, the world is headed in an inevitable direction of great good. Often, situations happen that are rather alarming as they are occurring, but, if one is a person of faith, one understands that even the bad is used for good. The hearts and minds of humankind are guided by a great force, that is, the power behind all things. Thus, we must not give in to despair during these deeply troubling times. We must hold the line, remain steadfast, have faith, never lose hope, and understand the implications of the present, which is the only time that matters.
Donald Trump truly believes in an America that rules the world through injustice. He believes in taking by force, at his pleasure, whether a woman (“grab ‘em by the pussy”) or a country (Greenland). He believes in an America that keeps the poor nations poor (Global South) and keeps the lesser nations in control through financial dominance (EU, Russia, China, India, South Africa, et al.) Unless other nations do as Donald Quid Pro Quo Trump says, he will not help them in any way (Ukraine). Many abused women do not leave their abusive husbands because they lack financial independence. Dominated by the fear of their husbands retaliating financially, or completely destroying their name and prospects, and/or physical harm, countless abused wives often choose to stay and bear brutality. So, too, many nations have also borne the abuse of the unipolar hegemon that was the United States of America. Over time, however, things have changed. For example, the more abusive and unreliable and untrustworthy—as a partner— America proved to be to Russia, the more Russia developed resilience and charted its own course. This has been the case for many nations in the world.
Furthermore, ill-advised liberal policies exponentially compounded by neoconservative war hawks on both sides of the aisle derailed any truly substantive forward-moving progress in America. American politicians live by a zero accountability and zero transparency ethos that is systemic and permeates not only Washington, but all of America. The waste and criminality definitely trickled down over the decades. Moreover, blatant disregard for law and order transcended party lines and became the modus operandi of both Republicans and Democrats. Thus, illegal migration became something that both parties turned a blind eye to. And why is that? Surely, because there was a lot of money to be made by illegal migration, until eventually, the overload of ghosts in our midst caused great problems for the country.
Unchecked crime is simply not sustainable, as deviance and decadence will implode a society. Since neither political party had any hope of resolving the problem they created, they simply kept passing the buck and kicking the can down the road. The truth is that every nation benefits from immigration, but illegal migration fosters at minimum, a global criminal cartel of drugs, weapons and human trafficking that is harmful to society in the extreme. Yet, to get to the root causes of illegal migration, one must then confront the endemic social malaise intrinsically (within a nation) and the systemic social problems extrinsically (among nations). Manufactured poverty caused by systemic injustice perpetuates illegal migration (transatlantically), which leads us to the magic math of the Trump Cartel.
To enrich his tech bros, Trump will bankrupt America and the world. As long as he comes out on top, it's all that matters to his warped mind
On April 2, 2025, Trump shot himself in the foot with his Liberation Day disaster. Throughout his campaign he promised his MAGA followers that he would bring down prices (“end inflation”), end the conflict in Ukraine (“in 24 hours”), deport millions of illegals (“like has never been seen”), and even make tips tax-free. He also promised his billionaire backers he would cement his 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire December 31, 2025. To do this funny math, he employed the trickster Elon Musk, a former illegal alien overstay turned naturalized citizen from South Africa who is a non-elected unofficial, and gave him unprecedented power and control to access the private records of Americans. Not only is that an affront to every American, but it is illegal and a direct threat to National Security. Who is this guy to have access to our personal business?
The Republican hacks in the Senate just put forward a bill where they intend to cement a $5 trillion dollar tax cut into law. Democrats and any Republicans (with the slightest modicum of any remaining moral fiber) must not let this happen. To achieve this travesty, these Trump-aligned Republicans must raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion or America will go into default. But where will they get that money from? Tariffs.
In order to uphold a campaign promise and claim a false win, Trump decided to tax ordinary Americans instead. That is, the working class, the blue collar people, and the waning middle class who are the backbone of America. In other words, he screwed over the millions of people who voted for him. And of course, of necessity, he will make the poor suffer even more. Since, they might also have to chop medicaid funds off the block. He dispatched his doge dog to fire some 60,000 federal workers so far, with an additional 75,000 more who took buyouts and by some estimations up to 250,000 more are slated for culling. Let us not forget that he has also cut hundreds of millions of dollars from education and closed out many organizations funded by USAID who helped many people across the world from starvation and disease. Of course, this is all in the name of “eliminating waste and fraud,” which is the rich man’s way of saying kill off the expendables. If eliminating waste and fraud were a true venture, then Trump would not have rewarded SpaceX with $30 billion plus in pork (funding), or purchased $400 million worth of Tesla vehicles (“to transport diplomats”). But, criminal syndicates are gonna do as they do. No cartel comes close to the Trump Cartel in criminality.
Tariffs are a duty paid by the receiver, not the sender. Thus, it is Americans who pay for tariffs. In order to break even and stay afloat, many businesses choose to pass off the additional cost of duties to their consumers, which is why prices go up. They also purchase less of the product, and thus produce less, and since there is a shortage of supply, prices will go up. The sender, or exporter, feels the brunt of the pain when businesses order less of their product. For emerging economic or nascent nations, this is most devastating, as it takes very little turbulence to utterly break apart their little apple carts.
It goes without saying that China and Japan are in a much more resilient position to withstand Trump’s tariffs than Lesotho, let us say. At the end of 2024, China reduced its holding of US Treasury bonds (debt) by about $9.6 billion. Japan, the largest holder of US debt, reduced its holdings by $27.3 billion. While these countries opted to diversify their portfolios into more stable ventures, such as gold in the case of China, undoubtedly, in anticipation of an erratic and highly volatile political and economic climate led by an unstable president, it was prudent to take such cautionary measures. The US is responsible for paying back the debt on these bonds to nations with interest. But, the US operates in the red, and thus, without raising the debt ceiling, the US will default on its loans. Rather than give the rich a tax cut, it would be best to tax the rich $5 trillion and use that as seed money to invest in human capital, which is the only truly meaningful investment.
When production slows, people are laid off. Growth stagnates to the point of recession. A long period of recession coupled with exorbitant rates of inflation is called stagflation, which, given about two years leads to depression. In such a dismal economic climate, food and other items are rationed, there are no jobs, everything is overpriced, people start to lose homes and hope and substance abuse and crime shoots up. Ultimately, society implodes.
The world is a complex web of interdependence that transacts in a global marketplace
Today, America is home to two classes of people, the rich and the poor. Both feed off of the middle class. If one is wealthy in America, one may withstand many financial obstacles up until a point. When there is no more middle class, who will sustain the rich? If one is poor in America, one receives many government subsidies. And rightfully so. It is incumbent upon a just society to care for its poor, orphans, disabled and elderly. Yet, if there is no more middle class, who will pay for the poor? In such a case, the rich will eat the poor and then each other until there are no humans left.
Trump thinks that his tariffs will usher in a golden era of America and “restore” a burgeoning manufacturing sector. This will not happen. Many of the items America produces are derived from parts that stem from all over the world. Our supply chains are global. America is not an entirely independent and self-sufficient or self-sustaining nation. In fact, no nation is.
Trump claims the $5 trillion tax cut will generate more jobs because the rich will invest that money into expanding their businesses. The working class and middle class will provide labor for these jobs and the poor will get subsidized. Win-win. Wrong! The forgotten and too quickly eroding middle class bear the brunt of the economic volatility and injustice. Neither rich enough to withstand harsh life blows, nor poor enough to receive any kind of break or help, they shell out for everybody. It is the middle class who not only sustains the economy, but is brutally punished for bearing the brunt. Unable to afford a home in today’s economic environment on a single income, and working just as much if not more than previous generations, they have much less to show for it. Thus, many Americans are economically disenfranchised and have become hardened and hopeless. Driven by futility, and a live to work dynamic, how will they buy a home and raise a family, or go on annual vacations and live the ever-elusive American dream?
The tax-free tips Trump promised during his campaign will now pay for the higher costs of goods (tariffs)
There are an estimated 2.3 million illegal immigrants who make up the service industry in America. The majority of whom pay for taxes with an ITIN and who receive tax deductions due to their wage brackets and personal circumstances, such as if they have children and can claim a child tax credit and/or earned income credit. It is important to note that these same workers pay into social security and medicare, but because they are illegal, will not reap the benefits of their contribution. Clearly, this is a very complex issue that must be addressed from a humane and broad framework. If we need their (illegal immigrant) labor, then they must be given work visas at minimum and a pathway to citizenship, provided they have not committed criminal acts such as felonies that are harmful to society. However, we must also put an end to illegal immigration going forward. Though retroactive punishment (mass deportation) for the past failures of previous administrations and politicians is ill-advised. Trump’s harebrained scheme is half-baked no matter which way you slice it.
Trump has no intention or desire to play nice with other nations in the global bloc. He wants to rule the world by diktat (fiat)
Speaking of which, not only have the tariffs rattled the global economy, thus giving Trump a false sense of control and power over others, which is his life blood, it also serves another purpose. For all of his folly, plain stupidity and myopia, Trump perceives that the world is changing and that much to his chagrin, other nations are becoming more liberated, as it were. He understands that America is no longer the unipolar hegemon. Thus, his unilateral and unprecedented tariffs are a way for him to derail the progress of others, while giving him a chance to get ahead. He plays dirty. Trump is a zero sum game player, an utter NPC. He can’t win unless he does so at your expense, meaning you must lose. For Trump, who is greedy, there is not enough in the world for everyone to be rich and successful. Only he can have all the loot.
Further, his world is made up of winners and losers, and winners are people who get gold toilets in high rises on 5th Avenue regardless of who they hurt or cheat just so they could have the money to buy those gold toilets. All that matters to Trump are material and superficial accomplishments. He cares little for history, or progeny or cultural artifacts, or more broadly humanity. In this, he is the quintessential mascot of (a debased) America, a decadent and debauched nation with a terrible value system. Trump is on target to create the next global depression and a remake of Hitler’s fascist 1940s Germany. Americans must stand up and fight back.
In an ironically absurd twist of fate, it may be that Trump solves illegal immigration after all. Not only will illegals no longer want to come to America, but he will even destroy our tourism industry. In 2023 alone, $2.36 trillion dollars and 18 million jobs are attributed to our travel and tourism industry. What will we do when people no longer want to come and visit our historical landmarks, beautiful national parks and tourist sites and attractions? Moreover, nations will no longer want to invest in America, or put their money in our banks as reserve currency. Trump is single-handedly devaluing the dollar.
Saudi Arabia may very quickly change course with the $600 billion dollar investment in the US it floated recently. It might consider that money to be better spent in more reliable spheres of influence. As of now, Saudi Arabia is considering membership in BRICS. Additionally, other nations will continually pivot toward ever more meaningful and fruitful and trustworthy and dependable and reliable partnerships. Meanwhile, America will be left in the dust, isolated, alone, unable to produce all of the materials it needs to manufacture all the goods its nation needs to survive, let alone thrive.
It was announced just this past weekend that Starmer from the UK plans to soon declare “the age of globalization is over.” Indeed, as in its place, a new world architecture is forming, that is, a multipolar world comprised of many nation-states in a flat hierarchy guided by autonomy and direct communication. Just like in a union between a man and woman, where they are equal though different and each brings different strengths and skills to the partnership, every nation, equal but different, will contribute something of intrinsic value to the whole. Every nation will respect the sovereignty and borders and boundaries and cultures of other nations and will no longer impose their will by force in order to maintain dominance, control and the illusion of primacy.
It would be remiss not to mention the sheer brand of cruel and blatant hypocrisy of the Trump administration’s demonic persecution of minority classes of people such as gays and lesbians and transgenders. Trump’s cabinet is riddled with homosexuals, from his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions of the United States Richard Grinell to Peter Thiel by way of his proxy Vice President JD Vance. Trump cavorts with deranged and disturbed individuals who pander in conspiracy theories like Laura Loomer. He reportedly fired several people from the National Security Agency at her suggestion. He gave Elon Musk unbridled power and access to America’s private data, the greatest breach of public faith and national security risk perhaps ever. Musk also peddles in conspiracy theories, censors free speech and sows his seed indiscriminately with multiple women out of wedlock. To be clear, the Trump Cartel neither espouses traditional Christian and/or family values nor is he or the Republican party fiscally conservative by any stretch of the imagination.
The only truth Trump has ever uttered is that Americans stand to lose in the near-term, and for the foreseeable future
An egregious form of evil and regress has taken America hostage. When Americans finally fight back and stand up to this great evil, it is the moral arc of good fighting for its life and right to exist. Therefore, one cannot help but censure other nations who parrot ideological narratives, such as uttering the MAGA cult tropes like deep state and calling Americans who are fighting against injustice as being part of a “deep state color revolution”. This goes all in on the disinformation campaign and is a deep stain on Russia and her credibility, let alone respectability.
When a Russian emissary defies diplomacy and sides with a party line that aligns with a cult, thus affirming its delusions, never mind reiterating its tropes, one must call this out. I unequivocally support the end of the conflict in Ukraine. I was against it before it began. I bear witness to the historical points in this fiasco where the US has really done Russia wrong. But, Russia will not gain points with even-minded Americans when it sides with ideological folly. It behooves all nations to remain open to friendship with each other, and to actively resist alignment with any internal political party. Diplomacy and neutrality rule the roost.
The Democrats are not off the hook. Both parties in America are saturated with excessive levels of criminality, fraud, deception, ideological lunacy and morally reprehensible behavior. America must transcend the political binary. America needs ethical leadership who lead by example. People with a beautiful vision, not driven by ideology to the right or the left, who engage honestly with other nations in the new world architecture. America is in dire need of leaders who are capable of guiding America toward self-mastery, and thus becoming a nation who leads from the front, and who works in concert with her sister nations in the global bloc, in a free and unfettered trade environment where win-win deals that benefit all of humanity govern the global marketplace. Who will be that leader? Like a phoenix who rises from the ashes, a new brand of American leadership will restore hope and bring healing to a fraught nation after the fall of America.
