Turmoil And Tumult Stalk Trump Administration

By Barrington M. Salmon -Contributing Writer- | Last updated: Mar 30, 2017 - 5:31:49 PM

President Donald Trump responds to rule against ‘Travel ban’ by federal judges Mar 15. Photos MGN Online

WASHINGTON—The first 60 days into President Donald Trump’s four-year term have been pockmarked with blunders and gaffes, misfires rooted in political inexperience, growing anti-Trump resistance, ethic and conflict-of-interest concerns and a disturbing pattern of lying from Mr. Trump and senior members of his administration.

He suffered a major defeat March 24 when the Republican-controlled Congress failed to pass legislation designed to replace Obamacare. The president ordered GOP leader Paul Ryan to pull the bill when it became clear the Republicans could not pass it— despite their majority in Congress. This was a major presidential focus over weeks of trouble and turmoil—and he failed to negotiate a workable deal.

The president has moved aggressively to implement a mélange of campaign promises, including building a wall on America’s southern border, arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants, and redefining and reorienting the U.S. relationships to allies and enemies around the world.

His insular philosophy of “America First” has alarmed allies trying to adjust to Mr. Trump’s impulsive behavior, often impolitic statements and overnight tweets, many having foreign policy implications.

Even before inauguration, there were whispers about the extent of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Those whispers have grown to full-throated demands for answers in recent weeks, as greater details about not just Vladimir Putin’s hand in the interference—which has been confirmed by all 17 agencies in the U.S. Intelligence Community—but suspicions and still unfounded pronouncements that Trump campaign and administration officials colluded with the government of Russian President Putin to ensure Hillary Clinton’s defeat.

Washington, D.C.-based journalist and political analyst Jamila Bey derisively called Mr. Trump “a traitorous colluder occupying the White House,” and characterized him as Mr. Putin’s lapdog.

“It’s madness, like wow. How are we not out in the streets with pitchforks right now?” Ms. Bey asked. “This is not new, it’s not shocking. We have watched this interference, known about it for months. This bunch of people pretending to be shocked is very disingenuous.”

“This insincerity applies to Congress mostly, but the fact that every person close to Trump has some Russian tie and you mean to tell me that no one in Congress knew? My fear is that this may go deeper than the Executive Branch. He’s in league with people who disappeared $3 billion and whose foes end up dead. And Congress and the American people failed to see anything? I don’t buy it for a minute. Mother Maxine (Waters) said prepare for impeachment.”

Despite lukewarm support from the vast majority of Trump’s Republican allies in Congress, the chairmen of the intelligence communities in the House and Senate have initiated Russia intelligence hearings about a series of meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign and after by Trump campaign and administration officials, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort; disgraced National Security Advisor Michael Flynn; Trump Special Advisor and son-in- law Jared Kushner; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Roger Stone, a Trump confidante, Republican political operative and a reputed specialist in dirty-tricks; and national security advisers Carter Page, J.D. Gordon and Walid Phares.

These questions and the fact that Mr. Trump has refused to criticize Mr. Putin in any form or fashion raised questions about his ties to Russia, whether Mr. Trump is being blackmailed and if those connections have affected his ability to do his job.

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnstone—author of “The Making of Donald Trump”— released in 2016—argues that the public will never know the depth and magnitude of those Russia ties until Mr. Trump releases his tax returns.

Mr. Johnstone, in a March 22 opinion piece in The Guardian newspaper, said the public see years of tax returns from every major-party candidate for president and vice-president “because, as Richard Nixon said during Watergate, ‘people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.’ ” Mr. Nixon, it turned out, was a crook.

Mr. Johnstone, who has covered Trump for more than 30 years and wrote a trilogy of books about him, told a Final Call reporter that his time spent exposing Mr. Trump’s business dealings convinced him that he would be a disaster as president. He branded Mr. Trump as ruthless, a lover of money, ignorant, power-hungry and a man with an insatiable need for public veneration.

“He is manifestly unqualified and appalling(ly) ignorant. We saw it today (with the failure of Congress to secure enough votes to pass the Republican alternative to the ACA in the House),” said Mr. Johnstone, who said Mr. Trump is a con man who blatantly appeals to people’s emotions. “He’s not a particularly good negotiator. He’s psychologically unfit to serve as president. He makes it up as he goes.”

Paul Ryan, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, introduces American Health Care Act, Mar. 7. Despite an all out effort to gain support for the “Obamacare” replacement, the plan failed to even gain majority republican support and was pulled Mar. 24.

House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled a long-awaited plan hatched up by himself and members of the GOP leadership that was touted as the fitting replacement for the ACA. But once the contents were revealed, the package triggered the anger of conservative and far-right Republicans, moderates and the public. The plan was met with almost universal opposition and derision from groups and individuals across the political spectrum. Conservative hardliners said the plan doesn’t go far enough, were incensed some key elements of the ACA remained and threatened not to support the plan. Critics noted that the poor, the middle-class, women and the elderly stood to be most harmed if the bill became law.

Among its provisions, the Trump/Ryan plan would eliminate the individual mandate; phase out Medicaid expansion which was a key feature of the Affordable Care Act; defund Planned Parenthood; charge a 30 percent premium surcharge against those who had no continuous coverage; and provide a substantial windfall for the wealthiest American families. In addition, the House Republican plan would end the Affordable Care Act’s eligibility expansion, erasing the guaranteed federal money states used to insure 11 million people. It is estimated that as many as 24 million people would lose coverage or be unable to secure protection under the Republican plan. Some House Republicans acknowledged that without the individual mandate, fewer people will have access to insurance.

Ms. Bey said she’s concerned that only 46 percent of Americans voted, and that a majority of White Americans voted for Mr. Trump.

“White Americans have always been able to vote their race and their alleged consciousness but any marginalized population doesn’t have that luxury,” she said.

Mr. Johnstone said that while he argues in his latest book that Trump possesses the tendencies to be a deceiver and a dictator, he disagrees with Trump critics who are intent on resisting the president.

“Resisting isn’t right or appropriate,” he said. “He’s President of the U.S. Period. The solution is not resistance. Get the vote out. Hillary Clinton didn’t run a good campaign. She was eminently qualified and supremely competent but she didn’t shift (and adjust). She didn’t play a good ballgame.”

Despite having studied Trump deeply over the years, Ms. Johnstone said he doesn’t know where the country is headed but doesn’t think Trump can make it through a year.

“A significant minority of Americans—40 percent—ignore anything he says,” Mr. Johnstone said. “They wrap themselves with what they like. They embraced Trump even though he said the minimum wage is too high. Nothing will happen until more than half of his supporters get shocked and turn away.”

D. C.-area businessman Leo Alexander said Mr. Trump’s actions since Jan. 20 have been “pretty predictable.”

“He’s acting as if he’s running for office, still acting as if he’s a candidate. All it is, is photo-ops, especially with Black people,” said Mr. Alexander, who ran for Mayor of Washington, D.C. in 2010. “The Congressional Black Caucus gave him a 130-page document spelling out their agenda and none of it spoke about proportional economics. None of our issues as Black people can change without an infusion of money. We didn’t get a damn thing from Obama so I don’t expect anything from this dude.”

Mr. Alexander said he’s an avid supporter of the concept of proportional economics, and sees that as the way forward for African Americans.

“It’s simple. Dr. King said if a city is 30 percent Negro, 30 percent of all jobs and contracts must come to qualified Negros. That will give us a fair share of everything. Marion Barry and Maynard Jackson are the only two mayors ever who implemented this, and the two cities with the highest degree of Black wealth are D.C. and Atlanta. It’s not a coincidence. I’ll keep saying that until I go to my grave. This isn’t about asking, we just want what’s fair.”

The Final Call