Trump's incontinence
1. Trump's second term has completely exceeded expectations. From the very beginning, he has governed with boundless authoritarianism, placing himself above the law and the other branches of government or international institutions. He assumes that everything is permissible, adopting a nihilistic attitude shared by the American economic superpowers that supported him, although these, with some exceptions like Elon Musk, practice it more effectively, that is, with greater discretion.
As if resentment were seething from his subconscious for not having capitalized on the assault on Congress when he lost the election after his first term, this time he has opted for constant defiance, demonstrating that he, and he alone, decides how far one can go in this world. From the moment of his reelection, he blocked any parliamentary or judicial attempt to complicate his life, as is typical of those who believe themselves to be above the law and national and international norms. With every step he takes, a barrier disappears. And he has had no qualms about extending his abuse of power to the world stage. His golden mane swings back and forth, imposing his capricious will and setting himself up as the interpreter of what is permitted and what is not.
2. This is not the first time an American president has used the law to impose his will. The Cold War, for example, had quite a few hot wars. The Vietnam War was one of the most iconic. But the unique aspect of this moment is the out-of-control ego of Donald Trump, who places himself above the republic itself, above the institutional framework through which he came to power, both in his election and in his actions. Neither the American justice system nor the Senate and Congress have any say: what he does and undoes is beyond question. And this has curious ideological effects, beginning to unsettle a right wing that, unfortunately, has too often laughed at his antics and now appears paralyzed, unwilling to confront him directly, let alone simply criticize his delusions and coordinate political responses to save democratic culture and institutions. They have struggled to understand the man—which is no easy task, it must be said—and to see that he is who he is, and that his parameters have little relation to conventional political logic. In fact, he is an embodiment of the totalitarian mindset.
The breach of international law, with the direct military intervention to kidnap the president of Venezuela—a singular and elaborate operation, ideal for the age of social media—is part of imperialist logic. But what has disconcerted the traditional right wing—uncomfortable with the figure himself because he indirectly discredits them, since they look at him but don't touch him—has been the pact with the Chavistas, instead of facilitating the rise of the Venezuelan right to power. They thought he was one of their own, and now they discover he belongs to himself. And that he has no problem whitewashing Chavismo if it obeys him. It doesn't matter if it's the Venezuelan right or left, he'll join the first one that suits him. And María Corina Machado wanders the world like a lost soul, unable to understand that for Trump she is nobody. It's more practical for the moment to play with Delcy Rodríguez—there will be an opportunity to give her the push when necessary—than to promote a change that could cause considerable upheaval. European right-wing parties are now experiencing a similar perplexity. Surprised by the challenge in Greenland, they are struggling to contribute to generating the reaction that Europe should have if it still existed as a democratic benchmark. Some of them are even already taking capitulation for granted.
3. Trump lives off his ego—which must be pathetic if he needs such barbarity to feel satisfied—and, consciously or unconsciously, he plays on his age, which means he doesn't have to worry about the future. This will allow him to bid farewell with this dazzling display, knowing that there probably won't be enough time to hold him accountable. All of this is a grand spectacle of the miseries of the human condition that should give us all pause. What kind of world are we in, when the world's leading power is capable of placing itself in the hands of such a sinister figure who only sees himself—just look at how he speaks when the cameras are on him? That this is happening justifies the anxiety of a time when everyone is wondering, with anxious perplexity, where we are headed.
