Maybe America needs to hit rock bottom and then try to bounce back from consequences that feel like doomsday. It’s hard to believe but, in addition to Russia and China, there are many bad actors whom Trump has alienated and have the ability and motivation to upend American lives.
Here’s what it could look like, that is unless Republicans remove Trump or are replaced by Republicans not tethered to him or by Democrats.
Due to Trump’s gutting of five national security and cyber defense agencies, our power grids could be disabled, leaving millions of people and businesses without electricity.
Our banking system could be disrupted:
- Taxes couldn’t be collected, preventing the government from carrying out its functions.
- Credit and debit card transactions will fail, leaving many unable to buy groceries, gasoline, and medicine.
- Businesses will accept cash only. That is if they can make change.
- ATMs will run out of cash.
- It will be near impossible to pay suppliers.
- Payroll services will cease to function.
- There will be runs on banks for cash.
- Online and mobile banking will be unavailable,
- Stock and bond markets will experience trading freezes.
- Stock prices will plummet.
- Benefit payments (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, food assistance ) will be delayed indefinitel.
- Cross-border payments by banks will be disabled, slowing down international trade.
- Consumer spending will be crippled.
- Recession is almost a certainty.
- And, yes, another depression given the absence of experienced experts in Trump’s cabinet.
Chaos from cyber-attacks would disable America’s communications systems and would be difficult to mitigate. They would interrupt:
- Home and business internet access,
- Cloud-based services,
- Phone connections over FiOS and cell towers,
- Most telephone line enabled phone calls,
- GPS navigation, and
- Aviation communications.
Given Trump’s devotion to Putin over Zalenski, hisreduction of military aid to Ukraine, and his pressure on Zelensky to agree to unconscionable terms for peace, it’s not beyond Trump to hand Ukraine to Putin and give him a pass to invade European NATO members. As former US Secretaries of State and Defense, Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates warned, “to avoid confrontation with Russia, the U.S. must help Ukraine push back the invader now…. If this lesson is ignored and Ukraine is defeated, Russia will almost certainly … attack NATO member countries.”
Trump’s decision will be informed by several issues. Americans’ support for defending NATO members against a Russian invasion varies depending on which member is attacked. Only 35 percent support using military force to defend Latvia and Croatia. Less than half support a direct military confrontation in all other NATO members except in Germany, France and Great Britain.
By contrast, 82 percent of Russians have supported Putin’s prior invasions. His ratings rose to 84 percent during the second war in Chechnya and to 88 percent after he annexed Crimea
At home however, the Iran war is so unpopular that Trump won’t want to embark on a similar adventure. It has also weakened America’s military readiness that would make a U.S. victory against Russia tortuous and near impossible.
Although Trump recently joined other NATO leaders in affirming an “ironclad commitment” to defend NATO, we know that Trump has broken more promises than he’s kept. And when he’s back in DC and not wanting to shame himself in front of NATO leaders, we’re bound to hear another hedge instead of a commitment. Perhaps he’ll assure us that the invasion will “disappear like a miracle,” like he said about the Covid pandemic.
I can’t conclude this article without noting that this is what Trump’s Republicans have wrought. They’ve been the only elected officials who could have prevented the carnage. It’s not too late for them to prevent the worst outcomes. But they’d have to grow spines and elevate what’s good for America over keeping their jobs.
They should take a lesson from Matthew 16:26, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” But Republicans are sacrificing their soul — not for the whole world — but to accommodate a rogue President in order to keep their seats in Congress which they’ve elevated above their Constitutional duty to accommodate the will of your constituents and the rest of America.
So America needs to replace Republicans tethered to Trump with Republicans not on his leash, or with Democrats. There’s never a more urgent need remove a president as quickly as possible.
Twitter (X): https://x.com/ChaosPolicy/status/2074990161797230852?s=20
