Failure and disgrace in 100 days

As they Trump Administration approaches its 100th day April 30, the failures are glaring.

Failures

The most obvious failures are in negotiations. Trump himself laid out the agenda. He wanted:

1. The Canal back from Panama.
2. To buy Greenland from Denmark.
3. Canada as the 51st state.
4. Gaza voluntarily emptied and redeveloped as a resort.
5. The Ukraine war ended.
6. A better nuclear deal with Iran.
7. Trade deals that would “correct” bilateral imbalances.

None of this is happening. The first three items are fool’s errands hardly worth discussing. The four later ones are more serious propositions.

Even winning would be losing

The Gaza-a-Lago proposition was a green light for war crimes. The Israelis are trying to force Palestinians out of Gaza. They are failing so far, but they will no doubt persist. This is egregious even from a religious perspective: Biblical Jews did not live in Gaza. No religion, certainly not mine, can approve displacing two million people to please a real estate developer.

Trump is proposing to end the Ukraine war on terms favorable to Russia. Why is not clear, but Moscow would keep the territory it has taken, including Crimea. Kyiv would have to recognize Russia’s annexation of the peninsula. Ukraine would get no security guarantee from the US, which would gain privileged access to its minerals. This is a bad deal, one that that will not end the war, even if Kyiv and Moscow sign on. At best, it will pause the hostilities.

The better nuclear deal with Iran is a possibility. That’s because Trump is prepared to lift many if not all the sanctions. Biden refused to do that, because Washington imposed some of them for human rights violations. The Trump Administration doesn’t care about those. So a better nuclear deal for Trump means American endorsement of the Islamic Republic’s oppression. Not sure that is what Americans really want.

The Administration claims to be negotiating tariff deals with 90 countries. Unless they lower tariffs relative to the previous Administration, they will raise costs for American consumers. The most important of the negotiations is with China. That will end with higher tariffs both on Chinese imports to the US and on American exports to China. Yes, the US government will gain some revenue, though nowhere near as much as the Administration claims. And most of that revenue will come from Americans. Inflation will accelerate. Recession looms.

The disgraces

Trump supports Israeli war crimes in Gaza, Russian victory in Ukraine, endorsement of Islamic Republic human rights abuses, and trade deals that raise prices and slow growth for Americans. Add that to attacking American universities, arbitrary arrest, imprisonment, and deportation of immigrants, and canceling of vital scientific research.

The Administration is weakening the United States. That is the only thing at which it is succeeding in its disgraceful first 100 days.