Remember what prevented George H.W. Bush from getting a second term was his failure to adequately address the economy at that time. Thus the phrase: “It’s the economy stupid”. What we now see under Trump’s second term is his downplaying of what is happening to the economy, including the continuing high inflation and increasing unemployment across the country. One has to remember that the real impact on inflation of the tariffs will only be felt next year. In addition, the discontinuance of subsidies for Obama care will also result in insurance premium increases for millions of Americans. It’s becoming increasingly evident that a major split among Republicans is beginning to show as a result of the resulting anger among their constituents.
Instead, the Trump administration seems to be concentrating on foreign policy initiatives. Here again, there are obvious problems with a number of issues. Trump cozied up to Putin from the outset, even meeting with the Russian dictator in Alaska which resulted in no change in the aggression against Ukraine. Now, Trump is attempting to play the peacemaker by holding numerous meetings with Putin and Ukraine’s Zelensky. Unfortunately, Putin is playing Trump like a fiddle and will not stop until his occupation of Ukraine is complete and is recognized by the U.S. as being legitimate, something Ukrainians may not be able to abide.
When it comes to Gaza and the Israeli administration under Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump continues to obscure the real issues in Palestine because of his close relationship with Netanyahu. Once again, the Trump administration is attempting to broker a more permanent ceasefire agreement, while failing to provide any strategic plan for Palestinian self-rule in Gaza. With the horrendous economic situation, lack of food and few medical services in Gaza, the U.S. appears to simply ignore what the war has done to the Palestinian people, its infrastructure and its governance. The administration has failed to see Netanyahu’s drive to formally and militarily occupy Gaza and the West Bank, much to the opposition of America’s allies and Arab states. Netanyahu rejects the concept of a two-state solution regarding Palestine and to date Trump has not taken a clear position on the matter.
On the other major foreign policy initiative, the Trump administration has launched an all out war on Venezuela and notably the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Not only have they attacked boats in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, but Trump declared the air space around the country as being closed and has implemented a naval blockade against tankers containing Venezuelan oil. In addition, Trump recently disclosed that a facility had apparently been destroyed within the country, without providing more details. Moreover, his administration has not ruled out the use of the American military’s involvement in land incursions. Given the adversarial approach by Trump towards Maduro, one cannot rule out the real objective as being regime change.
At home, Trump has backed policies that allow the Big Tech industry to grow unfettered, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence (A.I.). The mutually beneficial alliance is even causing concern among some conservatives. The biggest tech companies have gotten almost everything they wanted from Trump, whose administration has cleared the way for the fast-tracked building of data centers that power A.I. development. As far as issues such as A.I. safety for children and A.I.’s effect on jobs, the Trump administration has opposed any regulation governing the industry’s actions and has actually taken federal measures to block state laws on A.I. The implications of fast-growing technologies like A.I. have already raised new issues that are likely to play into next year’s midterm elections, much to the chagrin of many Republicans.
These are but a few of what I would consider as being major blunders under the Trump administration. As a result, 2026 will be a tough year both domestically and abroad. In addition, there are still a number of important cases before the Supreme Court, including the use of tariffs by his administration and whether the president has the authority to impose such trade measures. We can only wait and see.
FROLITICKS 