Tag: Elon Musk

Trump corruption

Vote for Democracy #39

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Donald Trump and his family are not even trying to hide their grifting and corruption.

The two most recent public examples are the acceptance of a luxury 747 from the government of Qatar and a dinner with the top holders of a Trump meme coin.

The jet had been made for the use of Qatar’s royal family but they had been trying to sell it in recent years. Trump had seen the jet and liked it. He wanted to use it as the presidential plane while Boeing continues to construct two new planes to replace the current ones, which are almost thirty-five years old. Somehow, instead of buying it, Trump finagled it being a gift to the Defense Department that will be transferred to the Trump presidential library when he leaves office. This is an attempt to get around the emoluments clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits the president from accepting gifts from foreign countries without the consent of Congress.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8:

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Days before being sworn in for his second term, Trump and his family launched a crypto meme coin called $Trump. The nature of crypto is lack of transparency as to who holds it but it is known that Trump and his family profit from the trading of the meme coin. Trump’s sons, Don, Jr. and Eric, announced a dinner with the President for the largest holders of $Trump, many of whom are known to be from foreign countries. The top 25 holders also had an additional reception with the President and a tour of the White House the next day. This paying for access to the president is a form of grift, influence peddling, and corruption. It’s also a further example of how Trump has used the presidency as a way to enrich himself and his family. Unlike other presidents, he has not released his tax returns to the public and has not placed his assets into a blind trust so that the public has confidence that presidential decisions are being made for the good of the country rather than personal financial gains.

In this term, Trump is also promoting policies that give advantages to his rich allies, especially Elon Musk. Musk, already a major government contractor, has increased his contracts while cutting many other contracts through DOGE, having court cases and investigations against him dismissed, having environmental regulations relaxed, and having pressure applied for other agencies and countries to accept his Starlink system.

So, yes, the United States has descended into both autocracy and oligarchy. The forces of democracy are fighting, though, and, I think, gaining momentum as the Trump administration’s actions become more lawless and blatant. While the damage has already been immense, we have to regain our democracy, values, and the rule of law before our country is lost forever. All the small actions of individuals and the larger initiatives of organizations, multiplied by millions, must prevail.

Today is observed as Memorial Day in the United States, when we honor the memory of those killed in service to our country. We owe it to their memory to do our part in upholding the democracy for which they gave their lives.

Hands Off!

Vote for Democracy #35

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Tomorrow, April 5, 2025, there will be hundreds of gatherings across the United States for a Hands Off! day of action. There are even some events in other countries.

These nonviolent marches, rallies, and discussions are in protest of the way that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gutting legitimate government programs that support the well-being of people and the environment, both in the US and around the world.

Many organizations are helping to organize these gatherings, all with the message of Hands Off! So, Hands Off Climate! Hands Off Health Care! Hands Off Hunger Programs! Hands Off USAID! Hands Off Education! Hands Off National Parks! and more. People will be making signs and creating chants across a wide range of issues that matter to them and to all of us.

While it’s unknown if these large numbers of people coming out across the country will have any impact on the cuts that Trump/Musk/DOGE are making, even when the courts say those cuts are illegal and Congress fails to act, it’s possible. Some cuts have been reversed or service restored after public outcry.

Part of this is to show the Republicans and the Trump administration just how appalling their actions are and how many millions of Americans object to them and want them reversed.

Ordinarily, I would be signed up and ready to participate in the local rally, but my health is preventing me from being there. It feels wrong not to be participating, but I have to trust that many others will be giving voice to my concerns in person, while I am confined to writing about it and calling my representatives. I’m also supporting some of the participating organizations.

I had intended to write more posts about what the administration was doing and the impacts of the insane cuts and policy changes; I just haven’t had the energy to do it. More tests and specialists coming up, so maybe things will get better – eventually.

With the country, I’m not so sure…

one month in

Vote for Democracy #34

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Because of my health, I haven’t been up to doing major posts about the situation here in the United States.

Condensed version: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are leading an internal administrative coup, trying to end our Constitutional democracy and install an autocratic oligarchy. Despite court orders, they have fired vital staff in agencies, fired those in charge of oversight and investigations, tried to overturn birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 13th Amendment to our Constitution, cut aid to poverty-stricken people around the world, and abandoned our allies, including Ukraine, turning instead to supporting Russia and far-right European parties like Germany’s AfD. Congressional Republicans, who are in the majority in both houses, have mostly ignored this disaster, allowing their own constituents and the fate of our allies to suffer.

There are many organizations and prominent, principled individuals who are calling out these outrages and resisting, as well as ordinary folks who have been voicing opposition to their members of Congress, protesting in state capitals and other cities and towns, and organizing boycotts against oligarchic companies.

The level of public corruption is staggering. Trump is blatantly profiting from the presidency, including by cryptocurrency schemes. He has suspended enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Elon Musk is cutting jobs and programs in multiple agencies while protecting his businesses’ extremely lucrative government contracts and eliminating those who were investigating him for violations.

Trump’s popularity has already fallen but there is no sign that he will change his ways, even with his shameful behavior in turning against Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal, immoral, and indefensible invasion of their country. It’s also helpful to note at this point that Trump and the Republicans do not have a mandate from the voters for any of this. Trump won less than half of the votes cast in November and an even larger number of eligible voters did not vote at all. There are also a number of things that Trump has done or threatened that were not part of his campaign rhetoric at all.

Anyone who was familiar with Project 2025 realized that some of these executive directions were coming and that the administration would push for all power to be concentrated in the presidency under the controversial “unitary executive” theory, which flies in the face of the systems of checks and balances established in our Constitution.

Still, the avalanche of executive actions and pronouncements by Trump, Musk, Vance, and other high-ranking officials has been staggering. Part of their plan was to overwhelm the courts and anyone in government or not who opposed their efforts.

I wish I could say those of us supporting democracy, the public good, and our traditional allies were bound to succeed but I don’t know what will happen. I’m afraid that some of the damage will be permanent. Actually, we know that some of the damage is irrevocable, as some recipients of USAID have already died because medical care and famine relief were abruptly ended.

I do want people to know that Donald Trump and his administration do not speak or act for me and for the majority of Americans. I am deeply sorry for the damage and harm that have befallen millions of people at home and abroad. Admittedly, my part in the resistance is tiny but I will continue to be part of it. Please, all defenders of democracy, do whatever you can within your own sphere of influence to help reverse the slide toward autocracy and oligarchy. We the People must assert our rights and rebuild a country that respects our freedom and liberty.

Vote for Democracy #23

MAGA versus DOGE

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The transition to the Trump administration is a mess.

The ethics document for the transition was signed belatedly and is very weak regarding conflicts of interest. Many of Trump’s nominees for high level positions are openly hostile to the departments that they are slated to head. Some have no experience leading large organizations. A disturbing number are most well-known as media personalities rather than subject area experts. Several have had serious allegations against them that would raise red flags in a thorough background check. Many are extremely wealthy. Some of these nominees, such as Cabinet secretaries, require Senate confirmation and it remains unclear if enough Republican senators will oppose problematic nominees or not.

There is also the bizarre creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-chaired by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Despite its name, it is not an executive branch department, which would require an act of Congress to establish. Its apparent aim is to cut $2 trillion from the budget, even though this would mean cutting benefits for the public, such as Social Security and Medicare. However, they seem dedicated to extending tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations.

The whole enterprise seems dedicated to strengthening American oligarchy rather than democracy.

In recent days, though, there is a major, public battle going on between DOGE and MAGA over the topic of immigration. (For those who might not know, MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” and is shorthand for the populist, anti-immigrant, sometimes Christian nationalist, base that follows Trump.)

Musk and Ramaswamy, along with other rich, high-tech executives, some of whom gave major amounts of money to elect Trump and many of whom are, like Musk, immigrants themselves, favor raising the number of H-1B visas offered by the US. These visas are given to highly skilled foreign workers. They are controversial because some employers have used them to bring in lower-waged foreign workers rather than hiring, training, and/or retaining US workers.

Those who speak for MAGA oppose all immigration and want the H-1B program to end.

A war of words has broken out between DOGE and MAGA; Heather Cox Richardson published a helpful recap. A lot of it happened on Elon Musk’s platform X, formerly Twitter. (I used to cross-post from Top of JC’s Mind to Twitter/X but no longer do so.)

To have this level of in-fighting before we even get to inauguration day on January 20th does not bode well for the functionality of the incoming administration.

The differences between the rich, powerful DOGE faction and the large, non-wealthy, populist MAGA faction extend to other areas of endeavor. For example, DOGE is talking about cutting earned benefit programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as social safety net programs, such as SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Many MAGA households rely on these programs to make ends meet. The House Republicans haven’t been able to get their act together this last term and their majority in the next term is even smaller.

I don’t know if we will have a largely dysfunctional government or one in which Trump attempts to concentrate all power in the executive branch, trying to govern by executive order and intimidation rather than legislation.

I’m scared but trying to listen to trusted voices and organizations that are preparing for all eventualities.

We need our diverse, pluralistic democracy to prevail.