The Price of the Transaction

The struggle to make sense of a confusing time

Like a lot of people, I’ve been vexed to fathom President Trump’s behavior. Unlike some, I’ve never believed he’s an idiot, or purely malicious, even when I’ve disagreed emphatically with the decisions he’s made. But so much of what’s been happening lately has left me baffled and despairing—and it’s led me to consider possibilities that I would have previously dismissed as ridiculous.

So it is that I’ve asked myself: what larger coherence could there be to a set of policies that include essentially switching sides in the Ukraine War, alienating our closest allies by broaching annexation of their territories, weakening our strategic defenses with careless firings and insecure communications channels, and sowing economic chaos in the financial markets? Is there some larger coherence to this set of tactics? Who would benefit from them?

One answer is Vladimir Putin. I would think that he could only applaud these developments, separately and collectively. Still, while Trump has an instinctive affinity with strongmen, I don’t believe he would allow sentiment alone to drive his governance. So what would?

One answer, of course, is money. And so I find myself asking: is Putin paying Trump off? What would it take? A trillion dollars? Might be cheap at the price for a Russia that is otherwise on the ropes. And that kind of money would secure a Trumpist legacy for generations to come.

Let me be clear: I’ve seen no evidence that the President is selling the nation to the highest bidder. I’d like the believe the very notion is preposterous, though he might see such a transaction in terms of doing well by doing good: “He who saves his country violates no law.” But I’m less interested in pushing a conspiracy theory (while noting in passing that we’re talking about a man political rise began by pushing a bogus notion that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and who sustained it by asserting that the presidential election of 2020 was rigged) than making the observation that if Trump was taking bribes, we wouldn’t know. And that’s because he controls a newly launched meme coin ($TRUMP) that is totally private, and yesterday his administration disbanded the Justice Department’s cryptocurrency enforcement team. Trump has systematically removed guardrails from corruption if and when he chooses to practice it.

In any case, we’ve reached the point that were we to learn that such speculation was fact, one has to wonder whether it would matter to his supporters—or whether it would lead the other branches of the U.S. government to act.

Which, in turn, leads me (back) to the unhappiest thought of all: Trump is not really the problem here—he’s the symptom, not the disease. As each prop of the democratic immune system has weakened, we strain to listen for the lifeblood of the body politic: public opinion. Our last best hope is the voice of the people. So it is that I reluctantly raise my feeble voice. I may yet meet you in the streets.