Recognising that he only had one term (unless he could overturn constitutional arrangements), President Donald Trump started off his second term in office as a man in a hurry. There were many things he had to accomplish, many ideas that he wanted to implement that he was not able to in his first term. The contours of Project 25 tell part of the story of what his intentions were, even though he denied involvement.

In the first 100 days he started with a flurry of Executive Orders (EO). Readers may recall that in the run-up to the presidential election this column had predicted that if Trump won, he would be the president that signs the most EOs in his first 100 days in office. It gives me no real satisfaction to say I was proven right. I knew that signing these orders is the constitutional privilege he would abuse most, in tandem with his autocratic impulses. The pardon powers would follow the same trajectory.

In keeping with his time-driven impatience, he set about shaking up the federal workforce. Elon Musk became his point man in this mission. He went about his task with little care for the many families he was dislocating as he fired people in the name of saving taxpayers money. The results of his shambolic approach and menacing access to the personal data of millions of citizens are yet to be seen, but what has been quite clear is that his efforts have not reaped what was intended. The collateral damage to people’s lives have been quite devastating. His actions, in keeping with the Trump agenda and the wishes of Project 25, were reminiscent of Adolph Hitler’s Blitzkrieg across Europe at the beginning of the Second World War.

Not to be deterred, Trump continued his rampage across America, deploying the military across the country in largely blue states in the name of maintaining law and order. His use of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents in his crackdown on illegal immigration led to citizens being killed by these agents. His attack on universities and the press have shown the disregard that his Administration has for some of the basic values of freedom of speech which have been at the centre of the country’s democratic traditions since its founding.

Not seeing his efforts bearing the fruits he intended in the short term on the domestic front, Trump turned his attention to international affairs. There his efforts have been less than stellar. He boasted of ending the war between Ukraine and Russia on the first day of taking office. This, of course, has not materialised. He succeeded in getting Israel and Hamas to stop the war in Gaza, but the West Bank, Gaza, and now Lebanon are still hotspots that are proving to be a headache to the global community.

And now he is engaging in a war with Iran alongside his very ready accomplice, Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel. Emboldened by the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, he believed that Iran, not possessing the military strength of America, would have been a pushover. But the whole world is witnessing this as not being the case.

In fact, the president seemed to have painted himself into a royal cul-de-sac, with Iran being placed in a greater bargaining position than hitherto existed. The country now has greater leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil, natural gas, and other important commodities pass. There is no clear indication of how that conflict will end. What seems clear is that the longer it persists, the greater the risk it poses to the world economy and people’s livelihood, and the greater the damage it will do to the reputation of America.

Already that reputation is taking a beating. As I have written in this space, America is fast becoming a pariah nation. People are horrified at the America they are now seeing and asking how the country could have reached this stage. The country is just over a month (July 4) away from the celebration of its 250th anniversary, and not even that it seems to be getting right.

Yes, you guessed it, the president has placed himself at the centre of the planning, thus creating unnecessary divisions. The celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary should be triumphant for the American people, but true to his nature, Trump cannot resist imprinting his personality on it. This is dampening people’s enthusiasm for the event.

Trump and his Administration have run into the trap of doing too many things in too short a time and too rapidly. When this happens in a country, especially one as big and as important as the United States, the likelihood of making mistakes, and colossal ones, is heightened. It is even more tragic if your objectives are not achieved, you tend to “run out of gas” and become exhausted.

Bereft of any carefully worked out or managed approach to policy, humongous mistakes have been made by this Administration, both on the domestic and international fronts. In some instances, it meant well, but by and large, policy perspectives were driven by ideology that is alien to the American people, and it is now becoming clear that most abhor it.

On one hand, it is the ideology that ‘Might is right’, that only a few, beginning with the leader, have all the answers. They alone can fix what ails the nation. Any negative criticism is met with disdain and even veiled threats. Those who do not toe the line are fired. Witness the number of important personnel who have been fired from the military and other important areas of Government.

Furthermore, it is an ideology that is deeply rooted in authoritarian thinking which, if pursued, will lead the country far down the path of dictatorship. One should not assume that this cannot happen in the United States of America. In recent memory many things have happened which we did not think possible. It is clear that we presently have a president who has no respect for the conventions that past presidents have treated with respect and as almost a sacred honour. They respected the guardrails of power, and with the exception of a few, sought to preserve the laws of the land, starting with the constitution. It is clear that to prevent future abuse of the constitutional order by a president, some of these conventions will now have to be captured in law.

But the present occupant of the White House has operated as if the rules do not apply to him, and he can do almost anything he wants and get away with it. In very important ways the ill-fated decision of the Supreme Court indemnifying him from any wrongdoing while he holds the office of president has given succour to this belief.

But now, a year and a half into his presidency, the truck of governance is sputtering to a stop on the road. Perhaps the spark plugs are not sparking as they should or maybe the truck is running out of gas. A kind of governance fatigue seems to be setting in, certainly on the part of the president. His pet projects are not working out as intended and he is getting more pushback against his policies than he could have imagined. He certainly does not think that he would have been polling in the low figures he is, having been given what he believed to have been this resounding mandate to govern. He himself appears weary and worn out.

And things never had to be this way. Starting with the Supreme Court indemnity, no president in the history of the Republic has been given more leverage and power to do good by the American people than Trump has been given. But he has used his enormous power to go after his perceived enemies in an orgy of retribution; he has continued to berate and demean those who dare to oppose him; and by seeking to enrich himself and his family, he has helped to widen the economic inequality in America. This is the path he has chosen, and there is no certainty he will ever be able to change course in the time he has.

The midterm elections beckon. As long as he persists on this path, history will not be kind to him.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He also hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard