Mediaite reported on Trump II's hostile takeover desires:
CNN commentator Maggie Haberman said President Donald Trump is feeling himself like never before. Haberman appeared on Friday’s episode of The Lead, where Jake Tapper aired remarks by Trump, who claimed the president is totally unchecked in the international arena, except by “my own morality.”
Trump has also repeatedly insisted that the U.S. will take Greenland “whether they like it or not.”
“It’s quite a view of the president’s view of his powers,” Tapper said of the president’s claims.
“And I think we’re seeing it on display over and over, which is that essentially, you’ve seen this administration say that courts that try to stop him are illegitimate authorities or usurping his power,” Haberman responded. “We are clearly seeing him flex, and he is emboldened in a way I don’t think we’ve ever seen before. But where that leads remains to be seen.”
Trump II is raiding countries like he would takeover a company. Identify the target based on resources. Begin to accumulate support from expats and seed the move with money inside the target country while garnering support within the political Red Team. Lay down demands via Truth Social. Summon the sticks and dangle just a few carrots.
Even as he answers only to himself, Trump II prefers to punish far more than he utilizes rewards.
The political Red Team has deferred to Trump II in cases where the President has strong armed, law firms, universities, high tech companies, media companies, even allies and enemies. There is no stage where Trump II will not bully and usurp.
A recent story cited the Executive Branch's extravagant spending, rigid security and strict loyalty rules. That sounds and feels very familiar as my first real job was for a Trump like boss. He was the CEO of a large, regional teaching hospital. It's difficult to describe being in such an environment where the top man wields all the power and everyone else is a bit player on his stage.
Ethics, like international law for Trump II, did not matter. Women were second class citizens, there for the viewing and grabbing. The CEO held court daily. Supplicants searched for clues that this was a good day to approach with effusive praise, hoping not to get a verbal lashing and be turned into a ritual sacrifice such that others could smell the burning flesh and flee, saving their supplication for another day.
The waste of time and money was tremendous. The cost of people's integrity and self-esteem was incalculable. Good people set aside their management/leadership knowledge and ethical standards and became hollow shells. Some became enforcers, others tattle tales. After enduring a series of expletive filled tirades, most became eunuchs.
The CEO won the company golf tournament every year. After spraying the ball all over the hole, his scorekeeper recorded par, sometimes a birdie. A grand celebration of his win would go well into the night.
On business trips an official suite would be stocked with alcohol, snacks and pornography. Expensive dinner reservations included the CEO and the whole entourage. The alcohol bill sometimes rivalled the food total. Trump II does not drink but his Chief of Staff said he has "an alcoholic's personality."
There was a political pecking order and I was nowhere near the top and had no desire to compete for a higher rung. God blessed me with a move to Texas where I worked for a solid family man of deep faith. He took Christ's teachings a a guidebook for living, not a fancy cloak to manipulate others. This gentleman was the first of many outstanding leaders who mentored me. I am grateful to them all.
My last healthcare job before retiring was for a post acute care healthcare company. In the midst of my employment we were majority acquired by a two private equity underwriters (PEU). I experienced firsthand the carnage done by PEUs in New York with their spreadsheets and operating models.
Trump II employed the PEU playbook with DOGE. That brought back another set of difficult memories.
Trump's country raiding is but a PEU takeover on a grand scale. Under PEU ownership, things can always get worse. I imagine it's the same with Trump calling the shots for Venezuela, Gaza, Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Iran and Cuba.
I don't plan on leaving our country. I made it over three years before and I can do three now. I am counting on Congress and the Supremes to establish a few guard rails. That would help me sleep at night and make our 250th anniversary more enjoyable. It's hard to celebrate a country I no longer recognize as the Presidency has morphed in the most miserable aspects of my first and last jobs.
