
Trump's dangerous game: A modern tyrant's struggles
Donald Trump is the archetypal tyrant.
What occurred at the Oval Office between Trump and Zelenskyy belongs to the playbook of one that many Trump supporters hold in high regard. In 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg was summoned by Hitler for a meeting that ended with Hitler hectoring his Austrian counterpart and serving him an ultimatum in the presence of high-ranking German generals. Schuschnigg returned home without acquiescing to any demands. Eventually, he was forced to resign and arrested. The Anschluss began and history followed its course.
Trump is unlikely to follow this playbook to the bitter end. He's only interested in a deal that offers Ukraine US support in exchange for rare earth deposits. But he continues to cajole and threaten Putin and Zelenskyy to succeed as a mediator of peace.
Then there are the lies Trump has told both the American people and the world. During his presidential campaign, he claimed that there are two reasons why Americans are poor and why America is not great:
Because taxes are too high, and there's an overstaffed government that also subsidises too many foreign players by giving them easy access to funds, support and military technology.
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- Because of lack of credible jobs growth, since most well-paying jobs have been exported overseas, a situation exacerbated by the flood of immigrants — including the illegal variety that 'eat other people's pets' — who undercut and steal domestic jobs.
As a result, his promises focus on:
- Lowering taxes by