Two observations today. The first is just more confirmation of the pervasive corruption that has characterized the Trump administration. The second is evidence that the stupidity and incompetence that triggered an illegal war will cause global instability and economic chaos.
#1. ProPublica has made a trove of 3200 documents public and searchable. The documents “detail the finances of more than 1,500 federal officials appointed by President Donald Trump. Records for Trump and Vice President JD Vance are also included.”
The documents reveal a web of financial ties between senior government officials and the industries they help regulate — relationships that have drawn scrutiny as Trump has dismantled ethics safeguards designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
On his first day back in office, Trump rescinded an executive order signed by President Joe Biden that required his appointees to comply with an ethics pledge. The pledge barred them from working on issues related to their former lobbying topics or clients for two years. Weeks later, Trump fired 17 inspectors general charged with investigating fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest across the federal government. Around the same time, he removed the head of the Office of Government Ethics, the agency that oversees ethics compliance throughout the executive branch. The office is currently without a head or a chief of staff.
#2. As one pundit recently observed, the focus on Trump’s malevolence has obscured the extent of his stupidity. His inability to plan, his dismissal of expertise, his inability to read briefings and his life-long reliance on “gut feelings” rather than data or logic led to his adventurism in Iran. Evidently, he confused warfare with video gaming.
Trump displays total ignorance of global strategic and economic interrelationships.
So now we are seeing results that were predictable, but clearly unanticipated: civilian casualties, the deaths and severe wounding of U.S. soldiers, huge financial costs, energy-market shocks, strengthened geopolitical rivals, regional instability…the list goes on.
Trump was evidently unaware of the global importance of the Strait of Hormuz and unprepared for the spiking costs of gas. Given the worldwide agricultural dependence on the fertilizer that also comes through the Strait, it will take longer to see the effect on prices at the supermarket, but those are coming.
And then there’s Taiwan, which has little domestic fuel and relies on imported liquid natural gas (LNG) that comes–you guessed it!–through the Strait of Hormuz. Due to storage issues, Taiwan can keep only 10-14 days of LNG reserves. If the Strait is closed long enough to cut off Taiwan’s LNG supply, the effect on its semiconductor industry would be rapid and severe; chip manufacturing is extremely energy-intensive and Taiwan’s power system depends heavily on imported fuel.
If semiconductor supply from Taiwan is significantly reduced, the economic effects will be global. In today’s world, chips are embedded in thousands of products. (When there were shortages and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, prices rose sharply and production fell in multiple industries.) Taiwan manufactures most of the world’s advanced chips, and a reduction in its capacity would lead to shortages and huge price spikes in everything from automobiles to consumer electronics to household appliances to medical equipment.
It is abundantly clear that the administration didn’t think about–or know–any of this. It obviously never occurred to Trump or Hegseth that there might be strong reasons past administrations had decided not to start a war in the already volatile Middle East, and that it might be prudent to consult intelligence experts. (Whoops! I forgot–experts have been routinely purged…)
And as The Bulwark recently reported, the administration’s few articulated goals have not been met. There has been no regime change. Intelligence reports provide “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger” of collapse and “retains control of the Iranian public.”
Trump was confident the Strait of Hormuz would be kept open because we could prevent the Iranian Navy from laying mines. “But it turned out that the mere fact of risk was enough to cause maritime insurers to refuse to cover shipping vessels. Which had the same effect as a waterway full of mines. The Trump administration was completely blindsided by this completely predictable situation.”
There’s much, much more, but I’ll just leave you with the last paragraphs of the Bulwark report.
The Iran war is also burning through Patriot missiles and other air defense munitions that are needed in Ukraine. Which strengthens Russia’s position, makes Putin less likely to seek a ceasefire, and increases the risk of wider European destabilization.
All of which is much worse for American economic and security interests than a destabilized Iran reeling from air strikes and internal unrest was three weeks ago.
Elect a clown, expect a circus….
Yes to all of the analysis above plus my own observation that Trump’s lack of self-awareness and lack of self control have become more pronounced each day. In other words, the man is showing a growing and severe dementia.
We are all in serious danger.
We are now controlled by the Trump Conspiracy; what is happening in the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of this government can no longer be considered an “administration”. Conspiracies are illegal, felony level actions and the Trump Conspiracy has now reached the level of Treason which he is attempting to project on the media and reminding us that the penalty for Treason is DEATH. His cabinet is headed by his closest Freddo Corleone clones and the brainless floozies who do his bidding. He has “fired” Kristi Noem but she remains in charge of DHS till the end of the month with workers not being paid and/or workers not working and bringing daily functions of areas of government and the public to a standstill. And gas prices continue to rise as Trump now begs for help from former full U.S. allies to aid the oil tankers safely through as those allies are among the targeted drones and bombs from Iran as Trump increases illegal tariffs on those who refuse to aid his illegal war or conspiracy with Netanyahu to continue and increase Iran war activities. EXACTLY WHERE IS THE STARTING PONT TO END ANY OF THIS?
“Corruption and Stupidity” remains in control because the corrupt and stupid are the ones with the power to stop the rampant corruption and stupidity but will not act against themselves as long as they are getting richer by the minute.
I believe the reason we no longer have the entertainment of actual Circuses is because they were outlawed due to cruelty to the animals. There is no protection for cruelty to humans while there is money to be made by the billionaires backing the Trump Conspiracy.
Public outrage is a dangerous force for anyone tied to hidden abuses, so powerful networks often rely on spectacle to keep scrutiny elsewhere. When headlines burn hot in unrelated arenas, attention drifts from victims whose stories threaten entrenched interests. These distractions aren’t accidental—they function as a curtain, shielding those who fear exposure from a public that deserves the truth.
Now it’s Cuba’s turn to experience the nightmare of a clearly psychopathic president of the United States. Can his people lay on any more make-up? As his pathology deepens, he will become even more dangerous to humanity. He’s that removed from anything resembling leadership and the betterment of humanity.
It is interesting to me how the first point you cover regarding the web of financial ties between Trump and other government entities and industries parallels what Governor Braun is doing in Indiana with his pet project, the Mid-States Corridor. Starting years ago, he and his wealthy business buddies and political ties have conspired to try to push this most unpopular project through. His political career from State Representative to, US Senator, to Indiana Governor has all been orchestrated to try to get his highway built. Fortunately, he is being exposed.
Corruption and stupidity can look similar from the outside, but they aren’t parallel behaviors. What often happens is that effective corruption mimics incompetence, because the corrupt actor’s real goal is hidden. When someone is “good at being corrupt,” their actions can appear irrational, sloppy, or foolish to the public, even though they are perfectly rational for protecting power, money, or networks of influence.
How corruption can masquerade as stupidity?
• Outcomes look senseless because the public sees the damage, not the private benefit.
• Contradictions appear constant because the corrupt actor is serving multiple hidden interests, not the public interest.
• Chaotic behavior becomes a shield, creating confusion that makes accountability harder.
• “Incompetence” becomes a narrative tool, allowing the corrupt to claim ignorance rather than intent.
This is why some of the most effective corrupt actors appear bumbling or reckless—they’re not optimizing for good governance or public trust; they’re optimizing for self‑protection and advantage.
Why the two get conflated?
People expect wrongdoing to look sleek and strategic. In reality, corruption often looks messy, impulsive, or stupid because it’s built on shortcuts, secrecy, and avoidance. What seems like incompetence is sometimes a deliberate fog that keeps the public from seeing the underlying machinery.
Then who is caught … stupid?
Ignorance, stupidity and greed! Somehow his imbecility does not interfere with his capacity to grift!
It’s not like we didn’t know what we were getting when we elected the Felon in Chief. I just want to say that one can not learn the lessons of history without knowing history.
VOTE!!