What is Trump doing (and undoing...lately)?

     In the lobby of the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), Trump has had a memorial to gunfire victims (with their photos, incl. those in school shootings) removed. (Reported 2025-05-05)

     "Americans are witnessing an unprecedented assault on the very foundations of our democratic experiment, orchestrated with a precision that would make authoritarian strongmen worldwide nod in approval."
     "Trump is doing it all in broad daylight because he thinks no one will stop him." By Thom Hartmann, RawStory, April 23, 2025

     The Republican-controlled U.S. House has passed "the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a major voter suppression measure that, if it became law [that is, passed the U.S. Senate], could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters and badly undermine U.S. democracy."

     Trump has now openly directed (on TV) his Justice Department to "investigate" people who have committed no crime but have contradicted Trump lies. A former President (Nixon) did this from the shadows. Trump's corruption is now overt.

     "Trump's entire approach to his second term has been to simply remove anyone he wants whenever he wants, for any reason or for no reason at all. It’s an approach that explicitly, openly flouts the idea of checks and balances. It's a suitable approach for kings but not so much for presidents in a democracy.
     "Ultimately, this approach is unsustainable. It relies on Trump firing everyone who isn't a complete toady. Anyone who is nonpartisan, anyone with expertise—these are not people Trump can have around. The very nature of an inspector general is to provide oversight informed by lengthy experience. When your goal is a root and branch dismantling of the administrative state, those people have to go."
     "Trump keeps trying to neuter the government's watchdogs." By Lisa Needham, Daily Kos, April 08, 2025

     Markets are not magic. They work only if both buyers and sellers have equal information about...what they're buying and selling. Con-men who say government shouldn't make sure that consumers get that information are trying to pick your pocket—and worse— by keeping informaton from you.
     "America Just Blew its Brains Out." By Lucas Kunce, lucaskunce@substack.com, April 2, 2025

     From Robert Reich:
     DOGE [Elon Musk] has attacked life-saving programs, including:
-Malaria & HIV/AIDS prevention
-NOAA forecasting & FEMA disaster response
-USDA food safety
-FAA aviation safety
-FDA flu vaccine research
This will result in needless suffering — all to pave the way for billionaire tax cuts.

     Trump's ego won't be satisfied until he has the power of his favorite tyrants, Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Kim Jong-Un (North Korea). Meanwhile, any favors he can do for them....
     "The world’s autocrats are doing somersaults about the silencing of the Voice of America."
     "Stalin, Mao and Khomeini couldn't quell freedom's voice. But Trump did." Opinion: Dana Milbank, Washington Post, March 17, 2025

     "Everyone needs to read this. Musk and Trump are breaking Social Security so they can turn it over to Wall Street."
     "'Already happening': Outrage as seniors claim Trump is already 'stealing' benefits." By Jessica Corbett, AlterNet, March 16, 2025
     Are you (still) receiving your SOCIAL SECURITY payment? Elon Musk's raiders, with Trump, are trying to fire employees of the Social Security Administration and make the public doubt the security of Social Security—so they can hand the SS trust fund over to private interests and divert your payments.
     If you're "represented" by a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he/she is cowering in the corner (or agreeing with it) and letting this happen.

     Why does Trump love tariffs? (1) Tariffs are a "sales tax" on goods imported and bought by the American public. (2) The Federal government receives those taxes. (3) Those taxes are intended to be used by Trump to pay for the huge tax cuts that he wants to renew for corporations and the already-wealthy: PAIN for you, not for him and his wealthy friends and family.

     Are you a veteran? Employment at the Veterans Administration is being decimated by Musk/Trump, making it difficult for veterans to get benefits or even to get a response from VA, since local offices are being closed.