Trump is finishing addressing a huge rally, standing room only. A multitude of American flags are waving in the crowd. The noise dies down just so…
Trump (into the mike) – You know… I am here because of you… because you love me…and together… you and me… will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
The crowd explodes in thunderous cries of USA! USA! Long live Trump! Long live the king! Streams of multicolored confetti shoot out into the arena below from contraptions set up high above and rousing music blares out from the loudspeakers.
He raises his arms and waves back, beaming with satisfaction, exulting in the crowd’s adoration. Then the room goes completely dark and the music stops.
Trump finds himself alone in a barely lit, rectangular room. There are no windows. He’s seated in a chair at one end of the room. He looks around warily but it’s very dark. He’s not sure where he is or what he’s doing there. He feels something on his head, so he reaches up and removes it. He pulls it close to his eyes so he can examine it.
He smiles.
Trump – A crown… ah… finally…
Just then a tall, slender and shadowy figure appears at the other end of the room. The Man is dressed in a black suit with a hood over his head. Trump is puzzled because he didn’t see the Man enter. The Man glances at him. With a wave of his hand the Man creates a chair for himself and sits facing Trump. In the darkness, Trump cannot discern the Man’s features. The Man calmly crosses his legs.
Man – You and me… working together… will make America great again.
The Man speaks with a deep voice. Trump listens attentively.
Man – So, if your supporters had had a greater role in the conduct of the nation’s affairs… the country would not have slipped from greatness?
Trump eyes the Man suspiciously.
The Man – But how is that possible… that such a vital section of the nation allowed itself to be pushed aside… and by whom?
Trump – The immigrants, the undocumented, the illegals.
The Man (shakes his head slowly) – They have all that much political power?
Trump (chuckles) – Who are you?
Man – You’re running a scam in broad daylight, aren’t you…?
Trump (laughs) – Who are you?
Man – … transferring blame to an important, productive and enterprising segment of the nation… to exonerate… excuse your base.
Trump – Watch your words, buddy. You’d get lynched if you said something like that at one of my rallies.
Man – I say exonerate and excuse because it’s not the immigrants and minorities that’s pushing your base down… and you know it… no… instead, it’s been your base’s affluent and politically powerful brothers and sisters… white also… who did not reach out to them and said… ‘come, rise and walk with me’.
Trump – They needed a leader.
Man – You?
Trump – Yes, me… to lead them out of the wilderness and to the promised land. And if I have to blame some groups to stir them up, so be it.
Man – So you picked the easier target… rather than the class that has been deaf to their cries…
Trump, his anger smoldering, stares at the Man.
Man – … the class to which you belong.
Trump (impatiently) – Look, I’d love to chat but I’m a busy guy, I’ve got a country to run.
Man – So your base shares blame for not examining themselves… and waiting too long.
Trump – They’ve been waiting for me.
Man – Dear man … you’re a choice of desperation… and not a good one.
Trump – I’ve had enough of this.
He tries to get up but can’t.
Trump – What the hell?
There are no visible ties to bind him but he cannot get out of the chair. He struggles frantically but cannot free himself.
Man – The crowds at your rallies… do you promise them anything?
Trump – Why, yeah… sure, I tell them they can have… we can have… anything we want if we stick together.
Man – I see the salesman in you.
Trump – As a matter of fact, I am. New York City salesman. Ever been to New York City? Ever heard of Trump Tower… I mean, where have you been? You’ve never heard of me?
The Man says nothing.
Trump – Look buddy, I don’t know what game you’re playing but you can’t just hold me down like this… I’m the president of the United States.
Man – I’m not holding you down.
Trump (still trying in vain to free himself) – You’ve no idea who you’re messing with.
(bursting in anger)
Goddammit, are you deaf? I command you to let me the hell out of here!
The Man is unmoved.
Trump bows his head, gathering his strengths. Again, he thrusts forward trying to pull out of the chair but cannot.
Trump – Let me out!
The Man stares at Trump. Frustrated, Trump tries another tack.
Trump – Say, friend… I didn’t mean to get ornery… what’s your name?
The Man rises slowly, starts to leave but then stops, all the while looking at Trump.
Trump – Who are you? (exasperated) What do you want from me?
The Man turns and vanishes.
Trump – Hey, you!
Trump wakes up with a startle, sitting up in bed, restless. Melania is asleep next to him.
He then rises, puts on his robe and crosses to the window. He pulls up a chair and sits, looking out into the night.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. Also available in anchor.fm, apple podcasts, Google podcasts and buzzsprout.
Trump strolls by himself in the White House lawn. It’s already dark. After a while he goes back inside and into the Oval Office. He sits at his desk.
Trump – I could’ve been more forceful. Melania’s right. Why wasn’t I? That’s my ghosts coming back to haunt me. Moral beacon, she says. Hmm. How do you do that? There’s no way in hell that I’ll ever fill those shoes. I don’t see it. I can make us some money, that I can do, but moral beacon?
Pause
I think I can win this trade war, I’m pretty sure about that. And I’m sure I can get most NATO members to pay up their share of defense spending. And then there’s the tax cut. That’s made a lot of people happy. And tax receipts may be even higher because of it, it’s happened before. Not that I haven’t pissed off a good share of folks, too, but that’s part of my shtick.
He now looks at the portrait of Andrew Jackson on the wall to his left. He gets up and goes to stand before it. After a moment, he crosses to sit on one of the chairs by the fireplace.
Trump – Not everyone has been a great president. I’m sure I won’t be the worst.
Do I like Putin? He’s a smooth operator, so I do like him. But Melania’s point is that, in the clutch, I blinked. And she’s right. Being the president, I can be bossy with everyone under me. I can say whatever I want and get away with it. From here on out, and for the rest of my days, I’ll have a security detail protecting me and I’ll be able to say what I damn well please. Not that that’s ever stopped me.
Laughs.
So why did I hold back when the reporter asked the question in Helsinki? Did I want to be nice to Putin? Yes. Does he have something on me? No. He does not. But my deepest fear is that the hacking was more extensive than it’s been determined. And if that is so, then the argument that Putin swayed the election becomes stronger. Even if it can’t be proven. And he could say that he put me in the White House.
He shifts his weight on his seat.
My failing has been to not have been willing to publicly accept that possibility. If Mueller ever came out with evidence of larger scale Russian machinations, then my election, and that of all Republican office holders, would be tarnished with the stain of illegitimacy. Cries would rise for me to surrender my post to Hillary. Of course, I wouldn’t do that because there would be no proof. But I would go down in the history books as the interloper president.
He gets up and returns to his seat behind his desk.
Trump – I’ve liked it up here. It’s been stressful but it’s been a lot of fun. Deep down I’ve always felt that I got in on a fluke. Lost the popular vote by a good margin… which I’ve tried to blame on the undocumented.
Laughs.
I can come up with some good ones, can’t I? I’m feeling comfortable in the gig and wouldn’t want to give it up. They’ll have to kick me out. I don’t see how.
He pivots his chair to look out the window.
I can see why Putin wouldn’t want to show his hand. He knows I’m insecure in my position… yep… he knows that… and he would like to work it to his advantage. He can just keep denying he knew anything and, in the meantime, do all he can to cover up the evidence so Mueller can’t get to it. Whatever that might be. But he could bring it out at any moment, if he so wished. He wouldn’t dare show it to me, though… no, he’s too smooth for that. But who knows what he’s capable of.
He sits back and runs his fingers through his hair.
Trump – Would everything I’ve done be invalidated? Good question. Everything I’ve done being erased. Wow. As if I’d never done anything. The legal battles would be long and arduous, since every election would be contested. The whole country would be thrust into a crisis.
He leans forward, elbows on knees, lacing his hands. He’s tired. He looks at his watch. It’s 10 pm. He gets up and stands by the window, looking out.
Putin had never interfered with an American election as he did in mine. Not that we know of… not on this scale. But he saw the debates, the chaos and free for all, and he saw his opportunity. He must’ve said, ‘I can fish in troubled waters’… and he threw in his hook. I suspect it had my name on it.
He crosses his arms.
I could do what Melania is saying, do a complete turn around and embrace the Mueller probe. But I’m scared. Scared they will find something… and I can’t get that monkey off my back.
A knock at the door.
Trump – Who is it?
Melania – It’s me.
Trump – Come on in.
She steps in and goes to his side. She circles his waist with her arm and leans against his shoulder. They both stare out the window.
Melania – Pretty night.
Trump – Yes.
He puts his arm around her shoulders, presses her to him.
Melania – What have you been thinking?
Trump – Legitimacy.
She says nothing, then rubs gently the back of his neck.
Trump – I got in, somehow, but something is missing.
They remain standing for a moment.
Melania – Let’s go to bed. It’s late.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. available on anchor.fm, apple podcasts and buzzsprout.
Trump and Melania are sitting in their White House suite. At the table.
Melania – What happened?
Trump – Nothing. The press, as usual, is making much too much of it.
Melania – I was watching. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.
Trump – Why?
Melania – Because in front of Putin, of all people, you devalue our intelligence services.
Trump – Didn’t I come right back and correct myself?
Melania – ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia. Sort of a double negative,’ you add casually. Sorry, that won’t do. And then you go right back into your old rant that there was no collusion.
Trump – Rant?
Melania – What else am I supposed to call it?
He gets up and walks over to the window.
Trump – It was a bad moment, I’ll agree.
Melania – it is the beginning of the end.
He crosses his arms as he looks out into the evening light.
Melania – That video clip will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Trump – Right. And you see me shaking in my boots, don’t you?
Melania – All the worse.
She rises and steps over to join him.
Trump – I thought you believed me when I said there was no collusion.
Melania – Still do, but your contempt for the Mueller investigation undermines your case. And you’ve been stuck in that position.
Trump – It’s all politics. They’re after my head and I won’t hand it over.
Melania – If you’re innocent, what is there to fear?
Trump – You’re being naïve. They have a way of setting up traps.
They look at each other.
Melania – Putin, who annexed the Crimea and invaded the Ukraine, Putin, whose people shot down the Malaysian airliner…
Trump – It didn’t happen on my watch.
Melania – You think he’s holding back because of you?
Trump – He hasn’t annexed more territory.
Melania – Not yet.
She shakes her head disapprovingly.
Melania – As president, you stand for something far larger than yourself…
Trump – It’ll blow over, like everything else.
Melania – Not this. In Helsinki, you failed.
He crosses his arms.
Trump – You really think this is all that damaging?
Melania – It is the beginning of the end.
Trump – Well, then, my lady, it will bring me great pleasure to prove you wrong.
Melania – Do you really not believe that Russian hackers interfered with the election?
Trump – They set up some fake accounts but their impact didn’t affect the outcome.
Melania – The electoral votes of three states where you won by less than 80 thousand votes made the difference.
Trump – You cannot prove that those fake accounts changed their minds.
Melania – You cannot disprove it, either.
Trump – The point is then moot.
Melania – How could that large scale operation go on in Russia without Putin’s consent?
Trump – There’s always rogue operators.
Melania – Rogue operators?
Trump – Yes, of course. Look, I don’t know everything that goes on in this country.
She looks at him, incredulous.
Melania – You don’t think Putin is a dictator, with complete control of his country?
Trump – There are different kinds of dictators, some likeable and some not. Russians like Putin. For the most part.
Melania – And you do, too.
Trump – Do I like Putin? Personally? Yes. I do. What’s wrong with that?
Melania – What’s wrong with that is that when you were elected president you became the moral beacon of the nation, and when you like Putin you’re letting him off the hook.
Trump – I said I like him personally, that does not mean I approve of his actions.
Melania – But you believe his denials. That’s where the liking comes in.
Trump – It’s tactical. My greater aim is to negotiate with him, to keep world peace. And to do that I need to have a common bond.
Melania – You’re giving him a free pass.
Trump (angrily) – I’m not giving him a free pass!
Melania – That’s not what the clip showed. It showed you fooling yourself, and because you’re our president, you’re fooling us too.
He turns and takes a few steps into the room.
Trump – Where does it say that when I became president, I became the moral beacon of the nation?
Melania – It’s implicit.
Trump – I’m a deal maker. I was elected to solve problems and that’s what I’m doing. I was elected to put more money in people’s pockets, to cut back on regulations, to cut back taxes. I was elected to raise tariffs so I can protect the wellbeing of my fellow Americans. I was elected to stanch the flow of immigrants into this country because we have enough already and they’re taking advantage of us. I was elected to make America great again. To do that, I have to deal with a lot of folks. And it helps if you like them. It’s easier to do business and you get more done. Anyway, the voters must’ve been fed up with moral beacons that they chose me.
Melania – They are already regretting it.
Trump – Really? Well, here’s my answer to you. I’m going to get reelected in 2020. I know that. I already have a lot of money coming in in political contributions and there’s no one – no one – who will come even close to matching my campaign treasure. Money talks.
Melania – Put another way, Money Trumps Morality.
Trump (chuckling) – I live in the real world, Melania, not in a purity bubble. I may not have been moral, according to you, but I have been successful.
Melania – Will Vladimir be in the stands cheering you on when you get reelected?
Trump – I hadn’t thought of that but now that you mention it, I just might invite him.
He returns to the window and stands next to her.
Melania – Does viewing the video clip of Helsinki not make you sick?
Trump – It does not. I’m not squeamish.
Melania – Then there’s something wrong with you. Deeply wrong.
Trump – Have you not known that for a while?
She looks at him.
Melania – I have.
Trump – And still you stayed.
Melania – Yes.
Trump – You’ve enjoyed the accommodations?
Melania – I suppose.
Trump – Having my child?
Melania (testily) – Our child.
Trump – Enjoyed being in the limelight?
Melania – Nothing of what you’re saying discredits me.
Trump – If you think I’m morally corrupt, then you are too.
Melania – You’re in such a rush to put me down, aren’t you? But you overlook that I’ve been willing to work with you. You, who unlike me does not view marriage as a commitment to improve each other, no matter what the circumstances, known and unknown.
She walks off a few paces then turns to face him again.
Melania – Have I enjoyed the trappings of power? I have. But I am not cheering you on, am I? No, I am taking you to task as I should. As usual, though, you have trouble sorting out your personal discomfort.
He lowers his head as he joins his hands in front of him.
Trump – We’re cut from the same cloth, dear, and we might as well have fun with it.
She smiles wryly at him.
Melania – There’s a difference.
Trump – What would that be?
Melania – I’m going to do something about it.
He looks at her distrustfully.
Melania – That video clip that did not make you sick but did me and millions of Americans, showed you desperately wanting to be liked by Putin, and that goes well beyond allowing oneself to like someone because it might help transact business. What the clip showed was that, for some reason, you need to be liked by Putin.
Trump (irritated) – I don’t need to be liked by Putin!
Melania – Go back and watch the clip.
He closes his eyes and quiet follows.
Trump – You are wrong. Very wrong.
He goes back into the room at sits at the table. He leans forward, rubbing his face, then sits back.
Trump – I would never betray my country.
Melania – I know you wouldn’t. But Neville Chamberlain, in 1938, didn’t set out to betray England when he let Hitler talk him into trading part of Czechoslovakia for a promise of peace.
She returns to the table to join him. She takes a seat.
Trump – Why has there not been more of an uproar about what the clip showed?
Melania – There has been an uproar, you’re just growing deaf to public outcries. You prefer to listen to Fox News and talk to their commentators who tell you what you want to hear. And so, slowly, you’ve been slipping into a cocoon that others are too eager to provide.
You want a glass of cider?
He nods.
She goes into the closet and gets a bottle of cider and some low calorie crackers. She opens the bottle and serves the crackers. He pours the cider.
Trump – You want to have sex?
Melania – No.
Trump – Why not?
Melania – It would be a distraction.
He sips from his glass.
Trump – Did you want to talk about Stormy Daniels?
Melania – We’ll get to that. We need to talk about your legitimacy as president.
Trump – My legitimacy?
Melania – Yes. We have reason to question it.
Trump – There’s no way of proving that the interference made a difference. It’s a witch hunt.
She picks up her glass and holds it up high.
Melania – ‘Please, carry on folks, as fast as you can, let’s clear the air. Do make haste, for the sake of the country, for there are many other things that need our attention and are being neglected.’
(then turning to Trump)
Will you ever be able to say that about the Mueller probe?
He shrugs dismissively.
Trump – We should talk about Stormy.
Melania – Stormy can wait. And Karen and whoever else.
Trump – Melania… I’m a flawed man and you’ve known it all along. And dammit, I’m innocent! I did not collude with Putin!
Melania – Then start acting like it!
They say nothing for a moment.
Melania – Openly criticizing staunch allies like Theresa May and Angela Merkel is harmful… and so is starting a needless trade war.
Trump – I need my war.
Melania -Sure you do. And you do to distract us from addressing your legitimacy. Bluster and blarney.
He rises and walk off a few paces.
Trump – Mueller will try and set me up.
Melania – You just don’t trust our institutions, do you?
Trump – Maybe I don’t.
Melania – And you do not trust yourself with Putin.
He turns around.
Melania – If you had trusted yourself, when the reporter asked the pointed question about Russian interference, you would’ve calmly turned to Putin, looked him in the eye, and said, ‘my intelligence services have established that there was interference from your nation in our elections, and it is them whom I believe.’
He shakes his head in disagreement.
Melania – And when the reporter pressed you for an answer to his second question, demanding you publicly warn Putin never to do it again, you could simply have replied, ‘the time and place for that is my prerogative. I make my choices. Thank you. Next question?’ And you could’ve done so with dignity because with your first answer you had taken the reins.
He turns and heads back to stand by the window, looking out.
Melania – But who knows what you said to him when you met in private, with only the translators.
They say nothing for a moment.
Melania – It’s a problem Dee… a big problem. If you don’t trust yourself, they why should we trust you?
He crosses to the foot of the bed where his jacket lies, picks it up and walks toward the door.
Trump – I’m going for a walk. Need to clear my head.
He exits.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. Available in anchor.fm – apple podcasts and buzzsprout
This play was written and published in 2018, soon after Trump and Putin’s conference in Helsinki. I will make it public in consecutive blogs and also in podcasts, anchor.fm, apple podcasts, buzzsprout etc.
Dear Mr Trump,
There is still time, dear sir,
For you to spark the dialogue
That will unleash the creativity
Now locked in bitter acrimony.
Still time, dear sir,
Not too late,
For you to govern from the center
And marshal the forces of the nation.
Nature loves diversity,
It experiments ceaselessly with difference,
Giving to each something unique,
And challenging us with each gift
To join forces in pursuit of a common,
Higher,
And transcendent good.
7/16/2018
Helsinki, Finland
Early in the day
Trump tweets – Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse, thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!
(the ‘rigged witch hunt’ is the president’s term for the Mueller probe – a US dept of Justice investigation assigned with the task of finding evidence of Russia’s interference with the 2016 election and if any obstruction by the Trump administration. It has been in progress since May 2017)
At the press conference following Trump and Putin’s meeting:
Reporter – (to president Trump) – … Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? And if so, what would you, what would you consider them, that they are responsible for?
Trump – Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. We should’ve had this dialogue a long time ago, a long time, frankly, before I got to office. And I think we’re all to blame. I think that the United States now has stepped forward along with Russia, and we’re getting together and we have a chance to do some great things, whether it’s nuclear proliferation in terms of stopping – you have to do it, ultimately that’s probably the most important thing that we could be working on. But I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the… probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart, it’s kept us separated. There was no collusion at all….
Moments later, in response to a separate question, Vladimir Putin denies having anything to do with the election interference of 2016.
Reporter Jonathan Lemire then asks President Trump – Every US Intelligence has concluded that Russia did interfere. Who do you believe? Would you now, with the whole world watching, tell president Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again.
Trump -… my people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and others, they said they think it’s Russia… I have president Putin… he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this… I don’t see any reason why it would be… I have confidence in both parties… I have great confidence in my intelligence people… but I will tell you that president Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
Questions and answers above as reported by the New York Times and The Washington Post.
The next day. The White House.
In response to criticism that he went easy on Putin, Trump says, “The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia’, sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and that probably clarifies things pretty good.’
Not passing the budget has become an onerous drag on the economic recovery, lowering projections of GDP for this and the next year.
The perception of legislative gridlock in Capitol Hill is unwelcome news, coming as it does right after a period of severely dysfunctional government under Mr Trump.
For most of us, the expectation from the new administration was that we would be looking at government proposing meaningful legislation that could pass, and that even in the face of fierce opposition, there would be dialogue with the minority party.
But we do not have that.
What we’re getting, instead, is political polarization that is here to stay.
We cannot put that only on republicans, because in the democratic party itself, divisions have grown more and more bitter, as if this moment were missed then legislation proposed would never, ever, get another chance.
It that is the case, then legislation of that type should not pass.
The fact that 50 republican senators are consistently opposing democratic initiatives has to be telling us something, for those legislators represent just under half of the nation and we need most people aboard our ship to move ahead.
Mind you, not all those republicans are princes for many remain beholden to Trumpism, but even then, for democrats to not reach out and find compromise is missing out on a great opportunity to show that polarization can be overcome and must.
And just maybe some republicans have good points.
Why should community college be free for those who have the means to pay for it? Because they do it in Europe? Well, we are not Europeans and their productivity is not on a par with ours, even with all our flaws.
Why should the child tax credit be extended to families who can pay?
Why should child care be extended to those who can afford it?
Generous benefits to workers during the pandemic made a difference for our economic recovery but continuing them may well be keeping people from returning to work.
The debt ceiling needs to be lifted and republicans have been obstructionistic on that count but limits are necessary. We can’t spend without restraint.
There is much necessary spending that has been neglected – to renew our infrastructure and support our scientific research and development and so bolster innovation.
And taxes – always a divisive issue – need to be made fairer, as in not permitting the super wealthy to channel their earnings through corporations instead of having it taxed as personal income, or fund managers getting taxed at the lower rate of capital gains.
But not all of it has to be done this moment. It can be phased in.
Pulling out of Afghanistan was a huge step and I remain supportive of that action.
That president Biden’s polls are down have more to do with gridlock in Capitol Hill than with Afghanistan. More to do with his reluctance to confront the progressive wing of the party and moderate their demands.
Inflation is predicted to be manageable and maybe it will be, but it could prove tougher to deal with, particularly with people not returning to work.
The lingering pandemic, now finally easing thanks to science, remains an obstacle to our economic recovery but so is wavering leadership.
Gradualism and compromise have been crucial factors in our history. We are always better off when we let the other side feel part of our forward movement.
Keep gridlock up and democrats will lose both chambers next year.
Mr Biden’s aplomb in addressing the pandemic differs markedly with that of his predecessor. And so it reflects his willingness to transfer power.
Pointing to the scientific evidence that the incidence of Covid infections is higher amongst the unvaccinated, he has taken charge and mandated that federal and other workers take the vaccine.
It was his duty, he said in a televised address, to protect all Americans and so he was issuing the edict. Right away, though, his detractors started to complain that their freedoms were being infringed. But what freedoms? The freedom to increase the likelihood that you transmit an infection that could be fatal? Is that a freedom? When there are means to prevent it?
The president countered his critics by saying that they were taking a cavalier attitude toward the infection and he is correct.
What stands out in the president’s firmness is his willingness to do what is right. This is what the science is saying and I stand with the science.
By doing so he is showing his willingness to transfer power to science. And to whomever speaks the truth.
The previous president was incapable of doing so. When Mr Trump held his televised appearances at the height of the pandemic, with his scientific advisors standing beside him, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the mike to put his twist on the facts.
Had the previous president been a man willing to transfer power to the scientists and to let them do what they know how to do, then we would long ago been all vaccinated in this country and the economy would have been much farther along than it is now, let alone the lives that would have been spared.
But the previous president could not do it. The height of this incapacity showed when, after being soundly defeated at the polls, he insisted that it was not so. How could it be?
Deep in his mind a voice kept resounding, ‘why should I transfer power?’
And there were enough gullible people to buy into it that they marched on one of our highest symbols of democracy, Capitol Hill, just as the electoral ballots were being counted.
Their aim was clear. Disrupt the process.
They did not do it. Barely. But their intention was clear.
Notice how when Mr Biden speaks to us he is not surrounded by other officials. He stands alone when he addresses us. It is symbolic of his wish to convey that the final responsibility is his and he will exercise it fully. He will not run from it. But he is also willing to acknowledge his limits.
And because of it he can transfer power.
People who are able to do so are freer people. They think better. More clearly. For they are not burdened by grandiosity.
They are people who know themselves to be flawed but are willing to carry the burden of full responsibility for their decisions. Mr Biden will seek the opinion of experts in matters which are not of his competence but he will make the final choices, painful as they may be, as he did in Afghanistan.
Because, as all men, he is flawed, Mr Biden will make his mistakes, but it won’t be because he was careless or didn’t seek the best expert advice. A myriad other factors may intervene to make what appears to be a good choice go bad. But he will have tried his best.
And so he will stand alone behind that lectern and say as he did when announcing the vaccine mandates, ‘this is what I believe is the right thing to do for all Americans.’
And you can say what you want about him, but he gives you the sense he is doing the best he knows how to do.
The impulse to grandiosity lives in all of us. And all of us have to wrestle with it and try as hard as we can to pin it down so it won’t let us run in the wrong direction.
Some world leaders succumb to its allure.
Name any world leader who is diligently working to extend his hold on power beyond the legal limits that brought him to it, and we’re seeing an example of grandiosity not being confronted and restrained. And it belongs to all of us to not let it happen.
Unlike Mr Trump, Mr Biden is fully aware of his mortality. Because of it he is the competent leader that he is.
And so I thank him for being forthright, full of candor and decisiveness.
Keep it up, Mr President.
A final note: My take is that Jerome Powell is doing a great job as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank and you ought to reappoint him. He’s a most talented man and it will help maintain economic stability.
And on the matter of Latin America, should you choose to lift the embargo on Cuba, the spirit of that decision will put a smile in the hearts of all Latin Americans.
You’d be saying, ‘I’m transferring power to you. Now see what you can do with it. I’m getting out of the way.’
Given the mounting evidence that harassment of women in his employ did occur, it seems unlikely the governor will survive the criticism and thus will have to resign.
He has had a good run as governor.
He performed well steering New York through the thick of the pandemic.
So there is much he can rightly be proud of.
In my eyes, he is a solid man who made important contributions to his state and the nation.
I respect the man. And if I ever were to have the opportunity to meet him, I would step up to shake his hand and say thank you for all the good work he did.
But he has his flaws and they have come to haunt him.
Resigning will not be a disaster.
And yes, he could have a new role in public life.
He abused his power but so have thousands and thousands of men throughout the years, most of whom were never held accountable or are now not being held accountable.
This is a new era we are living in and it shows we are evolving as a nation.
Just like voting Trump out of office was a sign of political maturation for the nation. The nation had allowed itself to be dazzled by the man (who had made billions and billions but would not release his tax filings), and then took a breath and realized their poor judgment.
Cuomo has proved himself as a highly capable politician and administrator.
But he abused his power.
The best way to address this flaw is to accept it. Work through the denial and evasion he’s mired in and say to all women, ‘I am sorry I abused my power.’
Having said that, he could then embark on another career in public life. That is, explaining to the American people why he did what he did. How the power he had, led to the corruption of his thinking and to believing he could take advantage of others.
And doing so he would make a huge contribution to the evolution of our society.
Abuse of power in the workplace is very much a present problem in our nation.
We need men of substance, such as Mr Cuomo, men who’re highly capable, to say to the rest of us, ‘No matter how much power we attain, we should not use it to take advantage of others. It is easy to do because others are often dazzled by power.’
‘Women are learning to say no in the face of unwanted advances. We can help by being more thoughtful and to recognize the subtle ways in which unchecked power is used to bring others into submission and how it leads to their demeaning.’
Mr Cuomo is a man of his times. He had great moments as governor and he failed in his treatment of women.
Prison outside of Moscow. June 10th. Late morning.
Navalny is seated at a table in a windowless room when Putin enters. Navalny glances at him but does not rise.
Putin closes the door which has a rectangular glass window through which a guard standing outside now looks into the room.
The table is bare.
A fluorescent light on the ceiling casts a greenish opaque light into the room.
Putin sits down across from Navalny.
The two men look at each other for a moment.
‘I beat you,’ says Putin without any expression.
Navalny smiles faintly, eyes riveted on Putin.
‘No, you haven’t.’
‘Yesterday, the courts labelled your group an extremist organization, so you won’t be able to be part of any election… and no one will want to come near you.’
‘I heard,’ replies Navalny, calmly. ‘The court is like your dog. Worse. And I pity those groveling judges… who’re willing to tarnish their names and that of their children, to satisfy you… people with no sense of history.’
‘You think you have a sense of history?’ asks Putin.
‘I do… and one day you will be sitting on this side of the table… because real judges, not clowns, will pass judgment on how you’ve misled our people and corrupted government.’
Putin shakes his head, dismissively, an expression of pity for Navalny.
‘I can’t deny you your fantasies… which is all you have left… just fantasies.’
Navalny has his eyes on Putin as he clasps his hands and rests them on the table.
‘I am in complete control of your life…’ continues Putin, ‘you live because I allow it.’
Navalny doesn’t flinch. ‘You really think you can keep the Russian people silent?’
‘I do,’ returns Putin, ‘not just silent but happy… for in surrendering to my will they have discovered they like it.’
Navalny turns away for a moment, the expression sad, as he thinks of the quiet agony of his beloved Russia, surrendering to the will of a man. How did it get to this point? Where were the bright lights of Russia, the intellectuals, the poets, the writers? Where were they that they didn’t scream in horror at their nation’s slow descent into their present state?
Navalny now glances at the guard peering into the room through the small glass window.
He returns to stare directly at Putin.
‘You may well kill me… I’m well aware it could happen any moment… even today… whenever you wish to give the order… but the movement I’ve started is far greater than me… I’m awakening this great country, my land… awakening them to see how you are holding them back… just so you can remain in power. Look at yourself… what regimes do you defend in this world? Assad in Syria, who’s been butchering his people for years… Myanmar’s generals who’re wantonly killing brave protesters … Maduro in Venezuela, who has impoverished and destroyed a once prosperous nation. In all of them, you have aided in the brutal repression of freedom… aided in the denial of people’s rights… while causing immeasurable suffering. Tell me, just how do you sleep at night?’
Putin smiles with self satisfaction. ‘Very well. Right through the night.’
Navalny closes his eyes for a moment, the expression grim.
‘Why did you want to see me?’ he asks. ‘What for?’
‘I’m not sure,’ begins Putin. ‘I suppose that I take pleasure in seeing an opponent defeated… maybe beg for mercy.’
‘Go to hell, man. Go to hell,’ replies Navalny angrily as he pulls up in his seat. ‘Do not imagine for a moment that you have crushed me or our movement. You will never do that. And none of us will ever beg for mercy from a despot like you. You can have me killed right now and I will die a free man, not a slave like the Russians who bow to you. So, go to hell, Putin.’
The guard at the window, struck by Navalny’s intensity, cracks the door open and takes a step in.
Putin calmly waves him off. The soldier closes the door and returns to looking through the window.
‘You cannot take our thirst for freedom from any of us,’ continues Navalny, firmly, ‘no matter how many rules you pass, no matter how many of us you poison, like you did with me… but you’ll never know what freedom is… no, it’s not in you… the only thing in you is the desire to oppress and control others.’
Putin sits back in his chair and crosses his arms. He stares at Navalny.
‘I didn’t poison you,’ he says calmly.
‘No? Then who did?’
‘I don’t know.’
Navalny shakes his head slowly as he looks down at the ground in disbelief.
‘There are other actors in Russia…’ says Putin softly.
‘Other actors?’
‘People I have no control over.’
‘What a convenient excuse. I suppose that includes all those responsible for cyberattacks on other nations, and the hackers who interfered in the elections in America.’
The two men look at each other directly.
‘You really expect me to believe that?’
Putin shrugs his shoulders.
‘I believe nothing you say to me, nothing,’ says Navalny. He glances off for a moment, then returns to face Putin.
‘Why don’t you walk away while there’s still time… before you start turning your machine guns on Russians protesting in the streets… before you start massacring your brothers and sisters and our children in broad daylight…’
‘That will never happen,’ says Putin, calmly. ‘My great accomplishment… has been to turn Russia into a politically docile nation… capable of great accomplishments in other areas… but politically docile.’
‘Like in China,’ says Navalny.
‘China has learned much from us.’
‘Yes… the wrong lessons. I cannot understand how an intelligent man like you has chosen to ignore assisting your land in its development. I cannot understand how you stubbornly refuse to see that Russia needs to grow up… to evolve politically… to learn to give up supporting autocrats… communists… despots like you… and rise to become a nation that values freedom of expression… and to be able to support the quest for freedom in other nations… anywhere in the world.’
‘You want Russians to be like Americans?’
‘Russians need to learn how to become enlightened Russians. We may find things in common with Americans but we want to find our own path… like any other self respecting people in this world. We want to find our uniqueness.’
Putin nods slowly.
‘Americans have their own problems they are struggling with,’ continues Navalny, ‘like race, and the idolatry of the super entrepreneur, which has led to the absurdity of their not paying any taxes, which fosters inequality…but to their credit, Americans keep working on it. Sometimes they have a dinosaur sneak in to lead them, but they eventually get past them.’
Putin rubs his nose as he weighs Navalny’s words.
‘I am amazed to hear you talk… it’s like you live in another world… maybe that’s why I wanted to see you today.’
Putin leans forward a little, speaking softly.
‘Russians want nothing of what you talk about… they have found peace in their souls… and peace is having a strong boss… like Stalin… and yes, like me. They like to have a father figure who helps them go to sleep quietly at night… go to sleep knowing that their country is feared in the world… that no nation dares to pick a fight with us. But you don’t get that.’
‘You are so wrong about what Russians want…’ responds Navalny with fervor, his expression filled with wonder, ‘Russians want to dream… dream with their eyes open and under a bright sun… they want romance…’
‘Romance?’ asks Putin.
‘Yes, Russians want to fall in love with freedom… and all its possibilities.’
Quietly amused, Putin takes in Navalny’s enthusiasm. ‘I knew there was something wrong with you… but didn’t know you were a romantic.’
Navalny sits back in his chair. He now seems tired, despondent. How could Russians have endured this man governing them for 20 years?
Navalny closes his eyes for a moment. Why did Putin really come to see him?
He looks Putin in the eye. ‘Why are you here?’
‘I wonder about that, myself,’ replies Putin.
Putin has been thinking to himself that there is a strength about Navalny that he finds appealing… a commitment that drives the man to put his life on the line for his nation… to endure being poisoned and still return to Russia knowing he would be imprisoned, maybe even killed. And as Putin secretly admits to his rival’s boldness… the courage to defy whatever may stand in his way… even death itself… Putin quietly acknowledges that he envies Navalny.
‘Oh, yes…’ he begins again, ‘there was something I wanted to tell you… you know how there’s been talk that you would be awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace?’
Navalny looks intrigued. Yes, of course he knew that.
‘Well…’ continues Putin, ‘… now that our courts have ruled you and your movement an extremist group, I don’t think the West will have the guts to go forward with that idea.’
Navalny lets out a laugh.
‘You poor man,’ Navalny says, his expression bright again, ‘of course they will. They will do so now more than ever. Like the Americans say, just to rub it in.’
Putin frowns. ‘No, they won’t. They won’t dare embarrass me like that.’
‘Yes, they will,’ says Navalny defiantly, with relish. ‘Your actions labelling me an extremist just moved me to the front of the line.’
But Putin is not laughing.
‘And, of course, you won’t let me go receive the prize but I and all Russians with a thirst for freedom will smile in our hearts that the world acknowledges our yearnings.’
Navalny leans forward, brashly. ‘Is that what you really came here to tell me?’
Putin stares back at him with simmering anger.
‘The world is not afraid of you, Vladimir… they know who you are. They know what you mean, and they stand by the Russian people who want to be free.’
‘I will be meeting with Biden in Geneva on the 16th of this month…’ says Putin.
‘I know… just try to be on your best behavior when you meet…’
‘Why?’
‘Because Biden is not Trump.’
Putin rises from his chair abruptly as he looks down at Navalny.
‘It is up to us to light up the fire that will warm the hearts of all Russians, and we will do it,’ says Navalny, with renewed strength.
‘And up to me to pour cold water on them,’ replies Putin, icily.
Otherwise we leave unprocessed the yearnings and motivations that led his followers to the absurdity of the assault on the Capitol on January the 6th and make a repeat possible.
Otherwise we leave unprocessed the ongoing attachment by a significant sector of the Republican party to a man who lacks the ability to lead.
Mr Trump can stir and inspire many people but that does not make him a leader.
A leader is the person who can work with those they inspire to elevate them through a greater understanding of what ails the nation, not simply to play to their passions.
If the so called leader does not do that, then they are no more than a rabble rouser.
At the very core of what divides the nation today are immigration and inequality of opportunity.
I’ll take immigration.
There is a reluctance in the average Trump supporter to accept that immigration is essential to our path forward.
Without immigrants from all over the world – not just from England and Ireland and Germany and Scandinavia – we would not be where we are.
It is hard for the average Trump supporter to accept that.
Without immigrants we will not have the hard edge to answer China’s challenge.
Business loudly asks for them. ‘Give me your immigrants!’ the business community says loudly to the world. ‘If you want to work hard and make something of yourself, this is where you must come!’
The average Trump supporter, fearing they may lose standing in their own land, is reluctant to endorse that call.
Trump sensed that and said to himself, ‘this is my ticket to the White House. God knows that in all my years I’ve never done a thing for anyone in public life (a life mostly spent building hotels and golf courses for the rich and then filing timely bankruptcies) but I now see this great emotional need in Americans, so why not milk it?’
And people fell for it.
Many Trump supporters realize now that something is very wrong with the man they voted for but are having trouble moving past.
Immigration has much to do with it.
Immigration is not an easy subject. The rest of the world is also having trouble dealing with it.
But hold on to those antipathies and gradually nations will lose their competitive edge.
Hold on to those antipathies and you lose the stimulus for renewal.
To our credit, in spite of strong nativist sentiments, America has kept its doors open to immigrants.
Keep our doors open and we will have plenty of brain power to shape our future.
Close them and we will injure ourselves.
Trump could not lead because he could not build bridges. Not to other Americans, not to other nations, not to himself. Yes. Let me restate the latter. He could not build bridges to himself. If he had, he would have become an integrated man. But he did not. An integrated man is one who reflects and recognizes others may have better formed opinions than his. Trump could never do that. And thus his fundamental failing.
An integrated man would have accepted the loss in the election and asked his supporters to accept the results, examine the mistakes made and move past.
An integrated man would have accepted that the doctors in the Center for Disease Control knew more about viruses than he did. If he had, he would probably have won the election in spite of all his failings.
But he could not accept any of the above because he does not have an open dialogue with himself that can lead to reflection and to accepting that others may know more than him.
Doctors at the CDC spend all their time dealing with viruses, but Trump thought he knew more than them.
But the man could tweet. Oh, yes. And degrade others. And make stuff up. Plenty of it.
That so many Americans fell for his act and still do is something that needs to be digested.
Processed. Understood. So we can move on.
The whole nation has to process a profoundly maladjusted leader and why we chose him in 2016.
That is on all of us. That is on the entire nation.
If we do not do the processing required, then we will repeat the same mistakes.
We cannot afford that.
China, of course, is counting on us not doing our homework. And so are all our detractors in the rest of the world.
Earlier today, Sunday, a jet fighter from Belarus forced a Ryanair commercial plane flying over the country to redirect to Minsk, the Belarus capital. The commercial flight had departed from Athens, Greece and was en route to Vilnius in Lithuania.
The Belarus regime, surely with the consent of Vladimir Putin, set up the ruse that a bomb was aboard the commercial flight and so needed to land immediately at the closest airport.
But the whole thing was nothing more than a plot to capture 26 y/o Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian activist who had helped set up a Telegram channel with 1.5 million subscribers in his country, so that people could continue protesting the fraudulent reelection of Alexander Lukashenko in 2020.
It is a profound failure of European Union intelligence to not have protected Mr Protasevich, to not have warned him of the possibilities of flying over Belarus.
Officials in the EU have raised their voices in protest and so has Antony Blinken, America’s Secretary of State, who demanded the immediate release of Mr Protasevich, but watch how Putin, emboldened by the manner in which he has handled Alexei Navalny’s poisoning and imprisonment, will dance around the issue claiming no knowledge of the affair and state that Lukashenko acted independently in an effort to protect the passengers from the alleged bomb.
And the strong likelihood is that he will get away with it.
Immediate and strong punitive measures are in order, both against Lukashenko and Putin.
The European Union has to step up and see this blatant attack on civil liberties as what it is and not find ways to delay action.
Something about the efficacy of the West’s response against Putin’s transgressions has been fractured since Mr Trump’s election in America.
The cracks continue to widen.
I can hear Putin in his palace saying, ‘here’s to you, Donald. If you could launch an attack on the US Capitol, surely I can snatch a dissident from the skies. Good luck in the midterms. And count on me for the next election.’
Will the European Union muster the courage to stand up to Putin?
Oscar Valdes 