Michael Abrahams | The dismantling of America’s democracy

We are living in some perilous times. As Donald Trump embarks on his second term as US president, some of his decisions have already begun to negatively affect the lives of many.

One of Trump’s first orders of business was to pardon rioters from the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol Building, including those convicted of violently assaulting police officers. Subsequently, he fired prosecutors involved in the cases arising from the incident, and is moving toward ousting FBI agents involved in probes connected with it.

As promised, Trump has also embarked on a mass deportation exercise. The leader of a country has a right to deport people who are there illegally. However, Trump has also ordered an end to birthright citizenship but has been blocked by a federal judge’s injunction. He has also shut down the CBP One mobile app, which was used, among other things, to assist migrants seeking asylum. Trump’s actions appear to be hostile to migrants. Well, at least some of them, as he has offered refugee status to White Afrikaners from South Africa and announced a “gold card” offering a path to US citizenship for US$5 million for wealthy aspiring citizens.

The president also has a right to cut what he perceives to be wasteful government spending. But the dizzying avalanche of firings carried out by himself and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk has been reckless and, in some cases vindictive, illegal or even life-threatening.

For instance, Trump administration officials fired multiple staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), apparently not realising that they were managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, responsible for protecting whistleblowers, was also fired, but a judge ruled her firing illegal. The federal government is also dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws in federal agencies, and is taking steps to shut down the Consumer Protection Bureau and eliminate the Department of Education.

IMMEDIATE FIRING

Trump also announced the immediate firing of approximately 17 inspectors general (IGs) from various federal agencies. Inspectors general are government officials who serve as independent watchdogs who audit and investigate allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, embezzlement and mismanagement, and are therefore tasked with maintaining transparency and accountability. The sudden firings raise significant concerns about government oversight and accountability and they violated laws protecting these individuals.

The Trump administration’s permanent cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have crippled humanitarian projects worldwide, including the largest HIV programme on the planet in South Africa. The US support of the restoration of Ukraine’s energy grid, which attacks from Russia have compromised, was also a USAID initiative, and that assistance has now been terminated.

Trump has also announced his desire to reclaim the Panama Canal, purchase Greenland, and make Canada the USA’s 51st state. He has not ruled out military coercion in seeking to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland, and stated he would utilise “economic force” against Canada. Indeed, he has announced tariffs against that country, as well as his southern neighbour, Mexico.

Trump’s actions have created tension between the USA and several of its allies, and some of his behaviour has been outright disrespectful, such as referring to Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau” and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”.

The height of his disrespect was on display last week with the broadcast of the meeting between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump and his vice president JD Vance at the Oval Office. Usually, negotiations with foreign leaders are held behind closed doors, but Trump allowed a global audience to watch the meeting, during which he and Vance raised their voices at and bullied Zelenskyy to coerce him into accepting a deal that will allow the US access to Ukraine’s mineral assets in exchange for their assistance.

LIES TOLD

During the contentious meeting, lies were also told, and false accusations made. For example, Trump and Vance accused Zelenskyy of not expressing thanks to the USA for the country’s assistance, but that was not true. Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude several times before and after Trump took office. Most recently, on February 12, he posted statements expressing gratitude to Trump twice on X, and thanked Trump for his support at a press conference on February 19. Even at the Oval Office meeting, he opened his remarks by saying, “Thank you so much, Mr President.”

Vance said Zelenskyy “went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October”. That was a blatant lie. Trump told Zelenskyy, “We gave you $350 billion.” That was also not true. The US’s contribution to Ukraine is estimated to be under $200 billion. At the end of the dialogue, a reporter asked Trump, “What if Russia breaks the ceasefire?” Trump angrily responded, “What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now?” before going on a rant and then saying, “This is going to be great television.”

Trump has also announced plans to “own” Gaza and expel over two million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, with no right of return, which is illegal under international law and amounts to ethnic cleansing. As if that were not bizarre enough, last week, he posted an AI video on his social media pages, depicting himself, Elon Musk and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoying themselves in a fancily rebuilt “Trump Gaza”, featuring an enormous gold statue of the American president.

Donald Trump behaves as if his presidency of America is a big Apprentice show and the world is a huge Monopoly board where he can buy and take whatever he wants. The mendacity, gaslighting, demagoguery, firings, removal of persons and agencies that protect American citizens (and many people overseas), hostility to (certain) migrants, disregard of the country’s constitution and laws, and the disrespecting of and attempts to manipulate and denigrate allies is unsettling and forebodes an ominous future for America, and some other nations, if Trump and Musk remain untethered.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams