United States political theatre has denigrated into vaudevillian farce in the last three months, with the antics of the American president and vice-president leaving the rest of the world wondering how they will be able to make it through the next 45 months.

When Americans elected a sociopathic narcissist and showman to be the leader of the free world (and a man who has to ensure that his personal brand, and his alone, is making global headlines 24/7), there was little doubt the media would obsess on him. But this “destroy everything” strategy is severely affecting global security structures, trade, economies and markets. While the media is delighting in these “Unmissable TV” moments from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden, one wonders how much longer the rest of the world can stomach the relentless madness.

The entire world does not turn on Trump’s bidding … so how can the rest of us let America implode and move on with our lives?

Us versus Them

Under the present US administration’s Zeitgeist, their “You are either with us or against us” polarity is made harder when there is no clear indication of who the “us” even is. The schizophrenic American worldview has led to the destruction of the global order (in just three months) giving space for tyrants and demagogues to “clean house”. Trump has turned on his closest allies and trading partners, turned away from the Western strategy on containing Putin’s Russia and is unilaterally dismantling the global trade order. Literally by himself.

Simply put, the United States is no longer a trusted ally (to anyone) and it is time for other Western countries to move on, continuing trade and security policies without them. If only this new phase of US isolationism (framed as “America First”) would allow that. The present US administration mistakes leadership with bullying and control, confuses subjugation with adoration and has left all policy to the whims of an aging man possessed by inner demons and craving adoration.

• We have to watch as intelligent leaders are forced to go into the Oval Office, ritually kiss the imperial ring and then stay silent as a shitshow of stupidity with an obedient US media takes place.
• We have to watch as intelligent accomplished individuals in the cabinet are forced to put personal ambition ahead of integrity and honesty in service of the narcissist, trying to deftly explain away the inexplicable.
• We have to look away in disbelief as completely idiotic proposals are pushed toward international policy (taking over Greenland, Canada and Panama, turning the Gaza Strip into a tourist resort and unilaterally carving up Ukraine for its mineral wealth).
• We have to hold our noses as scientific expertise is systematically cut by an anti-vax head of the Department of Health and Human Services, cancelling most funding grants to researchers and universities while promoting conspiracy theories and cult naturopathy.

Analysts used to refer to Trump’s leadership approach as transactional rather than principled. Now it is simply thuggery. See an interesting description of Trump’s policies as mobster rule in the Financial Times. The reality of governance is turned on its head.

• Facts and truth-telling are replaced by hyperbole and embellishment as DOGE reports on what their student interns uncover are not put up for fact-checking;
• tariff claims against other countries are randomly contrived and exponentially exaggerated;
• and blind obedience to the imperial throne has replaced governance and professionalism.

This is only able to happen if fear rules over reason and silence becomes the only rational option. Mobster rule.

World leaders remain, at best, silent, cowardly and reticent or, at worst, chummy, opportunistic and hypocritical. We haven’t had this calibre of leadership since 1933.

In her book Autocracy Inc, Anne Applebaum said “Sometimes the point is not to make people believe a lie, it is to make people fear the liar”.

Trump seems to have one demand driving his personal foreign security and trade policy: The world (whatever that is) has to start being nice (whatever that means) to the United States (actually, to him). If you are not nice, you are the enemy (who will face vengeful, vendettic consequences). But if you show up and present him with gifts, like an invitation from the King or a few thousand jobs, he’ll say whatever you tell him.

And then there’s China.

Chinese Peasants?

Much like the American ignorance of South-East Asia depicted in the 1958 novel, The Ugly American, we are seeing a similar chapter of ugliness today on the global stage. After imposing a 104% tariff on all Chinese exports, he told the media in one of his more painful, spontaneous press conferences, that “China wants to make a deal. They just don’t know how quite to go about it” … Really now.

It might not have helped that Vice-President Vance stated on Fox News on April 3 that:

“We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture“.

How long did these people think they could get away with insulting everyone on the world’s stage without facing any blowback? How long did they think they could continue bullying others before payback was delivered?

While American leadership publicly depict the Chinese as peasants, thieves and unreliable actors, does anyone in the United States wonder what this 5000-year-old culture and economic/manufacturing powerhouse thinks of Americans? Hillbillies and cowboys seem like a close approximation.

Vice-President Vance has never experienced the modernity and quality of public transport in Shanghai (he also has never experienced war in Ukraine) but he feels enabled to insult them, to judge them and to take action against them. The Chinese response was measured, calling it: “ignorant and impolite”. Vance needs to apologise for his disgraceful disrespect of a sovereign nation, but I suppose he is, rather, waiting for some “Thank you!”.

I was in a Hong Kong museum last month reading their presentation of the Opium Wars and its consequences. You cannot understand China without taking history (their history) into consideration. If the Americans had thought China would back down to some bombastic threats of a trade war instigated by a group of ignorant, arrogant bullies, then they are deserving of their diminished role in history.

And by the way, TikTok is not actually for sale.

How to Deal with 45 More Months of This?

World leaders, global company CEOs and innovative thinkers seem to have only one strategy: hunker down and stay silent as the plague creeps around the globe, hoping it will pass by their doors silently and attack some other victim. But how can hiding from a bully ever be defined as “leadership”? The only thing worse is trying to embrace the bully. Trump did not even have to burn the Congress down to get the legislative branch to abdicate power to his rule by decree (out of fear of Elon Musk’s revenge campaign funding in the next election cycle).

Trump only understands power and will only respond (back down) when the weakness of his hand may be exposed (of course he will always declare a glorious victory because that is just how he has been tragically made). So what are some of the tactics that courageous leaders should play to put that tiger back in his cage?

• After a week of global stock market chaos, due to Trump’s self-induced trade war, he only reversed course, suddenly and unexpectedly, after some country (in the East Asian time zone) started selling off tens of billions of dollars in US debt on bond markets and yields on US debt shot up. While China still holds around 10% of the $8.5 trillion of US foreign-held debt (down from over 20% in 2017), if other countries start to play that same card and threaten to boycott US debt sales, a bit of humility may return to global discussions. If the world ignores the demands of some Mar-a-Lago Accord, Trump will play to instinct and declare a national bankruptcy (that will likely tank global markets). On the bright side, this will ensure that no MAGA heir will ever have a chance in any future election cycle.
• The United States military power has always been defined by its leadership of alliances (from Europe to Korea to the Americas to the Middle East). What if NATO were to stand up to US dictatorial antics, claiming the US is no longer a trusted ally and threaten to remove cooperation and coordination unless they fall in line. The “Coalition of the Willing” working on a Ukraine ceasefire is a good start. As the EU now has a Commissioner for Defence and Space, more military investment and a united strategy on peace and security, Hegseth and Vance are in less of a position to bully and threaten. Poland and Germany do not really benefit that much from US military bases so close them down and send the soldiers home.
• Most American exports are fungible – their oil, gas and grains can be easily substituted by trade with other countries. As the European Capital Markets Union progresses (it now has impetus), financial markets will be less dollar-dependent. As Trump tries to dismantle the global free-trade system, the free trade should simply continue without the US. We have to stop fearing the strength of 4% of the world’s population or worry about losing that market. Half of the global population lives in the Valeriepieris Circle – young, educated and economically expanding. America has little influence there while China does.

Satire: The Final Solution

As Western leadership is weak, cowardly and inherently precautionary, none of the above options will ever happen and the present US administration will continue to be able to destroy the global economy, world order and research innovations. That leaves the rest of us spending the next 45 months quietly finding solace in satire. Like the first Trump administration, the political comedy and satirical ripping became a coping mechanism (especially during Trump’s management of the nightly COVID updates).

Satire does not confront the fascists and the fools, it eats away at them from within. The true believers will not get the ridicule and will try to ignore it, but those on the edge, who tolerate or acquiesce many of the transgressions on basic humanity, would likely step back from supporting the cult movement once the satirical message gets under their skin. Satire undermines respect as the joke defines the person. The US president hates satire and some could argue that Obama’s jokes about “The Donald” at the 2011 White House correspondents’ dinner motivated him to run for president.

People can argue, disagree and shout at each other and it becomes a debate that can drag on while the opportunists in government manipulate the weaknesses on all sides. Or those opportunists can be ridiculed for their idiotic ideas, ignorance of their worldview or sycophantic allegiance to the fools in power. Once a person like Vice-President JD Vance has the label “Stupid” tattooed on his forehead, all of his past achievements are diminished within the maelstrom of memorable satirical memes. “I mean, Greenland? Come on, seriously?” “Signal-Gate? Here’s a good one…”

Leaders might pretend to ignore someone with satirical wit, but do not underestimate their power and influence to get into the issue and redefine it from another perspective. It might take a while to limit the abusive power we are seeing today … but we have 45 months.

In the Age of Satire, my money is on the peasants.

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