Trump’s Demolition of the White House East Wing Is Symbolic of His Autocracy

The Trump Administration ordered the complete demolition of the East Wing of the White House, including the colonnaded breezeway connecting the addition to the Executive Mansion. It also uprooted historic trees and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, to make room for a ballroom, after recently having cemented over the Rose Garden for use as a patio. The East Wing was a 1942 Neo-Classical addition, matching the Federal Style of the White House. It has served various purposes over the years, from a swimming pool for then-President Franklin Roosevelt, who was afflicted with paralysis, to offices and an entrance for visitors and public tours. The demolition was conducted without proper authorization and review by the required agencies for the proposed plans. It appears also that none of the historic architectural details were salvaged, as is typical for the demolition of a historic property, especially one designated as historic like the East Wing, and especially when the building was in excellent condition and its features thus were salvageable. Such architectural details, which are highly sought, like doors, windows, moldings, columns, flooring, etc., which were constructed in materials not usually used in modern construction, could either have been incorporated into the proposed structure, as is typical when replacing a historic property, or other federal buildings, or sold. Therefore, the demolition is not only disrespectful of American history and tradition, but fiscally wasteful. Many observers across the political spectrum viewed the demolition of the East Wing as yet another symbol of Donald Trump's disrespect for America, like his gilding of the Oval Office I had posted about, but because of the violation of the standard process, as also exemplary of his autocracy. Thus, Trump’s demolition of the East Wing and Oval Office gilding, like the proposed Trump coin and arch I also posted about, are visible signs of the trend away from the Republican restraint of the Chief Executive and deference to Congress, the Constitution and the law, and toward the imperialism and authoritarianism of the Caesars. Trump is symbolically demolishing the American experiment and supplanting it with unchecked autocratic excess. It is time for Legislative and Judicial Branches to do more to exercise their powers as co-equal Branches of Government to restrain Trump and his Administration in defense of the constitutional principle of the Separation of Powers, and the rule of law.

Foreign Digest: Slovakia, Peru, Bolivia, Iraq, Belarus and Georgia

Slovakia: The European Union’s main center-left parliamentary group, the Party of European Socialists, expelled the ruling left-wing party of Slovakia for violating its principles. The populist Prime Minister of Slovakia is pro-Russian and undermines the rule of law. Slovakia is an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but is a weak link in the chain of defense against Russian aggression. Peru: The center-left President of Peru was impeached and removed from office for “moral incapacity” for corruption, in votes by the national assembly from across the political spectrum earlier this month. After a series of corruption allegations and a violent response against protestors, she had lost support from her own party. The Peruvian President had taken office after the impeachment of her predecessor for corruption. The President of Congress has acceded to the presidency—the seventh person to hold the office since a center-right President’s term ended in 2018. Bolivia: The presidential run-off between two conservatives was held in Bolivia last week. A conservative was elected, after 20 years of Socialist election wins. The Socialists had led, except for a brief interruption after the increasingly authoritarian President fled the capital after a popular uprising when he sought a fourth term, despite a two-term limit. The Senator who was elected, was referred to by the liberal professional media as a “centrist,” but he is center-right and pro-free market. The election result in Bolivia is a major blow to the left-wing revolution fomented across Latin America by the late Socialist dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who was elected in 2004 and became increasingly authoritarian. Iraq: As per an agreement with the Iraqi Government, the United States is keeping a presence of several hundred advisors in parts of Iraq beyond northern Iraq, to continue to coordinate with Iraq versus Islamist terrorists in Syria, such as al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State. Belarus and Georgia: Two imprisoned journalists, one Belarusian and the other Georgian, won the Andrei Sakharov prize, the European Parliament’s human rights prize. Andrej Poczobut of Belarus, was arrested in 2021 and convicted for covering protests against the authoritarian regime of the pro-Russian Belarusian dictator and the dictatorship’s violent response, and has been held under inhuman conditions. Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia, was arrested early this year and convicted for her reaction against state violence in a protest against the increasingly authoritarian pro-Russian Georgian Government. Both arrests have been condemned by media outlets, human rights organizations and the opposition.

The New Caesarism: The Proposed Trump Coin and Arch Would Symbolize an Imperial Presidency

The Trump Administration is proposing a coin featuring the image of the current holder of the office of the presidency while Donald Trump is proposing a public-private partnership to build a commemorative arch in Washington for the 250th anniversary of American Independence that the real estate tycoon admits would be partly a monument to himself. The coin and arch would be tangible examples of the autocratic Trump’s Caesarism, as both are examples of practices of the Roman Emperors that were eschewed by the American Founding Fathers in favor of symbols of the Roman Republic. I had posted recently about Trump’s symbolic rejection of the Republican vales of the Founders in his gilding of the Oval Office, but the Trump coin and arch would be more than symbolic. An image of an incumbent president on a general circulation coin minted by the United States would be unprecedented. The only coin ever minted to bear the image of a sitting president was a joint image of the incumbent and another figure on a commemorative coin (i.e. not a general circulation coin, but one minted for collectors) for the Sesquicentennial in 1926. As I have posted previously, the Founders did not want the images of any living person, on coins. The Roman Emperors had used coins bearing their own images, or those of their family, to promote themselves as a form of state propaganda. The first U.S. coins minted thus featured images of the Roman allegorical figure of Liberty on their obverses, with eagles or wreaths on the reverses. Other devices were featured in the later Nineteenth Century, but it was not until 1893 when even a commemorative coin was struck for the 400th Anniversary of Columbus’ Discovery of the New World, and not until 1909 when the Lincoln Cent was first minted on the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s death that any images of real individuals appeared on any American coins. Federal law later forbade the minting of coins with the incumbent president’s image. Even commemorative coins do not feature the incumbent Chief Executive’s image, as there is a five-year waiting period until after a former president’s death. Congress would have to vote for an exception. The Trump Administration would be using the coin minted with public money to promote Trump’s popular image for political purposes or in the interest of Trump’s private businesses. In a similar way, the Roman Caesars would construct commemorative arches that bore the Emperors’ names in honor of their military conquests. An arch commemorating American independence, or those who died in the Revolutionary War or all the wars since independence would be appropriate, but not one that would be at least partly in honor of an incumbent president or associated with him as much or even more than those it would be ostensibly intended to honor. Otherwise, a president would be tempted to use public dollars to construct monuments to himself to promote himself politically, perhaps in a way that is not appropriate. The National Monuments Commission would by law have to approve any such plan, but if the autocratic Trump engages in his typical practice of stacking such bodies by dismissing the current members, or ignoring such legal safeguards altogether, and the supine Congress and overly deferential Supreme Court allow him to get away with it, then Trump would thereby crown himself the American Caesar. The Republican virtues of executive restraint, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and representative governance would have been violated and cast aside in favor of an imperial presidency and all the dangers it poses.

Measles Outbreak Update

There have been 1,600 cases of measles in the ongoing outbreak in America, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control, with 44 individual outbreaks in 41 States. The case total is the worst in 30 years, since measles was declared eliminated in America in 2000. In 90% of these cases, the patients were unvaccinated. Vaccines are the effective and safe way to prevent measles, which can be debilitating (e.g. causes deafness) or fatal. But vaccine hesitancy as dropped the vaccination rate in America for children, who are the most vulnerable, below the 95% needed for herd immunity to protect those who are immune compromised, as I have been posting. And as I have been posting, anti-vax ideology from the far-left and the far-right, based on misinformation, as well as Russian-promoted vaccine disinformation, as well as libertarian opposition to public health policies like requiring immunization for school attendance have caused a decrease in vaccination and an increase in preventable contagious diseases in Europe and America.

Keep the Purpose of the Columbus Day Holiday as A Rejection of Nativism, Xenophobia and Bigotry

Recognizing Columbus’ True Discovery Is No Slight against Indigenous Americans The federal and state holiday of Columbus Day has significance for all Americans because the European discovery of the Americas, which rejoined the two hemispheres of the world that had been separated since the Ice Age, led to the independence of most of the Americas, including the States of the American Union, and the freedoms that most inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere enjoy. But it also has particular significance well beyond the Italian-American community or American Catholics, as the current controversy over the holiday seems to imply. Columbus Day is not any slight against Indigenous Americans, but is a celebration of the contribution of all immigrants. A misunderstanding of the word discovery (“to uncover”) causes some people to believe that credit for a discovering anything belongs only to those who were first to discover anything and thus by crediting the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus, the Indigenous Americans are somehow being slighted. Through his great navigational skills, Columbus, who had correctly theorized there was a large, inhabited landmass nearer to Europe than anyone else knew, lifted the cover that was the Atlantic Ocean and permanently reunited the two halves of the globe. He is also unquestionably credited with discovered a western and oceanic route to the Americas, among other scientific discoveries for which he is credited. Origin of the Columbus Day Holiday against Nativism, Xenophobia and Bigotry Because of nativism, xenophobia and racial and religious bigotry, the Ku Klux Klan particularly opposed the wave of mass immigration to America in the second half of the Nineteenth Century from Southern and Eastern Europeans (Catholic and Orthodox Christians) and Jews. Because of their hatred, American nativists began to promote the legend of the Viking discovery of the Americas before Columbus to minimize the essential role of the Southern European Catholic in American history. Though the Vikings deserve credit for discovering Greenland, at least, they did establish a permanent connection between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres like Columbus did. An Irish-American Catholic Priest with a ministry for immigrants led the effort that culminated in the foundation of the Columbus Day holiday as a recognition of the contribution of all immigrants to America, not only those who were white, northern European and Protestant. Thus, renaming the holiday for the Indigenous Americans takes away the appropriate purpose of Columbus Day, while Thanksgiving is the holiday to thank God for his bounty and the contributions of Indigenous Americans. Therefore, it is right to keep the holiday name of Columbus Day to credit the one who made the discovery and to honor the contributions of all immigrants, not only those of a certain race, ethnicity or religion. Nativist Trumpism Risks Tainting the Holiday, Instead of Recalling its True Meaning As I have posted, any conservative accomplishments of Donald Trump, which could have been achieved by a principled conservative Republican President, are tainted by his poor character and populism. And sometimes, one may do the right thing for the wrong reason. His promotion of Columbus Day amidst his nativist, inhumane, un-Christian and un-American policies against immigrants and refugees is contradictory to the intent of the holiday, which he seems to be attempting to use as a basis for his broader policy views, while the nativism, xenophobia and bigotry of many Trumpists is all-too familiar. Because Trump and his supporters thereby risk tainting the holiday as based upon bigotry and hatred against non-Europeans or non-Christians, it is especially necessary and timely to recall the true purpose of Columbus Day as a celebration of the contribution of immigrants and of love for fellow human beings who seek liberty in our land. May the Columbus Day holiday instead serve clearly again as intended as a rejection of nativism and xenophobia.

2024 Freedom House Report: 19th Straight Year of the Decline of Freedom Globally

Freedom House’s 2024 Annual Report observes a decline in freedom around the world for the 19th consecutive year. The report observed a decline in freedom in nearly twice as many States than those that registered increases. Widespread armed conflicts and threats from non-state actors contributed to the decline, along with increased repression, including those States that hold elections, and increased election violence around the world. Terrorism and Russian mercenaries have decreased liberty in the Sahel after military coups overthrow elected governments in Malli, Burkina Faso and Niger, while organized crime affects some Latin American States and Haiti. As in El Salvador, some States, like Ecuador violate basic rights against criminal gangs. Undermining free elections, the rule of law (including persecution of lawyers, particularly in Russia and Belarus) by persecuting opposition leaders and critics, the independence of the judiciary and the freedoms of the press and assembly were the typical tools of oppressors. Populist leaders were often able to use public support to erode constitutional safeguards. The Freedom House report particularly cited decreased liberty in El Salvador by its populist right-wing President who has remained in office beyond the constitutional term limit, while Tunisia’s President has usurped the constitution to exercise authoritarian control. The elected parliament under Kuwait’s constitutional monarchy has been undermined by a retraction of power by the Emir, while Thailand’s pro-monarchy party also either removed from office or banned opposition parties. In contrast, Bhutan has transitioned from an absolute to a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. The overthrow of the Baathist Assad regime in Syria, popular uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have increased freedom and elections in Senegal has restored the West African State to the status of free. Freedom House noted the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another in Botswana, long a free and peaceful State, which is also a first in Southern Africa. In Eastern Europe, the election defeat of Poland’s illiberal authoritarian Government by a centrist coalition was noted, as was increased authoritarianism in Serbia and corruption in Slovakia. Freedom House reported corruption as undermining freedom in various States around the world. The current lack of American leadership for freedom and its poor example of undermining safeguards is damaging the Free World’s efforts to reverse the global decline of freedom. Because increased global freedom leads to more peace, security and prosperity, the United States and supporters of liberty around the world should make it a priority to increase freedom globally.

Foreign Digest: Syria, Sudan and Hungary

Syria: Elections were held in Syria last week for the first time since the overthrow of the Baathist dictatorship of Bashar Assad. The vote — the first free elections in Syrian history — were for a popular assembly to draft laws and a new constitution. Electoral colleges were appointed in each participating province (except in the provinces inhabited primarily by Kurdish and Druse because of divisions with the provisional Syrian government). Popular elections were impossible because of the displacement of millions of Syrians from the Syrian Civil War and lost records. The war began in 2011 as a popular uprising against the Assad tyranny and claimed over half a million lives and displaced around a quarter of the population of 20 million, causing the largest refugee surge in Europe since the Second World War. The Assad family, of the minority Alawite Shi’ite sect, had ruled Syria since 1970. They were backed in the war by Iran, Hezbollah (the Lebanese terrorist organization) and Russia. Each religious and ethnic group, as well as women, were represented in the Electoral Colleges. The diversity was reflected in the election of women and minorities in the assembly for the religiously and ethnically diverse Arab State. Sudan: The International Criminal Court convicted a senior Janjaweed militia leader for crimes against humanity in Sudan in 2003 to 2004, including destruction, rapes, and killings. He had surrendered in Central African Republic in 2020. The war began in 2003 in the western Darfur Province as an insurgency by ethnic groups against the oppressive Arab-led Government. It killed 300,000 people. Sudan’s Islamist tyrant was overthrown in 2019 and detained, but has not been turned over to the ICC for trial. The new civil war since 2023 between the Janjaweed’s paramilitary successors and the Sudanese military has disrupted Sudan’s political transition and killed 40,000 people in the African State. Hungary: The European Parliament last week rejected Hungary’s request to revoke immunity to center-right Hungarian Member of the European Parliament Peter Magyar from charges based on political persecution, and a leftist Italian MEP who had been imprisoned in Hungary for 16 months until last year on “terrorism” accusations stemming from a protest. Magyar had served in the Hungarian Government, but broke away because of its corruption and now leads the conservative opposition party that is leading the polls in next April’s parliamentary elections against the authoritarian anti-migrant pro-Russian far-right ruling party of Viktor Orban. Orban, whom the EU describes as an “autocrat” and has withheld funds to Hungary for authoritarianism and corruption, is the darling of American Trumpists. Orban’s party left the center-right European People’s Party, a European parliamentary group, after violating its principles. The vote of the EPP were decisive. Hungary, a former Communist and Soviet satellite State in Eastern Euorope is an ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but has opposed aid to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression.

The Pro-Europeans Defeated the Pro-Russians in the Moldovan Parliamentary Elections

The ruling pro-European party won the most votes and seats in the Moldovan parliamentary elections over the pro-Russian party, despite the heavy Russian interference I had posted about last week. The pro-Europeans nearly won a majority of votes, besting the pro-Russian party by a more than 2:1 margin. The ruling party won a majority of seats in Moldova’s Parliament, thereby avoiding the necessity of forming a coalition government with smaller parties. There were bomb threats not only in Moldova, but Romania, Italy, Spain and America where the Moldovan diaspora was voting, just like when the Russians made bomb threats during the 2024 United States elections. A breakaway part of the former Soviet Republic is populated by Russian speakers and occupied by Russian troops against Moldova’s will. The Russian Federation, which invaded the former Soviet Republics of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, as ex-Soviet intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, the Russian tyrant, is trying to restore the Soviet Union and Russian Empire. As I have been posting, Russia uses many methods to engage in political interference in European States and America, among various other machinations. Moldova is a candidate for joining the European Union, which was a major issue in the campaign, as membership would reduce Russian influence. Moldova, like Romania earlier this year, now provides a model for defending against Russian interference. Moldova exposed Russian interference, conducted hundreds of raids and scores of arrests, and banned two Russian-financed political parties. Moreover, Moldova and its ruling party framed the election as a choice between being under Russian influence versus independence and alignment with Europe.