Their lyrics were a rally cry
— fists up, eyes open & though they were railing against Thatcher’s Britain; I reckon Joe Strummer would be having an absolute field day with today’s America.
Let me say it straight. I’m not a fan of Donald Trump but am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He reeks of privilege. A man protected by money, fuelled by ego, obsessed with power, a mammoth of a man who ‘never’ gives up. His brand of leadership is to serve himself. And what disturbs me most is how he seems to embody the cult of toxic masculinity. I understand that certain men love that about him; but as a woman – it’s deeply unsettling.
But he’s also the perfect poster boy for that Clash quote – ‘power bought’.
I will say it. He either has guts – or he’s so immune to rejection that he just barrels on like a man blind to consequences. The real question is — can he ever see past himself?
Can someone so consumed by ego still make room for reason?
Is an obsessed man capable of pivoting; not just for his legacy, but for the country he won the vote to lead (bought or not)?
Has he learnt how to reverse bad decisions or will he just run with them to the ground – cause he ain’t always going to get it right!
It’s hard to fathom someone so out of touch leading a country, yet here we are.
Trump’s narcissism – that’s deeper than self-pride. If he’s a narcissist, they don’t negotiate, they dominate (we’ve seen that!). They don’t meet opposition with discussion, they try to destroy it (that’s why his “you’re fired” shtick fit so well – it was performance, not leadership).
What complicates or compliments this new chapter is Trump’s proximity to people who, on their own, could bring about real change: RFK Jnr., Elon Musk, JD Vance.
RFK Jnr.
I don’t agree with everything he says, but there’s plenty I do.
And more importantly, he actually seems to care. His willingness to take on Big Pharma & call out corporate corruption? I’m right there with him. He sees the manipulation behind the curtain & wants to drag it into the light — just like DOGE seems to be doing in other Governmental departments.
Will Trump give him the resources he needs? Is he a good Manager? Time will tell! But there’s a raw authenticity to RFK Jr. that’s hard to find these days.
Elon Musk
Wild card, no question. But his idea of a Department of Government Efficiency? Love it!
I’ve been banging on about that for years. Government – all Governments – have grown so layered, so bloated, it’s like wading through treacle to get anything done. Streamlining that mess would be a public service in itself.
I like Musk despite his flaws, and am not going to pretend that efficiency doesn’t come with risks. Surveillance, privacy, power concentrated in a few very wealthy hands. And while Musk champions free speech & hard work, he’s also playing god with tech, crypto, & human legacy. Brilliance or ego? Gotta be both.
You can’t achieve what he’s done in his life & not give yourself an ego-pat on the back!
JD Vance
I wrote him off early on. I thought he was there as a lapdog. Seemed too green, too devoted to outdated ideology. But I’ve started listening to him. He does lapdog his way through well, although his religious leanings spook me a bit. They don’t seem in harmony with parts of the party’s mission.
But there’s something steady about his wife whom I admire. At the inauguration, I got the impression they’d had a fight, but she seems solid & holds sway over him, and as long as Vance respects her (and her him), I think they are a team in this.
I wonder if we’ve seen his full hand yet?
Trump
What surprised me most? That Trump may have actually listened to someone smart.
There’s talk of this team focusing less on foreign wars & more on fixing America from the inside. If that’s true, & they pull it off, history won’t just remember Trump differently. It’ll rewrite him.
The man once dismissed as a spectacle, could be reframed as the accidental architect of reform. Not the hero we wanted – maybe not even one we trust -but the one who, somehow got the job done. That’s the kind of twist history loves. And the Dems fear.
Here’s a real question
What happens when one of these men disagrees with Trump? When power clashes with power? These egos aren’t just big – they’re nuclear. And no system is immune to collapse under that kind of internal combustion.
Could a decentralised system finally set people free? Possibly
Could total control creep in, dressed as democracy? Absolutely.
What does Trump want: Control & dominance? A legacy worth having? Love & respect? He seems to crave adoration – like oxygen. He’s calmer when the crowd is cheering, steadier when he’s being praised. But what happens if the love fades? When the applause dies down? If he disappoints his supporters and they turn away?
Who does he become then?
As someone outside the U.S., I needn’t care this much
But I do. Because whatever happens there, ripples here. I hated how closely Australia echoed the U.S., especially when it came to conflicts like Israel/Palestine. Sometimes our PM seemed more like a shadow than a leader – waiting for cues from Washington.
But with Trump now in the driving seat; it’s easier for us to step back & choose what we step up to.
So I watch all this with one eye on the spectacle & the other on what it means for the world. I’m not cross-eyed yet – despite all my hesitation. But I can’t help but notice — Kennedy, Musk, Vance. They’re speaking sense in places where it’s been sorely lacking.
The Dems seem on a mission to destroy cars, destroy environmental businesses & deny findings. The Dems are behaving very badly in spite of the results in a democratically won election. So as Harris & co are busy pointing fingers at flaws, some valid flaws, yes, but they’re offering little of substance in return to their flaws being pointed out by DOGE.
Fear campaigns only go so far, when people are starving for change.
At the heart of it, this election wasn’t about red vs blue. It was about enough. People voted to break the status quo; to risk the unknown. And they got it!
And I get it too – the story of my life!
I’ve always wondered why we vote for parties, not issues
Why don’t we build a system that takes the best ideas from both sides – all sides – instead of forcing upon us, this divisive two party all-or-nothing choice.
Elon? Can you factor that into DOGE!
Imagine a democracy that actually reflects the choice of the people; instead of the polished promises of campaign trails. That the raw, lived experience of ordinary lives are addressed & decisions are founded upon these. A system where major decisions don’t get locked behind closed doors or filtered through political ego, but are shaped by real public input.
Where we don’t just tick a box every few years & hope for the best, but stay involved, connected, counted. Buttons (labelled VOTE) offered every week to click – one or the other – because we are given the choice of input!
What if political representation wasn’t a title, but carried the responsibility of implementation. And if they didn’t get the job done, someone who could, took over!
If politics wasn’t a power game, it could be a collaborative recipe of blended ideas, voices, needs; all stirred with a bit of humility & heart and directed towards humanity. Not just about policies or parties, but about people & wholeness.
A structure that dared to ask, what actually serves us? Not them. Us!?
What’s forming in the USA is the start of something new
Maybe it’s just a beautiful illusion or an ugly takeover.
I also wonder if GROK 3 is involved.
Either way, it’s a hell of a gamble. My question now isn’t just – what will happen? — but:
