DONALD J. TRUMP, THE FAILING MAGALOMANIAC
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But when you have advisers around you who know just how well old tricks work you hardly need new ones. Even if all such tricks fail in the end.
Donald Trump, already lost to reality in a self-congratulating dreamworld of his own, lying like there’s no tomorrow by posing as a peacemaker, is now reverting to his true insidiously evil self. The man who poses as a “peacemaker” who lies about solving imaginary wars is now going full fascist. The military budget of the USA according to this peacenik president will be increased from $1 trillion dollars to $1.5 trillion.
That the USA is $38.42 trillion dollars in debt and its debt is increasing by around $7 billion per day doesn’t seem to be a problem for Daffy Donald however. He intends to steal oil from Venezuela and who knows what else from wherever else he decides to plunder. Oh yes, he’s a man of peace alright. A piece of this here, a piece of that there... Venezuela today, Greenland tomorrow, next week Canada. Fifty million barrels of oil as a start from Venezuela today, and who knows what he might decide to steal from YOUR nation tomorrow?
The building of the USA’s war machine and the obvious acts of blatant robbery that Donald Trump is now indulging in are only the start. Every warning about Tyrant Trump you ever heard over past years appear likely to be confirmed by this out of control psycho over the next three years. With his base, that formally urged him to seek peace, now transformed into a jingoistic, chest-thumping mob of wannabe warriors. In true fascist style Trump, with his newly named Ministry of War and its Secretary of War Hegseth war fever is being whipped up using Nazi-style rhetoric. This is one of the oldest games in the political book when your popularity has started to sink, create a fictitious threat and use the nationalist card to the max.
The other day Trump was flummoxed by the news that his popularity had significantly dropped among the U.S. population. How could this be? He was doing such a marvellous job (in his own mind). His big beautiful bill had been the best thing since, well... anything. In his diseased mind he had transformed all the USA’s problems overnight. So why weren’t these stupid people deliriously happy with him? Totally oblivious to the fact that much of North America was struggling ever harder to pay the excruciatingly high prices of everything Trump clearly just thought them ungrateful and in denial about his obvious genius. This is a man living on another planet from everyone else and who has decided to emigrate to Planet Full Fascist.
Trump conceives himself to be the typical fascistic leader leading a super race to endless glory through endless conquest. You don’t need a historian to tell you how this scenario ends.
However, a short history lesson regarding Mussolini, the fascist leader of Italy during WWII and his invasion of Ethiopia may help in the context of Venezuela, U.S. price inflation, Russia, China and Trump’s present policy choices.
AI Overview
By the mid-1930s, Mussolini’s “invincible” facade was showing some serious cracks. While he talked a big game about Roman glory, his grip on Italy was getting shaky, and the invasion of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1935 was essentially a massive, violent distraction from his domestic failures.
Here is the “weakness” behind the bravado:
1. The Great Depression Hit Italy Hard
Mussolini had promised economic self-sufficiency, but by 1934, Italy was struggling. The Great Depression had devastated international trade, and his “Battle for Grain” and “Battle for the Lira” were backfiring, causing prices to rise and wages to stagnate. He needed a “splendid little war” to distract the Italian public from their empty wallets and growing bread lines.
2. Failing Fascist Enthusiasm
The revolutionary fervor of the 1920s was fading. The Italian public was becoming bored and disillusioned with Fascist bureaucracy. Mussolini feared that if he didn’t provide a grand national victory, his cult of personality would wither. Ethiopia was the perfect target: a “barbaric” foreign enemy that could be used to stir up nationalist pride and justify further tightening of his control at home.
3. Pressure from the “Old Guard”
Mussolini was always looking over his shoulder at the Italian Monarchy and the Catholic Church. While he was the “Duce,” King Victor Emmanuel III was still technically the head of state. To truly cement himself as the undisputed master of Italy, Mussolini felt he needed a military conquest that would place him on equal footing with the historical conquerors and force the traditional elites to bow to his “genius.”
4. Fear of Being Overshadowed by Hitler
By 1935, Adolf Hitler was rapidly rearming Germany and drawing the world’s attention. Mussolini, who previously viewed himself as the “senior” dictator of Europe, felt his influence slipping. He invaded Ethiopia to prove that Italy was still a top-tier world power and to secure a “place in the sun” before Germany became too powerful to challenge.
5. Solving the “Surplus Population” Problem
Italy had a massive unemployment problem and a growing population. Mussolini’s “weakness” was that he couldn’t provide enough jobs or land in Italy. He sold the invasion as a way to gain “Spazio Vitale” (living space)—promising Italian peasants that Ethiopia was a land of milk and honey where they could all become prosperous landowners.
The Result:
He won the war using brutal methods (including chemical weapons), but it was a pyrrhic victory. It drained the Italian treasury, isolated Italy from Britain and France, and forced Mussolini into the arms of Hitler—setting the stage for his ultimate downfall in WWII.
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Test Run for Fascism: Mussolini saw the war as a way to forge a “New Italian Man” through military conquest and to demonstrate the prowess of his regime over the “weak” liberal states of Europe.
Trump, having been told that his star was fading, his popularity plummeting and the U.S. economy under him decaying and dying with infrastructure crumbling and with prices and discontent rising needed a distraction. His tub-thumping, war-mongering nationalism with its abandonment of moral or ethical principles, its pure thievery and complete disdain for international law is the result. While embracing fascism Trump will employ the good old, tried and tested method of engaging nationalistic approval, wrapping himself in the national flag.
AI Overview
The phrase “hugging the flag” as a “last resort of a scoundrel” is a modern adaptation of the famous 1775 quote by British writer Samuel Johnson: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.
Ambrose Bierce: The American satirist famously countered Johnson, stating that patriotism is actually the “first refuge” of a scoundrel.
Sinclair Lewis: A related popular sentiment often attributed to Lewis warns: “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross”.
Oscar Wilde: Added a different twist, calling patriotism the “virtue of the vicious”.
Why “Hugging the Flag”?
The specific image of “hugging the flag” became a prominent political shorthand in the 21st century following high-profile instances where political figures physically embraced the American flag at rallies. Critics argue such acts are performative rituals intended to generate blind public support and distract from a lack of “meaningful actions” or integrity.
There is nothing new under the sun they say. Attacking another nation when your support is flagging has been used many times over many years. It was a tactic Bill Clinton used as president when his administration was in trouble by instigating an attack on Libya (during which Gaddafi’s daughter died).
AI Overview
In political science, the phenomenon where a leader uses a military attack abroad to “stiffen support” at home is known as the “rally ‘round the flag” effect. By 2026, this tactic has seen significant use and evolved alongside modern media.
The “Rally ‘Round the Flag” Effect
This effect describes a sudden, sharp increase in public approval for a national leader during a time of international crisis or war.
National Unity: Threats create a psychological need for cohesion, leading citizens to set aside partisan differences.
Reduced Criticism: During conflicts, opposition parties often soften their critiques to avoid appearing unpatriotic, giving the leader a “monopoly” on the national narrative.
2025–2026 Examples
United States (Venezuela Operation): In early January 2026, the U.S. launched a military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. While presented as a “national security” necessity to disrupt drug routes and secure oil, analysts noted it occurred as the Trump administration faced domestic pressure over affordability and climate policy shifts.
Why This Tactic Is Used
Distraction: Foreign conflicts can divert media attention from failing domestic economies or political scandals.
Consolidation of Power: Crises allow leaders to justify expanding executive authority, such as launching military actions without immediate Congressional approval.
National Identity: Leaders often frame attacks as defending “national interests” or “God-given rights,” making dissent seem like a betrayal of the country itself.
Limitations in 2026
While effective in the short term, the “rally” effect is often temporary. By January 2026, political analysts noted that voters’ attention quickly returns to “back home” issues like the cost of living, which typically outweighs the perceived success of foreign military incursions in the long run.
DONALD J. TRUMP, THE FAILING MAGALOMANIAC
