Trump has finally met his match as he fights 3 unwinnable wars

Robert Reich
18 April
FILE PHOTO: The Truth social network logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a display of U.S. President Donald Trump in this picture illustration taken February 21, 2022.

It was bound to happen.

Encouraged by the ease with which many big American institutions have caved in to their demands, the Trump regime — that is, the small cadre of bottom-feeding fanatics around Trump (Vance, Musk, Vought, Miller, and RFK Jr.) along with the child king himself — have overreached.

They’ve dared China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court to blink.

But guess what? They’ve met their matches. None of them has blinked — and they won’t.

China not only refused to back down when the Trump regime threatened it with huge tariffs. It retaliated with huge tariffs of its own, plus a freeze on the export of rare-earth elements that America’s high-tech and defense industries depend on.

Harvard also pointedly defied the regime, issuing a clear rebuke to the regime’s attempt to interfere with academic freedom. The regime is trying to strike back — at Harvard’s grants, and its tax-exempt status — but the federal courts will surely reject these efforts.

The Supreme Court told the regime in no uncertain terms — in a rare unanimous decision — that its abduction of a legal American resident and deportation to a dangerous prison in El Salvador, without any criminal charges, was illegal and unconstitutional.

The White House openly defied that unanimous ruling. On Monday, both Trump officials and the president of El Salvador said they could not return Kilmar Abrego Garcia. “Of course, I’m not going to do it,” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said when asked. Trump sat by his side with a smile on his face. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined in the cruel imitation of justice: “That’s up for El Salvador if they want to return him.”

What’s next?

I suspect the testosterone-poisoned lackeys around king Trump are urging him to hit back even harder, escalating the confrontations with China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court. They view these showdowns as ultimate tests of the regime’s strength.

Think of it — they must be telling themselves and their boss — what prizes! If they defeat China, they have brought the world’s other economic powerhouse to its knees!

If they defeat Harvard University, they have been victorious over the world’s intellectual powerhouse!

If they defeat the Supreme Court, they have conquered the entire U.S. government!

Win these battles and no one will ever again doubt the power and resolve of the Trump regime!

Trump is smarter than this. He knows China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court will not back down. All are rich and powerful enough to defy Trump’s escalating threats and demands. They cannot and will not cower.

If Trump escalates his wars against them, they’ll become even stronger in the eyes of their supporters and constituents, and much of the world.

The American people and the world will see that Trump is actually a blowhard with no real power at all.

So if he’s smart, Trump will try to deescalate these three conflicts.

He’s already hinted at an off-ramp with China. He will probably find some way to claim that Harvard has capitulated to his demands. He will avoid a showdown with the Supreme Court.

But keep a watch on these three. They are Trump’s most formidable foes.

If he doesn’t understand this and instead succumbs to the excitement of his power-crazed lackeys, the Trump regime’s days will be effectively over — before it even completes the first hundred of them.

NOW READ: Why Trump voters will love him even more if he faces public protest over Social Security

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/

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