Trump reigns supreme. His enemies no longer matter

Telegraph

05-03-2025

Fantastic, shameless, five-star entertainment. Tuesday night's address to Congress was the apotheosis of Trump the TV host, Trump the people's friend. What other president would induct a kid with brain cancer into the Secret Service? Or tell a young man he'd won a place at West Point? And when Elizabeth Warren gave an extra long hand clap for Ukraine, he called her Pocahontas and brought the house down. Folks, this wasn't politics. It was like watching Sinatra play Vegas.
Two messages stood out: the Democrats don't matter, and neither does Europe. The party of opposition wore pink to show solidarity with women - gender stereotyping! - and held up little paddles that read 'false' or 'that's a lie'. They looked like they were bidding on meds in a retirement home. They are old. They are cranky. They even booed Trump saying he won the election, which was one the few things he uttered that was indisputable. Al Green, a 77-year old congressman from Texas, waved his cane, shouted and was led out, after JD Vance gave security a 'remove him' signal with his hand. Green didn't look righteous; he looked confused.
Melania looked like Ursa from Superman II, in a funky dress - though she smiled more than either Ursa or Melania usually do. Trump got laughs listing the items discovered in Elon's purge of federal spending: money to turn mice transsexual, to bring Sesame Street to Arabia and 'eight million dollars to promote LGBTQ+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which no one has ever heard of'. One person receiving Social Security, he said, is listed as '360 years old, more than one hundred years older than our country' (and nearly twice as old as Nancy Pelosi).
The Republicans lapped it up; one Dem was caught on camera sighing and shaking his head (at what? Border security? Fighting crime?). Trump's smartest move was to treat the liberals like a nuisance in a night-club audience: mock them, toy with them, point out their absurdity. 'I could find a cure' for a disease, or 'announce the answers for the greatest economy in history... and these people would not clap.'
What he did announce was 'drill baby drill', the end of woke, tariffs on the world and, by way of introducing Robert Kennedy Jnr, a pledge to find the cause of autism ('With the name Kennedy, you'd think everyone over there would be cheering.') Greenland will be America's 'one way or another.' He rounded off by announcing America's voyage 'to Mars and even far beyond.' Elon the Vulcan is going to Pluto.
But what of Ukraine? It was there, briefly. Trump wants the war to end; he took delight in quoting a letter from Zelensky in which he says he wants to sign the mineral deal. You might think Trump is pure evil - fine. But his strategy has paid off and he's got what he wants: the minerals, Zelensky's submission and Europe spending more on its own defence. His broader project represents the victory of the paleoconservative movement. South Korea, he said, puts tariffs on US goods but makes America pay to defend it from the commies - a Cold War hangover that might end. America putting itself first.
The most important issue in the speech wasn't Russia or even the Mexico border. It was eggs. The price has skyrocketed thanks to a bird flu outbreak, which is no one's fault - but the Dems blame Trump and Trump blames Joe Biden, mentioned here as 'the worst president in history.' 'Donald, by contrast, has had 'the most successful' first few weeks ever. 'You know who number two is? George Washington.'
This is madness on a level not seen since Hugo Chavez handed out washing machines and fridges to voters on TV. Yet behind the spectacle is a revolution in government, the most determined effort since Reagan to shrink and repurpose the US government. Lesotho won't know what hit it.