US President Donald Trump is provoking a US constitutional crisis, claiming sweeping powers to override or bypass the US Congress’ control over spending in a brazen attempt to centralize financial power in the executive branch.
If he succeeds, it would be a 21st-century coup — with power slipping from elected officials’ hands, Nobel laureate in economics Paul Krugman said, .
Krugman said the real story hidden behind the president’s trade war is the hijacking of government — and he is right.
By usurping the authority to shut down government programs at will — even those funded by Congress — Trump could slash federal spending and taxes while pretending to balance the books. In reality, he would be robbing the poor to enrich the wealthy.
In a world where economic jargon has been corrupted to depict exploitation as “wealth creation,” the audacity of Trump — and his lackeys — to personally profit is breathtaking. Trump’s philosophy is simple: Let the uber-rich do whatever they want, with little or no oversight. The result would be vast wealth for a select few, while life grows nastier and shorter for the many.
His plan took shape last weekend, when Trump removed a top-ranking US Treasury official who had been blocking his billionaire crony, Elon Musk, from accessing the federal payment system — exposing the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans, as well as details of public contractors who compete directly with Musk’s businesses.
The system disburses more than US$5 trillion annually, and Musk and his allies are “clearly aiming to redesign” it to serve the Trumpian agenda, Modern Money Network research director analyst Nathan Tankus wrote, opening the door for the US president to seek retribution against his political opponents.
To see the impact, look no further than one of Trump’s first moves: freezing trillions of US dollars in federal spending — particularly on foreign aid, non-governmental organizations, “diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” “woke gender ideology” and the “Green New Deal.”
The courts blocked the measure as unconstitutional, but not before it wreaked havoc on government agencies and nonprofits, especially those aiding vulnerable groups such as homeless veterans. Musk said he would close the US Agency for International Aid, but this remains moot as a federal body is legally required to administer aid.
Just like his trade war, Trump’s claim to “impoundment” authority — the supposed right to unilaterally halt spending — exposes the core contradiction of his power grab: He postures like a monarch because he is too weak to govern as a president. He wields tariffs at will, bypassing Congress with “national security” claims — yet cut a deal with Mexico that both sides spun as victory.
In his first term, Trump’s protectionist crusade — tariffs on China, a North American Free Trade Agreement shake-up and attacking allies’ trade policies — was sold as a revolution. Instead, it was a self-inflicted wound. His administration slapped US$80 billion in new “taxes” on Americans through tariffs, only to see supply chains reroute to Vietnam and Indonesia rather than bring jobs back home. The real cost? A 0.2 percent hit to GDP and 142,000 jobs lost, according to the Tax Foundation.
Without serious investment in domestic industry, the “America First” trade strategy did not rebuild US manufacturing — it just drove up costs. Trump’s chaos is not confidence — it is desperation. He is trying to conjure power he does not actually have. He is manufacturing a perception of dominance in the hope that Americans will simply accept it. The real danger is letting his illusion of power become reality.
Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention. If it makes headlines, it is because China wants to invade. Yet, those who find their way here by some twist of fate often fall in love. If you ask them why, some cite numbers showing it is one of the freest and safest countries in the world. Others talk about something harder to name: The quiet order of queues, the shared umbrellas for anyone caught in the rain, the way people stand so elderly riders can sit, the
Taiwan’s fall would be “a disaster for American interests,” US President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday last week, as he warned of the “dramatic deterioration of military balance” in the western Pacific. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is indeed facing a unique and acute threat from the Chinese Communist Party’s rising military adventurism, which is why Taiwan has been bolstering its defenses. As US Senator Tom Cotton rightly pointed out in the same hearing, “[although] Taiwan’s defense spending is still inadequate ... [it] has been trending upwards
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In an eloquently written piece published on Sunday, French-Taiwanese education and policy consultant Ninon Godefroy presents an interesting take on the Taiwanese character, as viewed from the eyes of an — at least partial — outsider. She muses that the non-assuming and quiet efficiency of a particularly Taiwanese approach to life and work is behind the global success stories of two very different Taiwanese institutions: Din Tai Fung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). Godefroy said that it is this “humble” approach that endears the nation to visitors, over and above any big ticket attractions that other countries may have
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