Good analysis. We have been alienating our allies and cozying up to dictators since Trump got elected,. This will have long-term detrimental effects to both our foreign and domestic policies.
I agree. If we get a Democratic president in office, realistically, s/he needs to work with our "former" allies to help them (as the Canadian PM stated) gain autonomy without relying on the U.S. (They don't have to totally trust us - just trust us enough.) We have proven to the world that, as voters, we can't be trusted to see the world-shattering difference between 2 highly capable, smart women and a narcissistic bully. (I -and a lot of others - voted for the smart women but it wasn't enough to get us over the danger point.) Lincoln has been attributed with "saving the union" but realistically he didn't, and Andrew Johnson just nailed down the coffin lid.
Thank you, Mr. Beschloss. I don’t know how our former allies can have made a judgment about America as an ally in the future when sane heads in America are spinning at the realignment djt and company are engineering. I would hope that our former allies would watch and await developments in America.
I really do believe that some of our most stalwart allies see this for what it is worth and see that it is a temporary fly in the ointment of American democracy. So much depends on what happens in the midterm elections here.
The thing that worries me the most is not what our allies think but what the Trump supporting base allows themselves to believe and how strong their attachment is to these anti-democratic policies and aspirations.
If we vociferously object to what is happening in our country, I do believe our allies will take pity on us and understand that we are trying to extricate ourselves from this nightmare.
All that I have described above about our aspirations is a thing called. Hope. That is the one thing that it is important to maintain.
That's why the No Kings Day of protest next Saturday is so important. We need impressive numbers of people to show up so the world and our allies can see there are more of us than them and we are fighting back.
Oh there is hope, but forgiveness requires repentance and amends, and that will take work and time. Other people in the world are dismayed that so many of us went off the rails this badly, and fear we could do it again even when we do clean up this mess. And until we deal with our cult of white supremacy and religious fanatics, they are right to fear a relapse.
Sharon, I agree with you 100 percent. There can be no reconciliation here. This is not after the civil war, this is now. We need to address the rapid and ridiculous direction this country went in. I know it is going to be difficult and I know the current administration ALL need to have a reckoning. Its time now for us to get the epstein files out, get out of Iran and get back to a country that im proud to live in. I know that wont happen until after the mid terms (if we have them) but when we do get a new house, senate, and president we will have some real work to do. C'mon big Mac, do your job!
And Hope is the last tool we have to save ourselves. Since Pandora opened her mythical box, all of the evils that she released have coalesced over the millennia into Trump, his cabinet and all the other dictators waving their dicks around to convince themselves and others as to how powerful they are. All of these bloodthirsty morons must be removed by any means possible NOW.
We have none. Our traditional allies have been forced to make other plans, including inking trade deals that exclude the US. I believe both Putin and Netanyahu are playing Trump for all he's worth, the former getting sanctions lifted and preparing the US for invasion and conquest. The US stands alone.
I don't blame you. FWIW I apologize for the inconvenience. Please know that many of us are doing the best we can to resist, hoping we don't have to resort to civil war. Unfortunately, our Constitution vests all legal remedies for impeachment and removal in Congress, and we've seen what craven cowards they are. I don't blame Canada for minding its own interests. We the people have quite the mess to clean up. Hopefully we can do so via the midterm elections in November. If not, ugly will get uglier.
Many of us Canadians have cut economic ties with the US but fully support all your efforts at resistance. I've joined Indivisible and pass on that contact to all sorts of Canadians who are unaware of the gathering strength of the fight against trump. Cheering loudly for those of you who will hit the streets next Saturday. May the No Kings gatherings reach more than 12,000,000 - that would be 3.5% of the population - a critical number to show those craven Republicans in the House and Senate that the people mean business. The next several months are going to be very difficult but I'm cheering you on!
Other good organizations to follow are Defiance and Save America Movement. Members are taking concrete actions to resist that don't involve writing our sycophantic legislators. Members so far have stopped some of the detention facilities from being built by informing the community in question of what was happening. The regime has been trying to build secret prisons secretly, and these organizations have put the kabosh on that! But we can't shut down those in operation via legal means, unfortunately. And Markwayne Mullin is NOT a good candidate to lead DHS. He's more of a Klaus Barbie to Noem's Himmler. Unfortunately, Congress will very likely confirm him. I've met several people at No Kings protests that totally regret voting for Trump so hopefully, the midterms are another place we the people can show the regime that we mean business!
Thanks for the ear. This is really frustrating and the idea of civil war is VERY scary. The idea that we're being laid open to Russian invasion even more so. But we won't stop resisting! Vive la révolution!
I can't imagine how scary living in the US must be right now for people awake enough to see the steamroller coming through. But many resistance efforts are holding the onslaught at bay - courts saying "No!", small communities saying "No!" to ICE. The coalition of state AGs fighting back and winning on a number of issues. And citizens supporting neighbours and keeping vulnerable people as safe as possible. As the costs of living keep escalating, more and more people, regardless of political persuasion, are understanding how their lives are being impacted and further out of reach by trump and his cronies hell bent on enriching themselves. People are getting angrier and angrier. Civil war? It's not gonna be red/blue - it's going to be poor against wealthy and guess who has the larger numbers. In the end, every dollar you spend can be strategic.
It's been time consuming here in Canada sustaining our US boycott (of goods and travel) - it's meant reading labels to make sure of country of origin of a product, it means deciding lettuce won't be on the menu right now, unless we can get some local greenhouse grown. Booze produced in Kentucky has taken a big hit. We know we're impacting the jobs of those who can ill afford losing them. But because we have no vote, we have to do the next best thing - make more and more of our US friends and neighbours understand what's coming at you - we see it clearly. We need (the rest of the world needs) many more of you to see clearly, too.
Many of us see it very clearly, thanks. It's actions that are difficult, especially when ICE points an actual gun to one's head. History shows very clearly what's happening here. We're doing the best we can. Trump et al are trying very hard to provoke violence so he can invoke the Insurrection Act and declare martial law. We're following the example set by nonviolent movements such as Gandhi. And looking very forward to the day we can tear his stupid monuments down, not to mention cheering the war crimes trials in the Hague! Many of us are quite horrified, and the current war in Iran is very, very unpopular. Only generals who refuse illegal orders can stop that.
Unfortunately, there is a large contingent of MAGA quite supportive of these crimes. Maryland is one state taking action to ban such people from public office. Across our country, MAGA candidates are being rejected top to bottom. So please take heart in that! Hopefully he'll be forced to reject the midterm election results. Hopefully, if we give Democrats the means, they'll put a stop to this by impeaching & removing the lot of them. Hopefully-
God lets man be man; and, unfortunately for the World 🌎🌍🌏 and all its creatures, we’re a constant battle of good 😊 and evil 👿.
Until now evil 👿 men, who occasionally gained power to do their evil deeds, ultimately would be crushed by good 😊 men at great cost. I deeply believe that we’ve reached the point in man’s evolution that we absolutely need to find the means to prohibit evil 👿 men from attaining positions from which they can now destroy this wonderful world.
I still believe that the Trump regime is not representing the views and wishes of the average American just as the average German did not support Hitler's words and actions in the early 1930's, but the longer it takes for the average American to stand up and publicly reject and resist Trump in huge numbers, they inevitably will become complicit. November 2026 is the time to show your stand, but it looks like you may have to fight even for the right to vote...
Certains ont été plus prompt à réagir un certain 6 janvier 2021. Ils sont maintenant au pouvoir. / Some were quicker to react on January 6, 2021. They are now in power.
Think of allies like neighbors you’ve relied on for years. You may not agree on politics, how they keep their yard, or even get along all the time—but you’ve built a pattern: you lend tools, they watch your house, you help each other after storms. That history is what matters.
At the same time, it’s also like insurance. You don’t cancel it because you’re annoyed one day—you keep it because when something goes wrong, you need it to be there and dependable.
So if you suddenly start questioning those relationships, pulling back, or even siding with someone who’s been causing trouble (taking Russia's side?), you’re weakening both the trust and the safety net you depend on.
America has not been acting in ways that make allies trust us when it counts, when we ask for help, and when we need help.
Excellent analogy. Wish our current leadership saw things this way. Methinks they have lived in gated, guarded communities for so long that they’ve lost touch with reality. Thanks for posting, All best … Don
Thanks Don. Being a Democrat, a frustrated Dem, Being a Democrat, a frustrated Dem, tho, I do look into the mirror and read history to see Dem's who also live in the elite neighborhoods of business and society. However, time is of the essence. I believe that the cumulative effect of Trump and MAGA is the gravest threat in my lifetime to our democracy, world leadership and international stability.
I agree. I cant say I agree totally but that has to do with my aversion to agreeing with anything totally, including my own theories. It’s a liberal kinda thing. … Dems are certainly not without blame. Far from it. Populism was on the rise a few years back. Bernie offered one way that populist energy could be responded to. Trump offered quite another. I was licking my political chops in anticipation of a Sanders Trump showdown. Bernie I still believe would have creamed Trump. IMHO The DNC, in its triangulating wisdom, threw Sanders under the bus. The rest is … history. There are plenty of Dems in the Epstein files. Maybe as many Dems as Republicans. The damage done to democracy by the “Epstein Class” - and it is a “class” if not a “cult” outright - continues this day. Bless the young victims who I don’t demean or dismiss by stating that I feel raped too. That said I do believe there is a world of difference between the Dems and the Republicans. Dems at last are waking up to their own complicity in this mess. The old guard is being replaced by a new guard. That changeover can’t come soon enough in my book. I see a nucleus of Dem leaders better prepared, better organized than they have been in a long, long time. Will they be able to win the power necessary to overcome our fascist SCOTUS, our fascist President, our fascist Republican rubber stamp Congress? The old saw about the next election outcome being the most important ever really is true this time around. We have to VOTE GD it! And we have to hit the streets in protest every chance we get between now and November to feel and show our strength and resolve and make lawmakers fear what will befall America should they pass the propagandistically named “Save America Act” or support the various other tactics to suppress if not prevent the midterms. … Sorry for having gone on a little long here, Ralph. Will let you go. Will let myself go - literally go - to my weekly protest in front of a local Tesla dealership. Tesla as in Musk as in another Epstein Class member. … RESIST!
While I suspect that, if for no other reason, the size and scope of our economy will prove irresistible to our allies, serving as motivation enough for them to invite us back into the fold once Trump and MAGA are no longer in power, I think that the US will not soon, or perhaps ever, regain it's position as King of the Hill. In fact, over the long term I predict that some of our states and regions will continue to form separate alliances and eventually consider breaking away from what may have become an unmanageably corrupt so-called United States.
Is anyone really an ally of Trump? In my view, it is all a matter of what’s in it for him, personally not the country. I admire those going out for the prostests next week, but I have this question to pose: will it really accomplish much? I think it’s great, but, if the republicans will not listen, then who are the protestors talking to?
If you go remember this: $1 million a minute! That’s what this war is costing. Bill Kritof in the times runs through where we could make the world a better place with just a slice of that money. A million a minute. That should be one of the rallying cries. The cost. That and the lost opportunity to make the world better.
Just being pragmatic for travelers, watch for Force Majeure clauses in your travel insurance. If something happens due to the war, there’s a good chance you or your beneficiaries won’t be covered…..
Good analysis. We have been alienating our allies and cozying up to dictators since Trump got elected,. This will have long-term detrimental effects to both our foreign and domestic policies.
We have no allies now.
Israel is a pariah state that exploits our support to terrorize its captive Palestinians and its neighboring countries.
NATO countries have realized that the US is not trustworthy and have pulled back from any support.
Asian countries, such as Japan, have attempted dialogue only to be rebuffed and insulted.
America is now led by white Christian nationalists who neither follow the teachings of Christ nor look out for our national interests.
By handing over the reins of power (TWICE) to an ignorant narcissistic white supremacist, we showed the world that we are not a worthy ally to anyone.
We stand alone.
And God only knows why anyone would trust us again.
Ditto your, “America is now led by white Christian nationalists who neither follow the teachings of Christ nor look out for our national interests.”
I agree. If we get a Democratic president in office, realistically, s/he needs to work with our "former" allies to help them (as the Canadian PM stated) gain autonomy without relying on the U.S. (They don't have to totally trust us - just trust us enough.) We have proven to the world that, as voters, we can't be trusted to see the world-shattering difference between 2 highly capable, smart women and a narcissistic bully. (I -and a lot of others - voted for the smart women but it wasn't enough to get us over the danger point.) Lincoln has been attributed with "saving the union" but realistically he didn't, and Andrew Johnson just nailed down the coffin lid.
🧵Remember the old knock against Obama, the whole “Apology Tour” complaint?
Well, we’re going to need a REAL apology tour and a LOT of hard work, just to regain SOME of the trust our allies had in us.
I feel for Blinken who spent 4 years non-stop trying to repair damage from Trump 1.0.
🧵I certainly agree with you and understand exactly what you mean regarding Pres. Andrew Johnson.
One of the most craven acts in all of politics!
Thank you, Mr. Beschloss. I don’t know how our former allies can have made a judgment about America as an ally in the future when sane heads in America are spinning at the realignment djt and company are engineering. I would hope that our former allies would watch and await developments in America.
We don’t have any. We have insulted and threatened to annex some. Starve, kill, deport, jail …. even children.
What was your question again????
I really do believe that some of our most stalwart allies see this for what it is worth and see that it is a temporary fly in the ointment of American democracy. So much depends on what happens in the midterm elections here.
The thing that worries me the most is not what our allies think but what the Trump supporting base allows themselves to believe and how strong their attachment is to these anti-democratic policies and aspirations.
If we vociferously object to what is happening in our country, I do believe our allies will take pity on us and understand that we are trying to extricate ourselves from this nightmare.
All that I have described above about our aspirations is a thing called. Hope. That is the one thing that it is important to maintain.
That's why the No Kings Day of protest next Saturday is so important. We need impressive numbers of people to show up so the world and our allies can see there are more of us than them and we are fighting back.
Oh there is hope, but forgiveness requires repentance and amends, and that will take work and time. Other people in the world are dismayed that so many of us went off the rails this badly, and fear we could do it again even when we do clean up this mess. And until we deal with our cult of white supremacy and religious fanatics, they are right to fear a relapse.
Sharon, I agree with you 100 percent. There can be no reconciliation here. This is not after the civil war, this is now. We need to address the rapid and ridiculous direction this country went in. I know it is going to be difficult and I know the current administration ALL need to have a reckoning. Its time now for us to get the epstein files out, get out of Iran and get back to a country that im proud to live in. I know that wont happen until after the mid terms (if we have them) but when we do get a new house, senate, and president we will have some real work to do. C'mon big Mac, do your job!
It will take time
Good WILL triumph over evil
From your keyboard to G*d’s screen, Diane, as well as those of all the angels
And Hope is the last tool we have to save ourselves. Since Pandora opened her mythical box, all of the evils that she released have coalesced over the millennia into Trump, his cabinet and all the other dictators waving their dicks around to convince themselves and others as to how powerful they are. All of these bloodthirsty morons must be removed by any means possible NOW.
Or good will TRUMP EVIL - BUT NOT TIL HE'S gone!
Clearly it is now Iran Russia Hungary. Lifting sanctions against Iran and Russia is literally paying them to kill US military and civilians
We have none. Our traditional allies have been forced to make other plans, including inking trade deals that exclude the US. I believe both Putin and Netanyahu are playing Trump for all he's worth, the former getting sanctions lifted and preparing the US for invasion and conquest. The US stands alone.
I’m Canadian. My bumper sticker says “Buy Anything But American - BABA!” I won’t be visiting again, sorry.
I don't blame you. FWIW I apologize for the inconvenience. Please know that many of us are doing the best we can to resist, hoping we don't have to resort to civil war. Unfortunately, our Constitution vests all legal remedies for impeachment and removal in Congress, and we've seen what craven cowards they are. I don't blame Canada for minding its own interests. We the people have quite the mess to clean up. Hopefully we can do so via the midterm elections in November. If not, ugly will get uglier.
Many of us Canadians have cut economic ties with the US but fully support all your efforts at resistance. I've joined Indivisible and pass on that contact to all sorts of Canadians who are unaware of the gathering strength of the fight against trump. Cheering loudly for those of you who will hit the streets next Saturday. May the No Kings gatherings reach more than 12,000,000 - that would be 3.5% of the population - a critical number to show those craven Republicans in the House and Senate that the people mean business. The next several months are going to be very difficult but I'm cheering you on!
Other good organizations to follow are Defiance and Save America Movement. Members are taking concrete actions to resist that don't involve writing our sycophantic legislators. Members so far have stopped some of the detention facilities from being built by informing the community in question of what was happening. The regime has been trying to build secret prisons secretly, and these organizations have put the kabosh on that! But we can't shut down those in operation via legal means, unfortunately. And Markwayne Mullin is NOT a good candidate to lead DHS. He's more of a Klaus Barbie to Noem's Himmler. Unfortunately, Congress will very likely confirm him. I've met several people at No Kings protests that totally regret voting for Trump so hopefully, the midterms are another place we the people can show the regime that we mean business!
Thanks for the ear. This is really frustrating and the idea of civil war is VERY scary. The idea that we're being laid open to Russian invasion even more so. But we won't stop resisting! Vive la révolution!
I can't imagine how scary living in the US must be right now for people awake enough to see the steamroller coming through. But many resistance efforts are holding the onslaught at bay - courts saying "No!", small communities saying "No!" to ICE. The coalition of state AGs fighting back and winning on a number of issues. And citizens supporting neighbours and keeping vulnerable people as safe as possible. As the costs of living keep escalating, more and more people, regardless of political persuasion, are understanding how their lives are being impacted and further out of reach by trump and his cronies hell bent on enriching themselves. People are getting angrier and angrier. Civil war? It's not gonna be red/blue - it's going to be poor against wealthy and guess who has the larger numbers. In the end, every dollar you spend can be strategic.
It's been time consuming here in Canada sustaining our US boycott (of goods and travel) - it's meant reading labels to make sure of country of origin of a product, it means deciding lettuce won't be on the menu right now, unless we can get some local greenhouse grown. Booze produced in Kentucky has taken a big hit. We know we're impacting the jobs of those who can ill afford losing them. But because we have no vote, we have to do the next best thing - make more and more of our US friends and neighbours understand what's coming at you - we see it clearly. We need (the rest of the world needs) many more of you to see clearly, too.
Many of us see it very clearly, thanks. It's actions that are difficult, especially when ICE points an actual gun to one's head. History shows very clearly what's happening here. We're doing the best we can. Trump et al are trying very hard to provoke violence so he can invoke the Insurrection Act and declare martial law. We're following the example set by nonviolent movements such as Gandhi. And looking very forward to the day we can tear his stupid monuments down, not to mention cheering the war crimes trials in the Hague! Many of us are quite horrified, and the current war in Iran is very, very unpopular. Only generals who refuse illegal orders can stop that.
Unfortunately, there is a large contingent of MAGA quite supportive of these crimes. Maryland is one state taking action to ban such people from public office. Across our country, MAGA candidates are being rejected top to bottom. So please take heart in that! Hopefully he'll be forced to reject the midterm election results. Hopefully, if we give Democrats the means, they'll put a stop to this by impeaching & removing the lot of them. Hopefully-
I agree, crazy! Keep fighting!
J'aimerais qu'on organise ce même genre d'évèments ici au Canada. Pour démontrer notre colère.
Me neither
Moi non plus la confiance est rompue.
White supremacy, greed, hatred, division and genocide.
Message to my children this beautiful new day 🌅:
“A project for your generation ~
God lets man be man; and, unfortunately for the World 🌎🌍🌏 and all its creatures, we’re a constant battle of good 😊 and evil 👿.
Until now evil 👿 men, who occasionally gained power to do their evil deeds, ultimately would be crushed by good 😊 men at great cost. I deeply believe that we’ve reached the point in man’s evolution that we absolutely need to find the means to prohibit evil 👿 men from attaining positions from which they can now destroy this wonderful world.
🤞🙏❤️🩹🇺🇸🌎🌍🌏”
I still believe that the Trump regime is not representing the views and wishes of the average American just as the average German did not support Hitler's words and actions in the early 1930's, but the longer it takes for the average American to stand up and publicly reject and resist Trump in huge numbers, they inevitably will become complicit. November 2026 is the time to show your stand, but it looks like you may have to fight even for the right to vote...
Certains ont été plus prompt à réagir un certain 6 janvier 2021. Ils sont maintenant au pouvoir. / Some were quicker to react on January 6, 2021. They are now in power.
Think of allies like neighbors you’ve relied on for years. You may not agree on politics, how they keep their yard, or even get along all the time—but you’ve built a pattern: you lend tools, they watch your house, you help each other after storms. That history is what matters.
At the same time, it’s also like insurance. You don’t cancel it because you’re annoyed one day—you keep it because when something goes wrong, you need it to be there and dependable.
So if you suddenly start questioning those relationships, pulling back, or even siding with someone who’s been causing trouble (taking Russia's side?), you’re weakening both the trust and the safety net you depend on.
America has not been acting in ways that make allies trust us when it counts, when we ask for help, and when we need help.
Excellent analogy. Wish our current leadership saw things this way. Methinks they have lived in gated, guarded communities for so long that they’ve lost touch with reality. Thanks for posting, All best … Don
Thanks Don. Being a Democrat, a frustrated Dem, Being a Democrat, a frustrated Dem, tho, I do look into the mirror and read history to see Dem's who also live in the elite neighborhoods of business and society. However, time is of the essence. I believe that the cumulative effect of Trump and MAGA is the gravest threat in my lifetime to our democracy, world leadership and international stability.
I agree. I cant say I agree totally but that has to do with my aversion to agreeing with anything totally, including my own theories. It’s a liberal kinda thing. … Dems are certainly not without blame. Far from it. Populism was on the rise a few years back. Bernie offered one way that populist energy could be responded to. Trump offered quite another. I was licking my political chops in anticipation of a Sanders Trump showdown. Bernie I still believe would have creamed Trump. IMHO The DNC, in its triangulating wisdom, threw Sanders under the bus. The rest is … history. There are plenty of Dems in the Epstein files. Maybe as many Dems as Republicans. The damage done to democracy by the “Epstein Class” - and it is a “class” if not a “cult” outright - continues this day. Bless the young victims who I don’t demean or dismiss by stating that I feel raped too. That said I do believe there is a world of difference between the Dems and the Republicans. Dems at last are waking up to their own complicity in this mess. The old guard is being replaced by a new guard. That changeover can’t come soon enough in my book. I see a nucleus of Dem leaders better prepared, better organized than they have been in a long, long time. Will they be able to win the power necessary to overcome our fascist SCOTUS, our fascist President, our fascist Republican rubber stamp Congress? The old saw about the next election outcome being the most important ever really is true this time around. We have to VOTE GD it! And we have to hit the streets in protest every chance we get between now and November to feel and show our strength and resolve and make lawmakers fear what will befall America should they pass the propagandistically named “Save America Act” or support the various other tactics to suppress if not prevent the midterms. … Sorry for having gone on a little long here, Ralph. Will let you go. Will let myself go - literally go - to my weekly protest in front of a local Tesla dealership. Tesla as in Musk as in another Epstein Class member. … RESIST!
While I suspect that, if for no other reason, the size and scope of our economy will prove irresistible to our allies, serving as motivation enough for them to invite us back into the fold once Trump and MAGA are no longer in power, I think that the US will not soon, or perhaps ever, regain it's position as King of the Hill. In fact, over the long term I predict that some of our states and regions will continue to form separate alliances and eventually consider breaking away from what may have become an unmanageably corrupt so-called United States.
Is anyone really an ally of Trump? In my view, it is all a matter of what’s in it for him, personally not the country. I admire those going out for the prostests next week, but I have this question to pose: will it really accomplish much? I think it’s great, but, if the republicans will not listen, then who are the protestors talking to?
If you go remember this: $1 million a minute! That’s what this war is costing. Bill Kritof in the times runs through where we could make the world a better place with just a slice of that money. A million a minute. That should be one of the rallying cries. The cost. That and the lost opportunity to make the world better.
Just being pragmatic for travelers, watch for Force Majeure clauses in your travel insurance. If something happens due to the war, there’s a good chance you or your beneficiaries won’t be covered…..