FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Given his monumental ambitions, it would be strange if dynasty wasn't on his mind...
If America’s 25th Amendment were to be used against Donald Trump, his detractors would surely point to the monuments he is building to himself. “Me,” was Trump’s response regarding the subject of his 820-foot-tall triumphal arch in Washington. That solved the puzzle of which triumph the obelisk was intended to commemorate. Since the Freudian answer is “Trump’s Arch,” the American public can take their minds off future glory in Iran or elsewhere. The same goes for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom that will take the place of the collapsed East Wing of the White House.
In the real world, there is little chance that Trump would be dismissed by his subordinates for mental incompetence or anything else. However, his critics cite his obsession with self-naming as evidence of cognitive decline. In practice, Trump's behavior is consistent. He has always put his name to things. According to him, this is good business practice.
But is there more to this than selfishness? Those accused of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) are already enjoying the moment when those monuments that have not yet been built will collapse. However, clinical accuracy would attribute TDS to those who encourage Trump's pharaonic dreams.
Whether it's lawmakers sponsoring bills to add to his likeness to Mount Rushmore or advisers saying he's the greatest U.S. president in history, the staff is only responding to what he wants. Trump recently declared, "As everyone knows, I'm an extraordinarily brilliant person."
But there's reason to suspect he's thinking about something bigger than self-aggrandizement. The best way to perpetuate your name is to find a successor with the same name. Of the Trump children, Barron is very young (20), as is Tiffany (32), which leaves Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr.
Of these, Ivanka has distanced herself significantly from her father since 2021. That leaves Eric and Don Jr. Neither lacks ambition. Each is also getting rich very quickly. Forbes estimates that Eric's net worth has increased 10-fold to $400 million since November 2024. Don Jr.'s wealth has increased six-fold to about $300 million.
Among them, Don Jr. is the one who wants to please his father the most. Polymarket rates his chances of winning the Republican nomination in 2028 at four percent, well behind Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at 21 percent, and JD Vance, the vice president, at 39 percent. Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who recently denounced Trump as a “slave” to Israel, is third at six percent, with Ivanka and Eric each at one percent. But there is reason to think Don Jr. is underrated.
Chief among them is that Trump’s eldest son could be controlled. Although Vance and Rubio would each be far more qualified, neither could be relied upon to be loyal once Trump handed over the keys. Ignoring the 22nd Amendment, which says no president should serve more than two terms, would constitute a coup. Even this U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely to greenlight a third Trump term. Nor is lowering yourself to the position of running mate to Vance or Rubio a way to circumvent the U.S. Constitution, which clearly prohibits such manipulation.
Which leaves one of his sons. Trump’s recent foray into naming himself seems like more than just a legacy effort. Many of his vapid projects will take years to come to fruition. The Arc de Triomphe, for example, is scheduled to be completed in 2028. The ballroom will take a year or two. Trump recently fired his Navy secretary, John Phelan, in part because he was moving too slowly on the “golden Trump-class combat ships” he has ordered built.
In February, Trump offered to unlock funding for two infrastructure projects in New York if Democrats agreed to rename Washington's Dulles Airport and New York's Penn Station after him. They rejected it.
Other names that have taken the name include the Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was renamed, and the US Institute of Peace, which were quickly taken down. This is also true of the $1 million “Trump gold card” for lifetime US visas, his signature on dollar bills and the hanging of his likeness in federal buildings, including the Department of Justice. But these can be removed as quickly as they were put up.
It is often noted that Trump loves the pomp of monarchy and craves the power of an autocrat. Last week he hosted Charles III. Next week he will be the guest of China’s “eternal president,” Xi Jinping. What seems to have gone unnoticed is his admiration for royal heritage. Given Trump’s monumental ambitions, it would be strange if dynasty were not on his mind./ Adapted from “Pamphlet” by “Financial Times”
Lini një Përgjigje