Amid the deluge of actions from the first month of the second Trump presidency, it may be helpful to review a list of what seems to be the most consequential. For a more comprehensive list, updated daily, see the New York Times, “All of the Trump Administrations Major Moves in the First 45 Days.”
This for That: The Latin equivalent is “quid pro quo,” and it is found in coverage of the criminal prosecution of the mayor of New York City and President Trump’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Mayor Eric Adams, after a meeting with the president, was offered dismissal of the charges against him in exchange for his cooperation with the effort to apprehend and deport undocumented individuals. The needed paperwork proved difficult to obtain, as four Department of Justice lawyers chose to resign rather than sign. On the mayor’s side, most of his senior leadership resigned after the needed signature was found (see “’Quid Pro Quo’: The Phrase That Could Have Major Ramifications for Adams,” New York Times,
And there was this from The Associated Press on Feb. 25: “More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they refused to use their technical expertise to ‘dismantle critical public services.’
“The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them” (“The Latest: House GOP pushes budget resolution to passage”).
Delegation and conflict issues: Despite uncertainty about his title, Elon Musk has been busy. After brandishing a chainsaw on national television, he sent e-mails to government employees asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week for him, or resign. Several agency leaders have instructed their employees they need not respond. And, with the president’s approval and praise, his personal crew has entered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and at least 15 other federal agencies, including the IRS, Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration. One U.S. senator stated that it was a “conflict of interest for someone whose company is regulated by the federal government to be involved in anything that affects his personal financial interest, his company or his competitors.” Other reports of favorable agency actions taken in favor of Musk’s business interests have been reported (“Here are all the agencies that Elon Musk and DOGE have been trying to dismantle so far,” ABC News, Feb. 27).
Foreign policy reversals: Support for Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion has shifted to assertions that Ukraine started the conflict; that it should not expect to join NATO, but should accept loss of territory; and should grant to the U.S. up to $500 billion worth of rare earth mineral resources. And there was this, as reported by Foreign Policy on Feb. 19.
In a series of remarks leading up to the just-ended Munich Security Conference, senior Trump administration officials — including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — signaled that the United States is substantially retreating from the greatest alliance in history, NATO, and that China and Russia could have what they’ve long sought: A “multipolar world,” in Rubio’s words. This was capped by a blustery, insulting speech in Munich by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance — remarks that some European officials interpreted as “the opening salvo in a trans-Atlantic divorce proceeding,” according to foreign-policy analyst Richard Fontaine
And then on Feb. 28, the president and vice president had Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as their guest in the White House, and together berated him before television cameras as unappreciative and disrespectful. The meeting ended with President Zelenskyy leaving the White House before the scheduled lunch and the signing of an agreement regarding Ukrainian rare earth mineral resources. It appears that U.S. policy has clearly and suddenly flipped from support for Ukraine to support for Russia (www.pbs.org/newshour/world/).
Again, how much is too much? And if too much, what next?
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Keith Mobley, Dufur, is a retired lawyer who was a Republican candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980. He lost, and then served as the Antelope city attorney against the Rajneeshees until late 1982, when he was hired as assistant to the president of Oregon State University.
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