‘The president is alienating the one Republican he needs to advance his agenda — and to save himself from impeachment’. So reads a Vanity Fair headline over the long-simmering tension between Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The New York Times reported that the two men have stopped talking to … Read more
‘I’ll do what I want and you’ll do what I want then I’ll be happy’ appears to be Trump’s Make America Great again strategy as the Canada, Mexico, USA NAFTA trade agreement, now 25 years old, opens for renegotiation. Trump has called NAFTA the worst deal ever and threatened to tear … Read more
The madhouse drama that is Trump’s administration continues to eject flames and debris in all directions. His latest toddler tantrum against being bullied into decent, grown-up behaviour has led to alarm amongst a wide range of hitherto quiescent supporters – and even better has caused several large charities to pull their functions from Mar-a-Lago, which … Read more
A triumph of hope over experience is fuelling the Trump Admin’s schedule for tax reform legislation. A sprint, according to the White House, will see it through the House in October, clearing the Senate in November and on the president’s desk before the New Year. There’s also a small matter of avoiding a … Read more
Money and the military appear to be Trump’s answer to draining the Washington swamp as he ousts the establishment Reince Priebus in favour of moving up one of his favoured generals as Chief of Staff. John Kelly’s herculean task appears to be instilling discipline in an unruly White House wracked by palace … Read more
“The most dangerous political operative in America” is how the author of the recently published book The Devil’s Bargain describes Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist. “Trump wouldn’t be president if it weren’t for Bannon”. “As far as political reality goes, it’s Bannon’s movie we’re now in.” Bannon’s philosophy is apocalyptic, a world dominated … Read more
Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron have been pomp and circumstancing their way through Bastille Day in France. Both have Mars in Leo and Macron has Sun Venus Neptune Mercury in Sagittarius to chime with DT’s Moon. They revel in flamboyance, military parades and gaudy shows. Bastille Day celebrates … Read more
Donald Trump’s admin is making slow-to-no progress on major campaign promises – repeal Obamacare to allow for tax cuts and substantial infrastructure investment to name but three – as it gets increasingly snarled up in the Russia imbroglio. Some politicians are now murmuring about Don Jnr’s Russia meeting, that cooperating with … Read more
Donald Trump Jnr now says he did meet with a Russian lawyer, closely associated with the Kremlin, who had promised compromising material on Hillary Clinton, which flies in the face of a stream of earlier denials from himself and others in the Trump campaign. Media and political circles are in a furore though … Read more
An inflammatory world summit is due next week in Hamburg with Donald Trump arriving to face Angela Merkel’s wrath over his climate change stance and his protectionist/isolationist policies; a meeting with Vladimir Putin which must be giving Trump advisers concern; and Turkey’s Recep Erdogan will also be present to add spice to the mix. … Read more