Is Trump really a lame duck?

President Donald Trump is concerned about only things that benefit him personally, according to Charles Dent, the former GOP congressman from Pennsylvania’s 15th District. Dent said Thursday on MSNow that “the talk in Washington is that he fired the Secretary of the Navy over the secretary’s inability to get new naval ships emblazoned with Trump’s name fast enough to satisfy the president.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence, an apologist for every move Trump made in his first term, criticized Trump this week for his attacks on Pope Leo’s call for peace in Iran. He said that by focusing on the Pope Trump was diverting his attention from issues people really care about. He said this increased the risk of people seeing Trump as a lame duck.

Trump’s certainly not helping himself much when it comes to not looking like a lame duck. Speaking on a range of topics Friday, he seemed to cover everything except his war on Iran and the economy it’s ruining.

Instead, he waxed eloquently about the importance of properly grouting swimming pools, the need to use several coats of paint to do certain jobs, the construction of his ballroom, and a variety of other issues of no concern to Americans worried about their livelihoods and the war.

He refused to answer any questions about when he might end his now 55-day-old war. His response was that he was “in no hurry” and that he had “all the time in the world.” Why does he persist in this dodging of issues even as his job approval rating sinks down to the 30 percentile range?

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday that “talk about the ballroom, the reflecting pool, and new grouting were an attempt to not address the war he started and the economic disaster it has triggered.”

“I will not vote for a dime for this illegal war,” the senator said. “The Defense Department wants to give $1.5 trillion to Pete Hegseth, a man who does not know what he is doing.”

Republicans are starting to calculate their need to eventually stand up to Trump, and it may be their ability to win re-election that begins to change them. “As they see that tying themselves to Trump is a recipe for defeat, they will begin to change,” Van Hollen predicted.

The image of a president out of touch with the people extends to cabinet members, as well. A good example is FBI Director Kash Patel, now known in the media for his heavy drinking parties and reportedly flying his girlfriend around the country on luxurious private planes.

Adding to what people see as the administration’s political problems are the ever growing grift and corruption of the president’s entire family. It is that very corruption, however, that raises the question of whether Trump is really a lame duck at all.

Only Thursday, Eric Trump bragged about scoring $24 million for a Pentagon deal. He will pocket a sizable chunk of cash from weapons sales via his investments in drones. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, has reportedly pocketed millions of dollars from deals that are influenced by his “diplomatic” activity.

The U.S. taxpayers, meanwhile, shell out $1 billion a day for the war that allows the Trumps to become richer. Not a bad take at all for a “lame duck” administration.

So, when reporters ask Trump why he is in no rush to end the war, they have the answer. The longer the war goes, the more he and those close to him stuff into their pockets.

The critical first step in ending the criminal trap that has been set for the U.S. people and much of the rest of the world will be a decisive defeat in the midterm elections of all the MAGA forces.

As with all op-eds published by People’s World, the views expressed above are those of the author.

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