Napoleon purportedly said that if you want a thing done well, do it yourself. That manifests a hands-on type of leader. But t    hat also means underlings could very well do a bad job and sabotage the good plan of the boss.

But bosses, no matter how good they are, cannot do all the jobs themselves. A boss such as the president of the United States needs staff to carry out policies and execute his orders. Their competence is therefore crucial to the success of his policies.

During President Trump’s first term, there were enough mature and experienced politicians or professionals in his cabinet to prevent the disaster of abolishing Obama Care, despite MAGA’s fanatical campaign to kill it for no reason other than its quasi-religious mission to eliminate an important achievement of a black president.
In the first few months of his second term, the president has declared his intention to achieve many strategic goals that makes even a seasoned politician dizzy: wooing Russia, abandoning Ukraine, distancing from NATO and the EU, taking the Panama Canal back, buying Greenland, assimilating Canada, dealing with Iran and its nuclear problem, taking over the Gaza Strip, bombing the Houthis, raising punishing tariffs, and a new but unsurprising goal of getting around the 22nd Amendment to serve a third term. All that requires the help of tremendously experienced and nuanced supporting staff.

Unfortunately, none of them is in his cabinets or among his second-tier executives because the president seems more comfortable with young inexperienced and un-nuanced people he wants (and they want) to work for him. The Signal chat fiasco, the blunders of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, the idea of sending a delegation headed by the vice president’s wife to Greenland purportedly for cultural exchange, the barring of the Associated Press from the White House etc. are early signs of such incompetence. A few dismissive words such as labeling the press woke, or there was no secret revealed, or the president has full confidence in his subordinates etc. could calm the water regarding these matters.

But the imposition of high tariffs is a different matter. Tariffs, especially exorbitant tariffs, are confrontational against the wide world. It also directly affects, negatively, common Americans. We pay the price. They involve complicated factors and require the ability to navigate the complexity, control the elements, and reach the desired goals, which are still undefined and murky. Not to hurt common American citizens should have been one of the goals. But clearly, it is what is happening.

Who are the advocates of using tariffs as a weapon? MAGA and its public face Peter Navarro, who has been dead set on bringing down China. Mr. Navarro came up with the tariff ideology when China was still a little shop owner who tried to steal things from the colossal American Factory. He was mad because no one listened to him about punishing China for its misdemeanors. Now back in power again after serving a stint in prison for contempt of Congress, he supports 104% tariff against China.

Not only tariffs hurst common Americans (the president, admits that much), but the world we live in now is totally different, which is no longer a one-way street. No longer the U.S. says “jump” and the rest of the world will obediently say “how high”. Powerful forces are at play and powerful nations are no longer fawningly submissive.

In this high-stake world game for dominance, the American team is manned by amateurs.

In WWII, the arrogance of the leadership led to millions of deaths and the total destruction of societies, and the common men bore the brunt of the catastrophe.

No one, including Elon Musk and Fareed Zakaria among the best minds of our time, understands why MAGA wants to raise tariffs. And now with its amateurish team handling the tariff war, we don’t go to bed and have nightmares. We lie in bed sleepless.

JOHN P. LE PHONG
(This article appears on Facebook, X, and thelephongjournal.com).

Stoking racism and the Americans’ fear of immigrants diluting the traditional culture of America, MAGA has won political battles and in 2024 the cultural war. Paraphrasing the words of former House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, they have broken the Democratic Party.

After the debate between the two candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, the Democrats were overjoyed because they believed he had lost the debate. Later, Mr. Trump seemed to be rambling in many political rallies. They were sure that they had a better chance of winning the election. Before they could get over their giddiness, Mr. Trump defeated the Vice President. Shocked and bewildered, they have since watched the Republicans hegemonize American politics without any meaningful resistance. Still, it was politically fair and square for the Republicans in a Democracy. But gradually something sinister emerges.

Racism is always an explosive emotional issue in any region of the Earth.  The U.S. has done a better job to keep a lid on it. But the energy has always been there and MAGA saw it and successfully maneuvered to exploit that energy, first to galvanize people who are avert to foreign culture to form a solid base against alien elements, then using the base to gain and solidify power. Using MAGA’s favorite terminology, it has weaponized that base to beat the Democrats and to control the Republican Party and its members including elected officials.

Absolute power is a nemesis of Democracy, and no American political party or citizen has sought absolute power, until now as it is clear that MAGA is seeking it. Why the Democrats, the Knight Templars of Democracy, did not see it? Their complacent belief that the American political climate and soil were not well-suited for an un-democratic regime such as dictatorship, aristocracy, or oligarchy is partially responsible for their being caught off guard. But credit must be given to MAGA for hatching a plan, a long-term plan of working from the ground up (an American version of Lenin’s workers and Mao’s and Ho’s peasants) that has been executed one step at a time until it gathers sufficient force for an all-out onslaught against Democracy. That time is now when it has all branches of government under its absolute control. It does not need professionals to be heads of departments or attorneys general to run a government. It only needs loyal and faithful cadres who don’t have to be experienced (the Signal Chat fiasco comes to mind) but pledge allegiance to MAGA, learn how to repeat MAGA’s lines, and take orders without question.

There is little doubt that MAGA wants to gut Democracy, or at least Democracy for all. There is currently no significant obstacle against it doing so openly and speedily: Republicans are uniformly in line and Democrats have been rendered impotent.

Only a few weeks after taking over Washington, MAGA adopted one of the most heinous schemes in the history of dictatorial regimes, Mao Zedong’s Communist Chinese Red Guards. Battalions of young Chinese Communists (not unlike DOGE cadres) were given power to roam the country, create chaos, terrorize Chinese of all ranks, and turn the Chinese society into a nightmare.

MAGA has copied that strategy to a certain extent to threaten judges with impeachment, terminating or reducing necessity services in departments and agencies, planning to lay off tens of thousands of employees (DHHS). Thousands of newly hired federal employees were let go at the whim of DOGE. That was hailed by MAGA as efficiency but think of those young new hired who were full of hope and dreams when they were hired, dreams of buying a new car, getting an apartment of their own, or even getting married. Those dreams evaporated because a twenty-something decided that they must be fired.

The President prides himself on being a consummate deal maker who plays big games. So, he does not get into a game and expects to win by just having one bargain chip, let’s call it A. He is also bringing to the game B, C, D and so on. Hey Putin, Xie, Democracy lovers, and ordinary Americans, I got NATO, Europe, Ukraine, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Taiwan, North Korea, the Houthis, exorbitant tariffs, immigrants (not just illegal), and something new, Third Presidential Term. You don’t know if I will play them all or what chip I will play with. You don’t know what I want. Truth be told, I don’t exactly know what I want. But with so many chips I have in my vest’s pockets, I am sure I will win at least something.

What is the goal after dismantling Democracy, doesn’t seem to be well-defined at this point. Why eliminate or weaken the Education Department? Does it, together with its opposition to student loan forgiveness and high tariffs thus higher costs of living, aim at not just making sure the ordinary Americans know and stay in their place but also making America less attractive to foreigners? So, the immigration problems would be solved, humanely MAGA would claim, and saving billions of dollars from being spent on building the wall?

Regardless, the road starts getting rougher and life will be more difficult for most ordinary Americans – for no legitimate reason except MAGA’s dark ambition. That the cost of getting a new car will increase by some accounts by $15,000 is just an example. For billionaires, losing a few billion dollars here and there is just a tiny wave in a teacup. But for the probationary federal workers and most Americans, losing a job or paying such a high price for a necessity is a tsunami.

Politicians are sometimes expected to be emotional, impetuous, or even irrational. They fight to get their point across sometimes without reason, only passion, such as exhorting us to work 80 hours – or more – a week.

Historical events have proved the immense practical wisdom of the Founding Fathers to split the government into three branches so they can keep an eye on each other. The Supreme Court was intended as the reservoir of wisdom and reason created by the Constitution to protect and defend the Constitution itself. In the 2024 Supreme Court case, Trump v. United States, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion giving the executive branch more power by granting absolute immunity to a sitting or former president, for official acts while in office.

Whether the Supreme Court, especially the Chief Justice, has abstained from their constitutional duties is a question for better legal minds to ponder and debate. But, the Chief Justice, who mildly scolded the President for his suggestion that a judge be impeached for ruling against one of his executive orders, and the Court must forgive the President for assuming that Justices and Judges are his subordinates and the U.S. Attorney General for making statements as if she has authority to reprimand and discipline judges.

JOHN P. LE PHONG                                                                                                                                                          (This article can be found on Facebook, X, and the blog thelephongjournal.com)

A judge blocks the presidential executive order to deport illegal immigrants. MAGA immediately demand: “Impeach the judge”, never mind that it is not how our legal system works.
Chief Justice John Roberts feels that MAGA goes too far in wielding its power, politely reminds them, “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

MAGA’s various reactions to the Chief Justice’s statement are telling. Immediately after he issued his statement, a Fox commentator denounced him on a talk show, “Roberts (the Chief Justice), shut the f… up.”

People gather to protest near a Tesla dealership, the U.S. Attorney General threatens them with criminal prosecution. Heck, a law student or any American knows that picketing is a constitutional right. Did she know she was wrong? Of course she did. She is a lawyer. But working for MAGA and wanting to stay in the job, she must show some zealotry. She must use rude blunt force, MAGA’s favorite political weapon.

Reason, what is right and what is wrong, is set aside, as if we were back to the Upper Paleolithic period, Cro-Magnon man ruled absolute: “Woman, where is my meat?” Smack. “Junior, you left your pet in the shack again.” Smack.

MAGA’s angry, blunt, and ugly attitude is not impulsive. It is methodical, planned, and well-coordinated strategy to turn the Democratic America into an Oligarchy or Aristocracy, a plan that seems to have converted and seduced many billionaires to MAGA camp. It was effective to win the 2024 national elections, then it could succeed again to create a dictatorship.

The Minority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, was criticized by his party’s members for his decision not to fight the budget to a standstill. But it was a well-considered decision. Imagine a stalemate, what would then happen? If MAGA can denounce an opposing judge as crooked and files an impeach article against him, it would be irresistible for it to declare a national crisis. The Defense Secretary would don his Army Combat Fatigues, cigar in mouth, stand upright in his jeep, and lead a few divisions of U.S. Military to cross the Potomac River to surround the Capitol and the White House to “protect” our country against woke politicians and their allied.

FBI agents would knock on the doors of Mr. Schumer, Senator Schiff, and all other politicians around the Capital declared as “woke” by MAGA and ship them to Northwest Stadium for education.

Then, the President would appear in the balcony of the White House, somberly, calmly, measuredly, avuncularly, and solemnly declared to the nation that he would never let the nation fall into chaos; he would do his best to protect the citizens of this country against crooked politicians. In order to save the country, he would have to suspend the Constitution and appoint Mr. Musk Deputy Commander in Chief to supervise all government actions.

Farfetched? If Mr. Hegseth heads the Defense Department, Mr. Katel leads the FBI from Las Vegas, anything could happen.

The President is a man who plays big games. Only big games. The first time he entered politics, he applied for the presidency right away. He did not care for a little lower position such as governor, congressman, or senator to learn the rope, like John F. Kennedy, his idol if he has any.

The first time as president of the most powerful country on earth, and as such the leader of the free world, he met the president of Russia, an un-democratic country and the nemesis of the U.S. and the free world, he publicly and warmly took Mr. Putin to a room for a private talk, just two of them and the interpreters. He was clearly oblivious to the world’s shock and confusion. A few weeks into his second term, he dressed down America’s heretofore most important allies in Europe and, reinforced by the Vice President, publicly berated the head of one of them in the White House. He accused Ukraine as the aggressor which started the Russia-Ukraine war, in disregard of the fact that the opposite is true. He wanted to purchase a country, Greenland, and assimilate another, Canada, into the U.S. as the 51st state. Those are earth-shaking events, and he did it almost casually.

Extraordinary actions, extraordinary proposals, extraordinary games. But with such thinking and self-confidence, one should be forgiven for suspecting that bringing down Democracy and replacing it with a dictatorship of some form would be a thrilling challenge to the President and he truly believed that with MAGA behind (or in front of) him, he could do it. Regardless of the terrifying ramifications of the outcome, it would be just a big game to play, and to win through the art of negotiation and using rude blunt force.
Since he entered politics, the ultimate noble pursuit of men, he has shown the world that it was not a big deal but relatively easy for him.

After four years under incredibly harsh attacks by his opponents, he overcame all hurdles to win the presidency a second time. Now he presides over not an administration but in the words of the editor-in-chief of the Economist, a court, that means every member of his “court” would act like a mandarin, bowing and taking orders from the king without questions and ever ready to declare the king’s clothes were beautiful while he was naked.

Returning to power in 2025, the President has earned the right to be nonchalant about politics or governing even a huge and complicated country like the U.S. entangled with so many diverse interest groups: nothing sacred or reverent about it; he could do it while texting.

It is not unreasonable for him to believe that he will win again.

JOHN P. LE PHONG
(This article can be read on Facebook, X, and thelephongjournal.com)

Asians are the perfect examples to prove that smaller in stature does not reflect a smaller value. The perennial perception that physical strength or bigger shape deserves a higher rung in society has been perpetuated by the bullies to get an advantage without showing anything worth better to justify their superiority. The ability to kill has been the only justification.

The American democratic society has worked hard to reach the idealistic promised land where each person is free and independent, and each person is respected for who they are. It has nurtured men to be free and thinking for themselves and proved that the disdain, disrespect and dismissiveness of anyone of different appearances are contrived and the people’s prejudicial perception or discrimination is man-created to suit their selfish and nearsighted interest.

Germany in 1932 was politically similar to the U.S. in 2016. Hitler gained political power through election. How did he do it? By dangling the menace of the Jews taking over Germany just like the specter of immigrants’ potential taking over of American society spread by MAGA Republicans. But once in power, Hitler resorted to plotting and decrees, or in other words executive orders, to suppress his opponents, cling to power, and make his authority absolute.
The same intimidation tactics are used by MAGA against its political opponents. The striking revelation by a Republican U.S. Senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a rare occurrence in Republican politics (a candid admission by a Republican politician against his own party), that the FBI warned him about credible death threats when he was considering voting against the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary. Eventually, he voted to confirm the nomination. According to Vanity Fair, he suggested that if anyone wanted to understand President Trump, they should read “Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work” (A spokesman for the senator denied the story).

Too many similarities between MAGA politics and other dictatorial regimes should alarm non-MAGA Americans. America has made progress in making Democracy stronger and beneficial to all. But manipulators and opportunists have tried to convince the American people otherwise and worked feverously to undermine Democracy. The immigration issue has created an environment readily exploited by these cloudy water fishermen, who dislike Democracy probably because its institutions are based on the idea that all men are created equal; they prefer aristocracy, oligarchy, or a dictatorship of some kind.

In any dictatorial regime, indoctrination is of paramount importance. The Soviet Union established The Young Pioneers to train children and Komsomol to whip young Russian adults into disciplined cadres taking order from the Communist party with no question asked.

Hitler and Germany’s Nazi did the same with organizations such as The Hitler Youth and The League of German Girls, which were composed of several different divisions for young boy, young adults, and girls. Their mission was to train the Germans to obey the Fuhrer and be loyal to him (does it sound familiar?) as the savior of Germany.

In our country at the present time, these anti-democracy opportunists exhort young people not to pursue college studies, which of course include liberal arts, the branch of education that is designed to expand the minds of young people to think and consider other ideas besides what their elders tell them. They offer money to people under 22 years old to quit college.
Why? – The stated reason is that college education does not guaranty success in real life. But a program such as this guaranties that young people are not subject to a more rounded education offered by colleges and universities’ liberal arts departments, the kind of education that, according to MAGA, subjects them to “woke” ideas or “woke” thinking. In short, they give powerful incentive ($100,000) for young Americans not to learn or think for themselves, just take order and obey. They want to produce generations of worker bees.

The weakness of Democracy seems to lie at its foundation. When people are free and thinking, they naturally entertain doubts when presented with an idea or an issue and take time to think and debate even when the issue is of an emergency nature. They are also more tolerant of different or opposing ideas. When faced with the intolerant MAGA’s massive energy created by its obeying and single-minded members, Democracy has little chance without an effective support mechanism. When MAGA whips up the frenzy of immigrants invading the country and foreigners destroying American traditional values, even people who favor Democracy are swayed and set aside the potential danger of losing it all.
A Democratic strategist predicted that support for Trump, Musk, and MAGA ideology would suffer a “massive collapse” within the next month or so. How did he know? Because the bond market has gone up. It reminds us of ancient generals reading the tea leaves before going to battle. He urged his fellow Democrats to lay back. A sign that the country’s economic and financial factors do not support the president’s agenda is good news for the Democrats, but waiting is not by itself a very effective strategy. They do not seem to have thought of an antidote to fight against the anti-democratic forces let alone coming up with one.

Borrowing the experiments of the Soviet Communists and Germany’s Nazi, MAGA tolerates no dissenter, so their energy is concentrated and bullet-like. It has found an ideology to forge a monolith within the Republican Party: White Supremacism, or in lay term: racism. The fact that MAGA successfully maneuvered to stack the Supreme Court with justices who readily side with it to affirm an expanded executive power, tantamount to a dictator’s, indicates that it has played a long game, and the scheme had been hatched a long while ago.

The chaotic immigration policy gave MAGA a perfect scapegoat to seize power and to reach the ultimate goal of White Supremacy. The rude conduct of American leaders in Europe from criticizing its leaders to outright support of its extremist elements makes us wonder if there is a plan in all this such to export MAGA’s “How to Conquer” playbook to Europe to create an international movement to turn Europe into a collective of white nations governed by strongmen or oligarchs?

If such plan in the work, Russia will no longer be needed as a whipping boy and Ukraine will just be an unimportant and politically irrelevant piece of land in the continent. The collateral damage caused by such a plan will be the long campaign to convince people to respect other people as they are. The spectacle in the Oval Office where the President of the United States and his Vice President berating and dressing down the head of another state, the President of Ukraine seems to confirm a tremendous setback in the fight against the bullies of the world and for equality among human beings of different races, nationalities, genders, and stations in life.

JOHN P. LE PHONG
(This article is posted on X, Facebook, and thelephongjournal.com)

For four years the Biden Administration could not move Russia an inch closer to the negotiation table. Just before the inauguration of the New Trump Administration, the U.S.’s policy on the Ukraine conflict was still a continuation of financial, weaponry, and diplomatic support for Kyiv.

Only a few weeks after the inauguration of the new administration, it was revealed that the U.S. was in touch with Russia that set in motion an incredibly fast-paced negotiation keeping Kyiv and NATO in the dark as if Ukraine is a U.S.’ territory and Kyiv is just a land manager.

And NATO? -The landowner does not necessarily consult his neighbors on any transaction involving his land.

Such astounding hurry raises a deep suspicion that the U.S. is pursuing an urgent agenda that Russia will play a crucial role and that the U.S. and Russia are now comrades in arm.
In 1938, after he had secured his grip on Germany, Hitler used both lies and threats to demand Czechoslovakia to cede its land called The Sudetenland to Germany. He claimed Germans had been mistreated there.

Russia learned the lesson well and denounced Ukraine of mistreating Russians living in Southern and Eastern Ukraine before invading Ukraine.

Germany met with the other European powers, Britain and France, and they signed the Munich Agreement WITHOUT Czechoslovakia’s consent, which gave its land to Germany.

Just like that.

That agreement was the one Prime Minister Chamberlain waved from the steps of his airplane.

Ukraine is faced with the same thuggish intimidation from Russia. Strangely and alarmingly the U.S. seems to be willing to agree to a Munich styled agreement to resolve the war in Ukraine, going alone into negotiation with Russia without Ukraine. This time seems to be worse because none of the other American allies goes into the meeting with the U.S.

A year later, in 1939, Hitler just tore up the Munich Agreement, probably doubled over in laughter, and took the rest of Czechoslovakia. Russia’s following step is easily to predict, especially watching the U.S.’s behavior: swallowing the whole Ukraine country and, why not, Poland and other NATO members adjacent to its western and northern borders.

President Trump assumed power only a few weeks ago but his approach in internal and foreign affairs is a complete disregard of protocol. The appointments of yes people to form his cabinet at least understandable in the sense that he does not need thinking heads but only loyalists to spy on his opponents in the government and carry out his orders. But his approach to the Ukraine-Russia conflict to seek a settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war without Ukraine or Europe, and his proposal that Ukraine provides the U.S. with $500 billion worth of raw materials without a guaranteed security assurance in return for Ukraine, are brute. His underlings treat our allies in Europe as if they were the U.S.’s vassals and lecture them as if they were students in need of special education.

The U.S.’s sudden turn of its back to its hopefully-still-allies rings alarm bells not just in Europe but among many other nations having believed in the promise of a steadfast American alliance.

Through its elected (and even non-elected) representatives, the U.S. sides with the extremists in Germany even suggesting that they should not feel guilty about the Holocaust. Is it an early sign that the U.S. under President Trump wants to move fast to White-nationalize Europe with the help of Russia? That the U.S. will soon support the abolishment of NATO and facilitate a union of Russia and Europe?
After the withdrawal from the Middle East and Afghanistan, perhaps the U.S. does not want to be bound to any alliance which may requires it to enter a militarily conflict. Geoeconomic Warfare would suffice to guaranty American’s influence.

But the Munich Agreement aftermath should not be forgotten. It seems that our Secretary of State goes into the Riyadh meeting trusting that Russia would honor a promise to take only a portion of Ukraine’s territory. The English PM understood the Germans a whole lot better than our secretary does the Russians.

But a possible take from the U.S.’s about-faced foreign policy is that the U.S. is reassessing its power due to the growing strength of its main adversaries, Russia and China. It is still the strongest but not strong enough to continue to provide a security umbrella for Europe and East Asia simultaneously.

Regardless of why the U.S. changes course, its attitude toward Ukraine and its European allies is uncalled for and deserves a rebuke for lack of decency and finesse, the norms in diplomacy.

JOHN P. LE PHONG
(This article can be found in X, Facebook, and thelephongjournal.com)

President Trump declared “America First” as his foreign policy when he first ran for president in 2016 but the Europeans did not pay attention. They should have, as the slogan was rooted in the American non-interventionism that opposed the U.S.’s entering both World Wars. The president and his people have repeated it on numerous occasions. The Europeans had good reasons to neglect such ominous sign of an earth shaking political, and military, turnabout because Americans and Europeans were ideologically brothers and sisters. Defending Europe was to protect America’s security.
They may perhaps have been warned behind the scenes of the changes, but Europe never had a second thought about Washington’s commitment to the American-European alliance. The president loudly but reasonably demanded that Europe pay their NATO’s full dues on time. After all NATO was more about Europe than America. Trying to cheat on their financial responsibility was not very nice. But they probably laughed at the idea of paying the dues in full. You are, they thought, scared of the Russians more than we do. A few months ago, former President Joe Biden’s administration’s commitment to the defense of Ukraine was not in doubt.
In only three weeks since the change of the guards in Washington, the world has drastically changed. To be more accurate, American foreign policy has shifted in a different direction because the underlying fundamentals of world and domestic political dynamics have changed.
First, Russia is no longer considered by Trump’s Washington a foe. Quiet and seemingly small things spoke loud and clear. Biden had tried for four years to get Marc Fogel, who brought MEDICAL marijuana to Russia and was imprisoned since 2021, released. Putin just ignored it. Dmitry Peskov, President Putin’s spokesperson, threw a smoke grenade into diplomacy, complaining ostentatiously that the U.S.-Russian relations were at a historic low. Then, a call from President Trump, Fogel was out of the Russian prison and back to the U.S. President Putin does not have the habit of releasing prisoners after receiving a phone call. A quid pro quo was, and is still, at work.
What is it?
It is a new alignment of ideals and security among America, Europe, and Russia. The elephant in the room is China.
For centuries Americans and the Europeans looked at the Chinese and saw nothing more respectable than a cook, a valet, a coolie, or a bunching bag for Peter Sellers to hit when he came home. Then suddenly, the West discovered that whatever they did, the Chinese did as well or better, from a kitchen knife to a supercomputer. The West built an atomic bomb, they built an atomic bomb. The West constructed the Space Station, they did the same. The West went to the moon, they also did and to its other side where no western country has ever been. They have built airplanes and now carriers. In America, we were in the midst of marveling at Silicon Valley’s geniuses building ChatGPT and before we got over our ecstasy, they showcased DeepSeek, which works as competently as ChatGPT but costs users much less, about 3.67% of ChatGPT’s price.
By now, America has probably found new respect for them. But while it doesn’t really know what is going on, it must be careful and prepare itself. That requires a pivot of strategy to deal with the Chinese phenomenon.
America’s interest in the Pacific, from Japan along the coast down to Indonesia to Australia and New Zealand is huge. Any of these countries fell under China’s influence would cause a seismic shift in the balance of power in favor of China and against the U.S. Confronting China by itself in the Pacific would probably be a doable task but expensive in terms of money and human sacrifices. A better solution is to create a formidable pressure on China’s north border to force them to have a second thought about expanding its power eastward and southward. That would come from, you guess it, Russia. The American “quid” is Russia working with U.S. to deter China. The Russian “quo” is Ukraine falling back into Russia’s sphere of influence. That would leave Europe in the lurch and the U.S. endure a lot of uncomfortable nagging.
Europe must be made aware of the new reality that it has to survive on its own, starting with Ukraine whose abandonment by the U.S. is no longer a possibility; it is a reality. It is a bribe the U.S. is paying to get Russia into a new alliance, let’s call it US-Russia North Pacific Alliance.
Europe has no alternative but to mobilize their industrial powerhouses to prop up their defense capability. One hopes that it will not be too late to save Ukraine from that repeated tragedy of dividing a country and its people.
The bond between Europe and America is too deep, culturally, traditionally, and ideologically for one side to leave the other. That was the conventional belief. Such belief did not count the thinking and calculation of MAGA.
JOHN P. LE PHONG.

The title of this article (with the long English translation) is a military tactic promulgated by a Chinese, Sun Tsu, and now faithfully executed by MAGA, which hates the Chinese’s guts. Greenland, Panama Canal, and the latest Gaza Strip bravado are “Dương Đông”, make a feint to the East. Tariff serves the same purpose but is also intended to achieve another political goal.
Dismembering Democracy is “Kích Tây”, attacking in the West, taking one quiet step at a time. The first step: concentrating governmental power into the executive branch. Such a move would not be too radical to the public as it was supported by some political theorists and even one of the country founders, Elexander Hamilton, when the nation is in a crisis. It is also necessary for a party in power when it wants to subvert Democracy to replace it with an oligarchic or aristocratic regime. That is what is going on in America, a non-bloodshed revolution (except for a clumsy attempt on January 6, 2021) to reverse history and replace the Democratic political system with a dictatorship.

Democracy is perfect for the common men. One feels gratified walking down the street to have a cup of coffee or say the emperor has no clothes without worrying about being stopped by the secret police or a knock on the door at midnight. But the rich and the hardheaded do not like it. What goes in their mind is like this: how can Joe sixpack have one vote just like me who lives in a 50-room mansion and travel in 700-foot-long yacht? They believe the nation needs to go back to a social order in the shape of a pyramid, they being at the top and us the multitude fighting for space ourselves at the bottom. Equality is a fantasy in your head, they say; you forget at your peril that you are at our mercy.

We must now ask the question: is Democracy flawed and weak?

Like everything else in the universe, American Democracy’s survival depends on its innate ability to resist all assaults from all sides and flourish. When it goes head-to-head against MAGA, Democracy does not seem to possess that ability.
How could MAGA prevailed in 2016 and again in 2024? The answer is now obvious: they skillfully blended racism with nationalism.
The Democratic Republicans as opposed to MAGA, were persuaded that
American Traditional Christian Values were threatened and damaged by an uncontrolled influx of immigrants. More, domestic policies pouring so much money into social programs have made the U.S. a magnet for foreigners wanting to have an idly good life without any prospect of making contribution to the national economy or making life in the U.S., as they understand it, better. Then, they saw the Trump Administration’s ineptitude and excesses and voted Democratic in 2020. But the Biden’s weak or half-hearted legislations and executive actions sent them back to the Republican side in 2024. They wanted decisive policies, even willing to vote MAGA, to clean up the immigration mess, which lured the majority of Americans, Republicans and even Democrats, into voting for Donald Trump.

But they don’t seem to be aware that his policy of high tariffs, tax cuts for the rich, and higher tax for the middle- and low-income folks will push them back to where the hand-to-mouth governing doctrine wants them to be: don’t give the multitude more money than to satisfy their basic needs, lest extra money gives them ideas.
MAGA has raised the immigration problem to the level of a national crisis and loudly denounced the Democrats for failing to do even a minimum job to deport immigrants and stop them at the borders. In fact, from 2009 to 2017, the Obama Administration deported more than 3 million people. In his four years in the White House, Trump deported one (yes 1) million people. In four years, Biden deported or expulsed more than 4.4 million, 270,000 deported in 2024 alone the highest annual number in a decade. The ICE arrests decreased by 33%.

So, immigration has been insignificant and a bogus issue during the campaign, a MAGA’s Dương Đông tactic while pursuing a larger scheme that they had devised to implement Project 2025, weaken or destroy Democratic institutions, and create an oligarchic or aristocratic regime to replace Democracy.
They have already started carrying it out now.
MAGA has turned racism and white supremacism, which is no longer a taboo to talk about, into a weapon. It has been so effective that it sent a political novice to the White House on his first run. It almost sent him back there after four years of clumsiness and ineptitude. That same weapon was exhibited openly, fiercely, and explosively on January 6, 2021, but somehow the Democratic defenders, the American Democrats did not see it, or did but did not know how to create an antidote.

Using, discreetly and implicitly of course, the old threat of Chinese “yellow fever” invasion, or more aptly in the current atmosphere, tsunami, MAGA has successfully marshaled the white community and subdued any white resistance to its march. Reasonable, compassionate, and upstanding Republicans all have got in line behind MAGA.

If you have any doubt that an all-out war has been going on between the U.S. and China, look at the Dow Jones Index and the Hang Seng Index on February 6, 2020: 29,379.77 and 27,493.70 respectively, and on February 5, 2025: 44,873.28 for the American and 20,957.09 for the Chinese.

Perhaps, Democracy is not universal but selective, and American society has never been truly democratic. Justice, a sine qua non element of Democracy, has often been denied to non-white citizens.
Whether the Democracy Ship is sailing into the sunset, or the ship has always been the same but now the paint is peeled to reveal the true brand on the hull: White Nation or White Supremacy, we all are in a journey fraught with danger.

The 2025 Presidential Inauguration capped the incredible journey of the luckiest man in the history of mankind.

He was born fabulously rich, got richer and famous for hosting a TV show, the easiest and fun job in the world, entered the political arena at the time the nationalistic emotion galvanized the electoral forces to catapult him to the pinnacle of American political power. And he now seems to have reeled into his orbit someone closest to being a son he wished for but did not have, Elon Musk, youthful, energetic, focused, fun, and, especially, extremely intelligent, who was shouting laughingly and gestured wildly at the Capital One Arena, a short distance from the Capitol Rotunda where the Inauguration was taking place. He seems to have finally found an advisor he trusts like no one he had ever worked with before, including his own children.

MAGA has convinced the population they could do the job of cleaning up, in their opinion, the mess of immigration, preventing foreign countries from bleeding the U.S., and making America more formidable than it is now. That is the plan. Project 2025 is just a prologue.

At the time this article was written, the president had pardoned all 1500 January 6 defendants, a sweeping order even for his Vice President who publicly stated that the rioters who had been convicted of violence should not be pardoned.

But, I believe, the second Trump presidency will take a more reasoned course. The president Trump we saw and heard during the Inauguration is not the recalcitrant and uncompromising candidate during the four years prior. He seemed benign and moderate. Surprisingly, he was articulate and had a perfect grasp of the facts when he was signing the Executive Orders and answering multiple questions from the reporters at the same time.

There is a stark difference between his first presidency, the run in 2020, and this one: he is now beholden to no one, MAGA or Non-MAGA, millionaires or billionaires. He has the opportunity to do as he wishes to build up his legacy as a statesman. He can afford to go against the extremists and that is the key to successfully achieving that goal.

But in any movement, there is always a faction trying to fish in troubled water to pursue their own goals. The extremists in the MAGA Movement are those fishermen. With Mr. Musk in the (possibly West) wing, the Trump second administration would probably not disappoint the Non-MAGA Republicans who have believed in his crusade and even the Democrats who have opposed him.

A few observations from the Inauguration that could provide fodder for the New York Post. There was a lady in black right behind the president when he was signing some documents. She was standing tall and erect, but her rather wide-brimmed black hat covered her face for most of the ceremony. For several minutes, I thought she was a ceremonial official standing guard over the president during the signing. It turned out it was the First Lady. Pager Six, please find out who advised her on her ensemble.

Eric Trump sat with his wife, Lara but Jared Kushner sat at one end of the dais, away from his wife Ivanka who sat at the other end, and not even in the presidential family’s row but a different row. At first, I thought the family’s row did not have enough seats so he had given his seat to Melania’s father. When the camera panned across the dais, it showed several empty seats.

Don Jr. was there by himself, no former nor current girlfriend.

Tiffany is expecting her first child.

The Vice President sported a long red tie, a show of how Trumpian he was. It turned out that Trump himself wore a purple/brown tie.

The last item was Ivanka’s face that looked as if she were woken up too early in the morning.

JOHN P. LE PHONG

For the last eight years, MAGA has had a firm grip on the Republican Party whose members and leadership including elected officials have moved in lockstep with no opposition of any kind, a clear sign of an intolerant and un-democratic political organization.
So, when Elon Musk stood up against their steadfast but ill-informed position against H-1B visa program, it is newsworthy and MAGA-shaking. Many of its leaders are foaming at their mouth; it is first and small but a crack, nevertheless.

Mr. Musk does not stop there. He endorses Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. The Speaker has shown some backbone, albeit with flexible cartilage. He is an ultra-conservative with principles. He has shown his love for the country beyond and above partisanship. He is quiet but gets the job done. He stood for stability during the fight over budget against MAGA’s determination to create chaos – fish in troubled water. They are trying to deny him the Speakership.

Of course, Mr. Musk’s success depends, in large part, on the support of the President-elect. As previously suggested, politics was probably the last frontier for Mr. Musk to conquer. Finally, he did enter politics – to help the Republican Party when it was seemingly shaky. It was also suggested that the President-elect think about repairing his populist image and bolstering his legacy as a statesman. It’s time for him to resist the urge of having fawning people around him. He must push out of his circle those selfish calculating heartless ass-kissers, whose appearance in front of the camera with a smile is enough to offend our national decency.
The President also supports Mr. Johnson as Speaker. Let’s see if they succeed again tomorrow.

JOHN P. LE PHONG.

Will President Trump retaliate against his political opponents?
Yes, he could. After observing him from afar for eight years, it is a real possibility. But it shouldn’t happen. Politicians do know about the English War of the Roses, The Italian Medici Rivalries, The French Capetian Family Feuds, and especially the American Hatfields and McCoys feud. The Democrats and the Republicans are well aware of the danger of the obsession with retaliation and the havoc it can cause and hopefully in their wisdom, won’t allow it to happen.
The Republicans controlled by the president-elect are huddling to implement Project 2025, which no doubt has little respect for Democratic Institutions and Democracy. That battle is where the Democrats find themselves: fighting to preserve Democracy with little political power. But since politics is the most convoluted “science”, they may find new allies among the so-called establishment Republicans.
Since the Republican Party is at its peak in terms of political power, many of its members won’t feel obligated to defend their party and attack the other party, in many cases, blindly. Reason and good faith (in the good teaching of Christianity) may come back, and dirty tricks may take a hike for the good of the nation.
The anxiety lies in the fact that the Democrats are awful in predicting the mood of the voting population and therefore pursue wrong strategy to gain or maintain power. It looks as if they haven’t played the game well to balance the power in the political two-party system.
In 2016, Mr. Trump got almost 63 million votes. After witnessing his administration of the country for four years – the general objective assessment was not really positive – he got more than 74 million votes in 2020, 11 million more voting for him; his base did not shrink but expanded. It was a phenomenon worth deep and extensive research to determine what was going on. Obviously, it was not because of Mr. Trump played the role of a statesman skillfully, but because of his down to earth positions on issues dear to the voters despite his clumsy administration.
In 2024, the Democrats seemed to have sensed the problem and tried to be sensitive on immigration policy. They tried to get some Republicans to sign on their legislation which tried to modify the asylum process, increase the detention facilities, and so on. They tried to be humane and reasonable. The Republicans objected to the legislation forcefully that, in hindsight, played well with the voters who were determined to see a hardball attitude when immigration is concerned. And Mr. Trump garnered over 77 million votes, 3 million more than 2020 regardless of his otherwise crippling legal problems.
The Democratic voters? More than 81 million in 2020 and just under 75 million in 2024? Where did the 6 million go? It is reasonable to assume that many of them went to Mr. Trump. President Biden still thought that the Democrats would win. Throughout 2024 he repeatedly stated, even on November 7, that he would not pardon Hunter, his son; the obvious implication was that a President Harris would be a more proper pardoner.
All fathers understand why he wants to give his son every opportunity to fare better in life and deeply sympathize with his dilemma when his son was in trouble, and he wanted to help. But the Hunter affair makes many feel uneasy. Not just the way it was handled by the President and the Democrats. Together with their defeat in November, one must ask the question whether the Democrats were neglect and unprepared. They believed before Nov. 5th that they had a strong progressive base. It turned out the base was probably ideologically strong but not as large as they had thought. The ones who crossed the line to vote for Mr. Trump did not like a “reasonable and sensitive” immigration measures. They wanted swift and forceful actions now to correct the excesses of the current policies.
For years, the Republican Party looked as if it was in a disarray. One was concerned that Democracy would start to crumble when one party, Republican then, was weak. One suggested, half in jest, that Elon Musk should join the Party to rescue it. It is time for someone of Mr. Musk’s caliber to join the Democratic Party to help pull it up, a gigantic enterprise given the American current political reality: the Republican Party controls the White House with a president who is the leader of the MAGA segment of the party which would do anything to belittle the Democrats; the House with its Republican members who love to gerrymander to form congressional districts in favor of the Republicans; and a super majority in the Supreme Court, with only two of their members, Thomas and Alito, being over 70 but showing no sign of bad health or a desire to retire. On the other hand, of the three leaning Democratic, Sotomayor is 70 and suffered severe diabetes. During his coming term, President-elect has a very good chance of nominating another hardline Republican to the bench making a Republican supra majority of 7-9. Whether 5-9, 6-9 or 7-9, the Republicans will control the Supreme Court for a foreseeable future, and soon it will find many established precedents egregiously wrong including previous decisions on Democratic principles, a clear sign of the unhealthy state of the nation’s court of last resort.
There is little doubt that the incoming administration will, actually is already trying to concentrate power into just one center, the executive suite headed by the president-elect. One can reasonably assume that it is just the first step to subvert Democracy. The Democrats whose name derives from Democracy seem to be its only defenders.
Let’s pray.
JOHN P. LE PHONG