Trump’s Revenge on His Own People

On the final stretch of his time in office, U.S. President Donald Trump is on a campaign of revenge against the country that did not reelect him. He wants to make life as difficult as he possibly can for his successor, Joe Biden.

Donald Trump’s frenetic decisions, mandates and firings of senior officials send a clear signal: He understands that he has only these few weeks before Jan. 20 until someone else will rule from the Oval Office.

He has realized that there will not be another four years in which to achieve his political goals for the restructuring of the U.S. So he is using the strokes of the legal pen made available to him by law to leave the final traces of his legacy, which he hopes no one will be able to erase.

Escalation on the Home Stretch

That is certainly one motivation for him to hastily apportion mining rights in nature reserves, have foundations poured for the wall on the border with Mexico, withdraw troops from Afghanistan or think about attacking Iran.

He had campaigned on these issues, all elements of his promises in 2016 that he has not completely addressed. He does not care that he is behaving like a literal elephant in a china shop, destroying fragile political and diplomatic structures with every move. On the contrary: With every day, every signature, he is very intentionally making Joe Biden’s entry into the presidency more difficult.

The rushed withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan alone could limit Biden’s power for years if the Taliban perceive a lack of counterbalance and seize power with a reign of violence. At the same time, Biden cannot simply undo felled trees, asphalted streets or drilled holes.

Trump on a Campaign of Revenge against His Country

In the last days of his presidency, Trump is showing what has characterized the last four years: He takes politics personally, is on a campaign of revenge against a country that did not reelect him, and in the process is dragging with him those who do not equate loyalty with saying “yes.”

The secretary of homeland security, who did not want to send in troops against demonstrators; the head of election cybersecurity, who dared to call “secure” the presidential election that Trump had baselessly decried as fraudulent. They need to go. And the pharmaceutical companies that, in his view, delayed announcements about a COVID-19 vaccine until after the election are being confronted with a last-minute mandate for lower drug prices.

Trump’s Presidency Had Only One Agenda: Trump

He can obviously do all of that. He remains president until Jan. 20 and has these rights. Does it serve the good of the country that is facing massive problems? Definitely not — even members of his own party are now sounding alarm bells.

But the days since Nov. 3 are proving one last time that Trump’s presidency really only ever had one agenda, namely Trump. And they are just giving a taste of the time to come, when he will no longer govern but will still fixate his followers on himself in a political movement named Donald Trump.