The Zealot lectures Congress
"I was saved by God to Make America Great Again"
In President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last night, he mentioned “God” six times. The third mention, far into the speech, was something Trump has said before: “I believe that my life was saved that day in Butler for a very good reason. I was saved by God to Make America Great Again — I believe that. I do.” Trump has always been a believer in himself, but he now transcends his own faith. Trump has evolved into The Zealot, and he will not be stopped.
On themes and subthemes, Trump aimed straight for his priorities, that America is not like other countries of the world; that we are better. Because we are better, we deserve better than we are getting. That the rest of the world plays by different rules, and it’s time for America to adjust those rules, using our tremendous economic, social, and even military power. And to anyone who believes differently, your heresy will be rewarded with responses ranging from public scorn to government action against you.
The last time America had a zealot in the White House was—let’s see—2015, when Barack Obama finished out his second term. But Obama’s zealotry was for a far different view of America than Trump’s. Obama believed that the world was truly a place where America could lead other nations into cooperation, charity, coexistence, and reason. Then Obama’s party, high on its own doctrine, radicalized, and from that we got the Resistance, which felt comfortable going as far as possible to oppose Trump in his first term.
A resistance spawns a resistance of its own, as MAGA radicalized even further, with COVID pushing it to subsume large swaths of what was once the exclusive fiefdom of lefties: natural health remedies, anti-vaxxers, and power crystal weirdos (but most of them harmless). Trump holds himself above all those shifting coalitions.
He holds himself above NATO, or the petty grievances of other nations that do not rise to his ideal of a “great power.” Canada, you’re not up to the bar, in Trump’s doctrine. Neither is Mexico, or South Korea. Foreign relations is the most important part of The Zealot’s place in the world, since the President of the United States enjoys exclusive power to handle those affairs. Jeffrey Blehar, writing in National Review, clearly outlined how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky missed that key point in his meeting with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
Does he not understand that he must negotiate with the United States? There is no “appeal to the masses.” There is no “appeal to the opposition.” Deal with Trump — however difficult he may be — or go home. There are no other options.
To prove the point, Trump read from the letter Zelensky wrote him after being booted from the White House.
The letter reads: “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.”
“Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,” he said. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. … We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine, maintain its sovereignty and independence. … Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time.”
That is convenient for you. I appreciate that he sent this letter. I just got it a little while ago. Simultaneously we’ve had serious discussions with Russia. Then I’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful? Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Zelensky is barred by Ukrainian law from negotiating with Russia, so he needs the U.S. if there is to be any agreement. From Trump’s pulpit, Zelensky can get his security assurances from Europe, not from the U.S. But we’ll “allow” for that when we sit down with the other Great Powers to figure out how Ukraine is to be handled. I’m sorry, but that’s the best we can do with The Zealot running things in the White House.
Like Blehar, I never thought Ukraine’s war goals were achievable unless the U.S. or NATO intervened militarily, which under President Joe Biden, was not ever going to happen. But one thing Trump got right, is that the military is experiencing a surge in recruiting. What he got wrong is that it’s because of his DEI purge. I’m not saying the purge is having no effect, but I am saying that the military recruiting improvement began under Biden.
Like all “new” presidents, Trump has the ability to take credit for his predecessor’s results, and blame the same person for his own bad outcomes. Biden did this constantly for nearly four years. Trump has the added bonus of not hearing any defense from Biden (I doubt anyone will, probably ever again). So, Trump can use “alternative facts” on Ukraine aid, yet fail to mention that there’d be no Ukraine to negotiate a peace on behalf of, were it not for Biden’s actions.
On domestic policy and governance, to my ears and eyes it seemed like Trump was trying to break the hate-meter from Democrats, pushing further and further against their core beliefs and their radicalization. He brought them to the point of silliness and high drama, with “RESIST” shirts and Rep. Al Green being removed from the chamber for violating decorum. I half thought Green was going to go after Trump with that cane, reminiscent of Rep. Preston Brooks caning Sen. Charles Sumner to unconsciousness in 1856. (For his trouble, Massachusetts named an infamous tunnel after Sumner.)
Resistance to Trump does now seem silly in the mind of The Zealot, who taunted: “And we’ve ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me. How did that work out? Not too good. Not too good.” To The Zealot, having the Justice Department go after his enemies isn’t weaponizing, it’s doing the Lord’s Good Work.
Attilla the Hun called himself the Scourge of God, but in reality, he was an exceptional conqueror and pirate. He savaged Rome, marched through Greece and the Balkans, and won (“negotiated”) massive payments from the Romans as for protection. Attila was another Zealot. I think Trump sees himself in a similar light, for the United States.
Does the U.S. really need Greenland, or the Panama Canal? No. Not really. Not unless the vision of America is one of a conqueror, to sit at the head of the table with the other Great Powers, and decide the fate of the world. There is no other possible way Trump, The Zealot, can see America’s role in the world, and to its own citizens, than how Attila gathered the Hunnic people from the steppes of Central and Eastern Europe, and single-handedly ended the reign of the remnants of the Roman Empire.
Trump means to end the worldview that the last Zealot, Barack Obama, foisted onto the world stage. And Obama was only extending the doctrine held by the Bushes, that democracy can be planted and nourished through “nation building” (though Obama’s approach didn’t generally include invasions). Trump’s view is that democracy in other countries is only important after we’ve set the world right through power. It’s a version of “might makes right,” except Trump really believes the U.S. is the world’s exceptional power, granted by God to make things in God’s image, and that he, uniquely, has been placed by God in his position to do that.
There’s nothing more dangerous to people who disagree about doctrine than a powerful Zealot running the government. But to those who agree that MAGA, and Trump, are blessed by God to be where they are—and a large percentage of American evangelicals believe it—this is God’s will being done. It’s literally preaching to the choir.
That choir will swallow every mistaken fact, alternate fact, misplaced credit for things that happened without Trump’s actions, and misplaced blame for things that will happen that are not-so-good for the listeners. So when 401K retirement values crash due to tariffs, and jobs are lost due to company downsizing or “realignment” on investments, or other bad things befall them, it won’t be Trump’s fault to those who support The Zealot. It will merely be part of the “fight” against the status quo, the power structure that Trump (and Elon Musk) have begun to dismantle.
Trump’s speech to Congress was very important. It might even be considered seminal in understanding the next four years. This was the speech when The Zealot stepped into his destiny. Just like Trump said about Greenland: “…I think we’re going to get it — one way or the other, we’re going to get it,” so it will be for the rest of The Zealot’s plans. They are not distractions. Greenland, the Panama Canal, Ukraine’s future, all of that, is not four dimensional chess. It’s the will of God as interpreted by The Zealot.
But remember this about The Zealot in office. He doesn’t believe that God requires his repentance, or humility, or charity. He doesn’t believe that he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. His doctrine is opposite much of the teaching of Jesus Christ. So if God did call Trump, like Nebuchadnezzar, the proof will be when he’s humbled.
So far, there’s no sign of that.
The Zealot is not going to be stopped, and his lecture to Congress was his manifesto. Believe what he intends to do.
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Trump did acknowledge that the people of Greenland have the right of self-determination and that he would attempt to woo them into the USA fold. As usual he could not stop when he had made his point but had to end his Greenland remarks with a clunky "we will get it one way or another". Not necessarily ominous, but just more ammo for his haters.
The President has evidently taught Zelensky to sit heel, roll over and speak.
Let Europe devour itself into a nation as large as the United States. It's not close to being a major force like China and Russia, combined they are only showing how much more powerful they are by having self-resmtraint. Europe dismantling democracy to the point that they're unable to trust their own voting systems or eyes that should be able to clearly see the social upheaval and economic disaster brought on by its own greed and corruption.
When will they learn that war is murder?
I say all this as I'm on my device that requires rare earth minerals. We need Greenland for what reason? I don't know. But, I'm not privy to private dealings of nuclear energy. We can't invest in it. If people could invest in it through government lines, I bet more would be willing to go to war over it. None of us benefit from it. I don't "need" this device.
I don't agree with you but you're an excellent writer. I could be friends with you even though we disagree. The middle ground doesn't exist. We are on a walk like humpty Dumpty. The sides have swung so far each way.