American leader struggles to stabilize his term, passing from one crisis to another. On his birthday, celebrating 79 years, he wanted a grand parade, as a respected authoritarian leader. Thus, he did everything possible to have one, expected to be attended by 250,000 people, according to White House estimates, but only a few tens of thousands showed up.
The military parade, promoted as being held on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the formation of the American army, cost taxpayers 45 million dollars, turning out to be a fiasco.
„For many Americans, the parade was not a celebration of the army, but rather a symbol of Trump’s efforts to expand his powers and promote his own political interests. Trump mobilized Marines and National Guard troops to suppress protests against his deportation policy in Los Angeles, ignoring objections from local authorities,” as stated in an article published by the Wall Street Journal.
What was supposed to be a political comeback for Donald Trump, after a disastrous start to his term in which he destroyed much of the U.S.’ global influence and caused huge internal tensions and fear, turned out to be another failure due to the small number of participants and the fact that the U.S. military is not adept at parades, being a professional force focused on training and missions.
"These soldiers spend their days doing important work to defend our nation. They never practice marching. Trump asked them to stop being productive at work and waste time and taxpayers' money to parade for his amusement," explained Jack Broe, a former officer specializing in nuclear armament, on his X/ Twitter account.
The impromptu show was overshadowed by the conflict between Israel and Iran, the over 2,000 protests that took place in various American cities against Donald Trump, as well as the assassination where two politicians in Minnesota lost their lives, the perpetrator being identified as a radicalized former American military.
People are genuinely surprised that American military members cannot march in formation like the Russians or North Koreans. The reason is that all these soldiers have real jobs in the military, and no one, outside ceremonial units, marches after completing basic training and technical school.
Jack Broe, former U.S. Army officer, post on X/ Twitter account
A phone call from the best friend from Russia
"President Putin called me this morning to wish me a happy birthday, but especially to discuss Iran, a country he knows very well. We talked at length. We spoke much less about Russia and Ukraine, but we will address this issue next week.
He proceeds with the planned prisoner exchange - a large number of prisoners are released immediately, from both sides. The discussion lasted about an hour. He believes, like me, that the war between Israel and Iran must end, and I explained to him that his war must also end," wrote Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.
The American president makes no effort to hide his admiration for the Russian leader and his enthusiasm that Putin called him on his birthday.
His statement about Putin being a good connoisseur of Iran while Israel's forces are conducting a major military operation to destroy nuclear facilities and change the dictatorial regime in Tehran is a new sign of Trump's indecision regarding Benjamin Netanyahu's actions, the Israeli Prime Minister.
The attack on Iran by Israel has put the American president in a difficult position in his relationship with Putin. Iran is Russia's most important military ally, and U.S. support for the military operations initiated by Jerusalem would undermine the visible friendship between Trump and the Russian leader.
Moreover, an Israeli victory, which would mean a significant reduction in Iran's military forces, the destruction of nuclear facilities, and possible revolts by the population against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would halt the transfer of drones and other military equipment from Tehran to Moscow, directly weakening the Kremlin's forces attacking Ukraine.
The storm in the American administration
The tensions at the White House, which escalated with the conflict between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, have not subsided. There is a lack of a clear vision regarding the U.S.'s position on ongoing major events, two wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as increasing internal tensions.
Secretary of State Marc Rubio seems more concerned about surviving the ongoing storm within the American administration and not upsetting the president. These two complicated directions have left him without a global action strategy, forced to improvise continuously.
This leads to contradictory positions, what Rubio says is contradicted by Trump a few hours later.
The American president finds himself in an increasingly fragile position because he fails to control his own executive branch. Promoting mediocre individuals without expertise and experience, lacking authority over the subordinates in the institutions and agencies they lead, has led to a deadlock, with most energy consumed in endless internal struggles.
In his second term, Donald Trump aimed to surround himself with people who obey his orders and execute them or pretend to implement them.
As a result, his decisions are announced with great fanfare, only to be crushed by reality, and ultimately, in a humiliating manner, withdrawn, changed, or accepted with losses.
Mr. TACO
From this fluctuating attitude emerged the nickname TACO - Trump Always Chicken Out, which characterized his mandate so far.
For example, some stock market investors trade shares based on his changing decisions, causing rapid price fluctuations, ultimately generating strong uncertainty.
Trump's weakness, projected worldwide, has led to instability but also to the creation of new alliances that have overshadowed or even bypassed the American administration.
The way Canada, the most important economic, military, and political ally of the USA, cut ties with the White House shows how much Donald Trump has weakened America.
"We will ensure that every dollar is invested wisely, including by prioritizing production and supply chains in Canada. We no longer need to send three-quarters of our defense spending to America," stated Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, earlier this week.
Trump's parade was a failure, his authoritarianism resembling a carnival. America is more than the current mediocre administration, lacking moral compass and understanding of the world, which divides instead of unites. The protests, the way a large part of society fights and resists, the attachment to the cause of freedom, all show that the USA remains a great democracy despite the current challenges it faces.