Let’s check the calendar: with over 1,300 days left in Trump’s new four-year term, many Americans are already feeling the strain. The sense of exhaustion is palpable – and entirely understandable.
Trump’s feats of self-enrichment almost defy belief. If David Copperfield could make a Boeing 747 disappear, Trump could make it reappear in his own pocket – especially if it was a “gift” from Qatar. Yet such sleights of hand pale in comparison to his real magic: manipulating news cycles to create lucrative investment opportunities for himself, most notably in the wild west of cryptocurrencies. The American intelligentsia is growing uneasy, including The New York Times: “Trump Profits Like No Other President, as Outrage Is Muted”
Recent coverage suggests that, in just a few months, the Trump family and its business partners have raked in $320 million from a new cryptocurrency, sealed multibillion-dollar overseas real estate deals, and launched an exclusive Washington club called “The Executive Branch” with a $500,000 membership fee—likely just scratching the surface of their latest financial ventures. And that, one suspects, is only the tip of the iceberg.
But the real issue is not simply Trump’s audacity – it’s the system that enables him. How has he managed to become so untouchable, so brazen in his disregard for the rule of law? The answer lies in America’s own constitutional DNA. Montesquieu, the French philosopher, famously observed that the difference between monarchy and despotism is the presence of checks and balances. America may not have a king, but it has certainly perfected the machinery of unchecked power.
A revealing article on the American Institute in Taiwan’s Chinese-language website, “On Democracy: The President’s Power,” lays it bare:
“Anyone who reads Article II of the Constitution is immediately struck by the fact that it spells out the mechanism for electing the president in great details, but says very little about the president’s powers once in office. There are no specifics, for example, about how the president is to give orders to the heads of departments, how he is to control the various branches of government, or how he is to remove officials.”
In other words, Trump is operating with almost no real oversight. With the Republican Party controlling both houses of Congress and the White House, America is experiencing what political insiders call a “trifecta” – a recipe for unchecked executive power.
According to the article, the president “may veto acts of Congress, either on constitutional or policy grounds, and his veto cannot be overturned without a two-thirds vote to do so in the House and Senate.” The article further explains that “the most important checks on the president involve the ‘auxiliary precautions’ of impeachment and removal for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors.’”
However, the article also notes that “the American constitutional system does not contemplate removal for losing the confidence of the legislature (such as is implied in losing a vote of confidence in a parliamentary system).”
Moreover, “a president is impeached (equivalent to being indicted) by a majority vote of the House of Representatives, thereafter he is tried in the Senate, with the Chief Justice of the United States presiding.”
But even the Chief Justice, in this era, is seen as being within Trump’s sphere of influence. Add to that Trump’s mastery of social media – which has allowed him to sidestep traditional media gatekeepers and drown out dissent – and you have a president who is, for all practical purposes, untouchable. Who, then, could possibly ignite a “Dump Trump” movement? Most have simply chosen to wait out the next 1,300 days.
What kept previous presidents in check was not just law, but a sense of honour – a moral compass. That compass, it seems, is now broken. John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of United States, often opened his speeches with a warning:
“The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.”
This, in essence, is how a society descends into chaos: when morality collapses and the world looks away.
The turmoil in America today is not just Trump’s doing – it is the tragic, inevitable fate of a fading empire.
Deep Blue
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Wang Yi just put the world on notice. "The international situation is getting more turbulent and intertwined," he said. "Unilateral bullying is intensifying. The sudden change in Venezuela has drawn high level of attention from the international community."
He then added: "We never believe that any country can play the role of world policeman, nor do we agree that any country can claim itself to be an international judge."
This isn't diplomatic chitchat. Wang Yi added that "the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law." It's a warning shot fired directly at Trump's so-called "New Monroe Doctrine"—and it signals China will push back hard against neo-colonialism. One story from China's past shows exactly what that means.
The Incheon Gamble
In mid-September 1950, MacArthur pulled off the audacious Incheon landing—later hailed as "the most successful gamble" in military history. He bet everything on one card: that North Korean forces would be lax defending a port with terrible geography. The bet paid off. US forces achieved total surprise, cut enemy supply lines, and reversed the early disasters of the Korean War.
The Korean Peninsula was strategically vital to both China and the Soviet Union. They planned to back North Korea. At 1:00 a.m. on October 3, Zhou Enlai urgently summoned K. M. Panikkar, India's ambassador to China. His message was blunt: "If US forces cross the 38th parallel, we cannot stand by—we will have to step in."
The CCP's official Party history records this moment and emphasizes one critical word: "管" (to intervene). The Chinese term posed a translation challenge. If the wording was too soft, the Americans might miss China's intent. So Premier Zhou asked his foreign affairs secretary, Pu Shouchang, to choose carefully. Pu used "intervene"—making China's intention crystal clear. China would step in and interfere. The message reached Washington quickly through India. Yet "the US side chose to ignore it, and US forces brazenly crossed the 38th parallel on October 7."
Crossing the Yalu
American troops didn't just cross the 38th parallel—they surged in force toward the Yalu River and raced along the China-North Korea and North Korea-Soviet borders to the Tumen River. What happened next? On October 19, 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers crossed the Yalu River. After five successive campaigns, they drove UN forces back from the Yalu area to near the 38th parallel.
On July 27, 1953, China, North Korea, and the UN Command signed the Korean Armistice Agreement. Many believe Mao Zedong's decision to send troops delivered China a stunning victory—a weaker power defeating a stronger one. People now say China "won so hard it felt unreal."
MacArthur—that "godlike general"—couldn't let it go. After his success at Incheon, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to expand his gains. He proposed a radical escalation to Washington: first, blockade China's coast; second, use naval and air power for unlimited bombing to completely destroy China's industrial production and infrastructure; third, bring in Nationalist (KMT) forces to "retake the mainland" and tie China down. Then fourth, MacArthur went even further with a wild proposal—drop 20 to 30 atomic bombs on China and create a radioactive "death zone" along the Yalu River between China and North Korea.
Trump's MacArthur Moment
Today's Trump thinks arresting Venezuela's president and his wife means he can bulldoze the whole world. One moment he talks about "taking over" Venezuela. The next he claims he can make personnel arrangements for that country, sending Marco Rubio to serve as a "governor." Meanwhile, US oil giants are poised to "swallow up" Venezuela's petroleum assets. Trump's ambition follows the same logic as MacArthur's back then.
MacArthur's recklessness enraged America's allies. They feared World War III. More importantly, the Soviet Union—which also possessed atomic weapons—was deeply dissatisfied with the US and warned that "bombs can be answered with bombs." President Truman faced an impossible choice: keep his war hero or keep the peace. He chose peace. On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur—ending the career of America's most celebrated general. MacArthur became one of the century's biggest cautionary tales.
The lesson is simple, direct, and brutal. Trump thinks everyone is scared of him and that he can keep throwing out ever more outrageous "deals" at will. That will invite disaster—because it crosses the tolerance threshold of the great-power balance. The major powers will have to "intervene."
How will they intervene? Great powers have many tools in their toolbox. Think of Schrödinger's cat—you open the box yourself and you'll find out the outcome. This isn't a joke. Do you dare try?
