There is so much going on in the world today. I’ve been around for most of 72 years and I understand that there is almost always a lot going on in the world. Some people like to keep their focus tight to what’s directly in front of them, watching their feet at each step. Whether they choose to wear blinders or are just naturally only concerned about their immediate surroundings doesn’t change anything. The universe is vast and as my favorite painting says on its plaque, we are certainly all alone in the vastness (Solo en la Immensidad) in one sense and cannot impact too much by ourselves. But even that painting really tells a very different story. That lone tree on the Pampas of Patagonia has so very much going on around it as to belie its very title. From the worms in the soil, to the insects that live in the tree’s aura, to the small animals of the field that find a home in the shade of the tree or the birds that find rest in its branches. Nothing is ever alone in the vastness. The world and the universe are places of connection and not only does nothing stand on its own, nothing can survive without the entire ecosystem.
I read an article about yesterday that was ostensibly about what’s been going on at Health and Human Services and the CDC, and a quote caught my eye….”these aren’t things that Donald Trump necessarily cares about, understands, or wants to know about”. During the campaign, when Trump was wrangling for votes and cut his deal with RFK Jr., he also said, “R.F.K., you can do whatever the hell you want, just don’t touch the oil”. Now we see the Trump Administration trying to roll back every clear air (emissions) and clean water regulation possible, presumably because none of them (including Mr. Get-Rid-of-Processed-Foods, RFK Jr.) cares about air quality, water quality, or soil quality for that matter (which seems to contradict the whole let’s-go-natural theme he is espousing). The last comment in the article likened this whole Health and Human Services issue for Trump as being like a toy that Trump has lost interest in light of all his other policy toys that garner so much more attention for him. Therefore, like a greedy and flighty child, Trump is simply letting RFK Jr. play with the toy all he wants and until he wants to demand otherwise.
That made me wonder what Donald Trump DOES care about (other than himself, obviously). And that made me stop in my tracks and ask myself, “What should WE care about most?” I turned it into an all-inclusive thought not just for completeness or to be cute, but because as I started to rummage through the list of issues that Trump has turned on their head since the start of the year, the list became overwhelming. I think it is not an exaggeration to say that he has unhinged most of the things that many of us rely on both in our daily existence and in the sphere of things we spend time caring about. Therefore, rather than just reeling from one distressed reaction to another, it might be time to do some prioritizing (as hard as it may be) amongst the things that are being dismantled. This could serve as the basis for more extreme resistance and advocacy or it might be the start of a rebuilding priority list for when the world eventually turns back into a more sensible direction. We all understand that the best chance of that happening sooner rather than later is a 2022 electoral adjustment, as challenging as that may or may not be. Given that the left is weighing endorsement of more radical candidates than ever (Mamdani just got the endorsement of NY Governor Hochul in his upcoming NYC mayoral run), it might be important to start thinking through what we care most about since the choices might become quite stark. Making this this might prove difficult…
I feel like the way to start is to declare my general ideology, which everyone knows is very liberal…especially for someone who has made a career of Wall Street. I believe in equality and tolerance above all. The protection of individual rights and freedoms while actively working toward greater social equality and inclusion through democratic institutions and government action is at the core of my belief system. Included in that is the importance of the rule of law, which needs to go hand-in-hand with support for civil liberties and advocacy for social justice policies. I believe in Capitalism, so solid market economics, which requires enlightened and consistent regulation, is critical to the prosperity of the citizenry. The ongoing demand for environmental protection, and expanded access to healthcare and education, both of which serve the greater good of society, require fair, but progressive taxation that acknowledges the role the collective plays in accumulating wealth by anyone. I do not believe in the value of excessive intergenerational wealth transfer while still believing that both individual freedom and collective welfare can be achieved through democratic governance and targeted government intervention. I feel the tenets of capitalism and democracy serve one another to create the best foundation for human governance and prosperity.
So, what should we care about most? The most significant policy changes implemented by the Trump administration since taking office in January 2025 are:
1. Immigration and Border Security
– Border Wall Expansion…a horrible waste of money,
– Mass Deportation Operations, being conducted by goonish ICE agents and invoking prison camps onshore and offshore that will go down in history as deplorable examples of inhumanity.
– Laken Riley Act, requiring DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting, and thereby further eroding our constitutional rights.
2. Trade and Economic Policy – invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on all countries, with higher individualized tariffs on countries with the largest trade deficits and countries Trump wants to influence for his own reasons (like Brazil vis-a-vis Bolsonaro). Bringing on inflation…hurting farming and small businesses all across the country…and now seeing companies like Sherwin Williams, a 158-year-old company suspend its 401(k) match like it did in 2008 and again in COVID, because their business is being destroyed by Trump economic policy…
3. Energy Policy – declaring an energy emergency, ending climate policies including withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord…and furthering the demise of of the planet.
4. Federal Workforce Reform – Creating DOGE and both carelessly reducing staff across the government and working to eliminate the concept of a non-partisan civil service (what Trump calls the Deep State). Hurting loyal government workers and doing it all in a ham-handed manner as only billionaires can do.
5. Regulatory Changes – heavily focused on ending DEI programs, dismantling the Dept. of Education, HHS, EPA, USAID, etc. Recrafting regulatory overreach may be a good thing, but capitalism and markets cannot function without sensible regulation to protect the citizenry. Other regulations are critical for the welfare of the citizenry.
6. Challenges to NATO membership – vacillating on and underfunding Ukraine defense. This support for Putin’s Russia has been visibly endorsed despite Putin’s lack of any compromise or compliance with Trump demands. NATO is a key bulwark against all the forces of evil that Putin wants to reestablish and Trump is carelessly tossing away our allied shield.
7. Unilateral support for Israel despite G7 concerns about Gaza policies and then supportive attacks on Iran, risking confrontation…all due to withdrawal from the prior nuclear accord endorsed by the G7. Trump cannot stand up to any strongman, as we can see.
8. Blatant imperialist rhetoric vis-a-vis Greenland, Panama, Mexico and Canada, thereby destabilizing the North American diplomatic and trade pact. Bully tactics of the worst kind…against our neighbors.
9. Rule of Law – eliminating due process and using pardons for partisan purposes.
10. Democracy – doing whatever Project 2025 and MAGA/MAHA Cabal wants to do.
The only answer I can come up with as I get tired after 10 things that Trump is destroying, is to say that we should care about it ALL the most.