Despite being overwhelmed by the idiocy emanating from Trump and his acolytes it is encouraging to note some push back from many; some timeless commentary from others; a reality check on the rare earths situation; and, some blatant Russian acknowledgment of Trump’s useful idiot status.

Lech Walesa

 First, the view of genuine tough guy who stood against massive threats – the former political prisoner and Polish President, Lech Walesa. Walesa sent the following to Trump. “Your Excellency, Mr. President, We watched the report of your conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with fear and distaste. We find it insulting that you expect Ukraine to show respect and gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States in its fight against Russia. Gratitude is owed to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed their blood in defense of the values of the free world. They have been dying on the front lines for more than 11 years in the name of these values and the independence of their homeland, which was attacked by Putin’s Russia.

“We do not understand how the leader of a country that symbolizes the free world cannot recognize this.

“Our alarm was also heightened by the atmosphere in the Oval Office during this conversation, which reminded us of the interrogations we endured at the hands of the Security Services and the debates in Communist courts. Prosecutors and judges, acting on behalf of the all-powerful communist political police, would explain to us that they held all the power while we held none. They demanded that we cease our activities, arguing that thousands of innocent people suffered because of us. They stripped us of our freedoms and civil rights because we refused to cooperate with the government or express gratitude for our oppression. We are shocked that President Volodymyr Zelensky was treated in the same manner.

“The history of the 20th century shows that whenever the United States sought to distance itself from democratic values and its European allies, it ultimately became a threat to itself. President Woodrow Wilson understood this when he decided in 1917 that the United States must join World War I. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood this when, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he resolved that the war to defend America must be fought not only in the Pacific but also in Europe, in alliance with the nations under attack by the Third Reich.

“We remember that without President Ronald Reagan and America’s financial commitment, the collapse of the Soviet empire would not have been possible. President Reagan recognized that millions of enslaved people suffered in Soviet Russia and the countries it had subjugated, including thousands of political prisoners who paid for their defence of democratic values with their freedom. His greatness lay, among other things, in his unwavering decision to call the USSR an “Empire of Evil” and to fight it decisively.

“We won, and today, the statue of President Ronald Reagan stands in Warsaw, facing the U.S. Embassy.

“Mr. President, material aid—military and financial—can never be equated with the blood shed in the name of Ukraine’s independence and the freedom of Europe and the entire free world. Human life is priceless; its value cannot be measured in money. Gratitude is due to those who sacrifice their blood and their freedom. This is self-evident to us, the people of Solidarity, former political prisoners of the communist regime under Soviet Russia.

“We call on the United States to uphold the guarantees made alongside Great Britain in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which established a direct obligation to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for its relinquishment of nuclear weapons. These guarantees are unconditional—there is no mention of treating such assistance as an economic transaction.”

The US public

The inimitable H.L.K. Menken once said: “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”

 The Trump commitment to Menken’s vision

The US Department of Education intends to lay off nearly half of its workforce. The layoffs of 1,300 people were announced by the department on Tuesday and described by the education secretary, Linda McMahon, as a “significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system”.

What Trump inherited

 Paul Krugman (12/03) reported that “you could characterize the economy when Trump took office, with 2.5 percent growth, low unemployment and inflation only slightly above the Fed’s 2 percent target, as terrible. But the Trumpist position, coming from multiple officials, seems to be that the prosperity was fake, that the numbers were exaggerated by bloated government spending and employment. Hence the need for a costly transition to an economy where workers are doing useful things. As usual, one has to ask: Are they ignorant or are they lying? And as usual, the answer is: Why not both?”

 Some lucky people avoided the Tesla share meltdown

Krugman also reported that: “But perhaps the biggest hit Musk has taken lately is over his Tesla car brand. On February 6, Musk’s younger brother Kimbal, who sits on Tesla’s board, sold more than $27 million worth of shares in the company. Tesla chair Robyn Denholm sold about $43 million worth of Tesla stock in February and recently sold another $33 million. Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja has sold $8 million worth over the past 90 days. Yesterday, board member James Murdoch sold just over $13 million worth of stock.”

Rare earths myths

 Trump is obsessed with rare earths and promises whatever he can to grab them.  But he’s obviously not very well-informed about them. For instance, IEEE Spectrum (7/3) reported that the Biden Government had funded Lynas Rare Earths in WA to begin building a processing plant which are probably not up for grabs even if Peter Dutton becomes PM. Ukraine has four areas with substantial deposits of rare earth ores but most of them are in territory currently controlled by Russia and unlikely to be handed over by Russia. More importantly there are no other deposits of rare-earth ore in Ukraine known to be mineable in an economically viable way; much of the rare earth deposits are dominated by britholite which has not been processed for are earths. Moreover, the other great hope – Greenland -is problematic and hasn’t been exploited yet because it is an exceptionally difficult area to mine.

Ironically, the US itself has substantial deposits of rare earth ore in California, Alaska, Wyoming, Georgia and Texas. The IEEE article asks: “The unanswerable question, at the moment, is why Trump has discounted what is already within its borders? Ignorance perhaps?

Meanwhile….

China dominates production of rare earth and more than 95% of industrially useful rare earth metals are produced there. The new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told his confirmation hearing: “If we stay on the road we’re on right now, in less than ten years, virtually everything matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not.”

The proof that Trump is a useful idiot

 During the 2024 campaign a newspaper reporter asked Nikolai Patrushev, who is close to Putin, if Trump’s election would mean “positive changes from Russia’s point of view.” Patrushev answered: “To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”

After the election Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a reporter: “The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely aligns with our vision.” Just what is it they have on him? The world needs to know.