America's Darkest Turn
The humiliation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office is the logical conclusion of the KGB's strategy to capture and converge with the United States.
When it comes to raw betrayal of American values, one may struggle to name a day in history worse than yesterday. There are contenders to be sure, but this day had a lot to offer: bringing in an ally to berate him on the world stage, peppering him with Kremlin talking points, leaving Europe gasping, asking — this is the reality of America in 2025?
Indeed, this is what many have been trying to warn about (see: Elon Musk Wants a New World Order) — that this day was coming, and soon. There is little reason to rehash here what has been well-covered elsewhere. Yesterday was disgusting and embarrassing, but enlightening for Europeans who can now see with their own eyes that US support for Ukraine is over. No illusions — we're in a new phase of global power. Europe needs to decide how (and whether) to counter Russia in Europe. We're out.
Some may see this turn of events as boorish MAGA isolationism, but that's wrong. Taking cues from the Kremlin, Trump is implementing the final phase of a decades-old KGB vision for reshaping global power which involves rapprochement, convergence, and ultimately alliance between the US and Russia. We're now on Russia's side.
Dave Troy
I covered this turn of events this week through the lens of Henry Wallace, who was groomed by the KGB to run for president in 1948. Wallace was essentially Trump 1.0, and advocated for the same rapprochement-alliance strategy (under the threat of nuclear annihilation) that Trump is rolling out now.
To better understand this week's disgraceful display in the Oval Office, listen to my interview with Benn Steil, historian and economist at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of "The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century." While Wallace was a left populist and Trump is a right populist, the distinction is immaterial. Both used ideology as a means towards an end; both were groomed by the KGB to implement the same strategy.
Dave Troy
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is gutting our government. In my new column for The Washington Spectator, I argue that Musk has provoked an unsolvable constitutional crisis, and that the only path out is to find some way to physically constrain him — within the rule of law. Whether it's Congressional action or some other remedy, whatever ideas people have about stopping him ultimately must result in physical separation of him and his teams from the systems they are attacking.
Elon Musk and DOGE are a meatspace problem, not an ideaspace problem. He needs to be physically restrained, and now. While courts, pundits, and legislators make proclamations, words have no mass and cannot constrain him. He and his DOGE boys are taking control of physical computer networks and databases, often at night and on weekends, proving the principle that possession is (at least) nine tenths of the law. If Musk is to be restrained, those in the ideaspace realm need to figure out how to effect an outcome in the meatspace realm.
And in case you missed it, check out my interview with journalist and author Katherine Stewart about her new book "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy," just released last week. It's a fascinating, multi-layered look at the various networks that brought us to this point.
Dave Troy
And if all of that has you down (and it should, friend, it should), see last week's piece about how to approach this very dark time constructively. Take care of yourself, take care of others, and do the work. Each day brings us closer to the other side of this crisis. ■
Additional Suggested Reading
Dave Troy
