From Foreign Policy · Howard W. French · · 2m
American Decay in Trump's Second Term
Trump administration's actions reveal deepening moral and institutional decay.
In brief
Trump administration's actions reveal deepening moral and institutional decay. Trump administration's public executions, sanctions against ICC, and diplomatic corruption signal US moral decline. Originally reported by Foreign Policy.
Trump administration's public execution plan
U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of a former U.S.military officer convicted in 2009 for the terrorist murder of 12 soldiers and a civilian at Fort Hood.
“the u.s. military hasn’t performed a public execution in 90 years”
Trump supports public executions
U.S. President Donald Trump replied with a single word: 'Absolutely' when asked if he supported public executions.
“absolutely”
Trump administration targets ICC
Trump administration slammed Norway for selecting Navi Pillay as Nobel peace laureate and announced punitive actions against the International Criminal Court.
“pillay had once served as a judge”
Pillay's Gaza genocide findings
Pillay led a U.N. commission that concluded Israel's post-Oct. 7, 2023, offensive in Gaza constituted genocide.
“the killing of tens of thousands of palestinians and the wholesale devastation of the territory's housing and infrastructure had constituted a genocide”
Trump's fuel deal with Russia
Trump suspended sanctions on Moscow to arrange a fuel delivery deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“this will boost russian revenues at a time when its war of aggression in ukraine has begun crippling its economy”
Trump criticizes Ukraine
Trump denounced Ukraine for defending itself by attacking Russia's petroleum infrastructure.
“it didn't matter to him that these were reprisals for russia's savage and much more systematic attacks on ukraine's energy systems and economy”
Guilfoyle's alleged corruption
U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle faces accusations of soliciting payment from a political fundraiser for high-level government access.
“text messages that seem to clearly point to a pay-to-play deal”
Trump's son accepts Russian gift
Donald Trump Jr. accepted a gift from a shadowy Russian oligarch to finance his post-wedding Caribbean party.
“the man, said to be close to putin, scarcely speaks english”
Rubio's Greek myth claim
Marco Rubio claimed the United States is a direct descendant of ancient Greece and a paragon of Western ideals.
“we believe that europe can awaken from its long slumber and rekindle the fire that was lit here millennia ago”
Trump administration's moral decline
The Trump administration's actions signal a deepening moral and institutional decay in the United States.
“the pervasive self-congratulation and denial emanating from today's washington”
Global consequences of US decline
The Trump administration's actions are pushing the world toward a dangerous direction where rules matter less and naked might prevails.
“rules matter less and naked might is given precedence over considerations of what is principled, or right”
US fails to condemn Israel's actions
Both Biden and Trump administrations have failed to effectively condemn or restrain Israel's military actions in Gaza.
“the u.s. has never articulated a coherent, substantive response to this”
US abandonment of international values
The United States has abandoned its international values by treating Israel as an ally despite its actions in Gaza.
“this amounts to an abandonment of u.s. values, something the country once staked its international standing on”
Trump's transactional diplomacy
Trump's actions toward Russia and Ukraine show a transactional approach to diplomacy that undermines international norms.
“the u.s. has long routinely deplored as barbaric”
The headline
Trump administration's public executions, sanctions against ICC, and diplomatic corruption signal US moral decline.
