Depicting himself as Jesus Christ this week was just US President Donald Trump’s latest narcissistic exercise on social media. It would not have been a big deal were he not the most powerful man on Earth – and now arguably the most powerful buffoon on the planet.
After deleting the controversial AI-generated image, Trump excused himself by claiming it actually depicted him as a doctor healing a man; he was either ignorant of how a modern doctor dresses or simply lied through his teeth in order to salvage as many offended Christian voters as possible. At least one thing is clear: Trump is no Jesus Christ.
The “Don Tzu” Delusion
Trump is increasingly a figure of international ridicule, with recent satirical takes emerging on a “Trump-style” version of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, dubbing him “Don Tzu” instead of Sun Tzu on social media. In an article by the South China Morning Post a few days ago, humorous “quotes” were featured, including:
“If you do not know what you’re doing, neither does your enemy.”
The line is attributed to “Don Tzu” — a playful portmanteau of Donald Trump and the ancient Chinese military strategist. Let me try to imitate Don Tzu: “A hundred battles end in confusion when you know neither your enemy nor thyself.”
A Rogue Superpower
Only a man like Trump can manage a blockade on a blockade of the Hormuz Strait and think it’s a good idea for the rest of the world. But perhaps he might indeed be a world-leading strategist distracting the rest of us with his buffoonery while trying to undermine Iran, an ally of China, the biggest rival of the United States.
Or perhaps Trump is more like a narcissistic megalomaniac cum the world’s most powerful hoodlum. It’s “me, me, me and me” for him. He has turned the United States into a rogue superpower. It was somewhat rogue before, but now it is so rogue it awakened a new generation around the world to recognize the United States for what it is. Forget about international law; it’s Trump’s law or war, and you risk being ridiculed if you are not on his side.
Fractured Alliances
Not just the pope, but also Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s relationship with Trump—which was solid until the Iran War intervened—is under strain. This followed her defense of Pope Leo XIV this week after he was thrashed by Trump for merely calling for peace. Meloni was once a key European ally, but the Western press speculates the chummy relationship could now be over.
Questioning Stability
It is no wonder that some are now even questioning not just Trump’s political and ethical stances, but his mental stability.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday: “As President Trump threatens to wipe out Iran and attacks the pope, even some former allies and advisers are questioning whether he has grown increasingly unbalanced, describing him as ‘lunatic’ and ‘clearly insane.’”
The Strategy of Chaos:
Some believe Trump’s volatile stance is actually a strategy to elude opponents; or perhaps his cronies are simply reaping profits from the volatility of the stock markets and energy prices.
The Human Cost
Attention should not be diverted by Trump’s personality and should instead focus on what Trump’s America is doing to most of the rest of the world. As we continue to grapple with the death tolls in Iran and neighbouring countries and the economic fallout of the energy crisis, the American embassy here in Bangkok does not even bother to hold press conferences. They could hardly care what you think.
As the international community finds it difficult to deal with Trump’s erratic behavior and unpredictability, we can go on trying to psychoanalyze Trump, but the world must prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Late Wednesday night, Al Jazeera reported that the US is sending 10,000 more troops to the Middle East despite the Iran ceasefire. More deaths and suffering are almost inevitable as long as American voters do not render him a lame-duck president come the mid-term elections this November.
