Trump, Imperialism, and the Collapse of American Accountability

Laura Bock , , ,

Trump, Imperialism, and the Collapse of American Accountability

We Were Not Supposed to Be Held Hostage Like This

I don’t care what the constitutional law experts say anymore.
I don’t care how many panels they sit on, how many books they’ve written, or how many times they’ve explained it slowly like we’re the problem.

There is a massive, gaping flaw in the U.S. Constitution when someone this effin’ unhinged gets to act this effin’ unhinged for this effin’ long — and the rest of us are told to just… endure it.

The 25th Amendment? Spare me.
If that was ever going to work, it would have worked by now.

We were not supposed to be held hostage by a single office, a single ego, or a single cult of personality while the country burns and Congress refreshes its fundraising dashboards.

This Should Never Be Allowed to Happen Again

Once we finally get Rape van Stinkle out of office — and yes, out, not politely ushered into some golden exile — a system needs to be put in place so this kind of bullshit can never happen again.

Not:

  • “Let’s write a sternly worded report.”

  • “We’ll look into reforms after the midterms.”

  • “The institutions held.”

I mean hard stops.
Guardrails.
Kill switches.

Democracy should not rely on vibes and good faith.

The Epstein Files Are Not a Partisan Issue

And while we’re here: the Epstein files.

I don’t care which party anyone belongs to.
I don’t care how much money they have.
I don’t care how many charities they funded or how many politicians they took selfies with.

If someone is tied to Jeffrey Epstein, do your fucking job.

Stop slow-walking.
Stop protecting “important people.”
Stop turning monsters into martyrs and criminals into misunderstood geniuses.

This is exactly why chaos keeps getting dialed up to eleven — the distractions, the international stunts, the chest-thumping foreign policy nonsense. It’s all smoke.

And the fact that so many people fall for it, every single time, is honestly exhausting.

“Smart People Don’t Like Me” — Correct

Trump’s own words haunt him:

“Smart people don’t like me.”

His supporters continue to prove that statement with Olympic-level consistency and enthusiasm.

It would be impressive if it weren’t actively destroying the country.

When I was a kid, I read The Emperor’s New Clothes. I didn’t realize it was going to be a damned prophecy for 2025 — but here we are. Everyone is pretending not to notice the obvious because pointing it out might be “divisive,” “rude,” or bad for polling.

Spoiler:
The emperor is naked.
Corrupt.
And screaming at the clouds.

Welcome to the New American Dream™

Work yourself to death so the rich can pay less — or nothing — in taxes.

Brought to you by:

  • Dirty, rotten, pedo-protecting Republicans

  • And an army of ignorant, uneducated, and misinformed MAGA voters who consistently vote against their own survival

Then they blame immigrants, teachers, and drag queens for it.

Democrats: You Don’t Get a Free Pass

And no — Democrats don’t get a free pass here.

I am so tired of our so-called Democratic leadership.

Tired of “Do-Nothing” Hakeem Jeffries.
Tired of Chuck “Cuck” Schumer.
Tired of the decorum fetish.
Tired of the pearl-clutching.

They could have taken Dementia Don and his entire administration out politically already.

They chose not to.

Because outrage is great for fundraising.
Fear is great for midterms.
And actually legislating might upset corporate donors.

Cowards.
Every last one.

Accountability for Thee, Immunity for Me

We now live in a country that claims it can:

  • Seize a sitting foreign president

  • Drag him into U.S. courts

  • And run another country “for its own good”

While simultaneously arguing that an American president is basically untouchable.

That contradiction should alarm anyone who gives a shit about accountability — regardless of party.

Imperialism With Better PR Is Still Imperialism

Every day brings a fresh outrage.
The news feels like a car wreck on the highway — horrifying, but impossible to look away from.

Three more years of this?
I shudder at where this ends.

What really broke my brain was the casual discussion of snatching a sitting leader, indicting him here, and stepping in to “run the place.”

We’ve seen this movie before:

  • Vietnam

  • Reagan-era Contra nonsense

  • Ollie North

It was ugly then.
It’s ugly now.

Watching the Mango Mussolini clutch pearls over Ukraine, allegedly targeting Vladimir Putin while pulling similar stunts elsewhere, is peak hypocrisy. Even Putin called it a bad move, which should really make you pause.

What example does this set for:

  • China?

  • Russia?

  • Any country with land or resources they want to “liberate”?

This Isn’t About Venezuela — It Never Was

This is not about freeing the Venezuelan people — at least not the ones actually living there.

This is boilerplate, late-stage capitalist imperialism.

The Venezuelans celebrating in Miami aren’t cheering democracy — they’re cheering the possibility of returning to the old status quo in Venezuela, where they held power and wealth.

If China and Russia aren’t reacting, it’s because deals have already been cut.
Quid pro quos are alive and well.

Two Things Can Be True at the Same Time

Let me be crystal clear before the bad-faith crowd starts frothing:

I recognize — and absolutely believe — that Nicolás Maduro was a horrible leader. Authoritarian. Corrupt. Brutal to his own people. That part isn’t controversial, and pretending otherwise helps no one. 

But here’s the part Americans seem to choke on:

Two things can be true at the same time.

Maduro being a tyrant does not automatically make U.S. intervention righteous.
A corrupt foreign leader does not give us a moral hall pass for imperialism.
And “we don’t like that guy” has never been a legitimate reason to kidnap leaders, override Congress, and install power structures that conveniently benefit U.S. corporations and geopolitical interests.

This isn’t about rescuing Venezuelans who are suffering — especially not the poorest and most marginalized who will see zero benefit from this. If that were the goal, sanctions wouldn’t have gutted civilians while elites stayed insulated. Aid wouldn’t be conditional. And the same urgency would apply to every human rights disaster — not just the ones sitting on top of oil.

What we’re watching isn’t liberation.
It’s regime change cosplay, wrapped in freedom language, sponsored by capitalism. And oil. 

And yes — it’s entirely possible to condemn Maduro and condemn the United States for once again deciding it gets to play global puppeteer without transparency, accountability, or congressional oversight.

If that makes people uncomfortable, good.
It should.

We Were Not Supposed to Live Like This

I miss the days when we had a competent, functioning Congress.
When accountability wasn’t optional.
When democracy wasn’t treated like a reality show with no rules and no consequences.

We were not supposed to live like this.

And we don’t have to accept it.

So yeah — I’m pissed.
And I’m not done saying it.