Donald Trump is thrashing about wildly as if to escape somehow the fate that awaits him in the US midterm elections in three weeks.
asserted
that → thrash → weeks
He thinks he is impressing the world with his immense power.
asserted
he → think → power
In truth, he is demonstrating the impotence of power.
asserted
he → demonstrate → power
Trump’s words from February will ring through the years.
asserted
words → ring → years
After Netanyahu’s hour-long pitch to Trump’s inner cabinet for America to join his proposed war, the US president casually responded “sounds good to me”, according to New York Times reporting which has not been denied.
uncertain
which → join → reporting
His decision to wage that war, in disrupting the global oil supply, fated him to break the three promises that most directly affect the living standards of America’s people.
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that → wage → people
He promised cheaper petrol; it’s more expensive.
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it → promise → petrol
He promised lower prices; they’re higher.
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they → promise → prices
He promised lower interest rates; they’re higher, too.
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they → promise → rates
As those costs have risen, Trump’s approval rating has fallen.
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rating → rise → ?
Unable to extricate himself from his war, he’s tried to shrug off the importance of the cost of living: “You know what I really love?
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I → extricate → what
I love the inflation.”
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I → love → inflation
That impressed no one, of course.
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That → impress → course
So now he’s trying a couple of desperate measures abroad to cut the cost of fuel and repeating some tired distractions at home.
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he → try → home
Will he succeed in bringing down fuel costs?
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he → succeed → costs
His first move, earlier this month, was to demand that the Europeans release more oil from their strategic reserves.
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Europeans → demand → reserves
The US president announced a great win on October 3: “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked diesel oil.”
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Europe → announce → oil
There would be a fresh supply of 100 million barrels of fuel entering the world market, he said.
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he → enter → market
This would be helpful but hardly transformative; the world burns a little more than that every day.
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world → burn → that
But, unfortunately, it was misleading.
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it → mislead → ?
It turned out to be a re-announcement.
asserted
It → turn → ?
There’d been an agreement in March for the rich democracies, including the US, to release 400 million barrels from their stocks.
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democracies → include → stocks
About 100 million had yet to flow.
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million → have → ?
So this new statement was merely a promise to fulfil the March deal.
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statement → fulfil → deal
Next, Trump asked Russia to release extra oil, which Vladimir Putin is only too happy to do.
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Putin → ask → which
Because the US led the world in banning purchases of Russian oil to punish it for invading Ukraine.
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US → lead → Ukraine
On Friday, Trump excitedly said that Putin would release 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel immediately, another 500,000 tonnes in the US election month of November, and another one million tonnes afterwards.
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Putin → say → November
Prices, Trump wrote, “will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!”
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Trump → write → NUMBERS
But 300,000 tonnes are only enough for half of one day of US diesel consumption and make no difference to the global market.
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tonnes → make → market
This deal, like the earlier one, is trivial, as reflected in market prices.
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deal → reflect → prices
The price of Brent Crude remains unimpressed, around $US100, compared to $US70 before his war.
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price → remain → war
It’s actually worse than useless.
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It → ’ → ?
Because it opens the sanctions spigot for Putin without making a material change to the oil supply.
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it → open → supply
Ukraine’s Volodomyr Zelensky called it a “weak” move and a “gift” to Putin.
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Zelensky → call → Putin
Almost immediately, Trump went on to make another fantasy declaration.
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Trump → go → declaration
Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire on each other’s oil assets, he said.
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he → agree → assets
That would protect oil production.
asserted
That → protect → production
But this was “news to everyone”, responded Zelensky.
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Zelensky → respond → everyone
It was in 1965 that the noted scholar of strategy Hans Morgenthau described US president Lyndon Johnson as demonstrating “the impotence of power”.
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scholar → describe → power
It became a famous commentary on the US prosecution of its war on Vietnam.
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It → become → Vietnam
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
