Stephen Collinson,  Staff Writer  -  CNNStephan: We, in the United States, are not only going through a coup that is destroying our democracy we are awash in corruption. Criminal Trump believes himself to be a king who can do whatever he wants. But the damage he is doing extends far beyond our borders. America has had status as a fair leader, and is has been seen as such by other nations and peoples. All of that is being washed with the acid of Trump's ego and the result is what this article describes. The United States has lost its stature in the world, and may never regain it. We are now just another nasty autocracy bully. US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin Credit: Reuters / Getty Two geopolitical thunderclaps on Wednesday will transform transatlantic relations. Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin brought the Russian leader in from the cold as they hatched plans to end the war in Ukraine and agreed to swap presidential visits. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, went to Brussels and told European allies to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent.” The watershed highlights Trump’s “America First” ideology and his tendency to see every issue or alliance as a dollars and cents value proposition. It also underscores his freedom from establishment advisors steeped in the foreign policy mythology of the West, who he thinks thwarted his first term. Although Hegseth recommitted to NATO, something fundamental has changed. America’s interventions won two world wars that started in Europe and afterwards guaranteed the continent’s freedom in the face of the Soviet threat. But Trump said on the campaign trail he might not defend alliance members who haven’t invested enough in defense. He thus revived [...]

View Entire Post