Distraction of the day: Alcatraz
To the editor:
In a recent social media post, President Donald J. Trump announced plans to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ” to house America’s most violent offenders, claiming it would symbolize law, order, and justice. However, Alcatraz has not served as a federal prison since 1963, when it was closed due to high operational costs. Today, it is a popular National Park Service site, accessible to visitors.
This announcement is clearly an attempt to distract from a series of stumbling-block developments caused by his administration. Of overall concern to him has to be his declining popularity in rural areas, which have traditionally formed his base. As these communities face the brunt of the administration’s budget cuts, it seems Trump is trying to remind voters of his tough stance on crime and immigration.
However …
1. Compounding these challenges is the ongoing corruption scandal involving Trump and his family. Reports have surfaced detailing how the administration has favored Trump’s business interests, such as exempting products from his big-oil donors from tariffs and slashing the IRS division that audits high earners.
2. Furthermore, Trump’s ethics agreement, which was supposed to prevent the Trump Organization from engaging in foreign business deals, has already been violated with a recent partnership to build a $5.5 billion golf club in Qatar.
3. Additionally, the Trump family’s involvement in cryptocurrency raises further ethical concerns. The Trumps control World Liberty Financial, which has attracted investments from foreign nationals barred from donating to U.S. political campaigns, including a significant investment from a Chinese billionaire who was under investigation by the SEC when Trump took office.
4. Trump’s administration is also facing significant backlash over its tariffs, which have begun to impact American consumers significantly. With 80% of toys sold in the U.S. coming from China, the tariffs have disrupted supply chains, leading to concerns about holiday shopping. Despite promising that foreign countries would bear the cost of these tariffs, many Americans are now feeling the financial strain. And “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Wait until the brunt of those tariffs hit in a couple of months.
While Trump’s announcement about Alcatraz was surely his attempt at distraction, to project strength, it is really emphasizing the ever-mounting challenges, flops, and controversies facing his administration instead.
Trump chose a whole crew of baby bozos, just like himself, to run our government. Bluster and economic hardship is all we have seen to date.
Jim Burch
Cape Coral