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Brad Reynolds did graduate work at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) before leaving to study under Ken Wilber for a decade, and published two books reviewing Wilber's work: Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber (Tarcher, 2004), Where's Wilber At?: Ken Wilber's Integral Vision in the New Millennium (Paragon House, 2006) and God's Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age (Bright Alliance, 2021). Visit: http://integralartandstudies.com

Trump's Sick Vision for America

Brad Reynolds

I slapped this together in one afternoon (June 4, 2025), but Trump's wrecking ball is so difficult to stomach day-after-day, I had to say something.

President Donald Trump is ruining the United States of America. He does not live in the real world. He's an illusionist: he promotes “Making America Great,” yet he's doing more to wreck our country and its preeminence in the world than any other person or President ever. Trump is a loser. His hatchet job—exemplified by Elon Musk's chainsaw (and Nazi salute)—is ruining the USA, not helping it. Although, like a broken clock is correct twice a day, some of Trump's changes could be good or positive—that remains to be seen. But for the most part, his spontaneity and right-wing agenda are hurting the people of the United States and the world. Nevertheless, I believe that We the People of the United States, the businesses, the farmers, and families, will be strong enough to withstand the storm we are currently facing. God help us!

For one, Trump is creating a police state, with ICE agents and HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) armed in military gear, breaking down doors, entering restaurants and workplaces—like “brownshirts”—terrorizing neighborhoods all in the name of finding and deporting “illegal immigrants,” many of them here legally; most of them not violent criminals as Trump claims. This is something never seen before. These “gangs” of young American men toting automatic firearms and an aggressive attitude, many of whom are ex-military, are a growing threat to be used against the public whenever Trump decides in the future to go that route and declare martial law against US citizens.

Trump's defunding of vital government services—many cut by DOGE—including the Department of Education (ED), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—$6.5 billion cut from Congressionally-approved funding—the Department of Agriculture (USDA) (including the U.S. Forest Service), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Planned Parenthood (PP), and the list goes on and on. This includes cutting overnight meteorologists at the offices of the National Weather Service keeping an eye on weather threats, or the suspension of work on AIDS research and vaccines, notifications of E. coli outbreaks going unreported due to cuts, measles outbreaks, decimating cancer research, no one answering Social Security phones, lack of qualified air traffic controllers, destroying “soft aid” to countries around the world, and so on, are a brutal attack on our way of life and what actually makes America great. And the list goes on and on.

While DOGE's original purported mission was to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, which was commendable on its face value, its implementation has led to severe consequences. Instead of targeted improvements, the initiative has resulted in rolling blackouts of essential government services and the elimination of critical investments in research, education, food programs, public health initiatives, rural health care access, mine safety capacity, and even the Social Security system. What began as a well-intended effort has devolved into cruel and indiscriminate cuts that undermine vital public programs. As we all know, Musk initially promised to eliminate $2 trillion of the $7 trillion federal budget before scaling back his ambitions to $1 trillion and then to $150 billion. Even that revised target is highly improbable. So far, it appears that the verified budget “savings” amount is only around $2 billion, yet the damage is irreparable. According to some estimates, DOGE's destructive path is likely to cost American taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year alone, thus costing much more than it has ever saved. As I say, Trump is ruining this country… and I won't even begin on his corruption and conflict of interests as being President.

Sure, our budget needed fixing, and the Democrats have shown little ability at genuine leadership either. But what Trump is doing is unconscionable, let alone often illegal and unconstitutional. Yet, the GOP goes right along with their cult leader-in-chief, abdicating their authority to the Executive Branch. If Congress were really doing its duty and enacting its oath to the U.S. Constitution, it would impeach Trump. In fact, it had two excellent opportunities prior to his reelection—falling only 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution in the Senate—meaning a majority of Senators voted 57–43 to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection; the House voted 232–197 to impeach, but the Senate acquitted him. Now, we have to suffer this daily destruction and degradation of the United States of America. The GOP, more than the Democrats, is complicit in the ruining of the USA. This damage could take years (or more than a decade) to repair, and it's only been 135 days (as of June 4, 2025).

The (partial) list goes on. Trump has cut funds to the greatest universities in the world—in a tactic to force compliance over his DEI elimination policies—which poses a threat to science itself. Revoking visa status on “foreign” students and professionals, upending thousands of people's lives who have legally come to America for higher education. This is a disaster for future innovation and invention. The United States' universities are successful in science because the government invests heavily in research and development (as it has done for decades), thus being a principal driver of innovative success. But Trump is wrecking all of that. Multicultural diversity, including the world's brightest minds, have gathered in the United States because of safety and freedom of thought, which is now being battered to pieces by the Trump Administration. His policies will drive people away, cutting us off from the rest of the world—where China will be happy to take over our position of scientific preeminence—thus, he is destroying the intellectual property value that has made America great and successful.

Trump lives in a world that does not exist anymore! His slogan “Make America Great Again” (stolen from Reagan) is a joke because that racist, Jim Crow nationalism is outdated, a relic of the previous century (even since the Civil War). Underneath it all, this movement is also fueled by Christian white nationalism that has been fermenting since the 1960s and the rise of liberal values honoring the rights of individuals to be treated equally under the law (including for women and gays). Now they influence Congress and the Supreme Court, let alone setting the agenda in Project 2025, Trump's blueprint for destruction. And yet, through propaganda and endless LIES, Trump has even fooled many smart people, and certainly uneducated whites (with no college degree) who feel threatened by a changing multicultural nation. Trump's vision is not to the future, but to America's past. And it was a past that wasn't that good to begin with, although the Founding Fathers' Constitution enabled us to self-correct our errors and evolve forward to a better future. Yet, elite economic forces, corruption, and the darker side of human nature have repeatedly hindered this progress time and time again. Trump represents a regression to a darker time, rather than forward progress to a brighter future. And people are scared.

Trump says he wants to save manufacturing jobs—while 80% of the workforce in America is in service jobs—because most people do not want to work in factories. Have you ever worked in a factory? You do not want those jobs—that's why they were shipped overseas. Granted, some things need to change to correct the errors of globalization—such as more effectively re-educating the displaced workforce (which Congress failed to do). However, that ball was dropped in the 1990s, leading to the decline of the working class and the weakening of the middle class, which ultimately contributed to Trump's rise to power. But much of that downgrading can be blamed on the wealthy elites and corporate greed, the very class that Trump actually represents. This alone proves what a master illusionist he is, for he has fooled too many working-class Americans (and one Canadian, I can think of) into thinking he could revive a nation that was already the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. Trump is ruining all of that; he's thwarted a growing and thriving economy that was recovering from the COVID pandemic and supply chain interruptions, and has put fear in people's futures. It is an abomination.

Which brings me to the wreckage of Trump's Tariff War. I can't go into all the details, but NO DEALS have been made after he promised to make quick trade deals with more than 50 trading partners (after slapping tariffs on 57 nations). While some progress has been made, such as a preliminary agreement with the United Kingdom, all talks have bogged down as of late May 2025—in other words, NO DEALS. His “trade war” with China is only hurting the US. Trump has accused China of violating a bilateral deal to roll back tariffs and announced a doubling of worldwide steel and aluminum tariffs to 50% (which went into effect today) just weeks after the U.S. and China in mid-May agreed to a 90-day suspension on most tariffs. The situation remains volatile, with tensions between the US and China, as well as the EU, increasing as US trade talks with the EU face an early July deadline.

Trump claims trade deficits are seen as inherently harmful, a view many economists criticize as a flawed understanding of global trade. Trump has sent the stock market into shock (although it has partially recovered, it remains wounded), frightened the bond market, and forced a massive restructuring of international trade, which, to be honest, previously favored the United States. Trump, in other words, has strengthened our enemies while alienating our friends. He had made dozens of unkept promises, save for slowing down border crossings. Food prices are going up, not down.

“Rehoming manufacturing,” or bringing manufacturing processes and production back to the USA from overseas locations, is an unrealistic pipe dream. Trump does not live in the real world. For one, the US lacks nearly every aspect of the manufacturing eco-system—the workers, the training, the technology, and government support. Factories are already short of workers, for people don't want those dirty jobs. It's been estimated that if enough factories were to open in the US to make up for our global imports, we would need to hire 22 million workers (there are currently 7.2 million unemployed). That would take years, if not decades, to rehome manufacturing that Trump claims is his goal. In the meantime, prices will skyrocket for the average American. Trump does not live in the real world.

Trump's idea for America does not exist in reality, and it never will; he's sold people an unrealistic dream, something he's been doing his entire life, and often getting sued for his false claims (and losing, in most cases). Trump's “America First” policy is going to make America Last. For one, he lacks the intelligence to make it successful, nor do his unqualified cabinet members offer any hope for success. Many of them are dropouts from FOX News, a TV program, since qualified people do not want to work for Trump (thus, he hires “pretty” women and people already loyal to him, for that's their claim to fame). His narcissism makes him respond to current crises by changing his mind midstream instead of having a long-term strategy. His tariff war ideas are those he developed in the 1980s, which are now vastly outdated. It's disgusting, and many Americans know it, including small businesses, farmers, and people living in “red states” who blindly voted for him.

And, worse, behind it all is his racist ideology. Trump and MAGA want to eliminate over 50 years of cultural change and progress advocating for diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), which Trump has made into a bad word and a crime. Sure, perhaps in certain instances, DEI went too far (which should be corrected), but overall, it represents an advancement, making up for centuries of prejudice and inequality. So what's wrong with that? Nothing! Only white bigots support eliminating DEI, and Trump (and many of his supporters) are closet racists. Defense Secretary Hegseth, for example, has ordered the Pentagon to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, named after the late gay rights leader, and is reviewing the names of a class of ships named after Black and Hispanic civil rights leaders and prominent women. These include: The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named after the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named after the late Supreme Court Justice, the USNS Harriet Tubman, named for the woman who helped slaves escape to freedom in the 19th century, the USNS Dolores Huerta and USNS Cesar Chavez, both Hispanic labor leaders, the USNS Lucy Stone, a 19th-century suffragette, and the USNS Medgar Evers, the assassinated 1960s civil rights leader. These are John Lewis-class ships, meant to be named after civil rights leaders and activist icons. The lead ship in the group is named after the highly respected American politician and civil rights leader. To reverse such policies of respect and honor to AMERICAN CITIZENS is madness, or, to call it like it is, racism and homophobia. The reason Hegseth gives for doing this is that he's committed to ensuring that the names attached to all Department of Defense (DOD) installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities: in other words, eliminating any respect and honor to anyone other than white people. Racist ideology and white supremacy are what the Trump Administration represents, not equality and justice for all.

I could go on and on. Thankfully, we have federal judges, many appointed by Trump himself, who are following the law and thwarting many of his illegal plans; in some instances, even the Supreme Court has intervened and stopped him (in others, not so much since they lean in his direction since he appointed many of them). However, usually his path of destruction is effective before legal proceedings can reverse his actions. Let me close with this pathetic example of Trump wrecking America. DOGE attacked and destroyed the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), which was an illegal action. However, it took USIP over two months to get a federal judge to reverse the Trump Administration's destruction of a peace institute, one that was funded by its own endowments and owned its own property. Yet, DOGE took over their building, forced out employees, seized their funds ($500 million of their private endowment), destroyed their IT system, canceled contracts, shredded documents, shut down their website (including 40 years of research), and revoked access to their Gandhi-King Global Library. WTF? Fortunately, as mentioned, a judge ordered the return of the Peace Institute's property (which had fallen into disrepair after over two months of no maintenance, with rats and roaches infesting the place), reinstated their employees, who are now undertaking the slow, tedious task of rebuilding their institute and think tank. I could go on and on.

These are only some of the illegal and destructive actions initiated by Trump, most of which go under-reported or unnoticed. Those who hail his accomplishments or hope he will succeed blindly refuse to look at and accept the facts of his path of destruction. They are running on ideology, not reality. Yet, the heavy hand of President Donald Trump has axed other reputable institutions, including the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Now, he's attacking media outlets, like PBS and NPR. I could go on and on. I mean, come on, people, the list is so long I can't keep up; nobody can (which is part of his strategy). Let alone the task of pointing out all of his rampant corruption, including countless violations of the emoluments clause (such as taking a free jet from Qatar). It is time, as the Women's March of 2025 proposes, to kick out the clowns! For, as you may have noticed, Showing Up and Standing Up to protest makes a difference. We were able to kick out Musk, for example, so next should be the orange-faced criminal himself: Impeach Trump! Before it's too late. But since the GOP-led Congress is impotent (and complicit), it might already be too late to stop the fall of the United States of America. God help us all!

Stand strong, USA (and the world), even Trump will pass.