'His Only Motivation': Experts Say Trump Is an Empty Vessel -- Except on This One Issue [View all]

[babylonsister]

‘His Only Motivation’: Experts Say Trump Is an Empty Vessel — Except on This One Issue
by Ailia Zehra | May 21, 2025 - 5:28am

— from Alternet

snip//

Paul Rosenzweig, who served as a deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush, told the Times that the impact of the president's action will never go away.

"The damage is permanent. Not because it cannot be fixed — it can be with effort. But rather because nobody will ever trust the United States again that something Trump-like won’t recur," he said.

"Would you as a young person take a federal job today? Would you as a foreign student trust that you could attend university in the United States safely? Would you as a European government trust the United States to maintain the security of your secrets?" Rosenzweig asked.

He continued: "Trump was elected to enrich and protect Trump. That was his only motivation. On issues of direct concern (e.g., getting a plane as a gift from Qatar or profiting off cryptocurrency), he has views. Otherwise, he is an empty vessel."

Mara Rudman, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said: "The most lasting impact of this term will be felt in the damage done to the reputation of the United States as a safe harbor where the rule of law is king and where the Constitution is as sacred a national document as any country has developed."

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