We are in a frightening situation of both Constitutional and societal chaotic crisis.  The stock market is collapsing, the Defense Secretary has resigned, and the President is causing a government shutdown.  Richard Nixon was never determined to bring the nation down with him.  Donald Trump is.  Pray for America. 

Indeed, yesterday was the day that Trump’s irrationality, incompetence, and narcissism became frighteningly manifest.  Both Trump personally and his chaotic administration are in a state of meltdown.

If Trump’s Syrian withdrawal proposal, made by Tweet without consulting his national security advisors is implemented, Syria will become a base for the Iranian terrorist regime.  This will severely endanger Israel’s security.  And the Iranians will have a land bridge over which they can freely convey supplies to their Hezbollah terrorist allies in Lebanon.  

The alliance between Israel and America is a sacred priority to New Jersey’s Jewish community, one of America’s largest.  Trump’s Syria withdrawal proposal is a most damaging blow to that alliance.  Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak put it best: “Trump abandons Syria and the Iranians are celebrating. Endless photo ops cannot conceal the truth.”

Today’s resignation letter to Trump from a great American patriot, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, makes it clear.  He is resigning because he believes Trump’s foreign policies are deleterious to our national interest.  Rather than listening to experienced experts, Trump follows the American rightist fringe element led by lunatics Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.  Pray for America. 

Our economy is on a precarious edge.  At his inaugural, Trump talked about “American carnage.” Due to his high tariff trade policies and interest rate increases resulting from his irresponsible and reckless tax cuts, the financial markets are in turmoil. The stock market is on pace for its worst December since the Great Depression.

It is the issue of Trump’s fervent desire to end the American tradition of providing asylum for refugees from oppression that threatens to plunge America into the same chaos that prevails in the White House. 

Former CIA officer and Republican Member of the House of Representatives from Texas Will Hurd is a great American.  Hurd has authored bipartisan legislation that would support border security but focus more on technology and strategy than a physical wall. 

He also rejects the bigoted xenophobia Trump displays towards Central American refugees seeking asylum from murderous violence. “I’ve been pretty clear that separating kids from their parents is a terrible idea, so we should not be going back to that,” Hurd said. “And we shouldn’t be looking at reducing foreign aid into Central America because many of these programs that we’re doing can be scaled and are addressing the root causes of illegal immigration.” 

Yet because of his narcissism Trump rejects the expert advice of Will Hurd.  He is about to shut down the federal government because Congress won’t engage in the blatant stupidity of funding his proposed wall.  If the government is shut down, then pay for border patrol personnel will be delayed.

It is nightmare time in America.  Pray for our great nation. 

Alan J. Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission under former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman.