What is Trump Thinking?

Donald Trump is wreaking havoc on the world 
stage!

But is this all part of his master plan?

Welcome to America Uncovered, I’m Chris Chappell.

In just his first month, Donald Trump has 
taken a wrecking ball to establishment norms.

From a tariff war with Mexico and Canada…

To threatening to gain control of 
Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Let’s not forget burning USAID to the ground…

And slashing the defense budget.

Oh, there’s also suspending aid to Ukraine…

And talking with Putin on ending the war.

To the mainstream media, Trump isn’t 
just misguided, he’s absolutely insane!

But the MAGA crowd say that’s just 
what Trump wants them to think!

So what’s really going on?

It all boils down to a strategy that president 
Richard Nixon used called “Madman Theory.”

And no, it has nothing to do with 
alcoholic 1960s advertising execs.

The goal of Madman Theory is to convince 
your enemy that you’re unpredictable…

unhinged even – you know, a madman –

and that if provoked, you will rain the absolute fire of God

down on your enemies 
- even if it kills you in the process!

Nixon, an otherwise boring middle-class Quaker 
who enjoyed bowling and luaus in his free time,

repeatedly cast himself as 
a Cold War fanatic willing

to plunge the world into thermonuclear 
armageddon should the need arise.

Thankfully Nixon wasn’t around during 
the pandemic.

I’m fairly certain the lack

of TP at stores would have been reason 
enough for thermonuclear armageddon ().

Nixon used this strategy in 1969 when 
US intelligence received reports

that the Soviet Union was considering a nuclear 
strike on the People’s Republic of China.

This followed border skirmishes between 
the two countries near Zhenbao Island.

And although a staunch anticommunist 
like Nixon might not, in theory,

mind seeing the two communist 
superpowers fight each other,

the threat of nuclear escalation 
was just too much, even for him.

So he dispatched nuclear-armed B-52 bombers

to fly patrols where they would be detected

by the Soviets and allegedly sent a message 
to Moscow stating that if they attacked China,

the US would launch nuclear 
attacks on 130 Soviet cities.

In other words, if one of you 
goes down, we’re all going down.

Guess what? It worked!

The 
Soviet Union scrapped its plans,

and a massive disaster was averted.

Nixon wasn’t 
actually a madman - he only played one on TV.

And looking at today, it seems Trump 
may be dipping into Nixon’s playbook.

He loves scaring journalists with stuff like…

“David, I mean, I know you’re a sophisticated guy.

The world is a mess

. The world is as angry 
as it gets.

What, you think this is gonna cause a little more anger?

The world is an angry place.”

The thing is, this has gotten some results in the past,

like when he threatened Kim 
Jong-un with his big ol’ nuclear button…

Eventually leading to a diplomatic breakthrough,

with Trump becoming the first US 
president to visit North Korea.

So maybe that’s what Trump is trying 
to do: he’s not ripping up the postwar liberal consensus

- he’s just using some 
hard-edged diplomacy to preserve the peace.

Or… Maybe Trump does want to completely 
demolish the world order and create his own!

Remember, Nixon famously went to China in 
1972 in order to open diplomatic relations

with China and Mao.

These ties led to 
the weakening of the Soviet Union.

With Trump, it seems he may be 
doing a reverse-Nixon with Russia.

As it stands, America could probably take China 
in a one-on-one fight over the South China Sea.

It could probably do the same with Russia if 
it came to a war in Europe.

But both China and Russia at the same time?

That’s 
a bit more iffy. As it stands,

the US is overstretched with commitments in 
Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Heck, we may even find ourselves in 
a war on our own southern border,

fighting powerful drug cartels who have recently 
earned the designation of terrorist organizations.

And all this is happening 
as the US is being crushed

under a multi-trillion dollar national debt…

Which the administration hopes to 
remedy with cuts to defense spending,

meaning even fewer resources to go around.

Oh, and don’t forget America doesn’t have the troops

- a decade-long recruitment 
crisis plaguing the military.

Since it can’t be everywhere at once, the US has 
to pick and choose its battles… and its allies.

At home, the US can essentially lock down 
its hemisphere by acquiring Panama and

Greenland, but abroad, it may 
have to give up ground in some

places in order to protect what 
it believes is truly important.

For example, if Putin somehow managed to 
roll across Europe and subjugate EU nations,

that would be a huge loss, for 
sure.

A lot of trade, technology,

not to mention American prestige would vanish.

But imagine if China seized Taiwan.

The 
loss of its semiconductor factories

would devastate not just America’s economy but its 
technological advantage going into the future.

Or worse: imagine if Japan fell.

We’d lose access to Pocky and “Yakuza” games.

And that is definitely 
not a world any of us want to live in.

So what’s Trump gonna do?

Well, as you can 
probably guess, he’s focusing on CHYNA.

I mean, come on, it’s sort of his whole thing.
“China.” (x10)

Not only does it seem that he sees China 
as a far greater threat than Russia,

but unlike the Europeans, China’s neighbors 
are more than willing and able to help the US.

Think countries like Japan, 
Australia, the Philippines, even Vietnam

. Their militaries are 
armed and ready to take on anything.

Compare that to Europe, whose aging 
populations and disjointed governments

can’t - or won’t - meet their NATO 
spending obligations.

Why protect them when the Pacific nations are 
the only ones taking this seriously?

Sure, a few of the EU nations do meet their 
obligations and are actually trying to beef up their militaries.

Maybe countries like Poland 
and Hungary can come along for the ride .

But this whole postwar liberal-democratic 
order we’ve had for the last 80 years? Yeah,

Trump and Putin are prooobably gonna smash it.

If it makes you feel any better, 
that order was created by America

and Russia carving up Europe in 
the ‘40s

. The circle of life.

But honestly, this has been a long time 
coming.

And it all started way before Trump.

Remember Obama’s “pivot to Asia?”

It was a good plan! Leave the Middle

East to their own devices while 
America refocuses on the Pacific,

although that never truly materialized on 
account of the US getting distracted with

the Arab Spring, no-fly zones over Libya,
drone-striking Yemen, and, of course, ISIS.

That was frustrating, I’m sure.

But hey, when 
you look back on it, you just gotta laugh.

Now THAT’S some madman energy!

Let’s also not forget Obama’s whole “Russia Reset.”

Before Russiagate convinced 
half the country that Vladimir Putin was somehow

controlling American elections, the 
Obama administration tried getting on friendlier terms with Moscow

. We even 
gave them this cute little “reset” button!

Granted the word printed on 
the “reset” button translated

to something along the lines of “overload.”

Which, in retrospect, showed some 
pretty good foresight on their part.

What I’m getting at is, no, Trump isn’t crazy.

A 
trickster who loves getting under people’s skin?

Sure, but crazy, no.

And neither are these broader 
strategic moves when you really look at them.

Moving the US away from Europe and toward 
the Pacific,

repairing relations with Russia,

and making a leaner but altogether meaner 
military -

these things were and largely still are bipartisan.

But since it’s coming 
from the mouth of Trump this time?

Well, you know the drill. Cue Cheeto Hitler…

But what do you think? Leave a comment 
below - I do actually read them.

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Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. Thank 
you for watching America Uncovered.