The second Trump administration has been in charge for 1.5 months and the dominant theme that stands out to me so far is abused power.

Trump used the power bestowed on him by the Constitution to impose tariffs on other nations, including our closest allies such as Canada. Tariff has a role to play in trade and if used wisely and carefully, it can yield benefits. However, I doubt that the Trump administration exercised much consideration before they came out with such announcements. Take Canada, for example. Our neighbor has been the staunchest of allies. Yet, Trump imposed tariffs on them regardless. When pressed for a reason, the President cited the flow of fentanyl from Canada to the US, even though Canada makes up just 0.2% of fentanyl seized at the border into the US. To the President, countries that are at the receiving end of tariffs will pay for the additional taxes. But it will be American importers and consumers that will suffer from higher costs.

Trump tasked Elon Musk with the creation of DOGE to cut waste and efficiency at the federal government. The President gave Elon a lot of latitude and power and so far, such power has not been wielded with care. Elon and his DOGE staff have gone through every agency and fired people ruthlessly and mindlessly. They compiled a list of “achievements”, inflated the savings, got called out and attempted to lie before being caught again. They cut humantarian aid programs that cost little in the grand scheme of things, but would save lives in poorer countries. They fired staff at the federal agencies without any thought on the downstream consequences.

I understand that people want the government to run effectively and efficiently, and to see their tax money properly used. But it has to be done carefully and strategically. The government is not like a business. A business’ primary objective is to maximize profits. Plain and simple. If a layoff leads to sustained profit increase, it’s the right move. It’s different for a government, though. A government’s primary objective is to maximize the welfare of its citizens. In a country as diverse as the US, there are many different groups of citizens with different needs. To serve such a wide range of customers, the government needs bodies. You can certainly improve efficiency by replacing manual processes with technology, but shrinking the workforce abruptly will lead to stoppage of services and people will get seriously affected.

Are you happy whenever you hear that America is a beacon of hope? It has been such because it brought positive changes in countries less fortunate through aid programs. America also benefits from such programs. The first benefit is good will. We nurture relationships with other countries by giving them resources. Second, we can stop future threats right in their infancy. For instance, infectious diseases that are likely coming from African countries can travel to the US. However, if we can help those countries eliminate such diseases before they can become a threat, that’s national security to me. We can certainly talk about ineffective programs and abuse, but humantarian aid programs are worthwhile investments for the US.

And finally, Ukraine. Trump wanted to end the war in Ukraine by forcing the country to be nice to Russia, to surrender land to the invader and to share profits from minerals sale to the US. The meeting in the Oval Office yesterday between Zelensky, Trump and Vance was a disaster. Some said that Zelensky should not have pushed back against Trump and Vance and he was disrespectful in not wearing a suit, but I disagreed. First, Zelensky was respectful and firm in pushing back, similar to what Macron did. If there was no outrage on Macron, why is it different for Zelensky? Second, as the President of Ukraine, he has the duty to represent his people and soldiers. If Zelensky had laid down and taken the embarrassment without a fight, how would he have had to explain to his countrymen? What did you expect him to do? Third, Zelensky has been wearing his battle outfit for the last three years. It’s a gesture of togetherness with his people, not disrespect to anyone. And Elon wore a T-shirt to the Oval Office, but I hardly heard any complaints.

More importantly, the US didn’t take the high way like I think we should have. The US and China are probably the only two forces that can rival Russia. We have power. We are THE power. Then, why are we picking on the weak and cozying up to Putin? Why can’t we take the high way and support Ukraine with more sanctions for Russia, military enforcements and financial aids?

The US has tremendous power. As Uncle Ben in Spider Man famously said, with great power comes great responsibility. Think about the character of those that are wielding such power. Think about their track record. Set aside political allegiances and try to look at their actions, not words, objectively. Resist the “what about” questions. Ask whether you are ok with having these people use the power of the US.

To me, the US is not a beacon of hope or an agent of good change any more. But I hope it won’t be lost forever. I hope the current damage and lack of trust can be salvaged.