The depressing summary

Alan Kohler's summary of the Trumpian project seems very accurate:  

To make America great, Donald Trump is undoing its greatness as global stock markets fall

This part:

There are two immediate questions: first, will the Trump revolution collapse from its own incompetence?

 And second, will an effective opposition/resistance emerge and blunt it?

The incompetence comes from "common sense".

In his speech to Congress last week, Trump described what he is doing as a "common-sense revolution that is now — because of us — sweeping the entire world".

Who can argue against common sense? Sounds fine, right?

Well, yes, except that in practice it means decisions and executive orders are not based on data, inquiries or science, but simply what Trump thinks.

For example, there was no Treasury inquiry and report into the impact of 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, with the result — among other things — that General Motors told him they'd be bankrupt in three months, so its parts had to be exempted.

In fact, the whole tariff venture has become a complete mess of U-turns and exemptions, because it was based on common sense and not thought through. It's also the main reason the US economy is in danger of a big slowdown.

And of course the abandonment of efforts to reduce fossil fuels and combat climate change — in favour of "drill, baby, drill" — are not based on science, but simply his "common sense", along with that of other people on the right, that the energy transition is expensive and pointless.

I have been looking at the example of Australian Trump supporters who hang out online at New Catallaxy.  Look, the average age seems to be about 65 to 70, so it's not as if they are any representative cross section of the population, but reading them, as well as online Right wing America sites, makes it absolutely clear that they are so much still in the thrill of having their culture war priorities put into place by Trump that they simply don't care at all about his entirely haphazard way of governing, and his  neverending stream of lies and grifting that, with 100% certainty, would have appalled them if it were being said or done by a Democrat.  

In the media landscape:  not that I subscribe, but from what I can gather, the Wall Street Journal is a traditionally Right wing outlet that is giving substantial pushback due to the economic damage Trump policies will cause.   But it's galling that this also represents the Murdochs in his traditional fashion:  making money by letting one outlet appeal to the "not on board with Trump" element of the Right, while letting its MAGA devoted night time lineup on Fox News continue to compete with North Korean media in how far they can suck up to the cult leader.   Daddy Murdoch, and his Right wing son, are entirely unprincipled and happy to see the world burn as long as it makes money for them in the process.