Even his toughest critics must have thought President Trump sounded sensible.
He was talking from the White House Oval Office about the situation in Ukraine and Russia where he seems to have taken a step back from the mediation role he was at one time contemplating.
His remarks likening the two states to “children fighting” and “sometimes you have to leave them to get on with it until they’re worn out” were wise. Some of us might have felt he slightly oversimplified the situation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was more than a playground fight, but the analogy has its uses.
Up till now, Trump’s seemingly been a Putin supporter but it seems that even he’s tired of Russia’s resistance to finding a way to stop the war. Trump’s comments indicated he was taking an “adult” stance.
He commented and left it at that. No “very, very angry/sad/disappointed” emotional words, almost presidential language. I was impressed.
And then along came Musk and a mega (Maga?) fall out. Who are the kids in the playground now?
Fortunately, no physical punches have yet been thrown but, if you consider words have power, both are trying to deal knockout blows.
Musk scorns his president’s “big, beautiful bill” while Trump hits back with the accusation that Musk knew all about it when he was part of the government and didn’t say anything then so what’s the problem.
Musk’s not silenced. Off he goes on X, explaining what’s wrong; Trump parries (excuse the mixed metaphors) by explaining that his former BFF (best friend for ever) was peeved because he wasn’t get sufficient tax advantages for his companies and then ups the antis by suggesting he might sell the Tesla given to him by Musk as a present. Musk contemplates withdrawing SpaceX’s contributions to Nasa and the space race and so it goes on. I can’t keep up with the exchanges and probably don’t need to, except for their entertainment value and that’s very sad for two reasons.
The first is that you’re talking about a spat between the President of the United States, considered to be the leader of the free world, and the world’s richest man, or so we’re told. That, for us mere mortals, is a bit of a worry. Our futures may lie in these hands. Not a happy thought.
The second is sad, from an observational point of view. Like lots of people I know, I was/am gripped and amused by the exchange but then I found I was touched when I saw the two men embracing at the beginning of Trump’s reign If you look back at the pictures of the two of them embracing at the early stage of their public friendship, you can see the delight in Musk’s face.
We’re told this is a “bromance” gone wrong. But I wonder if Musk saw Trump as more like a father figure. We read he had a difficult relationship with his own father and I wonder if he saw Trump more as a father than a brother. Relationships between siblings can be troublesome, particularly within a divide-and-rule type family but the falling apart of a paternal relationship can be that much harder to bear.
Trump is 78 and surrounded by family and supporters, for whom he can do no wrong. Musk, on the other hand, seems to more on his own than most. He has a number of children who I hope will be of support in later life but, for now, they won’t be much help. He seems to be a bit of a loner. I worry that he might be in danger of flailing.
The situation changes rapidly, so it’s impossible to speculate on future happenings. But it has led me to reflect on why so many of us seem to find politics particularly troubling and why there’s such a lot of gloom around now.
Personally, I wonder if I’m feeling a little depressed because of what I see as a lack of the voices of reason. The voices of emotion seem to have gained the upper ground.
Not too long ago, emotion was for the women, and it effectively ruled them out from the public decision-making process because they were seen as too emotional. Fortunately, that’s changed. But now we seem to have a down on reason. It’s not what I think, it’s what I feel.
Well, no, not always. A combination of reason and emotion can be a sensible way of to come to a decision.
We may start a consideration with: “How do I feel about this?” and, if alert to our instincts, we may recognise what we feel. Then comes the voice of reason. “I may feel this, but what do I think about it, based on my experience, wisdom, judgment?”
A simple example would be: “I’m hungry. Shall I eat this huge bar of chocolate all at one go?” The obvious and instinctive answer is “yes”. That’s the inner child urging you emotionally to go for what you want. Of course.
But reflect a little further, and your reason may tell you to hold back. Your adult inner voice may warn you: “You may feel sick, too much sugar is bad for you, it’ll ruin your appetite for later,” etc. etc.
If you’ve gone beyond the young child stage and learned about delayed gratification, you’ll probably hold off eating all the chocolate and may restrict yourself (with reluctance) to a small amount.
If you do that, I’m hoping you’ll come to understand that the combinations of reason and emotion are a useful way of taking those important decisions. Sometimes you’ll get it wrong but, in the main, I’d suggest you’re likely to be pleased with the results.
And that brings us back to politics. The politicians may sound like they “talk the talk” but they very much don’t seem to be able to “walk the way”. The fact that I notice Trump behaving in what I see as adult mode is surely a pretty good illustration of that.
What I see now in political arenas throughout the democratic world are quarrels, squalls and a general noise reminds me of a roomful of toddlers. Democracy thrives on dissent, but it needs reason too.
I love toddlers but in their place, not in the corridors of powers. Please could we have some grown ups back? We really do need more adults in the room.