The President of the United States, Donald Trump, arrives in New York on Monday to participate in the 80th United Nations General Assembly and meet with dozens of world leaders. However, he does so after one of the most turbulent and erratic weekends since returning to power, with threats, reproaches, and outbursts in all directions and decisions by his Administration that in the past would have been major scandals. There is no specific event to explain the fury of his messages and the tone of his social media, except perhaps that it coincided with the funeral of his friend Charlie Kirk, who was killed a few days ago during a talk at a university. The accumulation of a dozen open fronts from his phone has heightened concerns in the country about authoritarian and vengeful drift. And also about the cognitive abilities of its leader.
It started on Friday with a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Although Trump claimed it went very well, that there was an agreement on TikTok and significant progress on the war in Ukraine, the fight against fentanyl, or a planned official visit to Beijing next year, no confirmation came from the other side. This left the White House exposed to mockery and speculation.
On Saturday, Trump posted a strange message on Truth Social. "Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts that essentially tell the same story as last time: all talk and no action. Nothing is being done. And what about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, and Leticia? They are all guilty, but nothing will be done. We almost appointed a federal prosecutor in Virginia supported by the Democrats and with a terrible Republican past. A progressive Republican who was never going to do his job. He even lied to the media and said he had resigned, and that we had no case. No, it's not true, I fired him, and there is a BIG CASE, as many lawyers and legal experts say. Lindsey Halligan is an excellent lawyer and appreciates you very much. We cannot delay any longer, it is ruining our reputation and credibility. I was impeached twice and indicted (five times!), for nothing! JUSTICE MUST BE DONE NOW!!! President DJT."
To understand this, it must be noted that it is directed at his attorney general, equivalent to the Minister of Justice, Pam Bondi, and it is a public reproach. For not pursuing some of his enemies fast enough, for not getting rid of a (Republican) prosecutor who refused to prosecute (without evidence) two White House targets, for compromising the reputation of his Administration, and for not avenging him after the legal proceedings he went through since leaving the presidency in 2020. The wording is strange, as if it had started as a private message to Bondi but was later published. An hour later, and after realizing himself or his team that the whole country was interpreting it as a severe warning to one of the key pieces of his team, Trump partially backtracked on the same social network, praising her but also putting pressure at the same time. "Pam Bondi is doing an EXCELLENT job as Attorney General of the United States. She is very careful, very smart, and loves our country, but she needs a rigorous prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, as my recommendation, Lindsey Halligan, to drive the process. What we do not need is a 'Republican' backed by the Democrats. I will nominate Lindsey Halligan as the United States Attorney in this important part of our great country. She will be fair, smart, and provide much-needed JUSTICE FOR ALL."
At the heart of the matter is Erik Siebert, previously appointed as the prosecutor for the Virginia district and a Republican, although Trump considers him "in name only" or RINO, in U.S. political jargon. The White House had ordered him to prosecute former FBI director James Comey and Laetitia James, the Attorney General of New York, among others. Siebert investigated and said there was nothing, that the accusations regarding a mortgage and Comey's statements in Congress did not constitute a crime. Trump then fired him, sending a very clear message to all his colleagues: those who do not obey will be dismissed.
The pressure on Siebert was intense throughout the week, and by the end of it, he announced his resignation. However, Trump, in his message, stated that it was a lie, that it was not a resignation but a dismissal. And that he would replace him with another of his personal lawyers (Bondi, his number two, and numerous Administration officials have come directly from his legal defense), one of the youngest, with no experience, and with only one mission: to carry out the wishes of his leader.
The decision came as it was revealed that the FBI has had videos for months of border czarTom Homan accepting bribes from undercover agents posing as businessmen, $50,000 in cash, in exchange for promises of large contracts with the Administration. A television network broke the news, and the Department of Justice and the FBI responded by stating that it was a case from the previous government, that they had seen the evidence and considered that there was nothing irregular. No criminal or political consequences. Quite the opposite.
But there is much more. In 72 hours, the president has threatened Venezuela, after stating that he had sunk a fourth boat leaving the country. "We want them to immediately accept all prisoners and people from mental institutions, including the worst asylums in the world, that Venezuelan leaders have forced into the United States. Thousands of people have been seriously injured, and even killed, by these 'monsters'. Get them out of our country, NOW, or the price they will pay will be immeasurable!" He also threatened Afghanistan, telling the Taliban that if they do not hand over the Bagram military base, which the United States left during its withdrawal from the country, "bad things will happen to them."
Trump, after spending the whole week insulting TV presenters and rejoicing over the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show, following NBC's announcement in July that it would also end at the end of the season with Stephen Colbert's show, tweeted about another late-night show legend who had criticized the Federal Communications Commission's overreach: "What happened to the overrated David Letterman, whose ratings were not very good either? He looks terrible, but at least he knew when to retire. LOSER!!!" he wrote. While the administration boasts of reviving freedom of expression, the Pentagon informed journalists covering Defense matters that they will change the rules, and anyone who publishes any information using material not expressly approved by the War Department's command (whether it is unknown information or publicly available) will lose accreditation.
The president has also had time, while lashing out against people who mocked the death of Charlie Kirk, to associate Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with Somali criminals. He told his supporters not to feel "any sorrow" for the cancer and health of former President Joe Biden, "because he was a bad person." In the last few days, he has confused Azerbaijan with Albania and Cambodia at least three times, also inventing his role as a mediator to end the war with Armenia. Or inventing messages of support for National Guard welders on the streets of Memphis, when they are not yet deployed.
And he is paving the way for his main media allies, from the Murdoch family to the Ellison family, including other figures from Silicon Valley, to take control of TikTok, one of the essential networks for young Americans. All this, while on Saturday and Sunday, the highest-ranking official in counterterrorism was fiercely arguing through X, about national security issues and Al Qaeda, with Laura Loomer, the queen of MAGA world conspiracy theories and a friend and advisor to the president. An unprecedented chaos even by Administration standards. Something that doesn't seem to worry the president, who mocked everything on his social network by reposting a quote from his friend Tucker Carlson, former Fox host, saying: "Trump isn't out of control, he's out of their control."