I was watching CNN recently and saw the cage fully erected at the White House. It’s just surreal; it’s like living in a fever dream right now. But let’s look at this for what it is: a corporate hostile takeover, and it’s exactly how Donald Trump operates.

What we are watching is the complete descent of total narcissistic behaviour, fully enabled and subsidized by the executive branch. It’s deeply concerning for their democracy, but it’s equally concerning for the fact that we are living so close here in Canada. When a foundational nation’s anniversary stops being a shared civic milestone and experience for all, and instead becomes a private marketing engine for a one single man’s ego, the public square has been liquidated and replaced with corporate branding without majority demand, but excessive supply.

People ask if there are any guardrails left. Fortunately, the judiciary still works over there right now, remaining the last line of defense trying to hold the line on the rule of law as a whole. But the legislative branch, whether it be Republicans in the House or the Senate, has been co-opted entirely. They’ve completely rolled over. Congress is supposed to be a co-equal branch of government, but they’re not acting like that whatsoever. They’re just operating out of the trunk of the MAGA campaign bus.

Take this absurd proposal about putting Trump’s face on a new $250 bill. Trump will say he doesn’t want his face on a $250 bill of course, and that he didn’t come up with the idea and that it was only someone else’s great idea, but of course he wants it, and they’re going to absolutely try to jam it through. The old institutional guard of the GOP will probably oppose it behind closed doors and wring their hands in the media, but at the end of the day, this thing will just be put into a massive, must-pass omnibus funding bill. It sets a toxic trap for the Democrats: either shut down the federal government on the literal eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary or roll over and put Donald Trump’s face in some of the wealthiest – or stupidest and broke – American’s pockets.

This is the absolute joke of it all right now. The average American is currently lying awake at night wondering how they’re going to pay for unexpected medical bills, fix a flat tire, or handle an unexpected education expense. Meanwhile, the president is playing literal Monopoly with the Treasury to try to print a boutique collector’s edition of a $250 note. Who in that country can actually afford to just have $250 sitting around in their wallet right now? This is not currency for regular citizens to buy groceries; it’s just high-end campaign merch backed by the US Treasury.

We are watching the world’s largest government, the world’s largest military, and the world’s greatest fighting force completely succumb to the whims and the needs of one man’s narcissistic ego.

Even the culture is rejecting it. There is a celebrity mass exodus happening from his planned celebration on the National Mall. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who understands basic brand preservation. These musical artists signed up to sing God Bless America at a non-partisan birthday party, not to act as the opening act for Donald Trump’s big day. When country stars, classic rock icons, and Motown groups realize they’re being used as political props to legitimize what is a would-be autocrat’s birthday party, they’re going to pack up their gear and run for the hills.

With the talent fleeing, it looks like Trump is putting himself on the marquee. This is a guy who regularly claims he can draw a bigger crowd than Elvis Presley without a guitar. But this isn’t about America’s 250th birthday anymore. This is a multi-week, state-sponsored MAGA Trump rally paid for by every American taxpayer. When the talent is fleeing and the president is set to headline, the merger of MAGA and State is complete. The shared civic fabric of that country had has now been fully devoured by one single campaign brand, and that should terrify everyone.

Don’t get me wrong, a big UFC fight at the White House is a spectacle made for Donald Trump, and here in Canada we can take it for the entertainment value that it is. But it does not say a very good thing about the state of civic institutions or the state of democracy in the United States of America on the Eve of its founding 250 years ago.

As I always say: Donald Trump is great for broadcasters and writers, he’s just not good for America.

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I’m bored of culture war theatrics. If you’re interested in more deep dives into the absurd, funny, politically intriguing, or just downright batshit wild stuff that happens all around us, be sure to subscribe and follow me on my socials. Let’s talk about this vast country we live in and the politics which makes it operate. Email me at high@jonliedtke.ca