The Absurdity of Power: Trump’s White House and the 25th Amendment Question.

The Absurdity of Power: Trump’s White House and the 25th Amendment Question.

(Diplomacy & World Politics)

The headliner… 

OP – ED – Yetunde Babajide.

Donald Trump’s legion of falsehoods and fabrications has pushed many Americans to call for his impeachment or the immediate invocation of the 25th Amendment. His presidency, characterized by theatrical displays and authoritarian tendencies, has raised deep concerns about his fitness to govern one of the most powerful nations on earth.

For many who have studied the lives of despots and brutal authoritarians, Trump’s behavior mirrors historical patterns—from launching presidencies with propaganda and lies to using cruelty as a tool for retaliation and retribution.

In such regimes, ego and power reign supreme over governance and democracy.

Even more alarming is Trump’s willingness to punish his own people, cutting essential social safety nets that have kept millions of American families from falling into poverty or worse—untimely deaths.

Simultaneously, he favors the wealthy elite, who control nearly 90% of American corporations, real estate, and other critical resources. His policies further divide the country, promoting racial discrimination and claims that cannot be substantiated by facts.

Trump’s daily stream of exaggerations and outright falsehoods, even on basic verifiable facts, has eroded public trust in his ability to govern truthfully. He continues to portray himself as a champion of white victimhood and a messianic figure for white supremacists, weaponizing his office through deception and retribution.

Day by day, Trump pushes the country further toward a reality where dishonesty, cruelty, and corruption are normalized, even on critical national issues. Reality itself has become a malleable concept, manipulated to serve his ego and interests. His administration has turned the People’s House into a battleground for retribution, publicly humiliating foreign leaders whom he views as weak on money and power.

At times, these leaders are ganged up on inside the White House, facing orchestrated humiliation from Trump’s inner circle.

Their allegiance is demanded, and disrespect is the cost of defiance. Even as millions watch globally, Trump distorts media narratives and amplifies misinformation, ensuring his political enemies remain within his grasp.

Take, for instance, Trump’s latest fabrication about South Africa, his newest political spectacle.

During President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington, D.C., Trump wasted no time using misleading videos to justify his claim that Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch and German settlers—should be forcibly granted more land than native South Africans.

Trump even asserted—without credible evidence—that Afrikaners were being killed at an alarming rate, using distorted photos and manipulated images to support his claim.

This unfounded narrative was swiftly debunked by multiple media outlets, yet Trump, along with his social media accounts and White House spokespeople, doubled down on his exaggerations.

Trump disregards the lived experiences of native South Africans, ignoring statistics that reveal stark inequalities among Black families. Today, despite being a minority, Afrikaners control over 85% of the land in South Africa—a legacy of apartheid policies that consolidated land, power, and wealth in their favor.

Yet Trump, elected in America, believes his influence should extend to dictating global governance—telling world leaders in places like South Africa who must own the land, who must stay, and who must leave—despite the many years in which Africans, in their own land, have been killed and maimed, while he ignores the horrors of the apartheid system.

Trump reduces world politics and diplomacy to a mere theatrical absurdity.

As he attempts to reframe the struggle of everyday South Africans, Trump insists that even 85% land ownership—right there on African soil and territory—is not enough for white South Africans, effectively positioning himself as their savior.

As intellectuals in America watch in horror, his distorted perception of facts and blatant disregard for unity continue to raise serious concerns.

A U.S. president is expected to propose policies based on fairness and equality, without racial or financial bias. But Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his preference for one race over others—openly and unapologetically.

He believes that his words, simply by virtue of being spoken, must be accepted as truth, regardless of their validity or evidence.

Trump demands absolute loyalty, pressuring world leaders to bow to his authority. He positions himself as the sole ruler capable of “fixing” global affairs, all while using propaganda and deception to manipulate public perception.

When a leader sits before the cameras, using violence and fabricated images to sell a false narrative, they are not informing the people—they are manipulating them.

Without pushback from his administration or his own party, Trump’s unchecked reign continues.

At its core, the issue is not just Trump’s behavior—it’s his unconstitutional attempt to consolidate unchecked power, using executive orders as if they were royal decrees in a 1600s monarchy, where whatever the king or queen signs becomes law without challenge.

Trump’s recent actions—such as fast-tracking South African immigrants under false asylum claims—have raised grave concerns about executive overreach.

Some even call it a racist move, accusing Trump of using taxpayer resources to favor white South Africans over others still awaiting asylum decisions from other parts of the world.

These individuals, by virtue of ongoing political violence and crises in their home countries, have a far more legitimate asylum claim than white South Africans, whose country is not currently experiencing war or political instability.

The U.S. Constitution does not grant a president the authority to rewrite history or fabricate reality, nor does it allow him to manipulate immigration laws for personal gain.

As the debate over the 25th Amendment intensifies, one pressing question remains: How much longer will America tolerate a presidency built on deception, misinformation, and self-interest?

Day after day, Trump assumes powers not granted by the Constitution, seemingly viewing himself as a dictator rather than a president elected by the people.

If not for the courts, it is alarming how much this president is willing to get away with when it comes to a series of impeachable offenses, weaving a web of lies, misinformation, and falsehoods—without serious consequences or pushback.

Yetunde B reports for Yeyetunde’s Blog. 

About the Author: Yetunde Babajide is a student of politics and an advocate. As a blogger, she explores issues of inequality, shedding light on systemic disparities. She studied Politics at New York University (NYU), holds an MBA in Strategic Management and Hospitality Systems from St. John’s University, and pursued Policy Practice with a concentration in Economic Policies at Columbia University. Passionate about business, politics, and advocacy, she actively engages in conversations that drive meaningful discourse wherever she finds them.

Yetunde believes that credentials aren’t trophies; they are tools to expand knowledge, open doors, and push boundaries in ways that foster growth and deeper understanding.