Robert Reich: Nato Summit Exposed Real Source of Trump's Power

[applegrove]

Nato Summit Exposed Real Source of Trump’s Power

July 10, 2026 at 10:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 63 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2026/07/10/nato-summit-exposed-real-source-of-trumps-power/

Robert Reich: “His power doesn’t come from his being president of the most powerful nation in the world. In fact, his arbitrary tariffs, absurd war in Iran, and outright abduction of Nicolás Maduro have reduced the U.S.’s standing in much of the world.”

“Nor does his power come from his Maga base, which is now having second thoughts about supporting someone who got the U.S. involved in another Middle Eastern war, caused prices to rise, and whose administration still refuses to release the complete Epstein files.”

“Nor does his power flow from any kind of strategic brilliance or cunning.”

“Trump’s power comes from his willingness to violate all the norms, rules and laws about how U.S. presidents are supposed to act – to do anything that helps him accumulate more wealth, power, and glory, and wreak vengeance on anyone who has tried to get in the way.”

[BarbD]

1. Like a mafia boss

No rules apply.....only making money.

[OMGWTF]

2. No Character

“It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.”

― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

[KS Toronado]

3. Very well said Mr. Reich

[MLWR]

4. Sorry, but his power ALSO comes from

the republicans in congress and the six enabling fascists on the SCOTUS who want a king/dictator and rule in his favor letting him get away with at least one crime a day, with violating all norms and allowing a clearly demented man continue doing the same without reins.

[Martin Eden]

6. Beat me to it

If Republicans in Congress fulfilled their sworn oath to the United States Constitution, they would remove him from office.

[FakeNoose]

14. They could do it now that Moscow Mitch McConnell is otherwise detained

It's because of McConnell that impeachment #2 failed to convict him.

Just sayin'

[Martin Eden]

16. McConnell is to blame for the failure to remove the orange cancer from his party after J6.

But he was no longer his party's Senate leader when his health failed.

[FakeNoose]

17. True, but he still influenced the R's to save Chump's ass from being convicted

It happened in 2021 after Chump was already gone from the Presidency. However a conviction would have prevented Chump from ever running for President again, and McConnell made sure he wasn't convicted.

Now here we are....

[Martin Eden]

19. That was my point. Trump's 2nd term is part of McConnell's legacy

As is the SCOTUS Justice he stole from Obama, plus the one he rushed through at the end of Hair Twitler's 1st term. Obama tried to persuade RBG to retire so he could appoint her replacement.

If America does not descend into an Orwellian dystopia in which truth is not flushed down the memory hole, future historians will not be kind to McConnell and all those who enabled the orange cancer.

[warmfeet]

5. Yeah. Can our planet survive this? NT Hope so!

[ananda]

8. Yes, the planet will do just fine.

Large animal forms, including humans, not so much.

[Javaman]

7. the orange pedo's "art of the deal"is nothing but bullying, bullshit and bombs. nothing else. nt

[Justice matters.]

21. This, and huge undeserved loads of Money for himself

and his mafia + family. Screw everyone else.

[Farmer-Rick]

9. It's just typical psychopathic behavior

If he were just an average person he would be in jail for life by now. What really makes him ignoring his oath to the US Constitution a power, is that NO ONE is holding him accountable. Bunch sycophants and boot lickers ensure he is safe.

[popsdenver]

10. Please Please Please

don't leave out the True Elephant in the room: THE REPUBLICAN CORPORATIONS

And, thanks to Citizen's United, they had the doors blown wide open to allow Corporate Money, Political Donations, etc etc etc

AND the entire Media, owned/operated by Republican Uber Rich and Republican Corporations

[Joinfortmill]

11. Congress! Congress? Calling Congress.

[paulkienitz]

12. Trump's power comes from the backing of the Republican Party.

That’s what allows him to violate all the norms and get away with it, to commit crimes and not be held accountable, and to have reckless and impulsive bad decisions get carried out by the government.

[pat_k]

13. Roy Cohn taught him well. He has no other playbook.

Robert Reich is right that there is a sort of "power" in being willing to "to violate all the norms, rules and laws about how U.S. presidents are supposed to act – to do anything that helps him accumulate more wealth, power, and glory, and wreak vengeance on anyone who has tried to get in the way.”

Certainly, Roy Cohn taught him well. But he is the culmination of a 45 year project and the racist, soulless Republican Party, like lemmings, are following him over a cliff. This is the culmination, not of a beginning, but of an end.


https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/19/roy-cohn-donald-trump-documentary-228144

. . .
. . Cohn imparted an M.O. that’s been on searing display throughout Trump’s ascent, his divisive, captivating campaign, and his fraught, unprecedented presidency. Deflect and distract, never give in, never admit fault, lie and attack, lie and attack, publicity no matter what, win no matter what, all underpinned by a deep, prove-me-wrong belief in the power of chaos and fear.
. . .

We WILL end the radical right insanity in America!!

[kentuck]

15. He believes he has a license to kill...

But he didn't realize it is a two-way street.

And now he lives every waking moment in paranoia and fear that Sirhan Sirhan's cousin will blow him away.

[republianmushroom]

18. Simply put, time to 86-47.

[patphil]

20. The republican congress has to take the lions share of responsibility for what Trump has done.

They let him do it. They stood by and said/did nothing as he bit by bit continued to dismantle the government, consolidate more and more power in his hands, and reap billions in profits from his illegal and unethical actions while President.
They could have stopped him by voting against legislation that he is using to reek havoc on the nation. They could have stopped him from building ICE into his own personal brown shirt army. They could have done so many things to protect the people and the nation from his blatant, egregious over reach of presidential power.
But they did nothing. They did worse than nothing; they facilitated his actions.

[debsy]

22. 100%

[phxjurist]

23. No one man can do that on his own. He has the backing of the US Supreme Court.

[Old Crank]

24. And yet not one GOP

Official will break with him until they are out the door.