The unhinged decisions by the increasingly irrational U.S. President are having surprising global consequences, asAlan Austinreports.

THE PEOPLE OF BRAZIL were astonished last Thursday whenofficial correspondencefrom the U.S. Government imposed punitive tariffs of 50 per cent.

While laughable in its poor grammar and capitalisation, the childish letter threatened citizens in both the USA and Brazil. In clear violation of the rules of international commerce, it claimed that Brazil was targeted because its supreme court is hearingchargesagainst PresidentTrumps buddy, the corrupt former PresidentJair Bolsonaro.

The letter prompted derision by many, but stern rejection by others. Former Foreign Affairs MinisterAloysio Nunessaw it as coisa de gngster a gangster act andurgedBrazil to tell Trump to lamber sabo eat soap.

Two daily newspapers in BelgiumSudpresseandLa Dernire Heureopenly canvassed the question: Is Donald Trump crazy?

In the face of President Trumps rising authoritarianism, the Democrats are dithering and history wont forgive hesitation.

SudpresseinterviewedProfessor of Political Psychology at the University ofLouvain,Stephan Van den Broucke, who answered Yes:

In France,LExpressran an analysis by an academic who concluded, Donald Trump est aussi idiot que malheureux(Trump is as stupid as he is unhappy).

Expressions of alarm at American institutions failing to replace the incapacitated President have been published inIndia,Germany,Norway,Australia,Britain,Liberia,Russia,the USAandelsewhere.

Evidence of severe dysfunction

Recent erratic decisions highlighting Trumps mental decline include:

• threatening toremove citizenshipfrom people he doesnt like;
• a letter beginning Dear Mr Presidentsentto the leader of Bosnia Herzegovina, who is a woman and not a president;
• congratulating PresidentBoakaiof Liberia for his beautiful English,unawarethat Liberia is anglophone;
• announcing brutal Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artsfightswill be staged at the White House;
• launching bizarrelegal actionagainst California over women in sport;

• boastingpetrol cost US$1.99 (AU$3.02) a gallon when the lowest was US$2.31 (AU$3.51) and the average US$3.16 (AU$4.80);

• imposing destructive tariffs on trading partners worldwide, exceptRussia;
• announcing last Wednesday morning that undocumentedfarm workerswould be exempt from deportations, then reversing his decision in the afternoon;
• threatening to take overNew York Cityif endorsed DemocratZohran Mamdaniis elected mayor;
• claiming that releasing theEpstein filesarguably the main reason Trump was elected was of no interest to anyone;
• signinga billwhich cuts US$930 billion (AU$1.4 trillion) fromMedicaid, risking the health of 11.8 million Americans; and
• agreeing to deepenfederal debtby US$3.4 trillion (AU$5.17 trillion).

Mainstream news media are failing to defend American democracy by constantly working to normalise President Trumps nothing-like-normal behaviour.

Trump has shown no competence in managing and no coherent response when quizzed about:

• who in his administrationstoppedmilitary funding for Ukraine;
• his chief border thug,Tom Homan, admitting arrests are now based onracial profiling;
• reaching his 90-day deadline for getting 90trade deals, with none done and only three started;
• prominent lawyerAlan DershowitzexposingAttorney GeneralPam Bondias lying about Jeffrey Epsteins client list;
• the worstmeaslesoutbreak in 33 years;
• his principal associate, Deputy Attorney GeneralEmil Bove, now nominated as a senior judge,urginghis staff to defy court orders;
• a federal district judgeruling againstTrumps unconstitutional executive order ending birthright citizenship; and
• Houthi sailors from Yemen thumbing their noses at Trumps much vaunted truce bysinkingtwo ships in the Red Sea on Friday.

And all those were from just last week. We have insufficient space for all the stupidities from the week before.

Global cooperation to exclude the USA

One unintended consequence of Trumps mental incapacitation and the refusal of Congress to impeach him is unprecedented collaboration between former rivals.

Japan, South Korea and China have entered into freshtrade alliances. China hasremovedtariffs from 53 African countries. Australia is negotiating new trade deals with India and theEuropean Union.

Responding to Trumps deranged rants against Canada, Prime MinisterMark Carneycalmlyaffirmedthat his people are making significant progress in building one Canadian economy and noted they are now strengthening our trading partnerships throughout the world.

The worlds walking on eggshells around a toddler with nukes maybe its time we stopped playing his game.

Albanese avoids Trump and wins on trade

Some very stupid journalists are trying to accuse Prime MinisterAnthony Albaneseof failing to secure a personal meeting with Trump.

In fact, Albo is one of the smart leaders along with IndiasNarendra Modi, ChinasXi Jinping, MexicosClaudia Sheinbaum, SpainsPedro Snchez, South Korea'sLee Jae Myungand New ZealandsChristopher Luxonwho are securing desired outcomes without suffering adirect encounter.

They and others prefer to avoid beingberatedlike UkrainesVolodymyr Zelenskyyorhumiliatedlike MauritaniasMohamed Ould Ghazouni, or the simperingsycophancyof NATOsMark Rutte.

Australia is definitely winning. Exports to the U.S. in calendar 2024 were$23.8 billion, up from $16.2 billion in 2021, the Coalitions last full year. So far this year, the value is $20.8 billion in just five months.

Exportsto Canada for the first five months of this year are $1,544 million, the highest for the first five months of any year. Thats 39 per cent higher than the previous all-time high in 2023.

Exports to the UK this year have been $4,428 million, more than double the 2024 level and nearly triple 2023. Other destinations of boosted exports include Germany, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Africa and Argentina.

We shall see how long Americans tolerate the madman. Perhaps the longer it takes, the better for global cooperation. Veremos. Vi fr se. . On verra bien. . We shall see.

Alan Austinis an Independent Australia columnist and freelance journalist. You can follow him@alanaustin001.

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