Who Will Restrain Trump?

Early in Trump’s 45th Presidency, I wrote an article titled “Trump as Owha” and sent it to major newspapers in US and Nigeria. Unfortunately, only two newspapers published it on February 15 and 20, 2017, respectively. This piece revisits the article, which likened Trump to a bel­licose-machete-wielding masquerade called Owha.

Numerous masquerades perform during the grand finale of the week-long burial rite of passage of Ogba people of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Govern­ment Area (ONELGA), Rivers State, Nigeria. Each type comes in multiple, adorned in mask and costume while dis­playing a choreography that proclaims its individuality. The event attracts tourists to Omoku, the headquarters of ONELGA, for what is adjudged a variant of Mardi Gras without the erotism of the New Orleans event.

At the arena, people are usually in celebratory mood and the events go on smoothly until Owha enters and precipi­tates chaos by chasing any and every per­son with the intent of inflicting injury, hence it is put on a long leash with many able-bodied young men as handlers. When angered by the restraints from the handlers, Owha turns around, chases them and complete chaos ensues until it is brought under control and forced out of the arena. Thereafter, the festivities continue to a cheerful conclusion.

As the 45th President, Trump demonstrated the Owha element but was perhaps restrained by the desire for a second term. Even at that, it was one contentious issue after another: Aus­tralia refugee deal, Mexico’s wall proj­ect and “bad hombres,” Germany euro accusations, putting Putin at par with Merkel, discriminatory travel ban that drew Americans to the streets and was challenged by the Judiciary; the word “ally” was redefined, alliances shaken to their roots, the fourth estate dubbed “the most dishonest people on earth” and discordant tunes consistently emanated from the Oval Office such that Kathleen Parker referred to them as “the perilous absurdities emanating from the White House”. Trump showed every sign of the Owha.

Today, as 47th President without the restraint of re-election, the Owha in Trump is manifesting its capacity to create chaos (CCC). Worrisomely, Trump seems not to realize the immense respon­sibilities incumbent on the US President. A day before his inauguration, Trump declared thus: “Starting from tomorrow, I will act with historical speed and fix every single crisis facing our country”. Following inauguration, he hurriedly appended “his signature on executive orders, memorandums and proclama­tions”, declassified many documents and fired twelve Inspectors General (IG). Jack Cocchiarella avers that “Trump is a disaster”.

Like the Owha, Trump has fired shots on all fronts: Canada and Mexico, US’ Northern and Southern neighbors and signatories to the trilat­eral North America Free Trade Agree­ment (NAFTA), have replied Trump on new tariffs in equal measure. Immedi­ately Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, the Sleeping Dragon woke up and “responded with lightning speed and re­taliated in more than equal measure… No empty words, no drawn out negoti­ations; just swift decisive countermea­sures” that affect the critical sector of US economy. For Bernie Sanders, the situation is “a dangerous unprecedented moment in American history” and calls out Americans to be “smart, organized and fight back [by building] a movement against political power”. Certainly, the allure that attracted Mary Ann Macleod to the US in 1930 is waning.

The questions are: Is Trump psychologically prepared for the enor­mous powers of Oval Office? If Trump manifests the full CCC of Owha, can Vice President Vance and the Cabinet of Billionaires invoke Section 4 of 25th Amendment? Can Congress effectively play the role of handlers of this Owha? Most importantly, Can Trump be trusted with The Presidential Emergency Satch­el? On the side of the Judiciary, District Judge John Coughenour has set the pace by blocking Trump’s executive order cur­tailing the right to birthright citizenship referring to it as “blatantly unconstitu­tional” and urged the States of Wash­ington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon to prevent the administration from enforc­ing it. Can that bold a front be sustained across the US? All said, President Trump should submit to the psychologist’s chair same way President Eisenhower accepted being deprogramed from his military psyche.

Finally, what does Revelations (13:5) mean by “power was given unto him to continue forty and two months?” Does “continue” not mean another chance? Perhaps a second term? If so, does “forty-months” refer to a date with June 2028 or hide a deeper spiritual meaning? Whatever it is, Americans and their institutions should be “smart, organized and fight” to contain the ex­cesses of the Owha in Oval Office.

*Osai, a public affairs commentator, writes from Port Harcourt