How to wreck America in 20 months

With the 25th anniversary of the attack on New York’s Twin Towers days away, Osama bin Laden, along with Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, must be rolling in their graves. All their attempts to defeat America failed. Yet, in 20 months, Donald Trump has probably done more damage to this nation than many of our enemies. Despite his reference to being the “greatest American president ever,” reminiscent of Muhammad Ali’s boast , the opposite is the case.

His supporters will cite, uncritically and robotically, all the things Trump has done as great successes. Yes, Trump did, for the most part, close the border . In his first administration, he did put in place the Abraham Accords that at least moved slightly closer to resolving some of the endemic issues that have unraveled the region for decades, if not centuries. But consider just some of the damage he has imposed.

Incredibly, Trump removed the checks and balances of the Constitution. The congressional powers outlined in Article I and Article III have been bypassed. Article II’s executive powers have been replaced by the transformation of the presidency into the sole arm of government. A Republican Congress has so far proven to have less standing than a mere rubber stamp , although that may be changing, as even some of the most MAGA of members are sensing all is not well.

Although the Supreme Court has occasionally checked the president, that has been the exception. Government is now by executive orders, of which Trump has issued 279 . When the court found tariffs to be unconstitutional , Trump discovered a loophole that had not been closed. And despite Trump’s unbridled support of tariffs, they are harming not only the U.S. — costing U.S. families, on average, around $1,300 more per year in 2026 — but also global economies. And now Trump is engaging in a trade war with the biggest U.S. trading partner, Canada.

While birthright citizenship is unambiguously stated in the Constitution , Trump is using executive orders as a work around. Seemingly a small issue, unilaterally and probably illegally, Trump demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom. Although he p romised the project would be funded by private donors , the government will now be assuming construction costs.

Domestically, both parties have become far more isolated and destructive in treating the opposition not as equals but as enemies to be destroyed. Arguably, not since the Civil War and Vietnam has the U.S. public been so divided. And the depths of the divisions may be even greater.

Trump has turned the presidency into a money printing machine . His wealth has increased by a few billion, largely through crypto. After accusing the Bidens of being a “ crime family ,” how much money has been siphoned to his sons and son-in-law, with billions of Saudi and Gulf states money to manage? And how much is Donald Trump Jr. making from Pentagon contracts and work that would not be available to someone lacking the last name of Trump?

Regarding foreign and defense policy, Trump has rejected and ruined 80 years of bipartisanship and general adherence to common themes. The record is not unblemished. However since rebuilding Germany, Japan and Europe after World War II, the U.S. has been a beacon of freedom and opportunity.

America has embraced and depended upon allies, friends and partners. From 1949 until now, NATO was the greatest military alliance in history. Trump has gone out of his way to bully and threaten NATO members to spend more on defense, or else. U.S. forces are being withdrawn or redeployed from NATO countries. Demands to take over Greenland were deeply absurd, offensive and impossible to achieve.

The result is that the alliance has been severely weakened by these policies and by Trump’s seeming embrace of Russian president Vladimir Putin. His disrespectful treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the withholding of support from the Russia-Ukraine war — forcing Europe to do more — has aided Russia. And one can observe that Trump’s rekindling of his bromance with North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un has not gone down well with our treaty partners in the South.

Worse, after Nicolas Maduro’s capture , the U.S. has blundered into a quagmire in the Gulf. About two-thirds of Americans oppose the war in Iran, which was reportedly launched based on misleading intelligence from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Unless strong remedial diplomatic action starts now, this war could make the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan seem like successes.

Harlan Ullman is senior adviser at Washington’s Atlantic Council, chairman of a private company, and principal author of the doctrine of shock and awe. His next book, co-written with Field Marshal The Lord David Richards, former UK chief of defense and due out this Fall, is “Who Thinks Best Wins: How Decisive Strategic Thinking Will Prevent Global Chaos. “