Has Trump Crossed a “Bridge Too Far?”
It should come as no surprise that I label President Trump as a disruptor. His presidency got started when he decided to mix things up, tear things down, make bold moves that could be called reckless. In other words, he was like a “bull in a china shop.” Fourteen plus month since his presidency began, and what are we left with? We have a royal mess with tariffs, a novel idea that seems to have died a natural death. Then there’s DOGE and its promoter, Elon Musk, in case you have forgotten. What’s happened here? We also have two government shutdowns and other disruptions.
Rebalancing the Burdens and Benefits
We are experiencing the rebalancing of the benefits and burdens in alliances around the world. Trump wants the NATO countries to pay their fair share. There’s nothing wrong here. They should pay more for their common, regional defense. He’s “reimagined” our relationship with Canada, even suggesting it become part of the U.S. He struck out trying to buy Greenland, a move that had me shaking my head. However, I think Trump crossed “a bridge too far.” Why should we do this and upset most of Europe when the goal of greater influence and a military presence—to help defend the country and enhancing regional power– can be accomplished with separate deals to increase a U.S. presence and “materiel” in the region.
Immigration Floodgate
Trump has made it a goal to stop the immigration floodgate into the U.S. from Mexico and central America. This has been the best decision of his Presidency. What a mess Biden left us with. The Democrats saw immigrants as future voters, so the floodgates opened without regard to whether they were criminals or other bad guys (or girls).
The most alarming example is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) killings of people in broad daylight—incidents that have shocked the nation and highlighted how these agencies are operating without adequate safeguards and are eroding public safety. According to the admittedly biased American Immigration Lawyers Association, public support for the Administration’s immigration agenda has shifted dramatically. Today, nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose ICE’s enforcement strategy, and 60% of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s immigration agenda. This signals the rising concerns about policies that create instability without improving security or restoring order.
Venezuelan President Maduro
On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a raid in Caracas to face federal indictments in New York on charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapon offenses. The operation, which followed months of U.S. strikes on Venezuelan vessels and a $50 million bounty, aimed to oust a leader accused of directing a criminal network, with President Trump stating the U.S. would manage Venezuela’s oil industry during a transition. I understand what Trump has done here and why but think the U.S. managing the country’s oil industry is another bridge too far.
Iran
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran last Saturday, which President Trump portrayed as an “opportunity for a change of government in Tehran.” Does he know how scary this statement sounds? Are we headed to War in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world? Should we be concerned that the attack on Iran comes just a few weeks after the January 3, 2026, U.S. special operation (“Operation Absolute Resolve”) that resulted in the capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas. The operation involved large-scale strikes on military targets in Venezuela by U.S. special forces (Delta Force) and CIA operatives. What was the goal? Trump is now saying to eliminate Iran’s capability to launch nuclear bombs and long-range missiles. He’s backed off from saying it is to hasten regime change. Who is he kidding?
The attack follows weeks of repeated threats from Trump that the U.S. would strike Iran unless the country’s leadership agrees to U.S. demands, especially over Tehran’s nuclear program. Last Thursday, American and Iranian officials held a last-ditch round of mediated talks that ended without a breakthrough. Last Saturday, Trump announced that “major combat operations” were underway in Iran. The DoD has called the strikes “Operation Epic Fury.”
It looks like this will be a long war, perhaps longer than the 4-6 week period Trump said it would take to accomplish the goals. The reason is it’s been widening in part because Iran decided to bomb U.S. facilities in other Arab countries and Israel expanded the war into Lebanon. Much has changed in just one day’s time. Here are the lowlights for today:
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean with a torpedo – the Pentagon has released footage of the strike
- It’s thought around 180 people were on board the Iris Dena – 32 were rescued, and Sri Lankan authorities tell the BBC 80 bodies have been found so far
- At the same briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine says the US will strike “progressively deeper into Iranian territory”
- The UK is sending a warship to the eastern Mediterranean after attacks on a British base in Cyprus – but it is not expected to set off this week
- Meanwhile, Israel says it has hit “security headquarters” across Tehran and a three-day funeral ceremony for ex-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been postponed
- “It’s getting worse and worse every day,” one man in Tehran tells the BBC. Israel is also hitting Lebanon – we speak to the owner of a Lebanese hotel that was hit
- Attacks, apparently from Iran, have been reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while Turkey says “Nato defences” shot down an Iranian missile
Sequencing
Washington Post columnist Wes Mitchell said, in an interview with Institut Montaigne, that the notion of “sequencing” may be at play in Trump’s actions. This means a reorienting of power in parts of the world. For example, the attack on Iran may facilitate a sequencing strategy, according to Mitchell. In just a few days, “a country that had previously been thought capable of dominating the Middle East lost the flower of its military capabilities.” Iran is still dangerous but will take time to rebuild.
Russia
The anomaly in all of this is Russia. Trump has delayed timetables for their drawing-down of troops. He has recognized Russia’s “right” to hold on to the land it won in Ukraine. He’s done nothing to control Putin’s strategy of re-organization of the Soviet Union—making it the power broker that it used to be. He seems oblivious to the real possibility that after Ukraine will come other eastern European nations. I have said all along that the reason for hesitancy is that Putin has the dirt on him from the 2016 election, which he will release if Trump crosses a line in their relationship.
Crazy Like a Fox
Pat Hickey, a columnist who write “Memo from the Middle East” has suggested that Trump is “crazy like a fox.” What he means is Trump has been both equally brilliant and equally foolish, and does things his predecessors wouldn’t or couldn’t do. He does provide some good examples, although Trump’s tactics are questionable. It is possible for someone like Trump, the President of the U.S., could do more harm than good by using the disruptor approach to remake the world in his image.
I’ve devoted this blog mainly with the burdens. What about the benefits? In the interest of brevity, here they are:
- Controlled the border,
- Lowered drug deaths and international crime.
- Stymied Iran in its nuclear tracks.
- Got NATO to pay more of its fair share.
- Gave the Middle East an opportunity to remake Gaza for both Arabs and the Jewish people living in Israel.
- Landed a Venezuelan dictator and drug cartel supporter in prison with a chance for that country (and possibly Cuba) to one day be free and even prosperous again.
El Mench
Of course, now we can add to the list Mexican security forces that have killed a drug lord, “El Mench” who led one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country. Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, took this bold action, I believe, to show Trump she is serious about helping the U.S. stop the wave of crime and drug trafficking into the U.S. from Mexico.
I sense this blog may be going too long. So late me sum it up by saying that Hickey labels Trump as the new global sheriff. The question is at what price? That is a million-dollar question. Trump’s approval ratings have gone down, even among his base, most notably Hispanics, many of whom have reservations about how he has dealt with the immigration problem. Have his intimidation tactics crossed the line? Can his bullying approach to dealing with others cause more harm than good? When will he stop and let us catch our breath?
Blog posted by Steven Mintz, Ph.D. on March 4, 2026. Steve is an emeritus professor from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Check out his website to learn more about his activities.