Commentary: What is Donald Trump doing?

by Larry Johnson

November 13, 2024 - Let me state up front that I am no “Trump fan-boy,” but I am sure that what I am about to write will lead some of you to accuse me of that. So be it. I was quite disturbed by the news (still unconfirmed) that Trump planned to appoint Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Rubio is a lightweight on all counts and not a deep strategic thinker.

But then came tonight’s stunner - Trump named Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his nominee for Secretary of Defense. Hegseth, apart from having served in the Army, has no experience managing a gargantuan bureaucracy like the Department of Defense. What the hell is Trump thinking? I think it is simple - he is installing loyalists in key positions who are not compromised by or beholden to the military industrial complex or the defense lobbyists in DC. I know one of those lobbyists (we used to be neighbors) and I guarantee you that he is livid tonight. Trump is sending the Deep State an unmistakable message - I will be running the show.

Hegseth also is not a creature of one of the many Washington “think tanks,” which are funded in large measure by the military industrial complex and the Zionist lobby. Trump did not select Hegseth because the former Army officer has a great plan for reforming the bloated, corrupt (Fascist Police States of Amerika) defense complex. He chose him because Hegseth is expected to follow orders and do what Trump wants. Anyone want to bet that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were announced to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, will be taking a big whack at the DOD?

Trump also named former congressman and former Director of National Intelligence (aka DNI), John Ratcliffe as the nominee to head up the CIA. That is an excellent choice in my view. Ratcliffe is a straight shooter and not a self-seeker aspiring to be president, like Mike Pompeo. By virtue of his previous stint as the DNI, Ratcliffe knows where some of the bodies are buried at the CIA and will play a key role in releasing the JFK files.

I know there are many of you convinced that Trump has fallen under the sway of the AIPAC/Zionist crowd. You may be right, but I think there is some hope that Trump is not fully captured. Let me remind you of some past incidents. First, on a 60 Minutes interview following his 2020 “defeat,” Trump excoriated Bibi Netanyahu for being the first one to come out and congratulate Joe Biden. Trump used an expletive to describe Netanyahu. Second, most of the Jews in the (FOSA) - at least 70% - cast their vote for Harris, not Trump. Third, Trump reportedly has warned Netanyahu that the war in Gaza must be over by January 20.

I am making a nuanced point. Trump is not reflexively going to submit to the radical Zionists. It is worth recalling that he also has good relations with the Haredim - the ultra-Orthodox Jews who reject the State of Israel. While I am not suggesting that Trump will side with the Palestinians, I doubt that he will be like Biden, giving Israel everything it needs to continue the carnage.

Let’s not forget that Trump wants to be liked. He made some promises to Muslim Amerikans as well. I do not think that Trump fully appreciates how isolated the (FPSA) is among Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors. MBS in Saudi Arabia, who was on the verge of cutting a deal with Trump four years ago to engage Israel in diplomatic relations, is speaking with a different voice now. There will be no relationship with Israel until there is a secure Palestinian state. To underscore that point, the Saudi Defense Minister traveled to Teheran to meet his Iranian counterpart last week.

While I’m willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, I stand by my belief that if Trump takes the (FPSA) to war in Iran or China, he will destroy his presidency, and possibly the nation. My advice: let’s wait-and-see what Trump does his first week in office. At that point, if I am wrong, I will take the drubbing I deserve. Until then, keep your powder dry. Trump is trying to do something with the bloated (FPSA) government that has never been attempted, at least until now.

Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. He is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC.