GOP strategist: Trump is delivering but the goal should be controlled detonation, not complete chaos | Opinion

It’s been pretty entertaining watching the left unravel day after day. Turn on almost any network — except Fox News — and you’ll catch the usual cast of liberal pundits pushing their doomsday predictions over the latest actions taken by President Donald Trump or his close adviser Elon Musk.

The Democrats look totally lost, with no clear agenda other than opposing Trump at every turn.

Meanwhile, Trump has delivered on many of the promises that got him elected. As a result, the Democrats’ “chicken little” messaging not only feels out of touch with reality but also distracts from serious issues that could have long-term, generational consequences.

Perhaps that’s why Trump can get away with portraying his efforts to end the Ukraine war as deal-making rather than an outright endorsement of Russia over a democratic nation. It’s shocking to see the party of Ronald Reagan seemingly step back from the long-held belief that America should stand as a shining beacon of hope for freedom-seeking people across the globe.

Let’s be clear: Ukraine isn’t a perfect democracy. Since declaring its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it has struggled with bribery and political corruption. There’s been little transparency around how U.S. aid is being used, and the suspension of elections has raised legitimate concerns about the future stability and integrity of its democracy.

But make no mistake — Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and a ruthless dictator determined to reassemble the Soviet Union. While no one wants an endless, taxpayer-funded war, it’s always been a core American value to stand up for democracies against aggression.

If we cede ground to Putin, does it embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping to move on Taiwan? Or open the door for Trump to take Gaza, Greenland or the Panama Canal?

Trump appears so blinded by retribution — remember, he was impeached in 2019 after pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate the Bidens and Burisma — that he is willing to sacrifice the soul of America.

Unfortunately, this is not the only instance in which Trump’s actions threaten democracies around the world.

By taking a sledgehammer to the federal government and cutting off funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Trump dismantled crucial foreign aid programs that help sustain fragile democracies. These programs often serve as our first line of defense, building the infrastructure needed for democratic stability.

Without U.S. support, China and Russia will be more than willing to fill the void — using their money to expand influence where democracy is most vulnerable.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t cut federal programs or scale back the size of the government. We absolutely should. Washington is too big, too corrupt and too controlled by special interests, with well-documented fraud in agencies like USAID.

That’s why we need the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It’s a brilliant idea that should have been implemented decades ago.

But Musk’s Silicon Valley approach of “move fast and break things” doesn’t translate to effective governance. The government isn’t a startup. Governing requires stability, foresight and responsibility. Whether it’s cutting aid that supports fragile democracies or inadvertently firing officials tasked with combating bird flu, these decisions reveal how the disruptive approach backfires.

Even though the White House insists that Elon Musk has no official authority to make government decisions, there are still serious concerns about the sheer amount of power and influence he wields. And once the cherry-picked, extreme examples run out, there will be tough decisions to make about what to cut — decisions with serious consequences.

Americans elected President Trump to make those difficult calls himself, not to pass them off to an unelected billionaire or bureaucrat like Musk. Americans chose Trump because they wanted him to shake up the system — to blow up the bloated government bureaucracy.

But they also expect a controlled detonation, not complete chaos.

The goal is to dismantle the deep state, not to have the entire structure come crashing down in a way that hurts all Americans.

This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 10:05 AM.