After a great Week 1, a series of stumbles

President Donald J. Trump’s first week was pretty damn good.

He kept promises by signing a flurry of executive actions, as he promised. You may not like them, but he ran on them and followed through. Promises made, promises kept.

His inauguration day was also a triumph with him attending at least three balls and giving speeches or remarks at all of them. He looked as fresh at midnight as he did shortly after daybreak.

He was a whirling dervish at 78, and a remarkable contrast to his stiff-legged and sometimes slow-witted predecessor.

The following week, not so much.

Without going into too much detail, he fired almost 20 inspectors general, without giving Congress the required 30 days notice and reasons for the discharge.

Critics say he is deliberately testing two things — his power under the Constitution, and Congress’ willingness to put up with him big footing on its turf.

I know most Republican elected officials fear being primaried if they ignore Trump’s wishes, but at some point they are going to either assert their authority, or start wearing slave collars.

The question is when.

I felt the last two attempts to successfully impeach him was an example of wasted energy. Democrats didn’t have the votes to convict.

The next impeachment (if there is one) will succeed. Why? Because Republicans will join it because of Trump’s inability to control his emotions. He will go too far.

In an act of wilful vengeance, he removed security details from his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and his national security advisor John Bolton, both of whom are on Iranian assassination lists. They fell out of favor, and, basically, got a death sentence from their former boss.

Another example? Firing prosecutors and FBI agents involved in the investigation and prosecution of Jan. 6 rioters.

There probably were some excesses, but the vast majority of people charged were convicted, with many pleading guilty.

Unleashing fury against Jack Smith is understandable (if questionable) but targeting individual FBI agents who were following lawful commands? What kind of a commander does that?

A lot of law enforcement groups that favored Trump as a candidate got a real sour taste in their mouths when he pardoned people who had assaulted police officers.

Then there was the botched freezing of federal spending that was poorly thought out, implemented, and explained.

No need for details. It was a botch, as proved by the administration having to explain it several times.

It reminded me of Trump’s flawed appointees — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard.

This I can tell you: When most of your time on the stand is spent refusing to answer, pretending not to understand the question, or denying what you had said in published or broadcast remarks, you are in trouble.

Doesn’t mean they won’t get the job, but this is an exercise in politics, not policy.

Shall I mention his brainless and clumsy attempt to connect DEI with an air tragedy when he should have been comforting victims’ families, and reassuring the narion?

Shooting from the hip, he’s like a pig on ice skates. There’s no telling where he will go next. In a few sentences he managed to spread blame on the air controller, the helicopter, and DEI.

Now, unjustified tariffs on our friends, Canada and Mexico, and our adversary, China.

On this one, the jury is out.

Most experts say tariffs raise consumer prices.

Some say they won’t.

Trump’s impetuous nature is putting his control of both houses of Congress on the line.

If prices (and inflation) do go up, that will be “promise made, promise not kept.”

That will almost certainly lead to Democrats taking the House in two years, effectively tying Trump’s hands.

And he will have brought it on himself.