LET THEM EAT CAKE

President Donald Trump appears to have the time of his life. He made clear that the legacy he wants to leave for the White House should be one of renovation, while his presidential legacy would primarily focus on personal glory, a permanent conservative influence on the judiciary, an "America First " approach to trade and foreign policy and a direct, unmediated bond with his political base. Immediately upon entering office, he began making changes to the historic building, with the Oval Office now practically dripping in gold-rimmed portraits. His most audacious project, tearing down the East Wing and replacing it with a 90,000 square foot ballroom at a cost of $350 million, is well on its way. In addition, some of the president's staff is busily working on developing plans to erect a large, permanent, independence arch, which has already been referred to as "Arc de Trump," modeled after the "Arc de Triomphe" in Paris, at Memorial Circle near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Its cost is estimated at $100 million. While these projects are proceeding, bills pending in Congress seek to rename the "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" after Trump, and the Center's Opera House after his wife Melania. In addition, three weeks before the president unilaterally demolished the East Wing of the White House, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed plans to feature President Trump's image on both sides of a newly minted $1 coin in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Much, if not all of this, demonstrates the underpinning of tone-deaf overreach, fostering the unabashed impression that he believes that, since he is president , he can do whatever he wants. Essentially stating "L'Etat c'est moi"( I am the state) as uttered during the absolute monarchy of King Louis XIV in 17th century France. Just a few hours before funding for federal food assistance for 42 million of low income Americans was set to lapse, President Trump threw a lavish "Great Gatsby" themed Halloween bash at his residence in Mar-A-Lago. This "get-together" was themed "A little party never killed anybody," and was estimated to have cost $3.4 million, paid for with taxpayer funds. A week later, another opulent party at the same venue also kept those in favor preoccupied. Tickets to an overwhelmingly conservative business conference in Miami, Florida, on November 5, organized by the American Business Forum, attended by billionaires and tycoons, and headlined by Donald Trump, cost up to $1,990. Notably, in a feature that appeared to mock the widening disparity between "haves" and "have nots," organizers issued attendees a $50 gift card to spend on food to sustain themselves, while they listened to their president congratulate himself for the "golden age" his "economic miracle" had delivered. This was, again, an ill-timed insult to more than a half million Miami Dade County residents who just saw their own ability to purchase essential groceries for their family greatly reduced by the gutting of SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (AKA food stamps). A massive conflict between what real people were going through and what the elite is experiencing. Even a casual observer might conclude that this extravagant display of opulence and abundance during difficult economic times for many Americans translates into socially insensitive behavior. Some of us are reminded of a phrase commonly attributed to Marie Antoinette, France's Queen and wife of King Louis XVI in France, who, when confronted with the plight of starving peasants, came up with: "Let them eat cake!" It is immaterial that the queen never actually spoke these words. The phrase can be traced to French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, writing in 1765, 24 years prior to the French Revolution. However, it acquired great symbolic importance in historical accounts by pro revolutionary commentators who employed the phrase to denounce the upper classes of the "Ancient Regime" and was especially powerful because the staple food for the working classes was bread, absorbing 50% of their income. Political commentators and historians have drawn multiple parallels between Donald Trump's behavior and the conditions and ruling style of pre revolutionary France's "Ancient Regime." They specifically call out the economic inequality of both eras; the significant gap between the wealthy and the working class; a heavy tax burden falling heavily on commoners; an out of touch ruling class; significant national debt and a declining trust in institutions. Mr. Trump's tariffs will result in costing every household about $2,400 per year in lost income. His "beautiful bill" will increase the number of uninsured by 10 million by 2034. In 2026 millions more will face higher premiums. The Affordable Care Act premiums are projected to rise by a medium of 18%. A 40 year old couple would see a monthly increase for a "silver plan" from $581 to $993 per month - an annual increase of $4,946. The expected cuts in healthcare subsidies or social programs like medicaid would disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. This year 40% of Americans have already had to dip into savings or resort to using credit cards just to put food on the table or to pay bills. And 25% of respondents to a survey recently reported that they, or someone in their household, had skipped meals to save money. The non funding of SNAP benefits will lead to increased food insecurities, hunger and negative health and developmental outcomes for children, seniors and other vulnerable populations. In 2024, 41.7 million - 12.3% of the population received SNAP benefits. In the mean time, emergency pop-up pantries distributing food are showing up everywhere, while our Department of Agriculture made a point of forbidding stores from issuing special discounts for active SNAP recipients. In addition to many openly exhibited extravagances, since his inauguration, President Trump already managed to add $1 trillion to the national debt, and thus far spent close to $26 million to support his fondness for golf. Some of the objectives of passing on historic legends, even those that don't exactly reflect entirely factual material, are to compare conditions across different time periods and to hopefully convey some ethical principles. Let's hope that, for the morale and mental stability of the country, President Trump will get the message sooner rather than later. Theo Wierdsma