The Jester, Tsar & Merchants
Beyond the Farce
The Privatization of the State as the Supreme Stage of Stupidity What Machiavelli points out with biting irony goes beyond the simple caricature of an incompetent Trump. The real danger our Florentine detects is the transformation of the Republic into a « Cosa Nostra. » By surrounding himself exclusively with family members (Kushner) and golf or business partners (Witkoff), Donald Trump is not just practicing nepotism: he is changing the very nature of power.

The End of Politics: For Machiavelli, politics is a superior art. For the Trump clique, it is a transaction. Everything is for sale, everything can be bought, from military alliances to state secrets. Jared Kushner has no geopolitical vision, he has a « business plan. » Witkoff does not negotiate treaties, he seeks returns on investment. It is cash-register diplomacy.
Systemic Vulnerability: By placing « bumblers » in key positions, Trump creates a void. Nature abhors a vacuum, but Putin loves it. The danger is not just that Trump is a « jester, » it is that he is prey. A man with no historical culture, no moral principles, and an obsession with his image is the ideal puppet for a KGB officer trained in psychological manipulation.
Voluntary Amnesia: « It’s Biden’s fault » is not just a spoiled child’s excuse. It is a technique for destroying memory. By refusing responsibility (the essence of leadership), Trump invites chaos. For if the leader is responsible for nothing, then no one answers for anything. And in this vacuum of accountability, the law of the strongest—or the richest—becomes the only constitution.