By Qamar Bashir
President Donald Trump has done what no American president dared to do: declare war on the very states that make up the United States. In a stunning policy shift, his administration issued an executive directive conditioning federal disaster relief and aid—worth over $1.9 billion—on whether states comply with his unwavering support for Israel. FEMA grant guidelines quietly added that any state imposing restrictions or even symbolic boycotts on Israeli-linked industries could lose critical disaster funding—upending the core of federalism by making disaster survival dependent on foreign policy alignment with a foreign state.
This shocking decision wasn’t just condemned by legal scholars—it sent waves through legacy media and exploded across social platforms. Constitutional experts called it an unprecedented violation of the separation between federal and state powers, while commentators accused the administration of weaponizing disaster aid as political blackmail. In a nation where trust in federal institutions is already fragile, this move struck at the very idea of independent state governance.
What Trump has done is not a show of strength—it is the crossing of every constitutional boundary the American people can tolerate. Intellectuals and journalists are now speaking openly about the pervasive influence of AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobbies—now contributing well over $100 million annually in lobbying and campaign support. It is no longer fringe to suggest that lawmakers are compromised—claims intensified by allegations tied to the unsealed Epstein files and whispers of foreign intelligence leverage over U.S. decision-making.
But Trump’s betrayal does not end there. He has also declared war on the most vulnerable Americans—those depending on healthcare, Social Security, and disaster aid. The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, enacted in July 2025, slashes Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion, cuts hundreds of billions from SNAP, and imposes strict work-reporting mandates. These cuts threaten healthcare access for more than 10 million people and push already struggling rural hospitals toward collapse—particularly in states like Oklahoma, Alabama, and West Virginia.
Then came the tariff tsunami. Under Trump’s economic nationalism, sweeping duties—ranging from 15 % to 55 %, especially on Chinese goods—now apply to imports from nearly 70 countries, including close allies. Canada faces 35 % tariffs, Brazil and Switzerland up to 50 %, India 25 %, and China some of the heaviest penalties in history. The average import tax rate has surged to 19 %, the highest since the Great Depression. The result: the typical American household is now losing between $2,400 and $3,800 a year in purchasing power—higher grocery bills, pricier clothes, more expensive electronics, and costlier cars.
Tariffs are not a tax on foreign exporters—they are a tax on Americans. Importers pay them first, then pass them on to distributors and retailers, who pass them on to consumers. Research shows that 60 % of the tariff burden falls directly on U.S. households, squeezing the middle class and deepening economic inequality.
The markets know the truth. On August 1, the Dow Jones dropped 542 points, the S&P 500 fell 1.6 %, and the Nasdaq plunged 2.2%—spooked by weak job growth, rising prices, and fears of foreign retaliation. America’s small businesses, farms, and neighborhood retailers face shrinking margins while multinational corporations with offshore operations remain largely shielded.
But Trump’s war isn’t only economic. It’s also demographic. He has targeted immigrants—the unspoken backbone of America’s agriculture, construction, and service sectors. These laborers feed the nation, build its homes, and staff its restaurants—jobs native-born Americans often refuse. Undocumented workers make up 40 % of crop farm laborers nationally and over 75 % in California. Mass deportations could shrink the U.S. labor force by 4–6 %, slashing GDP by as much as $5 trillion over the next decade. Agriculture and hospitality output could fall nearly 9 %, while retail and manufacturing lose $65–$74 billion annually.
The impact is already visible. In California, ICE raids in 2025 disrupted a $49 billion agricultural economy, cutting 20–40 % of the workforce, leading to $3–$7 billion in crop losses and pushing produce prices up by 5–12 % nationwide. These costs cascade through every grocery store and restaurant in America.
With inflation now at 2.7 % as of June 2025—up from post-pandemic lows—families are cutting back on necessities, not luxuries. The result will be fewer college enrollments, reduced healthcare access, and a generation of disenfranchised youth.
And while the world races toward a clean-energy future, Trump is dragging America back into its polluted past. His expansion of oil drilling, coal mining, and nuclear projects—coupled with rollbacks on renewables—will carry staggering costs. Climate-fueled disasters already average $149 billion in annual losses—up 50 % from the previous decade. In just the first half of 2025, wildfires and severe storms caused $131 billion in total damages, with $80 billion insured. Last year alone, climate-related disasters cost the U.S. nearly $1 trillion.
Beyond disasters, fossil fuel pollution costs the economy $790 billion annually in lost productivity, healthcare, and premature deaths—about 5 % of GDP. By doubling down on outdated energy, Trump is not just warming the planet—he’s cooking the economy.
Instead of bolstering U.S. global economic power, Trump is accelerating the unraveling of the dollar-based financial order. Central banks’ share of dollar reserves has fallen from around 70 % two decades ago to 57 % by late 2024. BRICS nations are increasingly settling trade in local currencies, and discussions for a shared BRICS currency are advancing. Africa’s PAPSS system already saves $5 billion annually by avoiding dollar conversions.
China, once America’s largest creditor, has cut its U.S. Treasury holdings from over $1.3 trillion a decade ago to $780–785 billion—its lowest in 15 years. Nations from Russia to Saudi Arabia are converting reserves into gold and non-dollar assets. With U.S. national debt at $36 trillion, a future in which creditors demand repayment could force the sale of American land, infrastructure, or even strategic assets—undermining sovereignty itself.
And all this unfolds while Trump clings to unconditional support for Israel—even as, for the first time in modern polling, a majority of Americans express sympathy for Palestinians. The narrative has shifted. The atrocities in Gaza—starvation, bombardment, and mass displacement—are no longer hidden from U.S. audiences. In this climate, Trump’s Israel policy is not only morally bankrupt but politically toxic.
The irony is devastating: while Trump claims to put America first, his policies—on disaster aid, healthcare, trade, immigration, environmental stewardship, and global finance—are systematically dismantling the country’s strength from within.
For now, the pain is unevenly distributed, but make no mistake: it is coming for every household. When higher prices, job losses, environmental collapse, and global isolation converge, Americans will see clearly who hollowed out their nation. And when that reckoning comes, it won’t be softened by speeches, spin, or scapegoats. It will be the moment America realizes it wasn’t foreign adversaries that broke its back—it was a president who declared war on his own people.
By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA
