Drowning in Chaos by Hugh Panero - The Chestertown Spy

The recent firings of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem motivated me to search the web for reasons why a sane adult would embrace and sign a blood oath to a boss who has destroyed the reputations of all who follow him.

Other than greed, insanity, resume building, and a blind desire for power, the best answer I found was Trauma Bonding - described as a powerful, unhealthy emotional attachment that develops between a person and someone who causes them harm. According to the literature, it is a specific psychological response to a cycle of abuse, manipulation, and intermittent reinforcement.

The abuser reportedly alternates between periods of intense affection and episodes of mistreatment. Sound familiar? This unpredictable high and low pattern triggers a biochemical response in the brain similar to addiction, making the bond incredibly difficult to break.

There are seven stages of Trauma Bonding that Bondi and Noel should have read up on before signing on with the Trump White House. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, is next up for trauma and dismissal; he will be thrown under the bus and blamed for the Iran "excursion," and his Pentagon Portrait will end up in the garbage. The big mistake Trump sycophants make is convincing themselves that they can manage him.

According to the literature, Trauma Bonding typically develops through a phased process that erodes a person's sense of self-worth and independence:

Cabinet secretaries, along with the rest of the country, are drowning in chaos and trauma, and there is only so much mindfulness training you can do to provide any peace.

The President is a simpleton, believing that an Iranian military operation in a complex part of the world would be as easy, swift, and as successful as the relatively simpler snatch-and-grab operation in Venezuela. Whatever happened to Trump's promise not to engage in new overseas wars and focus on affordability?

Trump is all gas and no brakes. He clearly ignored warnings from his generals that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, bomb their neighbors, and drive up gas prices to over $4 dollars a gallon, resulting in world economic chaos. His justification for the war also keeps changing. Cabinet secretaries are hiding from the shit storm.

Trump shamelessly wants his name on everything (US currency, buildings, bridges, airports, The Kennedy Center), but does not want it associated with huge missteps. He looks around for people to blame. In his world of delusional self-confidence, he can never be at fault. However, it is his fault, and "if you break it, you own it."

Trump only cares about a few cabinet positions. The first group deals with international affairs and the ability to wage war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fall into this group. A second group covers business, the economy, the DOJ, and Homeland Security, including the stock market, tariffs, retaliation against his enemies, and immigration. Included in this group are the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bissett; the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick; the Pam Bondi replacement; and recently confirmed Markwayne Mullin, Noem's DHS replacement. The rest of the cabinet does not matter to Trump. The job of the people in charge is to shrink their organizations, deregulate, or do nothing (i.e., Transportation, Energy, EPA, Education, Veterans' Affairs, Labor, HHS).

The conflict for cabinet secretaries under the bright lights is that they are asked to do the impossible (sometimes illegal), only to be thwarted by the Courts or by their own incompetence. For example, Trump berated Pam Bondi to prosecute his political enemies (i.e., Letitia James, James Comey, & Jack Smith) with no evidence, and likely asked her to slow-roll the release of the Epstein files, infuriating the MAGA base. In Noem's case, her toxic handling of the deaths of 37-year-old Minneapolis residents, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, by ICE agents sparked national protests and became embarrassing.

The Trauma Bonding cycle will only get worse. The upcoming midterm elections could give the Democrats control of the House and subpoena power, making life uncomfortable for cabinet secretaries. In addition, Trump's approval ratings have hit new lows. A recent University of Massachusetts Amherst poll reported only 33 percent of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, while 62 percent disapprove.