Can America survive the era of Trump family values?

No powerful global leader, however, is guiltier of the sin of nepotism than Donald Trump. He seems to think his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, qualifies as a top adviser on just about everything. Kushner sits in on sessions involving domestic and foreign policy, both in the White House and during travels abroad. He has a “secret” security clearance that entitles him to highly sensitive information on which he comments in meetings with officials from the Pentagon and the National Security Council.

Kushner owes his high-level connection to his marriage to Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, creator of a brand of women’s high fashion. She too qualifies, in her father’s opinion, as a senior unsalaried adviser – and even occupied his chair briefly at the recent gathering of G20 leaders in Hamburg. Neither she, nor her father, nor her husband see any conflict of interest inherent in her firm’s relying on ill-paid workers in Third World countries to produce the clothing that her company purveys, while Daddy promotes “Made in America Week” – urging manufacturers to make their products on US soil.

Then there’s Donald Jr, in the headlines, at the top of the TV news, for his secret talks with some Russian lawyer who was supposed to provide dirt on Hillary Clinton long before last November’s presidential election.

The cascading reports have had a terrible effect on Trump’s presidency. Not only is he immensely unpopular, he is also unable to ram through important legislation on which he campaigned and has staked his presidency. Some of this legislation – such as his attempt to replace Obamacare with Trumpcare, a national health insurance scheme that would leave more Americans without access to proper care – is terrible. Perhaps it’s just as well he’s not able to do what he wants.