President Donald Trump wields enormous power, but he doesn’t operate in a vacuum. He has a green light to engage in reckless actions. Presently, Trump encounters few stop signs or red lights.

Especially during Trump’s second term in the White House, there has been little or no pushback from key institutions, namely the Supreme Court, The Republican Party, and Right-wing Mass Media. Those institutions are not restricting Trump; they are emboldening him.

Why have those institutions failed the public? This program suggests answers.

Globalization is the idea that progress comes when countries, economies, cultures, and peoples become more connected and dependent on each other.

Of course, many people are not gung-ho about this idea. Anti-globalism inspired Donald Trump’s trade and tariff wars, and resistance has been strong in other countries, as well. Protests grew because globalization brought rapid change. It created unemployment and uprooted communities.

Why has globalization expanded greatly in recent years, despite this resistance? Which lessons can we draw from the historical record of progress and problems?

Globalization will remain a powerful force, because technological progress is constant. Resisting technology-driven change is not an effective strategy. Adjusting to changing conditions has greater potential for producing satisfactory outcomes.

Presidents of the United States typically refer kindly to their predecessors, but Trump frequently denigrates Barack Obama. Trump has been doing this for years. He was the most outspoken proponent of the false Birth Certificate conspiracy theory. Trump's Truth Social account posted a video that featured a clip showing the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed onto the bodies of apes.

What explains this outrageous behavior?

There is considerable evidence that prejudice toward African Americans generally and Barack Obama specifically influences Trump’s behavior. Much of Donald Trump’s flawed, dangerous, consequential decision-making in domestic and foreign affairs appears to be generated by racial prejudice.