Marching orders

The ridiculous notion of 'white genocide' in South Africa, meanwhile, might have fallen off Trump's radar after his falling out with Elon Musk. The entertainment factor in their clash was barely diminished by the widely accepted view of its inevitability. Trump has suggested that the breach between the world's richest man and its most powerful individual can't be mended, while warning Musk of dire consequences should he fund Democratic candidates ahead of next year's election cycle.

- BY MAHIR ALI

LOS Angeles was ablaze with climate catastrophe-related fires when Donald Trump took oath in January. Now he is fanning another variety of flames by deploying the National Guard and Marines against the wishes of the city and state authorities, and threatening California's governor with arrest — albeit not, so far, deportation to El Salvador or Djibouti.

The LA protests sprang from outrageous raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency at workplaces and schools, as Angelenos faced the prospect of their relatives, friends or neighbours vanishing into the vortex of Trump's remedies for problems that barely exist. Governor Gavin Newsom, a fairly right-wing Democrat is regularly referred to by the president as 'far left', with his name distorted as 'Newscum'.

Those familiar with the posts attributed to Trump on his Truth Social feed won't be surprised by the bile directed towards anyone who opposes his agenda. A daily glimpse of the outpourings suffices as a guide to the alarming state of his distorted intellect. But those who claim there's a method to his madness might be right, given the extent to which his tussle with Elon Musk and focus on LA distracts global attention from the genocide in Gaza.