Power, Petulance, and Public Corruption

How Trump’s circle turned an Olympic victory into an international embarrassment

By Dr. John Petrone

This is not a story about hockey.

It is a story about power.

And how those who hold it no longer feel bound by restraint, dignity, or even basic decency.

When the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team defeated Canada and captured gold, it should have been a moment of national pride rooted in athletic excellence and mutual respect. Instead, it became yet another example of how the Trump era turns everything it touches into spectacle, insult, and institutional rot.

The victory was real.

The achievement was earned.

What followed was disgrace.

The Pattern

Within hours of the win, Donald Trump and his orbit could not help themselves. Instead of congratulating athletes on both sides, Trump resorted to mocking Canada, our closest ally, trading partner, and longtime partner in global security. What should have been friendly rivalry curdled into nationalist sneering. Again.

This is the same Trump who has spent years belittling Canada, threatening economic punishment, floating annexation fantasies, and treating diplomacy as a reality show stunt. Olympic hockey simply gave him a new stage.

This is not patriotism.

It is insecurity with a microphone.

And as usual, Trump’s behavior set the tone for everyone beneath him.

The Abuse of Power

Enter FBI Director Kash Patel.

While the country was watching the game, Patel was not quietly attending official meetings or fulfilling the sober responsibilities of his office. He was celebrating in the locker room, beer in hand, partying with athletes after the gold medal win.

That alone would be embarrassing enough.

But this is a man who has already faced months of allegations that he has misused FBI jets for personal travel. This is a man whose office has insisted repeatedly that his trips are strictly official. This is a man leading a federal law enforcement agency at a moment of serious domestic and international strain.

The image of the FBI director drinking, shouting, and celebrating in a locker room while questions swirl about taxpayer funded travel is not harmless. It is corrosive.

It sends a clear message.

Rules are for other people.

Public trust is optional.

The Double Standard

Not long ago, Patel publicly criticized a prior FBI director for allegedly misusing government aircraft. Now he appears to be doing precisely what he once condemned.

This is the defining ethic of the Trump era. Accuse others loudly. Do worse quietly. Then dare the public to care.

The same administration that lectures Americans about waste and fraud shows no interest in policing itself. The same political movement that claims to worship law and order shrugs when its own leaders treat public office as a perk.

If this were happening under a Democratic administration, the outrage would be deafening. Congressional hearings would already be scheduled. Cable news would run wall to wall coverage.

Here, we get silence. Or worse, cheers.

The Cost

The damage here is not just reputational. It is institutional.

When the FBI director behaves like a political hanger on instead of a serious public servant, it weakens confidence in the rule of law. When the president mocks allies after international competition, it undermines diplomacy. When power is exercised without restraint, it teaches citizens that accountability is dead.

This is how democracies decay.

Not all at once.

But through normalization.

How We Fight Back

We stop pretending this is normal.

We name corruption even when it wears a flag pin.

We demand accountability even when the offender claims patriotism.

We refuse to let athletic triumphs be weaponized for political bullying.

And we remember that public office is not a party invitation. It is a responsibility.

Power without restraint always reveals itself eventually.

This week, it did so in a locker room.

And the stench is unmistakable.

P.S. Release All of the Epstein Files Now!