More than a political figure, Trump acts as a chaotic stress-test on American institutions, civic norms, and political culture, revealing the weaknesses the system has long ignored. Trump in December, 2025 -- U.S. Institute of Peace, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Martina Moneke Every system eventually encounters the user it was never designed to survive. In finance, that user is the bad actor who ignores best practices, exploits loopholes, and treats safeguards as sugge