I don't think Trump would have ordered the Hyundai immigration raid because it was utterly stupid...

Would it be considered too politically off topic to be less than 100% confident about that line of reasoning? : )

That's not to say that Mr Trump is stupid--I'm not an "ad hominem" kind of poster. Quite the contrary--it was an outstanding and brilliantly targeted piece of performative governance, political theatre at its finest. The chains were a nice touch, in the tradition of a "perp walk" with the press notified in advance because the film at 11:00 is the whole point.

Indeed, many of the most eyebrow-raising recent actions of the US administration seem to be intended primarily for their effect on certain impressionable segments of the public rather than for the purpose of rational governance within the parameters of any particular politico-philosophical view of the world, quite aside from whether you subscribe to that view or not.

To be fair, that's true of several countries lately. Boris de Pfeffel Johnson's time in the UK limelight springs to mind.

Jim