If I Were Trump’s Pastor, This Is What I Would Encourage Him To Do

President Donald Trump is going through a very difficult time right now. His poll numbers are underwater on the economy, on health care, on tariffs, on the Epstein files, on immigration, on the war in Ukraine, on strikes on Venezuelan boats, etc. The Susie Wiles interviews with Vanity Fair reveal a Cabinet in chaos. Although I vigorously disagree with many of his policies, I must remember that Trump is a human being made in God’s image. He needs help because his mental and emotional state show wear and tear. President Trump went on a tirade in his tweet regarding Rob and Michele Reiner’s murder. Here it is for you to evaluate for yourself.

“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before.” His post concluded, “May Rob and Michele rest in peace!“

Each president, in turn, needs to be the “Consoler-in-Chief” to bring the nation together after a tragedy. His tweet did not succeed. Instead of leading us into a national lament, Trump’s tirade became self-aggrandizing and praising of himself with phrases like “the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness.”

Almost universally, U.S. politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, appropriately criticized the president for his lack of normal human empathy. Trump claims to be a Christian, but he doesn’t seem to know much about Jesus nor his basic message of forgiveness. Trump has repeatedly claimed he has never confessed his sins to God nor asked for forgiveness from God. Trump is a deeply flawed person. So am I. Trump needs healing of his soul…and his entire being. We all do.

The president has a White House Faith Office led by Rev. Paula White. The staff in that office, in addition to their public duties, should provide the president with the best pastoral recommendations for his personal life. If I were pastor to the president, I would urge the following:

Mr. President, you need a deep, genuine conversion. The good news message is the same for all. Repent of your evil ways and believe in the Lord for the forgiveness of your sins. Be as honest as you can with God. Although you can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, you can fool the Lord none of the time. The Good Book says, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Become truthful. Make a list of your biggest mistakes, acknowledge them and turn away from them. Become reconciled with God.
Mr. President, my second exhortation is based on the first. “If you are presenting an offering to the Lord and you remember that someone has something against you, go and become reconciled with that person.” To the degree that it depends on you, reconcile yourself with the people in your life. Confess your sins to those you have offended. This includes your family and friends, but also your rivals and opponents.
Mr. President, ask key people to speak truth into your heart. We all have blind spots. I do…you do. We don’t see our flaws as others see them. You are surrounded by “yes” men and women who tell you what you want to hear but not what you need to hear. Therefore, ask key people to tell you the truth. I think Melania might be a good person to start with. Perhaps Ivanka. It would take great maturity on your part but invite Marjorie Taylor Greene or Mike Pence to point out your flaws to your face.

P.S. Mr. President, I listened to your speech to the nation last night. We all know your motivation was to shore up your sinking presidency. Like most politicians, you cherry pick the data. You highlight data that is favorable (ex. gasoline prices), but you ignore (ex. health care premium increases) or outright lie about the negative facts (ex. grocery price increases or that tariffs are taxes).

I hope and pray that you humbly learn to walk in the truth and experience substantial healing.

Trump, Venezuela and the “War on Drugs”

Let’s speak clearly. The United States does have a drug problem! Provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2024. By far, the deadliest drug is fentanyl, which annually causes over 70,000 overdose deaths. Nevertheless, it is not Venezuela that moves fentanyl into the U.S. It is China via drug cartels located in Mexico.

The deadliest drug that comes into the United States from South America is not fentanyl. It is cocaine, made from the coca plant. Venezuela does not grow much coca. The biggest growers of coca and the countries that export the most cocaine to the U.S. are Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

From September until the present, the Trump administration, via the Secretary of Defense Hegseth, has struck more than twenty small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing over 80 civilians. The government has alleged that these boats were smuggling drugs into the United States, but have not provided an ounce of proof. It is highly unlikely these boats were smuggling drugs into the U.S. for a variety of reasons: Venezuela exports oil, not drugs; a drug smuggler would fill up the limited space in his small boat with drugs, not passengers; no drugs have been retrieved from the crippled boats; and the survivors from the September 2 strike were struck and killed in a second strike, rather than provide eyewitness account of the purpose of their boat’s cargo.

Just yesterday, the U.S. military seized a large Venezuelan oil tanker and has maintained possession of it. When asked by reporters what would happen to the oil, President Trump said, “We would keep it.” These actions ordered by the Pentagon are clearly military actions of warfare. According to the U.S. Constitution, unless there is an actual attack on the United States, only Congress can declare war. We are not at war with Venezuela. Therefore, the strikes against these small boats, including the death of more than 80 civilians, and the seizure of the tanker, were definitely illegal and probably acts of murder. If the Pentagon has valid evidence, it should make its case to Congress…immediately. In addition, the U.S. should take its case to the United Nations Security Council because these military actions have taken place in international waters.

So why are Trump and Hegseth making up bogus claims of alleged drug shipments from Venezuela? Probably to distract us from real issues like inflation and health insurance prices.

This is an ethical and legal test for our current administration and our Secretary of Defense. Will they pass the test? I doubt it.

Is “Christian Nationalism” a Dangerous Heresy? Is It Faithful to Jesus?

“Christian Nationalism” is like the air we breathe. It is all around us, but we usually don’t see it. We can measure it in a variety of ways. We can even determine when it degenerates into smog that can be dangerous for our health. But, what is Christian Nationalism and is it a heresy? A working definition usually includes something like “a significant commitment by Christians (especially Christian leaders) to a national government or major political party. This formal or informal relationship frequently results in an alliance or “marriage” in which the religious believers receive some benefits, but the government/political party is the senior partner that receives the greatest benefits (votes, moral respectability, public stature of being above the law, internal cohesion, etc.) This alliance becomes heretical when it pushes believers to violate some of their most basic religious/ethical values.” Let’s look at two classical examples of Christian Nationalism before we turn to a more contemporary illustrstion.

Constantine reigned as Roman Emperor from 306 – 337 AD (at times shared, in other periods by himself). He was the first Emperor to convert to Christianity, although his knowledge of the faith seems to have been fairly limited. According to some traditions, he had a vision in 312 in which he saw a cross in the night sky and the words “with this cross you will conquer”. He then won the decisive battle of Milvian Bridge and converted to the faith shortly thereafter. In 313 the Edict of Milan de-criminalized Christianity throughout the empire and essentially ended the persecution against the faith (I approve of this edict because it promoted freedom of religion). Christianity continued to grow numerically. Decades later, in 380 AD, the Edict of Thessalonica promoted Christianity to become the official state religion of the Roman Empire. Although some Christians celebrated this act, I believe it was generally disastrous for the true faith. Freedom of religion disappeared as people in the Empire were forced to adopt Christianity. In addition, they violated an essential belief. The early church during the first three centuries had been almost universally pacifistic. Although they would die by the sword as martyrs, in faithful obedience to the teaching of Jesus, they would not kill with the sword. This all changed with the emergence of this “Christian Nationalism” in which their so-called “Christian” emperors commanded them to kill enemies of the empire. Tragically, many followers of Christ did not love those enemies, they killed them. Just War Theory began to develop to evaluate whether these killings were “justified” or not. In addition, the simple faith of humble disciples became transformed into ostentatious cathedrals, power broker bishops, and increasing neglect of widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor in general. Later atrocious examples of Christian Nationalism, such as the Spanish Inquisition, trace their roots to this Constantinian version of the faith.

Through various divisions in the church (including the Catholic/Orthodox schism and the Protestant Reformation), most Christians became aligned with national boundaries (for example, the Anglican Church in England). In the 1930s with Hitler’s rise to power, there was a Nazification of the Deutsche Cristen (German Christian) movement. This was a clear example of “Christian Nationalism” that approved of heretical practices antithetical to the teachings of Jesus (the persecution and slaughter of Jews, gypsies, and others, the idolatrous cult to Hitler, the “euthanasia” of handicapped people, etc.) Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer (one of my heroes of the faith) emerged to challenge these heresies. As an alternative of resistance, he helped form the “Confessing Church” based on the Bible and teachings of Jesus. He was accused of participating in a plot to assassinate Hitler and therefore imprisoned. He was hanged on April 9, 1945.

Now let’s turn to the United States. It is sometimes affirmed that our country was founded as a “Christian Nation”. The historical evidence does not support that claim. It is true that many of our ancestors were genuine followers of Jesus and many found religious freedom here that was denied to them in Europe, but our founding documents were written by those who were more “deist” (the belief in a watchmaker divinity who starts the clock, then walks away) than by theistic Christians. Thomas Jefferson was, by far, the most influential writer of these documents. In his “Jefferson Bible” he eliminated all references to the supernatural elements of the Bible….hardly orthodox Christianity. It might be worse if we had been a Christian nation, because our multiple sins against indigenous Americans and enslaved Africans should have caused us deep shame instead of our trying to justify them.

In contrast with Europe, the United States never had a national “State Church” although there were a variety of churches that flourished in the thirteen colonies. Some scholars call this phenomenon “civil religion”. Our money and songs have religiosity sprinkled all around with phrases such as “in God we trust”, “God bless America”, and “one nation under God”. These point to a benevolent deity who blesses our actions but rarely calls us to repentance or to a change in our national behavior.

The contemporary “Christian Nationalism” movement goes much further. About fifty years ago, changes started to take place in the Bible Belt. Most white evangelicals in the South had been Democrats (Including Billy Graham), but key people in the Reagan circles began to call these evangelicals to the Republican ranks based on the issue of abortion. If abortion was tantamount to murder, what was needed was the election of a Republican president who would appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court, who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion. As a consequence, for the last four decades, roughly 80% of white evangelical Christians have voted for the Republican presidential candidate in turn. Although they were essentially one issue voters (overturning abortion), they tended to adopt Republican perspectives on other issues (strong military, anti-immigrant, anti-environment, etc.). In my not-so-humble opinion, these perspectives do not always line up with the ethical teaching of Jesus. These negative tendencies of “Christian Nationalism” have reached a crescendo with the presidency of Trump. I believe much of this is due to a failure of evangelical leaders, like Franklin Graham. When confronted with Trump’s most obvious womanizing and racist actions, these leaders replied “Just hold your nose, and vote for him anyway, because you are really voting for conservative justices in the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe”. They were applying the sub-Christian maxim of “the end justifies the means” (the good end of overturning Roe justifies the election of a deeply flawed president). These leaders failed the church because they should have taught the full teaching and example of Jesus.

One of the most tragic aspects of Christian nationalism is that Christians tend to passionately defend governmental decisions and actions as if they had been ordered by God even when they are false and sinful.

Some of the most recent are the following:

House Speaker Johnson’s alibis why he didn’t swear in Representative Adelita Grijalva for over a month.
The stalling and coverup of the Epstein files. If Trump has nothing to hide, why do evangelicals appear to be protecting pedophiles?
Secretary Hegseth’s order to strike boats in the Caribbean and Pacific without the White House obtaining authorization from Congress. Merely saying we are in a war against drugs does not mean authorization to kill over 80 people in boats.
Back on April 16, 2016 Hegseth said, “I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes. If you’re doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. That’s why the military said it won’t follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief. There’s a standard, there’s an ethos, there’s a belief that we are above what so many things that our enemies or others would do.” This is the exact same policy that a group of six Democratic members of Congress cited in a video that they aired two weeks ago which enraged Hegseth and Trump who labeled their video as seditious and called for their deaths. Why can’t evangelicals acknowledge that this is hypocrisy?

We are in perilous times when “Christian Nationalism” poses a real threat to the Christian faith and to our country. It is so pervasive that it is frequently not even recognized. Let me end this post with a Sacred Cow, the Pledge of Allegiance. This is so commonplace that most people recite it without examining it. It’s a “no-brainer”. I suggest we do use our brains to ask tough questions. Why would followers of Jesus pledge allegiance to a country (led by flawed human authorities)? The early Christians declared Jesus was the Lord, the emperor was not. Faithful Christians in Germany did not pledge allegiance to Hitler’s Nazi agenda. Should Christians in Russia pledge allegiance to Putin’s authoritarian regime? Let’s respond with courage, clarity, truth and respect.

In the Midst of Our Deep Polarization, We Desperately Need to Develop our Spiritual/Political Discernment Skills

Almost everyone agrees that we are living in the most profound polarization in the United States since the Civil War. New issues emerge every day that divide us. Here is just a sample of the most recent topics:

U.S. Air strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela: legitimate defense against drug trafficking or war crimes ordered by Secretary of Defense Hegseth?
A video in which six Democrat elected officials urge soldiers to not obey illegal orders: a helpful restatement of the military code or an act of sedition that merits death?
Common vaccines administered to children cause autism and other severe problems: dangerous non/scientific myths pushed by RFK and others or gospel truth?
Opening protected land to new oil drilling: A boost to the economy or a rapid, dangerous increase in global warming?
Massive tariffs leveled against most of our trading partners: a necessary leveling of the playing field or a factor contributing to an increase in inflation?
The legal case against James Comey: a necessary action to pursue justice or a personal vendetta of a childish president?
The best college football team in the country: Ohio State or Indiana?

In the midst of competing claims, how can we discern what is true from what is the noise of propaganda? Although it is hard work, there are steps we can take to cultivate our moral/political discernment skills.

Most of us like to think that we are “open-minded”, at least I am open to the truth. There is an academic exercise that helps us test our openness. Every semester at the last institution where I taught (Whitworth University) we would team-teach a course on “Worldviews and Public Policies”. We would ask the students to choose a policy and analyze it, by completing the following steps.

Articulate a public policy (example-the morality and legality of the war in Iraq according to Just War Theory), your position on the policy and how your own worldview (ethics, ideology, etc) applies to the policy. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of your position. What major sources do you use to justify you position? How do you know they are reliable?
Articulate a rival position regarding the same policy and defend that position and why some people are attracted to that position. What main sources are generally utilized to defend the rival position? Are they reliable? Why or why not?
Very important – What evidence would you be willing to accept as sufficiently strong to get you to change your position? (If students did not answer this question, it suggests they were not as open-minded as they thought.)
If you would change your position, would that require other changes in your life (example -reconsidering what “patriotism” means)?

There are additional “common-sense” suggestions for healing our national divide:

Be humble. Your rivals might be right and you might (occasionally) be wrong.
Double check your facts.
Don’t exaggerate the truth (even use hyperbole and sarcasm sparingly).
Think outside the box.
Find common ground.
Acknowledge bits of truth wherever they are found.
For those in the U.S., the Constitution is the rule book.
The courts are the referees. If you think they are wrong, appeal to a higher court, but don’t ignore them.

May we bring a small bit of healing to our country!

In the Epstein Case, the Most Damaging Evidence was Volunteered by Trump Himself

The last two weeks have not been kind to President Trump regarding the Epstein case, but the most damning testimony was caused by Trump himself. Let’s see why.

Fifty days after her special election victory, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was sworn into office. Her first political action was to sign the Massie-Khanna resolution that triggered a vote to release the Epstein files.
President Trump aggressively pressured Republicans to vote not to release the files. The pressure was so intense that it raised suspicions that Trump was trying to hide evidence that would be embarrassing, at least, or even worse, incriminating. It soon became evident, that dozens of Republicans were going to vote for the release of the files. Seeing the writing on the wall, Trump flip flopped and changed his position. He then urged Republicans to vote in favor of the release of the files. The vote then passed almost unanimously in the House (with only one negative vote).
In the Senate, the same bill was approved by unanimous consent. There were no changes made to the bill, even though House Speaker had hoped the Senate would change the bill to make it “better”.
According to information released by the White House, Trump signed the bill into law (although the customary pictures of the presidential signing did not occur).
And now the damaging evidence volunteered by Trump himself. On Monday he gave a press conference in which he was asked about the Epstein case. He responded, “As far as the Epstein files, I have nothing to do with Jeffray Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.” Let’s hone in on this last sentence.
According to various emails, Epstein and Trump were “best friends” for ten years. Trump has tried to distance himself from Epstein, saying he barely knew him. Trump previously affirmed that he had barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club over a business practice. Allegedly, Epstein had persuaded pretty female employees from Mar-a-Lago to leave Trump’s club and to come work for him. That was Trump’s official explanation. The recent press conference goes much further. He identifies Epstein as a “sick pervert”. Trump thought he was improving his own image by distancing himself even more from the evil Epstein. Quite the contrary. If I know that my best friend, or even an acquaintance, is a sick pervert, of course I should not become complicit in his sexual crimes. But, if I have any moral compass, I should do much more. Perverts, like Epstein, do horrific damage to their victims. To protect young women and innocent girls from sex trafficking, a truly ethical person would report the pervert to the police. Trump did not do so. When did Trump become aware of Epstein’s pedophilia and human trafficking? According to the President, “many years ago”. Trump thought he was improving his standing among the American people. Not true. It turns out he is his own worst witness.

The Beginning of the End: How a “Chicken” Became a “Lame Duck”

Many Americans woke up this morning to some strange news: Late last night President Trump published on social media that he was urging House Republicans to vote in FAVOR of releasing the Epstein files in a vote scheduled for this Tuesday. This is a complete reversal of Trump’s position for the last few months in which he fought tooth and nail against releasing the files. So, what happened?

During the lead up to last year’s presidential election, Candidate Trump promised that, if elected, he would release the Epstein files. He had alleged that the Biden “good ole boys’ club” was corruptly blocking release of the files to protect rich, influential Democratic leaders and donors from prosecution in this infamous sex trafficking case. His MAGA base enthusiastically supported Trump in this quest to drain the swamp.

Once he occupied the White House, Trump changed his tune. There was nothing more to see here. His Attorney General, “Puppet” Pam Bondi, claimed the Epstein case was closed. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The MAGA folk rose up and demanded the files be released. Four brave GOP congressional representatives (Kentuckian Thomas Massie, former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, and two others) signed on to a discharge resolution that required the House to vote on a bill releasing the files. Trump called it a “Democratic hoax” and branded Marjorie Taylor Greene a traitor. He tried to bully her by mockingly changed her name “Greene” to “Brown” which is the color green plants become when they “rot”. She stood her ground and appeared yesterday on many Sunday morning talk shows (like CNN) to defend her case. Many GOP Representatives grew a backbone. Massie estimated that over a hundred Republicans would defy Trump and vote for the resolution. Trump ordered his Attorney General to re-open the investigation, targeting Bill Clinton and other famous Democrats. Bondi obediently did so, although this contradicted her previous claim that the case was closed and there was no client list of pedophiles. Faced with a rebellion from his MAGA base, last night Trump did the unthinkable. He backed down and published on social media that he now wanted the GOP to vote in FAVOR of the bill on Tuesday! A complete reversal! Why did he back down?

On other issues (like tariffs on China and standing up to Putin), Trump has backed down so often that he has earned the nickname “Taco” (Trump Always Chickens Out). These are usually international issues, and up until now, Trump has deflected criticism by asking more time for his tariffs or diplomacy to take effect. But, releasing the Epstein files is different. The MAGA base is Trump’s heart and soul. To be defied by this base is a fate worse than death. To be defied by a previous ally like Ms. Greene means she must be banished as a traitor (in this sense, Trump shows tendencies of a religious cult leader). Trump could not permit his MAGA Representatives vote against him in a House vote. By his shocking announcement last night, MAGA will vote WITH Trump because the President has changed his position. This does not mean he wants the files to be released. He still has three ways to keep the Epstein files locked up: (1) Senator Thune does not have to bring the resolution to the Senate floor even it passes in the House; (2) Given that the Epstein case is open again, legally the files cannot be made public, at least temporarily; (3) Trump could veto the bill. In these three instances, a sizable majority of MAGA will realize that Trump is now a lame duck. His power to use the “bully pulpit” will largely have evaporated. Ms. Greene and Mr. Massie have become more powerful brokers than Trump. So, Representatives in the House, vote your conscience and get the pedophiles and sex traffickers off our streets.

Some Democrats Caved…, I Didn’t Like It, But There Are Some Positive Results

As readers know, seven Democrat senators (plus Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats) voted on Monday together with 52 Republican senators to end the six-week long federal shutdown. This Continuing Resolution will now go to the House of Representatives and will be voted on (possibly Wednesday).

I did not like it that these eight senators gave in to the compromise (=caved). They broke their word. Six weeks ago, Democrats had voted against the Republican Continuing Resolution funding bill. This led to the federal government’s shutdown. Given that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Democrat vote on funding was the only leverage available to the Democrats in their struggle towards getting an extension for healthcare insurance subsidies (The Affordable Care Act, ACA known more widely as Obamacare). I understand why these 8 senators caved. The shutdown was inconvenient for many people and extremely painful for others (ex. those who depended on SNAP for food and those federal workers who were fired). Nevertheless, the election last Tuesday and recent polls all indicate that a strong majority of Americans were willing to endure this temporary pain in order to keep their vital health care. (“No pain, no gain.”) The eight senators received promises from Republican Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, promises that might not be fulfilled (see below). Nonetheless, there are some positive results. Republicans, perhaps unknowingly, also made concessions (=caved).

Fired Federal Workers – During the shutdown, thousands of federal employees were fired (not merely temporarily furloughed). President Trump bragged about these firings, falsely claiming that the shutdown gave him the legal authority to implement the firings. The new resolution requires that these fired federal employees get their jobs back, including full back pay.
Obamacare Subsidy Extensions – Senator Majority Leader Thune promised the Democrats that there would be a vote in Congress regarding an ACA subsidy extension bill to be written by Democrats. This is good and appropriate. Thune can guarantee that a vote will be taken in the Senate, but not in the House of Representatives. Supposedly, Thune had conferred with the Speaker of the House, Mike Brown, to ensure a vote would be taken in the House. Brown has since walked back that promise. Time will tell if Thune or Brown is lying.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva – Ms. Grijalva was elected to the House of Representatives in a special election back in September. Speaker Brown refused to seat her, falsely claiming that he could not do so while the House was “in recess”. This claim was a lie because Brown did seat two Republicans who won special elections in Florida while the House was “in recess”. To lift the shutdown, the House must now go back in session and approve this amended Continuing Resolution. (Brown had previously refused to do this. He caved, too.) One of the first actions in the order of business MUST be to seat the lawfully elected Adelita Grijalva.
The Epstein Files – As a corollary, Grijalva’s vote will force the government to release the Epstein files. Although President Trump campaigned on releasing the files, he has fought tooth and now against them becoming public. Even many in the MAGA base are demanding that they become public. This sure gives the impression that the president is hiding some very bad information. At the very least, some of his friends, who are pedophiles, are walking freely on our streets.
Trump’s Lies – Many of his lies are quite obviousto most of us. Nevertheless, some of his supporters don’t like to acknowledge his lies. For example, during the shutdown, Trump affirmed he could not legally pay out full SNAP benefits for November. That lie will be made obvious by the end of the shutdown.
Schumer Might Be Out – Senator Schumer has not been as effective as Democrats has hoped. It is a tough job, but they wanted to see a stronger fight against Trump’s policies, especially the cruelest ones. Mr. Schumer, thank you for your service, but it is time to go.

The Election is Over and It Brought Very Bad News for Trump: Is He Mature Enough to Change His Ways?

Yesterday’s off year election held relatively few major contests of national importance, but in all of them we get insights into how Americans evaluate the Trump 2.0 administration: the governor races in Virginia and New Jersey; the mayor’s race in New York City, and Proposition 50 in California. In 2024, President Trump’s main campaign issue was the economy. He promised to lower prices, which means an inflation rate of under 0%. Polls consistently show that the economy is still the main issue for most voters. Democrats ran two moderate female candidates for these two governorships: Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia. Both Democrat candidates painted their Republican opponents as defenders of Trump’s economic policies. The president strongly endorsed the Republican candidate in New Jersey and mildly endorsed Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP candidate in Virginia. Trump had lost New Jersey by only 6% in 2024 and Republicans hoped they could win the governor’s race this time. Their hopes were dashed as Mikie Sherrill won her governor’s race by 13%. A big factor was the return of Hispanic/Latino voters (by more than 15%) to the Democratic fold in Passaic County. Spanberger’s rate of victory in Virginia was even larger: 57-42% as voters expressed their disapproval of the cuts to the federal employees.

The New York City mayoral race was quite different. The Democratic candidate, Zohran Mamdani, who identifies himself as a Democrat Socialist, easily defeated his opponents Andrew Cuomo, a former Democratic Governor of the state of New York, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, with rates of 50%, 41%, 8% rates respectively, Trump was so opposed to Mamdani that he endorsed Cuomo, a Democrat who ran as an Independent.

Three “Democratic” Justices on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court were up for re-election yesterday. Alhough the GOP put in millions of dollars to defeat them, each was retained with a 60% rate.

Proposition 50 was the only item on California’s ballot. A record number of voters turned out and approved it by a wide margin. It allows for a special re-drawing of California’s districts to offset the Republican gerrymandering of House districts in Texas. Official Score: Governor Newsome 1, Trump 0.

All in all, it was a massive victory for Democrats yesterday. It turns out that Trump’s unfavorable policies and character flaws were the biggest factors in turning out the record-setting Democratic vote. How should Trump respond? While we have life and breath, we can repent and “turn away from our wicked ways”. Here are some suggestions.

Mature people assume responsibility for their mistakes and their defeats. Mr. President, be a man. Take ownership for yesterday’s big, blue wave. Don’t throw a toddler’s temper tantrum of crying out about “rigged elections” or “weak Republican candidates”. The opinion polls about you and your policies being underwater turned out to be very accurate (even Fox News polling aligns with these national polls).
Recognize that you do not have much art of the deal in economic issues (you have a track record of multiple bankrupticies). Your tariffs have not lowered inflation. Quite the contrary has happened. Perhaps the Supreme Court will rule that your tariffs are, in fact, illegal and not just ineffective.
Twelve years ago you said that a weak president is always responsible for a federal shutdown. I agree with your comments at that time. Tell your senators to approve an extension to the ACA subsidies and end the shutdown now.
Do not use SNAP funding as a political weapon. 42 million citizens and their food supplies are being seriously and negatively affected.
Stop pushing for more gerrymandering in red states.
Congress has the “power of the purse”. Since they have already approved huge construction projects in New York, New Jersey, and other blue states, do not not block them.

The list goes on and on. You might not save your presidency, but you can reduce the harm done to the American people.

Trump Has Had a Terrible October… The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

October has not been good to President Trump. He has implemented many policies that are ethically deficient and economically disastrous. With just a few days left in the month, here are the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

Before I dive into the long list of bad events in Trump’s October, I will mention the one (semi) positive action of his presidency: he deserves credit for brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. Nevertheless, he was premature, naïve and arrogant in labeling it as an “everlasting peace” The ceasefire has held…barely but the president does seem to be trying to follow through on his commitments. He sent the top people in his cabinet to Israel last week: Special Envoy Witkoff, VP Vance, and Secretary of State Rubio. When israel’s Knesset voted in favor of annexing parts of the West Bank, Trump said “Never”. I hope he keeps his word about the Gazans having “self-determination”. This sounds like a “2 state” solution, at best, or at the very least, a permanent international peace council that guarantees stability in Gaza. (the latest bad news is that Israel has renewed heavy bombing in Gaza.)
If Trump would use his “art of the deal” skills to broker a just, lasting peace in Ukraine, I might even support his Noble Peace Prize quest.

The Bad

George Santos was one of the most despicable members of the House of Representatives in recent history. He was elected to the House in 2022 and was sworn in as a member in January, 2023 but evidence soon surfaced regarding his lack of integrity. Santos admitted to having lied about his education and employment history, and his disclosures about his business activities, income, and personal wealth were sketchy at best. Furthermore, he had not disclosed his criminal history or the existence of lawsuits against him. Following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee and a federal indictment, the House of Representatives (including half of the Republicans) voted 311–114 to expel Santos on December 1, 2023. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft in August 2024. He was sentenced to 87 months in prison, but had only served three months when President Trump commuted his sentence a week ago. Although presidents have the authority to pardon federal prisoners and/or commute their sentences, there was no good reason for Trump to show him leniency (except for the fact that both are frequently guilty of lying).
“It’s the economy, stupid.” This phrase was coined by James Carville, a strategist/advisor for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, but it aptly applies to the highest priority for most American voters. Trump made the economy his most important theme in the 2024 campaign. He repeatedly promised that he would “lower prices” on groceries, housing, energy, etc. Note carefully: this means an inflation rate of below zero. Last week, even during the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that inflation rose 0.3% during the month of September for an annual rate of over 3%. This is slightly worse than the inflation rate during the last year of the Biden presidency. Nevertheless, many Americans “feel” that inflation is much worse. Coffee prices are up 20% and beef is up 15%, American voters might be more forgiving if the president at least made some effort to lower inflation instead of his obsession with tariffs (=tax increases) or bailing out Argentina (see below).
“Don’t cry for me Argentina.” Out of the clear blue, Trump offered the Argentina government a $20 billion “bailout” now, with a promise of another $20 billion in the near future. This has no relationship with making America great again. Rather, it seems to be due to Trump’s friendship with Argentina’s austerity president Javier Milei. This bailout has raised opposition from two of Trump’s traditional supporters: farmers and ranchers. and they are angry. Trump’s tariffs on China prompted them to stop all purchases of U.S. soybeans. Now they are buying soybeans from Argentina. The president then aggravated his supporters even more by buying tons and tons of beef from Argentina to bring down meat prices for American consumers.
The Federal Government shutdown is now the second longest in US history. The Democrats blame the Republicans…and vice versa. Furloughed Federal employees are working without pay. Air travel is reduced as many air traffic controllers are calling in sick. The SNAP food program runs out of funds on November 1st and 42 million recipients (children, women, retirees, and veterans) will no longer be eligible to receive food. The USDA has blocked release of contingency funds which were designed to cover shutdowns (funds already authorized by Congress). Back in 2013, businessman Trump said that a government shutdown is due to the president’s lack of leadership, because a strong leader would bring all the key players into a room and negotiate a fair deal. The American people agree with the earlier Trump and generally blame the damage caused by a federal shutdown on the person in the White House.
President Trump has flirted with the idea of running for a third term as president. The 22^nd Amendment to the Constitution prohibits a person from being elected to the presidency a third time. Even the Speaker of the House Johnson has grown some backbone and now confirms the Constitution’s prohibition of a third presidency. Many are seeing Trump’s flirtation with a third term as covering up his fear of becoming a “lame duck” president so early into his 2^nd term.
The national polls reveal the country’s growing discontent. Trump won the presidential election last year with slightly less than 50% of the popular vote. As he began his presidency, the polls showed he had an approval rate of about 54-58%. Those same polls now show his approval rate ranging between 37 and 42%. After his disastrous debate performance with Trump last year, former President Biden’s weak approval rate was the same as Trump’s is today.
This brief analysis of bad news could continue for quite a while. To keep it short, here is just an additional listing: a judge’s ruling against ICE in Chicago, the on again/of again trade/tariff talks with China, Trump is still getting played by Putin as the war in Ukraine goes way past Day One, getting sued by 25 states over SNAP, having to shake up the leadership of ICE, the warlike strikes against boats off of Venezuela and Colombia without getting authorization from Congress.

The Ugly

President Trump has repeatedly declared that he would not object to the Jeffrey Epstein files being released to the public. At the same time, he has doggedly fought against their release. Through Speaker Mike Johnson, Adelita Grijalva has been blocked from being sworn into her seat in the House because her vote would force the files to be released. All of this has led to speculation that the files have some horrible “dirt” on the president. The people deserve to know the truth…even if it is ugly.
The Big Beautiful? Ballroom. In the midst of the shutdown when many are not receiving their paychecks and their kitchens are bare, Trump initiated the destruction of the East Wing of the People’s House in order begin construction of the White House Ballroom which would seat 999 guests. He had promised it would be adjacent to, but not touching, the East Wing. He lied. The East Wing is now totally gone. Its destruction symbolizes the more serious destruction of our democracy. Truly ugly.

Let’s hope the news gets better after Halloween.

My Dear Brother Johnson, Thou Shalt Not Lie about the “No Kings” Protests Tomorrow

You, (and I) claim to follow Jesus as our Lord. We should, therefore, live according to his teachings. We should speak the truth in love. We should love our neighbors and seek their wellbeing. If we are mistaken in thoughts or deeds, we should be open to correction, especially from our spiritual siblings.

You have made many assertions about the upcoming protests and I believe your affirmations are dead wrong. You say these peaceful protesters “hate America”. You have called them “terrorists”. You are called by God to be a peacemaker, yet you have stoked the flames of anger. You have not offered a shred of evidence for your accusations. Of course, I cannot know what is in the heart of every protester (neither can you). Nevertheless, the act of peacefully criticizing one’s political leaders does not mean hatred for your country. Quite the contrary! You and I should be able to agree that the Biblical prophets, John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself loved their neighbors and their enemies even as they denounced the sins of political leaders of their days. Criticism that is “constructive” must be accurate and provided to bring about repentance and growth. This kind of constructive criticism is genuine patriotism, not the “cheap patriotism” that is adulation and bowing down to a president. Peaceful protest is an appropriate application of the First Amendment.

I respectfully submit for your consideration some of your actions that I consider to be immoral and likely illegal.

I (and most of the protesters) think you are practicing hypocrisy. You say you cannot swear in Adelita Grijalva who was elected to her seat in a special election in Arizona because the House of Representatives is not “in session”. Nevertheless, earlier this year you swore in two Republicans who were elected in special elections in Florida when the House was not in session. There is no nice way to say this: you are a hypocrite. It seems that the real reason for not swearing her in is that you don’t want Grijalva’s vote to force the Epstein files to be made public. The names and identities of the sex traffickers and pedophiles should be made known to the public. Which side are you on?
According to our Constitution, the judiciary, the legislative, and the executive branches are co-equal and are to be checks and balances on each other. But you have allowed the president to roll over congressional responsibilities. Here are two examples.
You have allowed the president to overturn funding that had already been approved by Congress (USAID, New York’s transportation projects) without even raising a whimper.
According to our Constitution, wars are declared by Congress. Nevertheless, Trump is carrying out war actions against Venezuela, and he has not even met with Congress’ “Gang of Eight” to let them know or to get their approval.
You label protesters as “terrorists”. The first “no kings” protests earlier this year were overwhelmingly peaceful. What evidence do you have that show that these protesters are terrorists? Would you admit that some of their criticisms are valid?
You sent the House of Representatives home for vacations a week early and you have kept them “on break” for additional weeks (even though the Senate is “in session”). It sure seems you have no interest in finding a mutually agreed upon solution to the government shutdown. You have demanded that Democrats approve the Continuing Resolution so that you can have “more time” to negotiate the ACA extensions past the end of the year “sunset”. You have known for months that you needed 60 senators to approve the resolution. Why should citizens believe that you would use a time extension and act in good faith?

Speaker Johnson, as the Scriptures say, “Thou shalt not lie” and “Repent and find forgiveness.”