Trump’s “Yes Men” and “Yes Women” Are Not Serving the President Well

The President of the United States, as well as many other persons in authority (presidents of organizations, CEOs, etc.) frequently choose people to surround them as advisors and members of their cabinets. These advisors are often selected because they will tell the president what he WANTS to hear, not what he NEEDS to hear. The Good Book offers some valuable, albeit unexpected, advice on the quality most needed in advisors: truth telling. We are to stop telling falsehoods and to start speaking the truth to each other (Ephesians 4:25) in all areas of life, including saying tough truths to elected officials of one’s own party. The Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Scriptures tell us, “You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from an enemy are nothing but lies.” (27:6) Being corrected is not fun. It hurts…our pride at least. But it can restore us to the right path. A good friend tells us what we NEED to hear, even when we don’t like it.

If President Trump has any good friends, surely they should be found within his closest advisors (Vice President Vance, Marco Rubio and the rest of his Cabinet, House Speaker Johnson, MAGA leaders, etc.). In this brief post, I ask where are Trump’s advisors regarding the war with Iran and regarding his arrogant actions of vanity. If he has any good friends, they seem to be AWOL.

The War with Iran

During his election campaign, candidate Trump made some important promises. He pledged to not take us into any new war, especially an “endless” war in the Middle East. Many voters agreed with this new kind of “peace” Republican candidate. Trump broke his promise. Three months ago, together with Israel, our junior partner, Trump launched a war against Iran. There was no imminent threat. It was a war of choice. A few MAGA celebrities (like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene) tried to remind the president of his broken promise. World leaders, including the Pope and NATO allies, attempted to speak truth into the ears of the president, but he would not listen. It is reported that VP Vance tried to persuade Trump not to go to war with Iran, but it looks like he did not try hard enough. The voices of the “yes men” (like Hegseth) were too loud. Did any in his cabinet anticipate the Iranian closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz? If so, they didn’t speak up. Did anyone anticipate that NATO allies would pursue their own national interests? Did we consult with them before we went to war? No. Did anyone tell Trump that military superiority does not necessarily mean winning the war. No. Did anyone seek a declaration of war from Congress? No.

The war is not going well, in spite of the cheerleading Hegseth. It took years for the American people to finally disapprove of the wars in Viet Nam and Iraq. It has taken less than three months for Americans to come to the same realization about this war with Iran. Although Trump, as Commander-in-Chief, is ultimately responsible for taking us into a misguided war, he should have selected truth-tellers for his advisors, not lying sycophants.

Vanity of Vanities

A vast majority of Americans, including those who support Trump, acknowledge that the president is a very vain person. It is reported that he considers himself in the company of the greatest rulers of human history: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon. It is no wonder that some of his presidential actions have nothing to do with national security or economic affordability and everything to do with his own vanity…and these actions are not popular with the U.S. people.

The president has proposed the construction of a 250-foot-tall arch to be located at Memorial Circle, near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, at the other end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The arch would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial. Trump bragged, “I’d like it to be the biggest [arch] of all,” even larger than the 164-foot-tall Arc De Triomphe in Paris. Only 21% of Americans support the construction of the arch, whereas 52% oppose it, with the remainder being unsure.

Back in July 2025, Trump announced the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom off the East Wing of the White House and promised “it won’t interfere with the current building.” By October, demolition started on the century old structure. The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll finds that more than half of Americans, 56%, oppose tearing down the East Wing to make way for a ballroom, with 28% in support and 15% unsure.

Two months ago, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that President Trump’s infamous signature would appear on future U.S. currency. This would be a first for a sitting president, as no previous U.S. president’s name has ever appeared on money. North Americans oppose printing Trump’s signature on paper money instead of the treasury secretary’s by a wider margin than either the ballroom or the arch: 68% oppose it while just 12% support it. Another 19% say they aren’t sure.

If these initiatives are designed to contribute to the president’s lasting legacy, they are not working. They reveal the illusions of grandeur of a “little man” or worse, a person whose mental capacities are sliding off the rails.

Where are Trump’s true friends who should tell him such actions are not appropriate of a great statesman? Perhaps, he doesn’t have such friends who will speak the truth to him. At the very least, there are Republican pollsters who make their living by interpreting the polls. Where are they when Trump needs them?

Mr. President, remove the liars from your Cabinet and replace them with persons who will tell you the truth.

President Trump Is Reaping What He Has Sown: Gerrymandering Gone Wrong

The Bible uses many farming expressions to teach important truths. A familiar theme deals with us harvesting what we have planted. For example, in the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal. 6:7) Many people think they can cheat the system…and cheat God. They think that they can get away with their evil actions, that they will not be judged for their morally bad deeds. Believing that is wishful thinking. If there is a just God, justice must win out in the end.

Martin Luther King, Jr. popularized this truth in his speeches by affirming, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Evil actions might seem positive…in the short run, but sooner or later, they tend to boomerang back against us.

This is what has happened to Trump’s venture into gerrymandering. A year ago, Trump was urging Texas Governor Abbot and his Republican controlled state government to gerrymander the Federal Congress districts in their state. Essentially, this means to redraw the boundaries of the districts so that the voters of your opponents are heavily concentrated in a few districts, but that your voters are so placed that your party wins a larger number of districts, albeit with slim margins in each district. Gerrymandering is legal, but it is a risky business, based largely on estimates of how certain citizens will vote in upcoming elections or whether they will even vote at all. Texas fulfilled Trump’s wishes and redrew the boundaries. If the estimates hold true, Republicans will increase the congressional seats they will win in Texas by five (with a corresponding five seat loss by Democrats). This increase by Republicans via gerrymandering also took place in other states where the GOP controls the state legislature (Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina).

Democrats in some states decided to “fight fire with fire” with their own gerrymandering via a referendum placed before the voters. The most notable of these Democrat gerrymandering referendums took place in California, where it passed by a large margin. As a result, the new congressional maps drawn for that state will likely give five additional seats to Democrats. Virginia, a “purple” state, voted on a similar referendum on Tuesday. The “Yes” vote, which favors the Democrats won by a 51%-49% vote. If estimates hold up to form, the Democrats will increase their seats from 6 to 10 with a corresponding loss of four seats by Republicans. Without any basis in reality, President Trump denounced the Virginia vote as “rigged”. Mr. President, you began this gerrymandering craziness through your meddling in Texas. You have no one to blame but yourself. You started it. It worsened your approval rate with voters. Instead of responding to the legitimate concerns of voters, you chose to “tip the scales’ in favor of the GOP by changing boundaries. You are reaping what you have sown. When the dust settles on these boundary changing maneuvers, the gains and losses of the Republicans will be matched by the Democrats. It will be a political “wash”.

I am not a fan of gerrymandering. It is a tool that makes elected officials less responsive to the legitimate concerns of voters. Life would be better if congressional maps were drawn by independent, non/partisan commissions in each state.

Should Religious Leaders Criticize the Unjust Acts of an Authoritarian Ruler? Jesus did!

This has been an interesting week as President Trump has waded into the beyond-his-depth waters of religion. On Easter Sunday he posted the following on Truth Social:

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH!” He then added a strange conclusion, “Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

This post merits a few comments:

Although most U.S presidents have usually been fairly dignified in their public announcements, Trump’s vulgarity is quite apparent. It did not help his argument, but perhaps it reveals a certain desperation in the president’s emotional state.
The president’s message had nothing to do with traditional Easter themes: Christ’s resurrection or the forgiveness of sins.
His out of context phrase “praise be to Allah” probably insulted many Christians and Muslims alike. It surely raised more questions about his mental acuity.

This post occurred within the context of Pope Leo’s incursion into international politics, especially regarding the war in Iran. Although he subtly did not mention President Trump by name, the Pope had condemned the worship of mortals and money, the pitfalls of arrogance, and the “absurd and inhuman violence” unleashed by the U.S./Israeli war with Iran that further destabilized the Middle East.

Trump got the message in spite of the subtlety and has repeatedly posted messages in which he calls the pontiff a liberal who is “weak on crime”. Pope Leo did not back down. “Too many innocent people are being killed,” he said as he began a 10-day African tour. “Someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.” More recently, Trump posted an A.I. image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, said, “I’m just responding to Pope Leo.” Trump was quite clear about the problem as he perceived it, “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States.” It sure seems Trump wants to be not just above the law, but also above morality.

This is not new. Previous popes had criticized presidents and their politics: immigration, war, climate change, etc., but it does raise a serious question. Should religious leaders criticize the unjust acts of an authoritarian ruler? For many of us, the words and actions of Jesus provide a clear answer.

A dispute also arose among his disciples as to which one of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over their subjects; and those who oppress them call themselves Benefactors (doers of good). But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22:24-26)

Pope Leo is following in the footsteps of Jesus in providing a moral critique of an unjust ruler. Although Leo seems quite wise and moral to me, he is a mere human and might be wrong in his evaluation of the president. But at the very least we should listen carefully to his words and not give anyone (including the president) an automatic pass. The lives of too many innocent people are at stake.

Buyer’s Remorse Regarding Trump

Buyer’s remorse usually refers to when a person makes a significant purchase (house, car, refrigerator, etc.) and the object that was purchased turns out to be defective and/or does not measure up to what was promised in the sales pitch. In politics, buyer’s remorse refers to electing candidates or a political party into office that then does not fulfill their most important campaign promises. Sometimes this remorse shows up in the following election or mid-term elections. Given our desire to have more immediate information, we tend to rely on surveys or polls, especially when the polls are conducted by reliable researchers and when then line up with other polls.

Is there buyer’s remorse regarding Donald Trump? It is important to remember the 2024 presidential election. Trump won a clear majority in the Electoral College, but the popular vote was a different story. Trump received 77,302,580 votes compared with the 75,017,613 with the votes that Harris received. That means Trump obtained 49.8% of the total votes cast and Harris 48.3%. According to the opinion polls, Trump’s approval rate among the general population started slightly above 50% as he began his second term in the White House, but has dropped significantly over the past twelve months. The Fox News poll showed that Americans have 41% approval rate for the job Trump is doing with 59% disapproval. More recent polls are even worse for Trump (CNN’s poll showed a 36% approval rate and the Economist’s poll showed an approval rate of only 35%.) These same polls show an even lower approval rate for specific issues: inflation, ICE, tariffs, the war with Iran, the Epstein files, etc.

This remorse has shown up in elections in this past year. Across the country there have been quite a few elections (governor races, special elections to replace congressional representatives who have retired early or races for state legislatures. There have been thirty such elections in which the incumbent (or the incumbent’s political party) lost. In each case it was a Republican loss and a Democrat gain.

Trump briefly addressed (19 minutes) the nation last night about the war with Iran. His talk was filled with a litany of falsehoods.

Trump has brought inflation down to 0% (False – the latest numbers before the war revealed an inflation rate of above 3% which will certainly rise with gas, diesel price increases due to the war)
He never promised “regime change” in Iran (False – on the first night of the war he announced to the Iranian people, ”When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”)
The rise in the price of gasoline had nothing to do with the war (False – of course this was due to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz which was Iran’s response in the war)

Given that these are clearly false, they were either deliberate lies OR they show that Trump is out of touch with reality.

Although this address was designed to calm the American public regarding the war and its possible ending, the 35% rise in gasoline prices, etc. it did not have its desired effect. Oil prices rose 10% overnight and stock market futures plummeted.

Can any good come out of this buyer’s political remorse? Sadly, it can produce more cynicism and apathy. But if it leads to a genuine change of heart, mind and behavior, it can result in renewal and growth. Here are my hopes and wishes:

That Republicans in Congress grow a backbone and a conscience and vote accordingly.
That Democrats don’t become arrogant as they see the Republicans fall out of favor.
That the president learns from his mistakes and gets the moral and psychological help he needs.

Donald Trump Urges Republican Senators to Pass His “Save” Bill “for Jesus”. The Biblical Jesus Refuses to Be a Partisan Good Luck Charm.

On Monday, President Donald Trump invoked the name of Jesus Christ in a call for Republican senators to cancel their Easter break and to stay in Washington in order to try to pass his package of new voting restrictions. Speaking at a public safety roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee, Trump said the Republican-led Senate should only concentrate on passing his Save Act and shouldn’t leave the capital until they do so.

“Don’t worry about Easter, or going home. In fact, make this one for Jesus, OK?” Trump said with a chuckle. “Make this one for Jesus, that’s what I tell them. It would be a damn good thing.”

Why did Trump invoke the name of Jesus? He was not the first politician to do so, and certainly won’t be the last, but it does raise the question: Why did he do it?

Perhaps he thought it was a “cute” religious joke: senators could worship Jesus better by passing his “Save” legislation than by attending religious services back home with their families. Perhaps…but most Americans are not laughing.
Perhaps it was a nod to Christians in his MAGA base in which he tries to remind these voters of all the “good” he has done for them.
It is more likely that Trump tried to use a cheap Christian Nationalism tactic, similar to what politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) do when they end their speeches with the words, “May God bless America.” Although the phrase is a prayer, speakers frequently use it to suggest that God is already on “our side”, that we are the “good guys”, that God approves of our fallen and failing plans.

Although the Jesus of the Bible is passionate about humanity and the small things of our lives (like daily bread), Jesus does not approve of everything we do. His list of blessed people includes the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who are hated and rejected as evil. (Luke 6:20-22). He pronounced woe upon people like me, the rich, the well fed, those who laugh and those who are well respected… (Luke 6:24-26). This makes me uncomfortable…and so it should. Apathy towards needy neighbors is really an offense against God.

Pieces of legislation in Congress should be debated and then either be approved or rejected on their own merits, not by cheap appeals to Jesus. The Jesus that I strive to serve, the Jesus of Scripture, refuses to be a good luck charm of politicians. That is taking his name in vain.

The Billionaire Tycoon Les Wexner. From New Albany, Ohio to the Epstein Files: Silence is Complicity.

On Wednesday I turned on the morning news (WSNOW). It had a reporter located on a sleepy downtown intersection in New Albany, Ohio, the town where I grew up in the 1960s. At that time, New Albany was a small farm town that was becoming a suburb of Columbus, the state capital. A few decades later, the town was transformed even more and became one of the wealthiest suburbs in the state through the Midas touch of real estate tycoon and CEO of Victoria Secret, Les Wexner. Corn fields were bought up and transformed with mansions, estates, and fabulously manicured golf courses. For some, Wexner was synonymous with wealth, prestige, and the elite class. For others, he was the death knell of the good old days of small-town America.

On Wednesday, Wexner was being deposed in his Ohio estate by the U.S, House Oversight Committee. The purpose of the deposition was to clarify his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the man who ran the criminal human trafficking of young women and children. Wexner opened the deposition with a pre-written statement in which he admitted that he was “duped by a world-class con man” in Jeffrey Epstein, but he did not witness, condone or enable Epstein’s crimes. Although Wexner did not utilize the Fifth Amendment to avoid difficult questions, his answers were frequently vague, and he attempted to downplay their relationship. in fact, he gave Epstein power of attorney over his own finances.

In their public statements, the Congressional Representatives were quite explicit in their criticism of Wexner. Stephen Lynch (Massachusetts) affirmed, “There is no question in my mind, given the evidence so far, that Les Wexner knew about this and failed to stop it and gave Epstein license and the ability to commit these crimes.” Congressman Robert Garcia (California) said there wasn’t any doubt Epstein would not have been able to commit the crimes he was accused of if it were not for the $1 billion he received from Wexner: “There’s no Epstein Island, no Epstein plane … Mr. Epstein would not be the man that he was without Les Wexner.” Wexner was labeled a co-conspirator, but the Department of Justice failed to follow up the case. No one should be above the law, not even the rich and famous.

Wexner is now 88 years old and his memory is not as good as it used to be. Nevertheless, it is just too easy and convenient to claim we “did not know” what was happening to our vulnerable neighbors. In this case, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of young women and girls were raped and sexually assaulted. (Everyone within Epstein’s circles knew what was happening.) These women were victims, but they have now become courageous heroes for their pursuit of truth and justice. They have shown us that we are, indeed, “our neighbors’ keepers”.

Silence is complicity. Let us raise our voices for our neighbors, near and far, who have no voice.

Trump Claims “Republicans Should Take Over the Voting” in at least “15 Places”. This would be a Dangerous Violation of the Constitution and a Further Sign He is Losing his Grip on Reality.

President Trump has made another outlandish claim which distracts attention from the 3 million newly released Epstein files, but which also shows a growing break with reality. In an interview with the “podfather” Don Bongino, Trump advocated, “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least, many, 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” (Readers might recall that Bongino was recently the Deputy Director of the FBI but who resigned from his post to return to his podcasting gig.)

Trump’s proposal is clearly in violation of our national Constitution, which explicitly states who is responsible for managing these elections.

“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof…” (Article I, Section 4).

The Constitution can be amended, of course, but only by Congress, not by the President and certainly not by any political party.

Why is Trump making this absurd recommendation? I believe it is due to his ego and his unhealthy obsession with the 2020 presidential election. For the last five years, he has repeatedly affirmed without any evidence, that he won that election in a landslide. For his claim to be true, he had to win the election in Georgia, which he lost by 12,670 votes. He requested an official hand recount of the votes. In fact, there were three recounts and Trump lost in all three recounts with similar results. Georgia’s Governor and Secretary of State are both conservative Republicans and repeatedly have confirmed that the Georgia election was free and fair, and that Trump lost. What is worse, the president called the Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, and attempted to steal the election by trying to get the Secretary to change the count. (this call was taped and is easily accessible). Trump’s own Attorney General, Bill Barr, told him he lost and should give up his allegation of voter fraud.

It is sad when anybody begins to lose touch with reality. This is happening to our president (ex. he confused Iceland and Greenland eight times in a recent important speech.) The best thing we can do is to correct these mistakes and help the person face reality. Those supporters who are “enabling’ Trump in his false allegations are not helping him nor our country. There might be valid reasons to support Trump, but repeating his false allegations about 2020 voter fraud is certainly not one of them.

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.

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!

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.