*****. “The fool thinks everyone else is a fool.” [ MIDRASH ]

On Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – “our” president, one Donald J. Trump, said that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell – whom he appointed once – is a “numbskull” for keeping interest rates “too high.”

THIS – from a person whom Republican Senate Leader Mitch mcConnell said in 2016: “The big problem is…[he] has every characteristic you would not want a president to have. Not very smart, irascible, nasty.” [“..not very smart..”]

THIS – from a person “111 former GOP officials call ‘unfit to serve.'” [Peter Baker; New York Times; 9/19/24]

THIS – from a person whom. “Scores of people who know him well, including 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office.” [“The Trump Testimonials: The Case Against Him, From His Own People.”; New York Times Editorial Board; 10/6/24]

THIS – from a person described thus: “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump..he’s a total fascist.” [Ruby Cramer: “Trump is ‘fascist to the core,’ Miley says”; Washington post; 10/13/24]

**** “Fascism, which was not afraid to call itself reactionary…does not hesitate to call itself illiberal and anti-liberal.” [Benito Mussolini]

THIS – from a person, described thus: “Ex-Trump aides back Kelley’s warning.. They say Trump wants unchecked power”. [Tim Balk; New York Times; 10/26/24] Thirteen former Trump administration officials released an open letter saying. “..the former president would rule like a dictator if he is returned to office..”

THIS – from a person himself the subject of psychiatric analysis: “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump…37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President..Updated And Expanded With New Essays” Bandy lee; editor; Thomas Dunne Books; 2019}

THIS – from a person a corporate CEO in his first administration called. “..a moron..”

***** “Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.” [ Friedrich von Schiller ]

THIS – from a person the subject of. “A petition is currently circulating among psychiatrists and other mental health professionals about Trump’s cognitive impairment…Over 3,000 psychiatrists have signed the petition, concluding Trump has probable dementia. To reach their conclusion, they reviewed recordings of his speech patterns over a nine year period.” [Sabrina Haake: “Trump, Dementia, and the Duty to Warn”; The Progressive Populist; 5/15/25]

THIS – from a person who is a member of a family that: “Dementia apparently runs in the Trump family: Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, Sr., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease…Fred Trump III has stated that he saw “warning signs” of cognitive decline in his aunt Maryanne before her death in November 2023.” [Sam Uretsky; The Progressive Populist; July, 2025]

THIS – about a person described “In an interview with People Magazine, Fred Trump III said “Like anyone else, I’ve seen his decline. But I see it in a parallel with the way my grandfather’s decline was, Fred, 61, tells “People” of Donald, 78, who has at times downplayed his father’s symptoms.” [Sam Uretsky; The Progressive Populist; July, 2025]


Beside all this – apply a simple test, from the Constitution’s Preamble: “We, the People of the United States…to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare…do ordain and establish this Constitution..” Examine Trump policies, laws, etc. from 2017-21, and 2025. – which ones, if ANY, achieve these goals – most especially “..to promote the general Welfare..” ?????????

Some Trumpian results:

1] “Price for steel in U.S. is on the rise” [Peter Eavis; New York Times; 7/23/25]: [1] “American steel-makers are raising prices, forcing new costs on domestic manufacturers..[because]. “U.S. producers have more power to opportunistically increase their prices..” [2] “The company {Daimler Truck] said last week that it had reduced its workforce by about 2,000 employees..”

2] “Dream to become a doctor derailed”. [Jill Burcum; Minnesota Star Tribune; 7/23/25]: “With Minnesota and the nation facing an alarming shortage of physicians in the next decade..’ Trump’s cuts to the Graduate Plus loan program and limits the amount of federal loans students can take out..” many people wanting to train to be doctors can’t “Rural areas..already face “severe shortages of primary care physicians.”… The American Medical Colleges estimate the U.S. will be short about 86,000 doctors by 2036. Already 1 in 3 rural doctors plan on leaving.

3]. On 6/7/25, this site posted in “Trump DICTATORSHIP XXXI” – “Long Term Damage to Health and Science” four specific damages Trump’s policies WILL DO to YOUR health and well being. We mentioned having “a manilla envelope bulging with similar Trump stupidities on health alone from his first 4 months.”

4] An upcoming post on this site will address Trump’s threat to American national security – policies, firings of recognized security experts, transfers to catch immigrant “criminals” from various other FBI and security forces – thus weakening THOSE services !!!!!!!!!!!! PLUs – don’t forget how Trump has stupidly sabotaged American “soft power’ around the world, and, stupidly making enemies for crazy theories.

*****. WHO. is the real “numbskull” !?!?!?!?????? Just use this easy test: o Trump policies, laws, orders, rhetoric, etc. “..promote the general Welfare..” ????? What is the FACTUAL record for 2017-21, 2025 ???????? Are YOU, is America “better off’. because of Trump’s actions????? How do foreign people and governments NOW view America?????

*** For more perspective, read. Maggie Haberman”s “Confidence Man…The Making of Donald Trump and The Breaking of America”. [ 2025. second edition ]

***. IF… YOU are lucky, on January 20, 2029, YOU. will still live in a recognizable “democracy”. – and. NOT a plutocratic theocracy – deep in debt, having squandered international good will, AND – MUCH. MORE

***** “I have an Article II, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.” [ Donald John Trump:
“Dismal marks, only two months in”; George Will; Washington Post Weekly; 3/23/25 ]

Note: this post presents excerpts from “The monetization of the presidency, with little protest”; Peter Baker; New York Times; 6/1/25 – read the entire article !!!!!]

1] “The Trumps are hardly the first presidential family to profit from their time in power, but their patriarch has done more to monetize the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism has been breathtaking.”

2] “The Trump family and its business partners have collected $320 million in fees from a new cryptocurrency, brokered overseas real estate deals worth billions of dollars and is opening an exclusive club in Washington called the Executive Branch charging $500,000 apiece to join, all in the past few months alone.”

***** “…former first term Cabinet and staff members – Tillerson called Trump “a moron;” James Mattis said Trump was “more dangerous than anyone could ever imagine;” John Kelly said Trump was “the most flawed person I have ever met;” John Bolton said Trump was ‘a laughing fool.” [Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer: “Donald Trump Is Enjoying This”; The Atlantic; June, 2025]

3]. “Just last month, Qatar handed over a luxury jet meant for Trump’s use not just in his official capacity but also for his presidential library after he leaves office. Experts have valued the plane..at $200 million – more than all of the foreign gifts bestowed on all previous American presidents combined.”

4]. “..Trump hosted an exclusive dinner at his Virginia club for 220 investors in the $TRUMP cryptocurrency that he started days before taking office.. Access was openly sold based on how much money they chipped in – not to a campaign account but to a business that benefits Trump personally.”

***** “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.”
[ George Bernard Shaw ]

5]. “.. a mark of how much Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalization of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control. The dearth of outrage in the Trump era…exemplifies how far the president has moved the lines of accepted behavior in Washington.”

6]. “Trump, the first convicted felon elected president, has erased ethical boundaries and dismantled the instruments of accountability that constrained his predecessors. There will be no official investigations because Trump has made sure of it. He has fired government inspectors general and ethics watchdogs, installed partisan loyalists to run the Justice Department, FBI and regulatory agencies and dominated a Republican-controlled Congress unwilling to hold hearings.

***** “When is conduct a crime, and when is a crime not a crime? When Somebody Up There – a monarch, a dictator, a Pope, a legislator – so decrees.” [ Jessica Mitford ]

7] “When Trump provokes a major news story every day or even every hour – more tariffs on allies, more retribution against enemies, more defiance of court orders – rarely does a single action stay in the headlines long enough to shape the national conversation.”

8] “The American public has had to inure itself to the corruption of Donald Trump and his presidency because the president and his Republican Party have given the American public no choice in the matter,” said J. Michael Luttig, a conservative former appeals court judger who has become a critic of Trump.” [NOTE: – †his challenge to YOU – WHY has this distinguished CONSERVATIVE former judge become a Trump critic?????????? Investigate this man to find out the background of him; then figure out WHY Judge Luttig has become a Trump critic.]

***** “The wicked walk about freely when the vilest men are exalted.” [ Psalm 12:8 ]

***** “Corruption..is an operating system of sophisticated networks in which government officials, key
private-sector interests, and our-and-out criminals interweave.” {Sarah Chayes: “On Corruption in America”]

Following are excerpts from: “The American System Is Not Designed To Resist Corruption”. [Ben Rhodes; New York Times; 6/8/25]. READ the article!!!!! Read and then THINK on every quote. Make no mistake – Donald J. Trump and cronies, and most importantly – THE POWER BEHIND THEM – ARE. corrupting YOUR government Partly for twisted ideological reasons, but most of all – GREED. Continuing 1981- Republican policies – they are cutting taxes on the already obscenely rich and corporations – and shifting the tax burden onto people like YOU.

1]. “President Trump has more than doubled his personal wealth since starting his 2024 election campaign. Billions of foreign dollars have flowed into his family’s real estate and crypto ventures. A plane that doublers as a “palace in the sky” has been given for Mr. Trump’s use by the government of Qatar.”

2]. “It is easy to dismiss this as just a bigger and more brazen version of the self-dealing we saw during the first Trump term. But it poses a more fundamental danger. Our political system is being transformed into something that no longer serves the people…the United States is seemingly becoming just another country with a corrupt strongman personalizing and profiting from power.” [ Read this again – slowly. think what has just been written here.]

***** “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty – power is ever stealing from the many to the few.” [ Wendell Phillips ]

3] “As with Mr. Trump and ..Recep Tayyyip Erdogan, this includes Mr. Orban’s son-in-law. Family members and associates double as gatekeepers and deal makers operating outside formal government roles, which come with rules and oversight.”……….
“The story he tells echoes America’s. A justice system being captured by the leader’s loyalists. Checks and balances weakened or ignored until they barely exist. Moral and ethical frameworks eroded. Oligarchs becoming richer and more powerful than institutions.” [ Read this again – THIS is what D.J. Trump has/is doing to America.]

4] “Mr. Lederer likened the pressure corruption puts on a system to a river bearing down on a dam. Once the dam breaks, you’re washed downriver by currents you can’t control…opposition parties in Hungary, as in the United State, failed to understand that the system had collapsed…because the rules and expectations it relied on had disintegrated beyond salvaging……The corruption becomes a flood, a new normal, carrying the entire country along with it..”

*****”To usurp supreme and absolute authority..in a freee state and subject it to tyranny, the people must have already
become corrupt by gradual steps from generation to generation.” [ Machiavelli ]

5]”Americans are further downriver than we seem to understand..over the past several months, Mr. Trump has made moves that far exceed anything Mr. Orban has done. What separates Mr. Trump from an Orban or even a Putin is the awesome economic, technological and military power of..the United States of America.
“No country has more leverage over the global economy. Through tariffs announced on every country on earth, Mr. Trump has personalized that power.

6]. “On “Liberation Day,” Mr. Trump announced a 46 percent tariff on imports from Vietnam. He then paused it and created a 90-day period to negotiate..the Vietnamese government hastily approved a $1.5 billion deal involving a Trump golf complex before a ceremony attended by Eric Trump…….
“It’s impossible to know if this was a quid pro quo for tariff relief. But the ambiguity is the point. Governments like Vietnam’s are left to wonder what they can do to appease the U.S. president.”

*****. “There is nothing so characteristic of narrowness of littleness of soul as the love of riches.” [ Cicero ]

7]. “The American people will be losers in this process. Mr. Trump has ideological and personal reasons to perpetuate tariff uncertainty to maintain his power. Even if he succeeds in extracting some trade concessions, America’s businesses, investors and consumers have to expect continued volatility, higher prices and only temporary resolutions to trade tensions..”

8] “In the second Trump term, A.I. is going to be increasingly deployed globally. In the absence of careful planning, U.S. workers could face mass job displacement. In the absence of regulation, A.I. poses security threats: from cybercrime, disinformation and surveillance to the production of new weapons to the unforeseen dangers of superhuman intelligence. Yet instead of empowering experts or negotiating norms, Mr. Trump has slashed government agencies and personalized decisions. The “big, beautiful bill” that passed the House would even bar states from regulating artificial intelligence for 10 years. Power and the potential to profit off it, rests with Mr. Trump and whomever he favors.” {!!!!! – Read this VERY carefully again – there is so much here that imperils YOU, your family, America it is mind boggling!!! Trump has literally “sold YOU down the river” – for GREED.]

***** “the point is you can’t be too greedy.” [ Donald J. Trump ]

9] “If deregulated crypto markets generate a worrisome bubble, will Mr. Trump prioritize his family’s investments or the health of the global financial system? If justice is selective and pardons can be purchased, will white-collar crime proliferate? If the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act continues to go unenforced, Will bribery be normalized as the cost of doing business?

10]. “Corruption is a powerful tool, but it is not popular. To build a movement powerful enough to push back on Mr. Trump’s self-dealing, Democrats must show people how it will affect their lives.”……
“Already Mr. Trump has cut government programs that people depend on but that do not bolster his power or offer opportunities for profit…the “big, beautiful bill” ..would be a boon to his family and the wealthiest supporters while slashing Medicaid and nutrition assistance. It would add over $2 trillion to the national debt wile exploding inequality and making life worse for many Americans. That too is a story of corruption..”

***** “You have despised the poor. Is it not the rich man who oppresses you, and drag you before the judgment seats?” [ James 2: 6 ]

This post is about one thing: Donald J. Trump’s mental fitness. We start with “Mental health professionals sound the alarm”. [ Sabrina Haake; Progressive Populist; 5/15/25]: “A petition is currently circulating among psychiatrists and other mental health professionals about Trump’s cognitive impairment. The petition was begun by Dr. John Gartner, former faculty member of Johns Hopkins University Medical School. Over 3000 psychiatrists have signed the petition, concluding that Trump has probable dementia. To reach their conclusion, they reviewed recordings of his speech patterns over a nine year period. [Gartner reviewed records dating back through the 1980s]. They note Trump’s shrunken vocabulary, misuse and mispronunciation of words, and that Trump often breaks now in the middle of sentences to digress into inappropriate ramblings.”

“They write, “Donald Trump is showing unmistakable signs strongly suggesting dementia, based on his public behavior and informant reports that show progressive deterioration in memory, thinking ability to use language, behavior, and both gross and fine motor skills…. his vocabulary is impoverished, he often has difficulty finishing a thought, sentence or even a word. Typical of dementia patients he perseverates and overuses superlatives and filler words…” Their concern supersedes their competing professional duty of neutrality; it also outweighs concerns about diagnosing someone without conducting an in-person assessment known as the “Goldwater rule.”

“Wall Street apparently agrees. Analysts at the notoriously conservative Wall Street Journal wrote, following the tariffs, that another Trump impeachment is “already in the bag.” Calling Trump’s tariffs stunt “neurotic,” a WSJ op-ed said Trump, clearly divorced from reality, had “fabricated a gratuitously ambitious mission to meet his misguided sense of importance…. Nobody in Mr. Trump’s orbit actually shares his belief in the magical efficacy of tariffs because it makes sense only in a world that doesn’t exist, where other countries don’t retaliate.” About Trump’s dissociation from reality, the op-ed noted that “no consensus or even significant coalition exists for trying to force into existence a new American “golden age” with tariffs, which is like asking a chicken to give live birth to a lioness. [Trump] invented this mission out of his own confused intuition.”

“Scores of universities have also published papers concluding ..Trump has dementia… Even ..Steve Bannon thought Donald Trump had dementia, and campaigned covertly to remove him from office via the 25th amendment….A simple Google search for “Trump has dementia” identifies hundreds of articles from think tanks, universities and MSM outlets like The New York Times, reporting on Trump’s cognitive decline and the concern it presents among mental health professionals.”

Read this again!!!!! Think WHO said it, WHAT they said….. Then consider previous concerns:

2]. “McConnell was shocked that Trump won in 2016. He told Tackett, “The big problem is…[he]. has every characteristic you would not want a president to have. Not very smart, irascible, nasty.” [Jean P. Bordewich: “Icarus of the Senate”; Washington Monthly; Jan/Feb/Mar, 2025]

3]. “111 former GOP officials call Trump ‘unfit to serve'” [Peter Baker; New York Times; 9/19/24]: Trump had demonstrated “dangerous qualities.”

4] “Security leaders endorse Harris”. [Maggie Astor; New York Times; 9/23/24]: “More than 700 current and former national security and military leaders endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris…arguing only she had the temperament and values needed to serve as commander in chief.”

5] “The Trump Testimonials: The Case Against Him, From His Own People”. {New York Times Editorial Board; 10/6/24]: “Scores of people who know him well, including 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office.. Some have spoken out at the expense of their own careers or political interests.”

6]. “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” the general told Woodward. “Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person in this country.” [Ruby Cramer: “Trump is ‘fascist to the core,’ Milley says”; Washington post; 10/13/24]

7] “Trump praised Hitler, Kelly says..Ex-chief of staff says his former boss meets the definition of a fascist.” [Dan Merica; Associated Press; 10/24/24]

8] “Ex-Trump aides back Kelly’s warning..They say Trump wants “unchecked power” [Tim Balk; New York Times; 10/26/24]: “Thirteen former Trump administration officials released an open letter Friday amplifying warnings from John Kelly..that the former president would rule like a dictator if returned to office…”This is who Donald Trump is,” wrote the 13, all ‘life-long Republicans,” …The letter said its signers had “witnessed, up close and personal, how Donald Trump operates and what he is capable of.”

9]. “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump..37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President…Updated And Expanded With New Essays” [ Bandy lee, editor; Thomas Dunne Books; 2019]

The evidence is clear, and overwhelming: Trump is unfit to be president. About 900 people who viewed him up close, many life-long Republicans. came to an unescapable conclusion: Trump is mentally unfit, and may already be in early stage dementia. Joe Biden was disqualified because of questions about his mental abilities.

In order to win the 2024 election – and avoid multiple criminal convictions – Donald Trump needed American voters to forget about his failed 2017-2021 reign & ruin. He succeeded. Below are some reminders of what people said then.

1]. “Focus is on Trump, immigration, health care” [Mary Claire Jalonik; Assoc. Press; 11/7/18]: “Nearly two-thirds of voters said Trump was a reason for their vote…Nearly four in 10 voters said they cast their ballots to express opposition to the president, while a quarter said they voted to express support for Trump..”
“A majority of voters overall said the country is headed in the wrong direction..”…..
“About 6 in 10 voters said it should be the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage.”……
“The survey found that 44% of voters approve of Trump’s job performance…largely consistent with recent polling…only about a third said Trump has the right temperament to serve as president. Around the same see him as honest and trustworthy.” [Note: re-read this: America headed in wrong direction; Trump not honest & trustworthy]

2] “69% stressed about nation’s future” [Isaac Stanley-Becker; Washington Post; 11/1/18]: “That marks a relatively steep increase from the share of people, 63%, who felt this way last year.”….
“..concern about the state of the country cut across party lines. “A majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents see it that way,” Evans said. “People don’t believe the current political environment is getting better and may in fact be getting worse.
“He said unpredictability and uncertainty magnify stress. “We have a leader who is not predictable and who does create a certain amount of uncertainty and stress,” he said.” [Note: do research on Trump’s mental health; on what psychologists said; about how Trump failed leadership tests]

3]. “CEOs tell recent survey they apologize for Trump’s actions” [Jena McGregor; Washington Post; 12/18/18]: “Donald Trump may have entered the White House with a background in business, but a new survey of business leaders shows little praise for the president from his fellow executives.”……..
“..a majority..were critical of the president on his leadership of national security, his tactics with allies and his administration’s diplomatic communications….a noticeable shift..to more disappointment on..the overall divisive tone of the administration.”….
“..roughly three-quarters of business leaders disagreed with a statement that Trump was effectively leading U.S. national security. 87%..agreed that President Trump’s negotiating style had cost the country the trust of allies, and 75% said they often had to apologize to international partners for “embarrassing diplomatic messages” when traveling abroad for business.” *****[NOTE: read this again!!!!!! What is happening NOW, in 2025? – the EXACT same thing]

4]. “In Two Years, Norms Vanish” [Jonathan Lemire; Assoc. Press; 12/28/18]: “…Trump has rewritten the rules of the presidency and the norms of the nation’s capital, casting aside codes of conduct and traditions that have been held for generations.
“In Trump’s Washington. facts are less relevant. Insults and highly personal attacks are increasingly employed by members of both parties.”…
“He’s dynamited the institution of the presidency,” said Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice University. “He doesn’t see himself as being part of a long litany of presidents who will hand a baton to a successor. Instead, he uses the presidency as an extension of his own personality>’…
“..Brinkley predicts “no future president will model themselves on him.” [read the full article – more coming!]

*** “Perhaps the most central characteristic of authentic leadership is the relinquishing of the impulse to dominate others.” [David Cooper]

SO – here we are in 2025, under the thumb [or is it the fist] of ‘PROJECT 2025″. and various billionaires supporting THE. DESTRUCTION OF. AMERICAN. DEMOCRACY – some of which occurred in Trump I. Already, in early March, 2025 – Americans are awakening to what “government efficiency” REALLY. MEANS. It’s too early, but Americans are beginning to see WHO. the REAL. WINNERS will be in an America created by Elon Musk and “true believers” imposing PROJECT. 2025″ on them. Much of this could already be seen by the 2020 election – which is why Trump lost by 7 million votes. And – as will be shown in coming posts – by 2018.

*** “All these years of Republican rule have had a profoundly negative impact on the federal system, literally destroying many of the government’s operations.” [John W. Dean: “Broken Government…How Republican Rule Destroyed The Legislative, Executive, Judicial Branches”]. !!!***!!! NOTE: this was written in 2007!!!!! written in 2007!!!!!!!!*****

The Trump-Musk dictatorship didn’t come out of nowhere. At this point, it is the LOGICAL CONCLUSION of decades of DELIBERATE Republican efforts to sabotage government, mostly from GREED for their corporate and wealthy supporters and donors, but also to satisfy FAR RIGHT ideological goals.

YOU. WERE. WARNED – below are some of those warnings…

1]. “Broken Government…How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches” [John W. Dean – Nixon White House legal counsel; 2007]: As Dean was ending this book, “an old friend from the Nixon White House called..a life-long Republican who knew Bush and Cheney personally, who said: “Just tell your readers that you have a source who knows a lot about the Republican Party from long experience..and he has a bit of advice: People should not vote for ANY Republican because they’re dangerous, dishonest, and self-serving…I have come to realize the Democrats really do care about people who most need help from government; Republicans care most about those who will only get richer because of government help. The government is truly broken, particularly in dealing with national security, and another four years, and heaven forbid not eight years, under Republicans, and our grandchildren will have to build a new government, because the one we have will be unrecognizable and unworkable.”

[NOTE – now read this again, remembering WHO said it, and this, he insisted on anonymity “..because one of his sons is in an important [non-political] government post, and we both know that Republicans will seek revenge wherever they can find it.” !!!!!!!!! – NOW, think on this too! – As in who is infamous for seeking revenge on HIS “enemies.”!!!!!!!!!]

You MUST read pages 166-74, “Direct Impact of Judicial Fundamentalism on Individuals,” and his fears of what could [and DID] happen; Appendix A; “Separation of Powers; An Essential Process Envisioned by the Framers;” Appendix B: “Republican Appropriation Process Abuses: shutting Down the Government;” Appendix C: “Bush and Cheney’s Radical Lawyer: The Remarkable Source for UnConstitutional War Powers” [this person is still active!]; pages 102-110: trhe “unitary executive theory” – which the Trump-Musk dictatorship has resurrected to gut YOUR democracy.

2] “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks…How the American Constitutional Sysrem Collided with the New Politics of Extremism”. [Thomas Mann, Norman Ornstein; 2012 – 40 years as respected bi-partisan commentators]:: “In every chapter..we have documented the ways in which the Republican Party has become the insurgent outlier in American politics and as such contributes disproportionally to its dysfunction..the culture and ideological center of the Republican Party itself, at the congressional, presidential, and in many cases, state and local levels, must change if U.S. democracy is to regain its health. The contemporary GOP, to ther horror of many of its longtime stalwarts and leaders like former senators John Danforth of Missouri and Alan Simpson of Wyoming, has veered toward tolerance of extreme ideological beliefs and policies and embrace of cynical and destructive means to advance political ends over problem solving..disdain for negotiation and compromise unless force on them…Republicans in office have driven both the widening of the ideological gap between the parties and the strategic hyperpartisanship on such crucial issues as financial stabilization, economic recovery, deficits and debt, health-care reform and climate change.” [Note: read pages 31-43 on how Gingrich destroyed Congress – WHY}

[Again – read this again – and note – NOTHING has changed- virtually EVERY word van be said of 2025 Republicans]

3]. “It Was All A Lie..How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump”. [Stuart Stevens; 2020 – 25 years as lead strategist and media consultant for Republican presidential campaigns}: “Burn it to the ground and start over.” that’s the answer I find myself giving when asked what should be done with the Trump Republican party..Over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that Donald Trump didn’t hijack the GOP, as much as some of us would like to assert. Sadly, the party had already become Trump, and he or his like was inevitable.”….

All the supposed “core values” of Republicans “turned out to be mere marketing slogans.” “Family values” was useful as “an otherness tool” to attack Democrats…Christian Right wants the world to see them as the political arm of Jesus saving America – in practice its about power…Basic facts are “indisputable”: in the post-WW II era, Republican presidents have contributed far more to the deficit than Democrats.”
“..an entire industry of hate that has come to dominate the Republican Party…Today the intellectual leaders of the Republican party are paranoids, kooks, know-nothings, and bigots who once could be heard only on late-night talk shows.’

“The Republican Party is held aloft by a large, powerful, and ever-growing industry of deceit. The purpose of much of conservative media is to lie to their audience. It is fitting that the heart of the Trump presidency itself is a lie: almost every Republican elected official in Washington knows Donald Trump is unfit to be president.”

[NOTE: – now – read all this again, word by word – remembering WHO said this. lies, ‘kooks,’ “unfit to be president”]

Read pages 171-182 on 15 years of Republican voter suppression. “..the current Republican Party is driven by conspiracy theories, a result of nutty radio mixed with nutty internet supercharged by a nutty president.” Read pages 192-202: “How Do Lies End?” ‘..Donald Trump, the most anti-American president in the country’s history…the Republican party has legitimized bigotry and hate as an organizing principle for a major party in a country with a unique role in the world.” { READ the book – remembering WHO wrote it & his 25-year leadership in Republican presidential campaigns}

4] PROJECT 2025. – ask YOURSELF – WHY. are numerous key authors now in the Trump administration???

And – TRHE TRILLION DOLLAR QUESTION – WHO. paid for the “research’ and writing of PROJECT 2025?????????

AS in another Republican GIANT political scandal – Watergate – “follow the money”

It is well-known Donald Trump cares little about history, facts, democracy; that he is uncaringly ignorant of most things not on Fox “news.” SO – WHO wrote PROJECT 2025? WHO WANTED it written???? WHO paid for it?????

If YOU care about America, American democracy, the future of your children and grandchildren – YOU just might want to know WH IS BEHIND PROJECT 2025????? WHO wanted PROJECT 2025 as a ready-to-use blueprint for the Trump-Musk dictatorship??? WHO WANTRS YOUR GOVERNMENT GUTTED????? WHO wantsYOUR government unable to protect YOU from from corporate criminality and deceit???? [see weekly, if not daily newspapers for stories of YTOUR government prosecuting corporate criminality] WHO benefits from YOUR government being able to collect the ANNUAL $1 trillion in taxes payable – but NOT collected [from mostly the rich]?????? WHICH party has demanded the IRS be underfunded – so it can’t audit the rich and corporations?????? Just asking, but is a possible answer people like a certain billionaire running DOGE?????????? Is your answer WHO had honored positions for Trump’s 2025 inaugural – sitting IN FRONT of his cabinet????????

*** “It is the first responsibility of every citizen t question authority.” [Benjamin Franklin]

*** “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” {Dante Alighieri]

Stepping outside rhetoric – how can Americans fairly evaluate Donald Trump – or ANY president?

‘ :Begin with the Constitution’s Preamble: “WE the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
SO – ANY actions that do NOT do these goals are un_Constitutional. EVERY act MUST perfect the American union, or, establish Justice, domestic Tranquility, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE – i.e, benefit ALL Americans, not just a favored few.

***EXAMPLES: Eisenhower’s 1950s interstate freeway system obviously passes the tests because it benefited our economy and society. Trump’s immoral 2017 tax cuts which primarily benefited the rich and is currently responsible for 25% of our national debt, obviously FAILS the tests.

2] Some say America is a “christian nation.” IF this is true – then we’re told THE #1 principle is found in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as i have loved you.” This does NOT just apply to His disciples of 2,000 years ago – IF America is, in fact, a “Christian nation,” then it is our DUTY to love each other, NOT find ways to hate others. We’d be passing laws that achieved this love.

We’re told that the Christian Bible has some 2-3,000 references to the poor and duty to the poor. If America is to carry out ensuring ALL Americans have equal opportunities to achieve success – then America would have policies to achieve this. Proverbs 28:27: “The righteous considers considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked closes his eyers to them.”

Consider the following evaluation of a leader: “Do you decree righteousness, you rulers? Do you judge the people rightly? No, in your hearts you devise wickedness; your hands deal out violence on the land.” Psalm 58: 1-2.

3]. Presidential Rankings. A recent survey [likely July, 2024] of 154 political scientists ranked Lincoln, FDR, Washington 1-2-3, followed by Theodore Roosevelt, Jefferson, Truman at 4-5-6. Dead last at #45, 6 points behind James Buchanan, himself 5 points behind Andrew Johnson; Donald J. Trump – THE worst president EVER.
SO – WHY did this evaluation occur? Were all 154 voters biased against Trump-BuchananA.Johnson? OR – did they use standards such as above? OR – perhaps they knew the following, and MUCH MORE?

Things to consider evaluating Trump as president:
1] “Trump’s budget ideas don’t add up” [Jeff Stein; 9/8/24;Wash.Post]: “Trump insisted..a new round of tax cuts would lower the debt – a claim disputed by most mainstream economists, and undermined by the actual budgetary effects of the tax cut he signed into law during his administration.”
A] “111 former GOP officials call Trump ‘unfit to serve'” [Peter Baker;9/19/24;New York Times]: “They endorser Harris, despite disagreements, call him “Dangerous”.”
2] “Trump’s plans likely won’t lower grocery bills” [Dee-Ann Durbin;11/17/24;Assoc.Press]: “..many economists think Trump’s plans, including putting tariffs on imported goods and deporting undocumented workers, could actually make food prices rise.” [farmers all over America have ALREADY said this; on ll/23/24, Trump sais it would be “hard’ to do!]
B] “The Tempest,” New York times Book Review [Nicholas Niarchos;9/29/24]: “At War With Ourselves” [H.R. McMaster]; “A memoir by a one-time presidential advisor shows how Donald Trump’s insecurities and weaknesses harmed U.S.foreign policy.” [note; which others have ALREADY said]
3] “Trump’s Vow To halve Energy Costs Questioned” [Lisa Friedman;11/24/24;New York Times]: “President-elect Donald J. Trump repeatedly promised voters..he would cut energy and electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office..But energy industry experts noted..a president has limited tools to influence how much Americans pay at the pump and even less leverage..[on].. electricity prices.”
C] “Trump Praised Hitler, Kelly Says” [Dan Merica; 10/24/24; Assoc.Press]: “He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things too!” “Ex-Trump aides back Kelly’s warning” [Tim Balk; 10/26/24; New York Times]:”Thirteen former Trump Administration officials released an open letter Friday amplifying warnings from John Kelly…”
4] “Tariffs instead of an income tax?” [Paul Krugman; 6/24/24; New York Times]: “..to the extent..we did replace income taxes with tariffs, we’d in effect sharply raise taxes on working-class Americans while giving the rich a big tax cut..” [note: NUMEROUS people have said THIS is THE purpose of tariffs – to replace. progressive tax system with taxes that really don’t bother the rich at all – shift the tax burden almost entirely on non-rich Americans]
D]. “Book details Trump’s affinity with Putin” [Isaac Stanley-Becker; 10/13/24; Wash. Post]: “As the coronavirus tore through the world in 2020, and the United States and other countries confronted a shortage of tests designed to detect the illness..Trump secretly sent coveted testing supplies to..Putin for his personal use…may have spoken to Putin as many as seven times since Trump left the White House…Woodward’s conclusion that Trump is worse than Richard Nixon…”Trump was the most reckless and impulsive president inAmerican history..” [Bob Woodward in “War”]
5] “Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts Paved the Way for Inflation” [Lindsay Owens; 6/15/24; Progressive Populist]: “The former president made it more profitable for companies to gouge us…corporate profits drove over 50% of inflation in the second and third quarters o last year.” [note; we have MANY CEO confessions they raised their own prices under ‘cover’ of COVID, because they could get away with it]
E] “Trump is ‘fascist to the core,” Milley says” [Ruby Cramer; 10/13/24; Wash. Post]: “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” the general told Woodward.”
6] “Trump’s crypto venture raises ethics issues – and billions” [Tony Romm; 1/23/25; Wash. Post]: “..fresh ethical questions about his attempts to monetize the incoming administration’s deepening political ties to the industry.”
F]. “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump..37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess A President” [Bandy Lee, Ed.; 2017, 2019]: “Once there were many who held out hope..Trump could be prevailed upon to listen to reason and curb his erratic behavior..we must continue collectively to warn that anyone as mentally unstable as this man simply should not be entrusted with the life-and-death powers of the presidency.”
7] “Pardon for Silk Road illicit drug purveyor” [D.Yaffe-Bellany, Ryan Mac; 1/23/25; New York Times]: “..Silk Road..became an international drug marketplace, facilitating more than 1.5 million transactions, including sales of heroin, cocaine and other illicit substances.” [Bitcoin pioneer Ross Ullbricht’s site]
G]. “With Biden out, the fear factor is hurting Trump again” [Aaron Blake; 9/8/24; Wash. Post]: “..the real and long-standing concerns Americans have had about Donald Trump’s character, chaotic style and authoritarian tendencies…Republicans were significantly more likely to regard their own party’s candidate as both too extreme and a threat to the country.”
8] “Report: Trump would drain Social Security” [Julie Weil; 10;27;24; Wash. Post]: “A new report projects..the Social Security Trust Fund might run out of money within six years under a Trump presidency.”

H] “Trump blames predecessors, DEI for fatal air crash” [Isaac Arnsdorf; 1/31/25; Wash. Post]: “At these moments you’re supposed to take a solemn note of respect. That’s what we do in America when tragedy occurs,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said. ‘But Trump tried to use it as an opportunity to push the MAGA 2025 agenda in a nonsensical way.” [ in contrast to Reagan, Clinton., Bush, Obama in similar tragedies]

9]”Trump’s Big Promises to Big Business” [S.Goldmacher, M.Haberman, J.Swan; 10/27/24; New York Times]: “Former President Trump has a “For Sale” sign around his neck..In 2016, Trump vowed to “drain the swamp.” As president, he did no such thing. He hired executives from Wall Street firms..fossil fuel and pharmaceutical industries.”
10] “Trump pardoned them; Now They’re Helping Him” [B.Reinhard. M.Roig-Franzia, C.Morse; 12/3/23; Wash.Post]: “Never before had a president..freed or forgiven so many people who could be useful to his future political efforts…Trump’s abuse of the pardon power..was unprecedented in modern times…Many of his campaign donors, Republican operatives and media pundits wh made his clemency list were well-positioned to return the favor.”
11]. “How a Troubling Trump Pardon Hurt a Major Criminal Inquiry” [M.Schmidt, M.Haberman, J.Swan, A.Feuer; ll/26/23; New York Times]: “The commutation dealt a substantial blow to an ambitious criminal investigation…Mr. Trump’s commutation was another setback in a decade and a half of failures by the Justice Department to monitor Mr. Braun’s behavior…In working to secure his release, Mr. Braun’s family used a connection to Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law..”
I] “A Warning’ [Anonymous – A Senior Trump Administration Official; 2019]: “In these pages, you will not just hear from me. You will hear a great deal from Donald Trump directly, for there is no better witness to his character than his own words and no better evidence of the danger he poses than his own conduct.”
12] “It’s Even Worse Than You Think..What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America” [David Cay Johnston; 2018]. This Pulitzer Prize winner describes in DETAIL the Trump kleptocracy damage to America, 2017-2021.

***** WARNING; for 2025-2029; a few courageous patriots tried and did restrain Trump in 2017-2021 – BUT – these kind of Americans are being deliberately PURGED, replaced by ‘loyalists.’ What can possibly go wrong in a second term by America’s all-time WORST president – unrestrained, and, abetted by loyal MAGA cult members????????

November 24th election reports indicated Trump had 49.9% of the popular vote. On December 4th, it was still 49.9%.
Trump does have the leading vote total – BUT – consider several inconvenient facts:

1] In presidential elections, a “landslide” winner has 55% of the vote, which gives them a “mandate.”

2]. The 2020 census said there were 258 million Americans, age 18 & over. The 2024 number will be higher. Only 161 million were 2024 registered voters – Trump got 77,193,117 votes – not even close to 50%.

3]. Before the election, Republicans controlled 55.3% of state legislative seats. November 15th results show Republicans had about 56% of state legislative seats – virtually NO gain.

4]. Republicans did maintain their current slim U.S. House majority.

5]. Republicans did manage to gain control of thr U.S. Senate – at least partially due to the fact Democrats were defending more seats.

6]. The two dominant 2024 issues were: the economy, specifically inflation & voter’s beliefs “it was all Joe Biden’s fault.” And immigration, with people feeling that too many “undeserving’ people were let in – “all Joe Biden’s fault.”
A]. since America is a “capitalist economy – if inflation was “Joe Biden’s fault” – how much of the 25% increase in YOUR food did Joe get? Since Joe has never been in the grocery business – it is ZERO dollars!
The real culprits are millionaires, monopolies, & “margins.” We have DOCUMENTED confessions by corporate CEOs they artificially jacked up their prices to take advantage of the COVID era. Do your own research: most industries in America are controlled by 2-3-4 BIG corporations – they dictate prices to suppliers, often collude to raise prices. Corporations maintain profit “margins” to satisfy Wall Street, make their CEOs obscenely rich – THEY aren’t going to take ANY hits in those “margins.” so YOU take those hits !!!
B] Immigration could’ve been “solved” by a BIPARTISAN congressional bill, drawn up by one of THE MOST CONSERVATIVE Senators – Trump wanted to run on immigration, so he ordered Republicans to kill the bill. This followed a long Republican pattern of sabotaging immigration laws since 2000.

7]. Trump repeatedly disavowed ANY connection to, ANY knowledge of PROJECT 2025 – therefore he has NO “mandate” to install ANY of ‘PROJECT 2025’s”. numerous anti-democratic provisions. He didn’t run. ON. it, he ran. AWAY. from it – therefore he has absolutely. NO. “mandate” to implement any of this FAR RIGHT wish list.

8] For perspective on what Americans DO want – consider the following polling facts:
A]. “Citizens are united in more ways than you might think”. [Steve Corbin; Fulcrum; 9/2/22]: According to the most recent data from Pew Research Center, National Election Studies, Gallup, ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, & CNN polls…The surprising reality is Democrats, Republicans, & Independents agree on more issues – about 150 – than they disagree..some samples:
– Abortion: 61% of Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases
– Gender issues: ..71% of Americans support marriage between people of the same sex
– Gun control: Background checks are favored by 89%…Banning assault weapons has 63% support, while 64% want ot ban high-capacity magazines, &. 60% want a nationwide data base to track gun sales
– Immigration: 62% feel immigrants strengthen the country
– Voting: 66% of voters want to prevent state lawmakers from overturning elections, while 60% support universal vote-by-mail, &a majority want to make it easier to vote
– Health care: Providing Medicare for all Americans to ensure everyone has health care coverage garners 69% support
– Racial justice: 86% ..agree..racism is a problem, & 87% believe books that discuss race or slavery should never be banned
– Taxes: 71% of voters support raising taxes on the wealthiest 2%
Other issues in which a majority of Republicans & Democrats agree:
– Social Security: Raising the cap on income subject to the payroll tax to $215,000 or more
– Poverty programs: Increasing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
– Energy & environment: Reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2% a year & providing tax incentives to promote clean energy
– Government reform: Overturning the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision & regulating campaign financing
– International trade: The U.S. should continue participating in the World Trade Organization & rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership that Trump abandoned
– Federal budget: Rollback the tax cuts from Trump’s 2017 tax bill, impose a 4% surtax on income over $5 million & add a 1% surtax on corporate income over $100 million.

9]. “On the eve of the 2016 election..the Progressive Change Institute did a nationwide survey of likely voters. The results were stark:
– 84% want government to negotiate drug prices
– 79% support expanding Social Security
– 78% want “fair trade” that ends shipping our jobs overseas
– 77% want to tax corporations that moved jobs oversea
– 74% want all Americans to be able to buy into Medicare-for all
– 71% support massive infrastructure spending program aimed at rebuilding our broken roads & bridges 7 putting people back to work
– 70% want free college at all public universities
– 68% want a guaranteed minimum income
– 67% want government to be the employer of last resort to end unemployment
– 66% want the morbidly rich to pay at least a 50% income tax [ currently the average billionaire pays around 3% ]
– 65%. want big banks broken up & a return to local banking
– 64%. want net neutrality so your billion-dollar corporate internet & email providers can’t monitor everything you do online & sell that information
– 63% want public financing of elections to get billionaire money out of them
-60%. want the Post Office to offer inexpensive public banking.
[ Thom Hartmann; 2/15/24; The Progressive Populist}

A major test for Trump, o any president: do the things they push “..promote the general welfare..” [Constitution’s Preamble} ????? What if a Trump presidency backed all or most of the things American citizens said they wanted, as listed in #8 & #9 above?
How many things Trump & the people around him in Congress & out, are pushing will meet THE test to “..promote the general welfare..”??????? Will ANYTHING Trump & his followers want to do will “..promote the general welfare..”?

No respectable, fact-based, analysis of Trump’s tariffs show ANY positive results. What they do show is likely trade war[s], and that YOU will pay more for much/most of what YOU buy. ALL testimony from farmers involved says if Trump rounds up undocumented farm workers, some industries [dairy] might collapse, and the price of YOUR food WILL go up – not “might,” – WILL. go up.

The claim by Trump, and his followers & enablers, that he has some kind of “mandate” to enact broad changes to American government society is statistically and rhetorically FALSE. He did win the election, but neither 1789-2000 American history, nor having 49.9% of the vote enables a “mandate in any realistic and rational person. The bulk of Trump’s campaign was on two things – cutting YOUR costs and changing immigration policies.

Will Trump confront the REAL culprits for YOUR increased costs??? Maybe [if you’re lucky]. Some are quite likely people who funded his campaign. Will Trump offend billionaires he knows to cut YOUR costs???????

Building expensive “walls” on America’s southern border will NOT, already HAS NOT. worked. What works is more personnel on the ground, more funding for immigration courts, better technology & equipment, more cooperation from Mexico. Also – more drugs like fentanyl are brought into the U.S. by American citizens then smuggled in by foreigners!!!

A major goal of Trump &his corporate friends is cutting THEIR already low taxes by renewing the CORRUPT 2017 Trump tax cuts. Americans have long, consistently, said THEY. DO. NOT. WANT. TAX. CUTS. FOR. THE. RICH. – THEY WANT TAX INCREASES FOR THE RICH [ who, increasingly since 1980 – are NOT paying their fair share.
The great, historic, 1947-1973 mass middle class prosperity occurred during a period when the highest marginal tax rates on the rich AVERAGED 81%. [now it is about 1/3 that; we have record numbers of billionaires]

If Trump cuts taxes further on the obscenely rich – the result will be increased taxes on YOU and/or cuts in popular American programs [SocialSecurity & Medicare] – which is what billionaire Musk wants to do to YOU.
Another result of more Trump tax cuts on the obscenely rich will be an increased U.S. national debt [which IS what happened as a result of his 2017 tax cuts]. – already dangerous & unsustainable – which the FarRight wants to use an an excuse to cut programs that benefit YOU – like Social Security &Medicare.

Donald J. Trump. DOES NOT have a “mandate”. for what he and the FAR RIGHT. REALLY want to do. – and even worse, if Trump & his enablers do what they [now] say they want to do – STATISTICALLY it. CANNOT. –
‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” – because the REAL NUMBERS DON’T add up.
[for YOU, Mr. and Mrs. lower 90%]