A couple weeks ago I received an email, a rather polite one, from a prominent Northern Kentuckian, urging me to recognize that, despite his apparent megalomania, I should appreciate President-cum-Dictator Donald J. Trump for “the great things he has and will accomplish.’’
When I responded that I would be glad to recognize even a mediocre accomplishment if our boy ever gets around to one, something I doubt will occur anytime soon, he responded in a bit less polite but certainly non-abusive manner (abusive would have been okay too, I can take it. I used to work for Vance Trimble.)
The correspondent maintained I “obviously suffer from TDS,’’ Trump Derangement Syndrome for refusing to recognize his numerous successes, like “Closing the border, deport(ing) criminal illegals, leading the charge on boys playing in girls’ sports. Stopping Iran from building a nuclear bomb, making other NATO countries pay their fair share. As for me, imposing tariffs on the blood sucking Europeans is one of his greatest achievements.’’
“My point to you and other “journalists “is there are good things to write about!’’ he said. “Please think about it.’’
Well, I thought about it and have thought about it for almost six long years now. I ain’t buying.
In short order:
• Trump’s immigration policies have been bullying, abusive, inhumane and have in no way been limited to deporting “criminal illegals.’’ The administration has proved anti-immigrant even for those in the U.S. legally — ask the Somali population. The entire process is having a questionable impact on the national economy. It is, in fact, shameful.
• Women’s sports are not being overrun or overtaken by men or boys. Trans people constitute about one percent of the population, and a certain percentage of that total are women who identify as males who don’t qualify. And many trans folks simply aren’t involved in sports. It’s a preposterous, made-up issue masquerading as some silly civil rights initiative.
• There’s little evidence Iran is developing nuclear weaponry — ask Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, and others. Iran has supposedly been developing nuclear weapons since the 70s and where are they. It’s like what Michael Corleone said about Hyman Roth, “He’s has been dying from the same heart attack for the last twenty years.’’ And if they are developing nuclear weapons, it’s because Trump in his first term abrogated a settlement approved by President Barak Obama that kept them from doing so. War isn’t the answer.
• Convincing NATO nations to increase defense spending is fine but it’s hardly some super achievement to hang one’s hat on. So good for him, if that’s what you’re looking for.
• And tariffs that produced a new form of chaos in the world economy? They’re illegal in the form he sought to implement them, per the Supreme Court.
• The writer forgot to mention, and I’ll throw in as a freebie, the One Big Beautiful Bill tax cut, which added trillions of dollars to the already bloated and dangerous national debt and included cuts in Medicaid and the SNAP program that will harm the needy, including children.
All dubious achievements. But frankly, all this is somewhat beside the point. There are always going to be differences and ongoing debates about policy and politics that make the world go round. It’s not really what makes Donald John Trump indefensible.
It’s the corruption.
Let us count the ways, and it’s simply impossible to cite everything in one sitting.
According to the non-partisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, “During his first term in office, President Donald Trump racked up thousands of conflicts of interest, stemming from his decision not to divest from his real estate empire. Through visits and promotion of his properties and handouts for his customers, Trump sent a message that access to his administration was for sale through his businesses. In the first six months of Trump’s second term, his corruption is worse, marked by a dramatic escalation of his presidential profiteering. Trump not only once again failed to divest from the businesses he owns and profits from, he has launched numerous new businesses to monetize the presidency on a scale orders of magnitude greater than the corruption of his first administration. And that is impossible to overlook.’’
So he’s making plenty of dough promoting his properties, making sure those seeking his favor take advantage of the opportunity.
To an even greater extent, Trump has taken pay-to-play to a new level. The American Bar Association, citing a report by the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center has determined that Trump administration “has on more than three dozen occasions allowed political donations or financial deals — several of which personally enriched the Trump family — to inform major personnel and policy choices. In doing so, the administration has trampled over legal restrictions, deeply established norms of presidential behavior, and important ethical guidelines.’’
Trump’s desire to stick his hand in people’s pockets to pull out their wallets extends to the clemency process. Reports show he has pardoned or commuted the sentences of at least four people who have collectively provided his campaigns with millions of dollars. One of them, Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ, the billionaire founder and former CEO of Binance, a major cryptocurrency outfit, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to federal charges stemming from Binance’s willful failure to maintain an anti-money-laundering program.
CZ served four months before receiving a Trump pardon. By that time the Trump family was involved in creating a crypto company, World Liberty, thus controlling a significant portion of it.
“Binance reportedly provided WLF with engineers whose work (at no charge) helped WLF set up its primary cryptocurrency, called USD1,’’ the Campaign Legal Center reported. “Binance then elicited a $2 billion investment in USD1 from an Emirati state-owned investment firm, a move that ultimately netted billions of dollars for the Trump family.’’
Binance isn’t the only crypto outfit to benefit from Trump’s largess. The Lord of Mar-a-Lago met privately with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong in March regarding a dispute with the banking industry over derailed cryptocurrency legislation — yes, Trump has a hand in developing cryptocurrency laws so he can make sure they fall to his facility’s benefit. Trump sided with Armstrong on this particular issue, writing on Truth Social that the bill was “being threatened and undermined by the Banks, and that is unacceptable.’’
Coinbase has made significant contributions to Trump’s campaign, his inaugural fund and the White House ballroom project that has emerged as Trump’s primary concern during his second term.
According to Politico, “Coinbase has become a major player in Trump’s Washington, thanks in part to massive political spending that is already beginning to shake up the 2026 midterm elections. The exchange, which was co-founded by Armstrong, is a leading backer of a crypto super PAC group known as Fairshake that is armed with a war chest of more than $190 million. Coinbase also donated to Trump’s inaugural committee and to the president’s White House ballroom renovation effort.’’
Then there is the ongoing outrage of Trump siccing the so-called Department of Justice on his personal and political enemies, which is well documented. Former FBI Director James Comey has been a special target of Trump’s ire because of bureau’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, an involvement that critics claimed could have worked to Trump’s advantage.
Comey has been a constant focus of criminal conduct by the DOJ since Trump returned to the White House. In the most recent case, Comey was indicted for threatening to kill Trump, which certainly sounds serious. The evidence? In a photo for an Instagram post, Comey arranged sea shells on a beach to spell out 86 47. The 86 in this instance, the DOJ explained, meant kill. And 47 is Trump, the 47th president.
It’s horse manure and they know it.
Then last week it was revealed that the Department of Justice was opening an investigation into a woman named E. Jean Carroll. Who is E. Jean Carroll? The woman who accused Trump of sexually accosting her in a department store dressing room some years ago. She sued and eventually won a $5 million judgment. She then sued Trump a second time for defaming her after the trial, resulting in an $83 million judgment.
Now she is under investigation for perjury related to those trials. It’s just an instance of Trump trying to weasel out of paying his debts, something he proved quite adept at while working as a real estate developer.
Now he’s got the DOJ to do his dirty work for him.
A president using the resources of the most powerful force in the world this side of God him/herself, the United States government, to settle scores and intimidate private citizens is about as corrupt as it gets. This is the old Soviet style.
There’s plenty more to go over but we’ll leave it at this. If an AI whiz was to create a president with all the worst qualities imaginable, it would come out looking like Donald J. Trump. The man has no grace, no humility, no empathy, no humanity, no decency and, at best, a warped sensitivity to right and wrong.
The question shouldn’t be why am I, and others, refusing to acknowledge “the great things he has and will accomplish.’’
It should be, “How can anyone defend this deranged oaf’’