Despite a court order, a tarp still covers the name above the entrance to The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts that once sported Donald Trump’s name. This week the Center’s Board, consisting mostly of members appointed by Trump, voted to put Trump’s name back on the center. Under the main sign, a new sign will be added that reads “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” In addition, and contrary to the court order, the Board voted to close the Center for two years for renovations. Probably to allow Trump to cover everything in more gold plating from Home Depot. This is part of a pattern where Trump and his administration work hard to circumvent the law. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In his increasingly bizarre behavior, Trump proves daily that he has no moral center, lies about everything, and acts like a spoiled toddler. He wants what he wants when he wants it and throws a hissy fit if he doesn’t get it. The problem is, that he is the most powerful man in the country, if not the world, and he can bring the weight of the entire U.S. government down on the head of anyone that defies him. He is cunning. Not too smart, but cunning. Like an animal stalking its prey, he is relentless and inventive in finding new ways to get what he wants. It is clearly evident that our laws are inadequate to stop a president from doing whatever pops into his head. We know now what can happen when a president has no moral compass or ethical core, but does have an over riding interest in increasing his own power and wealth. Those around Trump are using him to implement their vision of the “American Way” which is founded in the driving belief that only white wealthy Christian men are the rightful heirs to the country. Everyone else is there to serve their purposes.
Some recent events are almost comical in their banality and pettiness. Yet, they are also a direct threat to our foundational beliefs. It is just not that he is laser focused on his various vanity projects. These escapades also indicate a full-on assault bypassing the courts and the Congress. There are multiple examples that lead me to believe that Trump and his cohorts are working hard to establish his right, not just desire, to do whatever he wants.
Only a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump v Barbara, Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) attempting to restrict the rights of those born in the U.S. Even though the court was clear that the original intent of the amendment included everyone born here, with some very specific exceptions that primarily include foreign nationals in the U.S. with diplomatic immunity. Trump’s E.O. tries to squeeze as much out of the terms of the original amendment that states it applies to everyone “subject to the jurisdiction” of the federal government by expanding the number of groups he claims are not under federal control. More troubling, Trump and his main hit man Stephen Miller espoused — again!– their belief that the amendment only applies to children born to formerly enslaved people. The Supreme Court specifically debunked that belief, and yet here we are. Back to the courts, I suppose.
In March of this year, Trump signed another of his ubiquitous E.O.s, this time impacting voting rights. He had a previous attempt in 2025 that was stopped by the courts. His latest effort would essentially take from the states and Congress the Constitution’s provision that only they can set the rules for voting. Among other things, he is trying to attack mail-in voting by directing the United States Postal Service (USPS) to not deliver mail-in ballots to anyone not on an approved list provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and mandates that the states must use the approved lists to determine which citizens are eligible to vote. The DHS list of “citizens” is notoriously inaccurate (it has been for years) and it ignores the fact that such a list could be easily manipulated by agents of the Trump regime. It is clearly an end-run around previous rulings blocking Trump from dictating election rules in his previous E.O. and to circumvent the provisions of the Constitution. So far district and appeals courts have blocked this E.O. but Trump is now appealing directly to the Supreme Court on an “emergency” basis through the Shadow Docket. (The Shadow Docket is supposed to be reserved for real national emergencies, stays of imminent executions and the like, not manufactured emergencies as Trump so often tries to declare. Under the Shadow Docket there are no oral arguments, often no written arguments or signed opinions, and it can be difficult to understand the legal arguments for their decisions. Another end-run.)
Trump is also going to the Supreme Court based on a declared “national security emergency” to overturn lower court and appeals court stays to stop the construction of Trump’s nearly one billion dollar ball room. Such an attempt is yet another insult to our laws and the role of Congress. The opinion from the bench about the the case clearly delineates that Congress has the right and responsibility to approve and oversee construction projects at the White House beyond routine maintenance. (This is the same ball room that would cost no taxpayer money. Ha Ha.) Trump asserts that the National Historic Trust, the organization bringing the suit, is “TREASONOUS” (sic) and that he is entitled to do what he wants with The People’s House because, well, because he’s the president and as such, he can do whatever he wants.
One more example of his ignoring the law is the ongoing saga of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool. Charges of vandalism and other felonies were dropped after the government charged four innocent bystanders of destroying the Reflecting Pool. The prosecutor in the case said that there was no evidence of their involvement and that, indeed, it was shoddy workmanship that led to the problems. Trump went ballistic. We have now learned that the Attorney General for the District of Colombia is convening a Special Grand Jury to investigate a case. Special Grand Juries are rarely used. However, they can investigate a potential crime and issue a report, even if they find there is insufficient evidence to prove that a crime was committed. It is a perfect tool to go after anyone Trump wants to see suffer at the hands of the government. While it is currently unknown as to the reason for it, it could well be to assuage Trump’s ire over no one being taken to trial for damaging his special vanity project. Time will tell, but it is yet another example that Trump and those that feed his every desire, will look for any loop hole or quirk in the law to make someone’s or some group’s lives miserable and costly. Trump looks at E.O.s and other declarations as is if they are imperial declarations from the throne that shall not be challenged. Thankfully for our democracy, there are still people and organizations that are willing to defend our rights. Most of the time, those that challenge Trump win their cases. Unfortunately, sometimes that does not seem to matter as we have seen over the last year and a half that he will gladly ignore Congress or any court ruling that goes against him. His track record of noncompliance spans key executive actions involving immigration, federal spending, mass layoffs, agency rollbacks and more.
Beyond his toddler grievances and belief that he should get whatever he wants, there is a bigger reason for such actions. It would be easy to focus merely on the pettiness and petulance and silliness of it all. Unfortunately, whether it is Trump or his closest advisors, there is a reason for all of it. They are laying the groundwork for their authoritarian plans. There are so many of these instances that we can become inured to their significance. They go further each time in an attempt to make it seem routine, even as they work to undermine and neutralize the other branches of government. Their vision of the Unitary Executive is really about authoritarianism. Personally, I think that they are on the path to interfering with the elections in order to solidify their grip on the reins of power. I do not predict how, but it will happen. They already tried in 2020. Whether it will be voter suppression, seizing ballot boxes, declaring elections delayed due to a national emergency, or simply declaring the election void if they do not win, I think we are only limited by our imagination. ICE is fast becoming a large private para-military force on the streets ready to do his bidding. Trump in 2028 anyone? Trump “jokes” about it more and more often. Unfortunately, he may be one of those people that has no funny bone. I have never heard him be, well, actually funny. I would speculate that all of his jokes are really trial balloons. Categorize the reaction, say it over and over until people stop paying attention, declare that no one objects, and then do it.
Two more things to watch. The Treasury Department will no longer enforce the law. Specifically, the Corporate Transparency Act which passed on a large bi-partisan basis in 2021 (thanks to then Senator Marco Rubio) designed to rein in the use of shell companies to hide drug money, money laundering, and other corrupt or illegal financial transactions. Corruption can now conduct business as usual. I am sure that Trump, Inc. was sad to hear about it. But they were probably happy to hear that World Liberty Trust — a company integral to the Trump family windfall profits from cryptocurrency — was granted bank status by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) this week. With approval of bank status, World Liberty can issue stablecoins, a cryptocurrency backed by secure investments such as U.S. Treasury bonds and can be traded for U.S. dollars. Let’s see — no more monitoring of shell companies, their own bank, unaccounted for donations from private investors, unaccounted for Venezuelan oil money and on and on and on. “It’s good to be the king!” as Mel Brooks memorably said in the movie The History of the World, Part I. How brazen can they get?
By nature, I am an optimist. I do not want to dwell in the depths of the implications of Trump’s actions. However, I am also not naive. Something is going to happen, I just do not know what. I hope I am wrong. I am also surprised (disappointed?) at how many people do not realize or believe that he is systematically trying to take away our rights and traditions.
The next six months will reveal a lot about our future as a country.
“Not that I don’t have — I would — the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the president of the United States.’
— Trump responding to a question about deploying the National Guard to Chicago during his three hour and fifteen minute Politburo Cabinet meeting on 22 August 2025.
For too long I have used this space to express my concerns that we are on the road to an authoritarian regime. Perhaps most of you are tired of hearing about it. Frankly, I am tired of thinking about it. Besides, I no longer think that we are on the road, we are there. Trump has succeeded in becoming a de facto dictator. He announces absurd and illegal actions and his henchmen go out and execute his plans without hesitation. Legally, papal announcements, royal decrees and presidential Executive Orders are not permanently binding dispatches in the United States. Laws passed by Congress take precedence, as do court decisions, as does the Constitution, but so far, no one has blunted Trump’s blatant disregard for the rule of law. He has created an authoritarian regime. We are living our worst fears. It’s just that the majority of our population has yet to realize it.
I think of my visit to Normandy, France and listening to the stories that were told about the occupation by the Germans. On many of the farms, day to day life went on as normal. No interaction with the Germans. Until there was, and then it was bad. I feel that most Americans are going about their busy days unaware of the changes to our democracy. I fear that they will not get involved or even know what is happening until it is too late. This is most definitely not “just politics.”
I do not want to get your hopes up, but I will be surprised — shocked even — if there are free and fair elections in 2026. Trump is already pushing national voter identification for voting along with doing away with mail-in ballots (sorry military folks, you won’t be able to vote) and voting machines — paper ballots counted by hand, only. All of which is blatantly against the Constitution but then, why let a dusty old document get in the way?
Is it not interesting that Trump deployed the National Guard — about 2,200 so far — to our nation’s capital where it would be possible to block the seating of a new Congress should he not like the results? I also find it interesting that all of the cities that he wants controlled by the National Guard are Democrat run cities with black mayors. Why, with the language that he uses, one might wonder if he is racist. Statistics do not make people feel safer, but they show that “red” cities and states have worse crime rates than most of the “blue” cities and states that he rants about, as I have written about before.
There is a saying that if you control the institutions you control reality and then you can create your own facts and rewrite history. Trump is far down the road on doing just that. Ask yourself how things are going with the following:
The Center for Disease Control (CDC)
National Institute of Health (NIH)
The Smithsonian Museum Complex
The Kennedy Center
Ivy League Colleges
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
The Federal Reserve
U.S. Military Academies
The National Archives
The Library of Congress
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The National Weather Service (NWS)
The U.S. Department of Education
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The Voice of America (VOA)
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Need I go on?
All are in disarray or being disbanded. It is hard to figure out whether it is incompetence or just cruelty that drives their actions. Probably both.
It isn’t just D.C. streets that he wants to take over. He is striving to dictate every facet of our lives and our culture from museums to plays to universities to health care. He is already well on his way. If you are loyal to him and his whims you will do just fine. If you do not play along, he will attack you with the full weight of the federal government. Here is an example of the shady dealings he undertakes. We are all aware of his tariffs against certain countries he likes or dislikes. I doubt most Americans know that he approved exceptions for companies to trade with China based on what looks like extortion. Last month Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. each got permission to trade with China — despite a ban on selling microchips to China — in exchange for 15% of their revenue. Recently he reached a similar deal for 10% of Intel, another chip maker. Already on the books was approval for Japan’s Nippon Steel to merge with U.S. Steel in exchange for a “golden share” for the president. A golden share essentially gives the president veto control over the company’s decisions. Seems like the president is moving towards nationalizing our means of production. In the old days they would call that socialism. But then, only Democrats are socialists so that couldn’t be it.
To fully grasp where we are I found it necessary to try and understand the foundation of his loyalists’ view of our great country. In their telling, the American Revolution was the only important event in our history. Wealthy white men — “Christians” in current mythology although many were not in the same way as they are portrayed — were the founding fathers. There vision was perfect in today’s revised story. Wealthy white men were in charge and they set up a nation to reward other wealthy white men. Only the Declaration of Independence is relevant to the Pete Hegseth’s of the movement. The words “to form a more perfect union” mean nothing to them. It was already perfect — at least it was until women and black folks got into positions of power. Therefore, for example, the Smithsonian museums need to conform to their vision of history. Anything that reflects the long history of trying to achieve a more perfect union is too negative and does not align with what they consider the “the real” elements of our national history. The good parts. When men were men and all women and minorities knew their place. Taxes are an abomination because hard working rich white men are having their money taken from them to provide for the poor in the form of education, health care, infrastructure, welfare and all other forms of social support. All men are not created equal. (I have always wondered why, if it is such a good deal because of all the “free” stuff that they get, why don’t more people strive to be poor?)
Do you think I am exaggerating?
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s pastor preaches white Christian nationalism. He reposted a CNN interview that clearly reveals that the church he belongs to espouses that women should not have the vote and that their place in society is to stay home and raise children. A view held by many in the Project 2025 movement. They also believe that our museums and history lessons should reflect the fact that there was a real mutual affection between enslaved people and their masters. After all, thanks to their master’s generous contributions many slaves learned a profession. They should be grateful. Recall that the Secretary has been firing black men, women and a few white men for being too “woke.” These were career military officers that rose to the top of their profession by doing the hard jobs. Our nation is in danger as a result.
I am not attacking the Secretary’s choice of places to worship. I am attacking his world view, that he has espoused in many forums, both before and after confirmation to the office, that denigrate the role of women in our modern world. He fits completely with the tenets of Project 2025 that our country should be a white, Christian nationalist world run by men.
It is affirmative action for white men. There is no room for the “others” or their stories. Only the white story is the American story.
The take over is real and we are living the reality. Is it too late? I do not know. I do know that sending the military into America’s cities on a false pretext of fighting crime is an extremely dangerous situation. I feel sorry for the men and women of the National Guard (and maybe regular Army soldiers and Marines if Trump has his way). They do not want to be there. They are not trained for the assignment, their mission is ambiguous and they are being used as props for photo ops so that Trump and his minions can project a sense of authority. It is actually a sign of weakness.
This is the same weak con man that said in Alaska that Vladimir Putin was ready to seek peace with Ukraine. Since then, the Russians have pummeled Ukraine and the capitol in Kyiv with the worst rocket and drone attacks of the war. The Russians even purposefully bombed a U.S. owned manufacturing plant in Ukraine. Trump’s response? Nothing. Only that he was “not happy” about the bombing but that in “two weeks” we will find out which way the war is going and that he “better be very happy.” Those two weeks are almost gone. I am sure that his good buddy Vlad is very worried.
Most of you were probably carrying out your daily routine, going to work, studying for classes or otherwise too busy to watch the coronation of our new president. By design, it was quite the show. Whatever else he may be, the new president is a showman (of the lowest common denominator) and salesman (not that I would buy anything that he sells). For many Americans, that seems to be enough.
Along with the show, he signed twenty six Executive Orders (E.O.) yesterday during and after the inauguration events. They fell into several general categories. Some were just silly, such as declaring that the “Gulf of Mexico” is now the “Gulf of America.” Some rescinded every meaningful E.O. issued by President Joe Biden, whether or not it was good for the country — if Biden signed it, it’s gone. Some enacted his wildest campaign promises. Some ended our participation in various international organizations. The list goes on.
To me there were three that stood out because they indicate that the current president intends to ignore the rule of law and the Constitution to do whatever his whims dictate — just because he thinks he can.
First, he overrode the suspension of Tik Tok in the United States. Personally, I’ve never knowingly seen a Tik Tok video and have certainly never posted on that platform. I cannot speak to its role in the lives of 175 million Americans. What I do know is that the president declared it a threat to American national security during his first term and pushed to have it banned. (The threat comes from the Chinese Communist Party as Tik Tok’s parent company is based in China. It collects massive amounts of information on every Tik Tok participant. Such knowledge and infiltration is a threat to our national security in times of conflict.) Congress went to work and passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill that banned the platform by a date certain (19 January 2025) unless it was bought by an American entity. President Biden signed it into law. The law was appealed to the Supreme Court that unanimously ruled that the law was Constitutional. (A rare 9-0 vote in these times.) To recount, the legislative, executive and judicial branches all duly considered the threat to national security and concluded that it was valid. They all agreed to ban the platform. The new president overrode all of that. Mainly because the tech-bros wanted it and the CEO of Tik Tok flattered the president as the savior for 175 million Americans (and who knows what else was promised or exchanged?) If the price is right, one wonders what other laws will he decide to ignore?
Second, he declared an end to birth right citizenship which is enshrined in Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” In case you missed your High School civics class, the president cannot do away with parts of the Constitution on impulse. This is a direct threat to all of us. Since 1868 the idea that those born in America are Americans has been foundational to who we are as a nation. It was a main driver to those that immigrated to our country during all of those years knowing that they and their children had a chance to be treated just like anyone else in this great land. Its foundation was the need to enforce the other elements of the Constitution protecting formerly enslaved people and to give them the same rights as their enslavers. Immigration policies or not, a president cannot just ignore the Constitution because he does not like what it says about all of us having equal rights under the law.
Third, in what to me is the most egregious of all of his E.O. actions, is the pardoning of roughly 1500 criminals and the commutation of the sentences of fourteen more involved in the violent attempt to over throw our government. Their actions led to the first time that our country did not have a peaceful transfer of power after an election. Most vile of all, the president’s inauguration speech contained passages that continued to push the Big Lie — that he won the 2020 election which was the cause of the violent attacks. He had the unmitigated gall to stand in the rotunda of our nation’s capital, which was defaced by his supporters, and spout out that the election was rigged and that these violent criminals were “J6 hostages.”
This was a giant double FU to American ideals, the American people, the Constitution, and the rule of law. So much for supporting the thin blue line and law and order.
The president of the United States gleefully and with malice of forethought put violent thugs and domestic terrorists back on the street. Some of those pardoned were convicted of seditious conspiracy. In other words, they got together to plan to violently over throw the government. 140 law enforcement officers were beaten, tased, sprayed with chemicals and otherwise nearly killed. The coup mob is now free and able to act again. Among those set free were Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers — two white nationalist groups loyal to the president. These individuals that were all unconditionally pardoned had been investigated, indicted, either pleaded guilty or were convicted by a jury of their peers and sentenced by judges of all political stripes, including by some appointed in the president’s first term. The President’s action was a clear “in your face” rebuke of FBI agents, multiple prosecutors and judges, the Capitol Police, the Washington Metropolitan Police and anyone that suffered at the hands of the mob.
I am afraid that this is only the beginning of a long and dark period in our history. Although there are already legal challenges underway to stay or over turn many of his most absurd E.O.s, what is clear is that on the first day of his Administration, the president set the tone that he is above the law, does not need to follow the Constitution and will protect those that commit crimes on his behalf. There is no limit to the danger he presents. In his mind, anything goes and he dares anyone to stop him. My worst fears are becoming real.
This coming Monday is Inauguration Day. It also happens to be a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Day and the culmination of the college football season with the national championship game. Quite a busy day. For the incoming president, here is a partial list of all the things that he promised to do “on day one.” The list comes from various sources (especially Axios) based on his campaign promises, speeches, social media and interviews. Some are “head scratchers” because it either does not exist or is a made up problem or cannot be done in a day or all of the above. Advisors to the president say that he will issue one hundred Executive Orders on Inauguration Day. I suppose someone with enough time on their hands could put together some kind of bingo card or a drinking game to see how the Executive Orders match up with his promises.
Settle the Russia-Ukraine War. Although to be sure, he said in the first 24 hours.
Close the border with Mexico.
Begin the largest deportation effort in American history.
Close public schools that teach Critical Race Theory (CRT) or have a vaccine mandate.
End the “electric vehicle mandate.”
Increase oil drilling and fracking.
End birth right citizenship protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
End “Green New Deal” policies.
End “Bidenomics” and start “MAGAnomics.”
Ban trans women from competing in girl’s or women’s sports.
Pardon January 6th criminals.
Stop migrant flights into the U.S.
Restore and expand the Trump travel ban.
Push for the resignation of anyone in the military involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Shift some federal law enforcement agencies to immigration enforcement.
Repeal federal government Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) requirements.
Remove CRT from the military.
Reduce violent crime.
Reduce crime by immigrants.
Put sanctions on Iran.
Convene a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) panel to see if hormone treatments cause violence.
Ban transgender people from the military.
Ask Congress for a bill banning gender affirming care for minors.
Enact policies to move to having all automobiles built in the United States.
Restart the building of the border wall with Mexico.
Tell Mexico to stop drug dealers and criminals crossing the border or get hit with a 25% tariff.
Hit Canada with a 25% tariff on all goods if they do not stop their open border policy.
Roll back federal regulations that drive up the cost of goods.
Be a dictator. Although he conceded it would just be for one day.
That’s a pretty full day.
"But in case signals can neither be seen or perfectly understood, no captain can go very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy." -- Admiral Horatio Nelson
Tom
Into The Fray 
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