The news headlines keep reporting how Trump's approval numbers are sinking. Maybe that's good news for the Democrats, who still feel like they have largely handled things in a weak manner, despite some recent signs of life (finally). Perhaps some Trump detractors also feel good about that, take solace.
For me, however, it is more frustrating and infuriating than anything.
Why?
Because this was just so damn predictable. It reminds me too much of the 2004 election. After four years of bumbling and no shortage of proof that Bush was undeserving of the Oval Office during a term which he "won" without having won the popular vote and which seemed sketchy and suspicious at best in terms of the way that he won Florida, the American people nonetheless rewarded him with a majority and another four year term.
This time is worse. Far, far worse. Because Trump had four years in office, and it was so bad that it should stand as a source of national embarrassment. He was fired in the next election, losing by over seven million votes. But he never conceded, he lied and lied about how he won the election, despite losing every recount (and none were denied to his team) and losing 61 of 62 court cases. By the way, during those court cases, the supposedly irrefutable proof that Trump was cheated in the election not only was never introduced, but the Trump team bent over backwards to make it clear that they were not arguing "massive voter fraud" in any of the court cases. Whatever they told people outside of the courts, when the cameras were pointed in their direction, they were far more careful inside of the courts, since there are actual ramifications when you are proven to have lied. Now, that to me confirms Trump's reputation as a con artist extraordinaire.
Yet, enough of the American people bought it. And the gullible voters also were not dissuaded when Trump took the lead role in directing his hostile crowd to the Capitol Building to interrupt with the election process. Ugly images of violent Trump supporters smashing windows and having violent clashes with the police - all with Trump's stamp of approval - was quickly forgiven and forgotten. An attempted coup, as far as I was concerned, was simply swept under the rug.
Presto, all gone!
Nor did the American people feel that Trump suggesting that parts of the Constitution might need to be suspended serve as a disqualifier. On top of so many other incidents - frankly, far too extensive for me to list here - that alone should have at least given Americans who actually gave a damn about the Constitution, and American democracy, and respect for the law, frankly - some pause for thought.
Nope. There he was again, kicking off his presidential campaign. When he was not focusing on revenge dreams towards his political enemies, he was promising very quick and decisive action on lowering the price of gas and groceries. He insisted this would be done quickly, starting on Day One.
Of course, he won the 2024 election. And also of course, those too good to be true campaign promises proved to be exactly that: too good to be true. Not only has the price of gas and groceries not gone down, but they have risen. In fact, the price of everything jumped up after Trump's games with imposing on again, off again tariffs. Within weeks, he announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico, then backed off (for a month) just days later. The next month, the tariffs were again announced, and once again, Trump backed off from them. Then came the disastrous, across the board tariffs on almost every nation (with some notable exceptions, like Russia and North Korea). Even some uninhabited islands mostly populated by penguins were not immune. Then, after the economy tanked, Trump backed off from the tariffs yet again.
What stellar leadership. What a visionary, eh?
Now, let us remember that Trump's tone and promises changed literally as soon as he won the election. Suddenly, he no longer seemed to put much distance between himself and the unpopular Project 2025, which he had made a point of distancing himself during the campaign. He also admitted that lowering the price of groceries would be difficult to do. Frankly, it appears that it was so difficult that he did not bother.
The worst - at least to me -began within weeks of him winning the election. Once again, he betrayed his fixation on obtaining Greenland for the United States. He then spoke of possibly using the military to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, and also using the military to straighten things out in Mexico. Later, he spoke of boots on the ground for an American takeover of Gaza, where he would build a Mediterranean Riviera. And let's not forget his systematic undermining of Canada as an independent nation, and continually suggesting that Canada should simply be absorbed into the United States and become the "51st state."
People around the world grew alarmed. Now this man was outright talking about taking over much of the rest of the world, and using the military like pawns in his little chess game (actually, Trump always felt more like a checkers kind of guy, rather than chess). Was this guy talking about starting World War III? Fears were not quelled after a disastrous meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in February.
Polls began to show that Americans - particularly Republicans of the MAGA persuasion - had a growing suspicion and dislike of Canadians and Greenlanders, as well as other outsiders.
Surprise, surprise.
And gone was any substantive talk of lowering gas and grocery prices. Suddenly, the brainwashed drank the orange Kool Aid again. He told them to be patient, which has never been something that loyal MAGA cult members have been known for. Yet, they now are preaching patience to the rest of us. They assure us that Trump knows what he is doing. Just be patient, and wait and see.
Right.
As if all of this were not ridiculous enough - it would be comical if the consequences were not so damn serious - Trump's delusions of grandeur now seem in overdrive. Recently, he literally suggested that he not only runs the country (apparently, the system of checks and balances and the division of power between the three branches of government be damned), but he in fact rules the entire world. Here are his own words, unaltered:
"I run the country and the world."
The emperor really wears no clothes now, eh?
We all know that Trump lies and will say or do anything to get what he wants. And we all know that he has an absurdly inflated ego and never ceases to betray his own very high opinion of himself.
But really, is there no limit to what the MAGA cult will believe? At what point do some of them, in numbers large enough to actually matter, begin to feel that this guy really has gone too far? That maybe he is not the savior he portrays himself as?
Again, all of this might feel like a joke, and could even be funny, if it was not so damn serious. Because this guy is the President of the United States, duly elected. He literally can have his finger on the button any time that he wants. And let's remember that he apparently did not understand why the United States should not use nuclear weapons, and seemed to reject the cautious responses that military officials provided for him.
This is not a joke. We Americans are increasingly gaining a reputation for being stupid. And let's face it: it seems like we too often are bending over backwards to justify that reputation, frankly.
‘I Run The Country And The World,’ Trump Boasts In Interview Sara Dorn Forbes Staff Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics. Follow 2 Apr 28, 2025,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/04/28/i-run-the-country-and-the-world-trump-boasts-in-interview/
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