Trump: More Signs of Fear & Desperation
Riddle me this.
Donald Trump made a deal with Russia for diesel fuel. Russia supplies and backs Iran. Iran and the US are at war. The amount of diesel is small in comparison to the world’s needs and will take time to ship and deliver, but Trump did the deal in a desperate hail Mary to garner some political capital before next month’s midterms.
How does this make sense?
The answer is that it doesn’t. Donald Trump is so desperate, it has him spinning.
Just last month — less than thirty days ago — Trump signed a sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill intended to clamp down on Russian energy revenues. Those sanctions would choke off funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Easing these less than a month later undermines everything he said those sanctions would do and the reasons for imposing them.
That brings us to your Trump Quote of the Day:
When Trump made that statement, he accused China and India of funding the war between Russia and Ukraine by continuing to purchase Russian oil and called out NATO allies for failing to cut ties with Moscow’s energy sector.
Now, invoking classic Trump Double Standards (TDS), Trump made a deal with Russia for fuel, which will be used to fund the war.
Ukraine responded to Donald Trump’s duplicity by bombing and setting fire to Russia’s export terminals. That’s good strategy. As Trump pointed out, exporting oil and fuel funds Russia’s war with Ukraine. Cutting off that venue reduces Russia’s war fighting abilities.
Not to Donald Trump. Oh, no. Trump responded by threatening Ukraine’s president:
“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
That’s up to the Ukrainian voters, Donald Trump. That’s how a democracy works. Like many other things, you don’t get that yet.
Why should Ukrainian voters replace President Zelensky? Zelensky didn’t start a war with another country and has been holding the aggressor off.
In fact, looking at how the war with Iran is going for Trump, President Zelensky is doing a much. Better. Job.
Maybe Trump wants Zelensky replaced because Zelensky is so much better at being a war president than Donald Trump, and Donald Trump knows how he pales in comparison.
Comparisons in which Trump comes off looking the worse — and there are many — always anger Trump.
Just as with so many other Trump endeavors and promises, Trump proved again how ignorant and incompetent he is. Donald Trump proved again that his words and actions mean nothing.
Donald Trump proved again that he cares nothing about anything or anyone except himself — his wealth, his image, his power and position.
And Trump proved again, as he has done innumerable times before, he is not a leader and has no principles.
I’m tired of this narrative. I’m tired of Donald Trump’s lies, betrayals, hypocrisy, and duplicity, and I’m sick of his corruption, bullying, and hate mongering.
And I’m thoroughly disgusted with the GOP’s complicity in all that Trump does.
It’s time for a change.
Trump knows it.
That’s why he’s so desperate — desperate and afraid. It’s TACO all over again.
Friday’s Theme Music – Big Time
Frida, October 9, 2026 — Ashland, southern Oregon.
Our hot, summerish streak is holding, with blue skies and sunshine. Clouds are sprinkled across the blue to keep it from being pristine, making the reds, golds, and oranges splash in bright, picturesque ways. Today’s high is 78 but the sun has a strong, sustained warmth.
I haven’t been doing the theme music for a few days. One, busy. Two, I had “Dirty White Boy” by Foreigner stuck in my head, yet, sans clear and apparent reason. The Neurons finally cleared the music out this morning, leaving me with an empty morning mental music stream.
Didn’t take long for reading the political news to fill it.
Don Jr. scrambles to calm furious MAGA voters
Then there was a Digby article which brought home our sense of things with me, my wife, and Donald Trump.
Are Americans Tired Of Being Suckers?
My wife and I received our $90 Trump bribes. Inspired by a friend’s response, we donated our bribes to blue candidates in tight races.
I also received a letter from the IRS. Something about they’ll match my IRA contribution this year. And, if I don’t have an IRA account, I can go to TrumpIRA to set up a high quality, low cost IRA.
My wife and I laughed. “I don’t trust anything with Trump’s name on it,” she said.
I agreed. “The promise of a high-quality, low-cost IRA with Trump’s name attached to it is as meaningful as Trump’s other promises and efforts. Like ‘no new wars’, ‘lower prices on day one’, the ‘Ukraine-Russia war ending immediately, Donald J Trump’s healthcare plans, which went from a plan coming in two weeks to a concept to…nothing.
Expect nothing but greed and broken promises from Trump — even though he claims otherwise.
As Trump likes to claim things, many say that Trump is spiraling. My wife and I think the same, with me adding, “Big time,” as we talked about it.
That invited The Neurons to bring in Peter Gabriel with his song, “Big Time”, from 1986.
Sample Lyrics
The big, big city
I’ll be a big noise
With all the big boys
(So much stuff I will own)
And I will pray to a big god
As I kneel in the big church
(Big time)
I’m on my way, I’m making it
(Big time)
Oh, yes!
(Big time)
I’ve got to make it show, yeah
(Big time)
(Big time)
It’s so much larger than life
(Big time)
I’m gonna watch it growing
(Big time)
My parties have all the big names
And I greet them with the widest smile
Tell them how my life
Is one big adventure
And always they’re amazed
~snip~
And my heaven will be a big heaven
And I will walk through the front door
(Big time)
I’m on my way, I’m making it
(Big time)
(Big time)
I’ve got to make it show, yeah
(Big time)
(Big time)
It’s so much larger than life
(Big time)
I’m gonna watch it growing
(Big time)
(Big time)
My car is gettin’ bigger
(Big time)
My house gettin’ bigger
(Big time)
My eyes gettin’ bigger
(Big time)
And my mouth
(Big time)
My belly’s gettin’ bigger
(Big time)
And my bank account
(Big time)
Look at my circumstance
(Big time)
And the bulge in my
Big, big, big, big, big, big, big
Big, big, big, big, big, big, big
Big!
This song has a quality that I can easily ascribe to Trump’s thinking.
Hope your day is not spiraling and that you ascend to places where you feel healthy, happy, and comfortable.
Cheers
Trump Accelerates Distractions & Whining
What’s Trump doing today?
We ask that question every day at my house. We ask even though we know he’ll be lying, whining, distracting, and doing things that test the limits of law, ethics, and taste. We ask knowing that with polls showing the GOP and Trump as losers in the upcoming elections, Trump will be triggered and will increase the scale of distractions under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! to new heights.
Today, Trump is whining again about not winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It went instead to Navi Pillay. Congratulations to her!
I’m not surprised that Donald Trump didn’t win. In his worldview, killing people and destroying things mean peace. That’s not how the rest of the world tends to view peace. At 80 years old, you would think Trump would have learned by now that he has not. Trump demonstrated long ago that he lacks learning abilities — unless it’s about ways to gain and keep more money for himself.
Donald Trump has also proven to be vindictive. It wasn’t surprising that his administration immediately ordered more sanctions against the ICC after one of those former judges won the Peace Prize.
Trump thinks he’s done ‘far more blah blah Trump weave blah’ than the human rights activist, Navi Pillay, who won. Of course, Donald Trump has also rated himself as the greatest president ever earlier this year, another sign of Trump’s detachment from reality. Over in reality, historians and voters disagree with his assessment.
Polls since Trump released his assessment said that almost half Americans rank Trump as a failure. 65% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.
In other “we-don’t-really-need-this” Trump news, Donald Trump has announced that he wants to make one of his Florida golf resorts into a presidential retreat.
The letter announcing this latest move made my wife and I laugh and laugh. Summaries of the letter’s contents published in newspapers said that Trump International will pay for the improvements.
Sure.
I believe that, dont’ you? I’ll bank that right beside Trump’s promise to not golf if he won the election because he’s too busy.
That promise for Trump International to pay for the improvement carries the same weight of promise for Trump’s gold cell phones. I believe that Trump International will pay for it as much as I believe Trump’s previous claims that he would probably release the Epstein files, that private donors would pay for the new ballroom, and that that Americans would get a DOGE dividend because we’re making so much money as a nation.
I believe the assertion that Trump International will pay for it as much as I believe that Trump has lowered prices on everything since taking office, and that he lowered the price of prescription drugs by hundreds, even thousands of percent.
I believe this declaration as much as I believe that Donald Trump has fixed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, one — two — three times — no, wait, they’re still working on it.
I believe it as much as I believe that Trump’s tariffs will not raise prices. (Note: they HAVE.)
Assurances that Trump International will pay for it all carries as much water as a pail without a bottom. I believe it as much as Trump’s declaration that as part of his ‘bold agenda’, there would be no new wars.
In short, I don’t believe any of Trump’s promises, or any promises made by any organization or project with Trump’s name attached to it.
The evidence that Trump and his organization will not do what they say they will is overwhelming. Only people in cults or those who have an agenda which Trump serves will believe it.
I’m not part of either of those camps.
Big Lies, Broken Promises: Donald Trump
Trump has nothing but desperation and empty words as we count down to the midterm elections at this point.
He’s offered money. He’s tried distractions. Now he’s trying to gaslight people.
Let’s review a few of those promises Donald Trump says he kept!
Your Trump Quote(s) of the Day.
During the interview, which aired on “Meet the Press,” Mr. Trump also claimed he never promised not to get the U.S. into new wars.
“But on the campaign trail, Mr. Trump repeatedly pledged to “expel the warmongers from our government” and strongly hinted there would be no new wars, like was the case in his first term.
“I’m going to keep you out of wars, I kept you out of wars,” the president said in a July 24, 2024, campaign rally.
“And in his November 2024 victory speech, he said, “We had no wars. Four years, we had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS. We defeated ISIS in record time. But we had no wars. They said, ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop wars.”“
WATCH: Trump promises to ‘settle’ war in Ukraine if elected
President Donald Trump said in a new interview that he was joking when he promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in the first 24 hours of his second term.
Trump promised to replace ACA, said he would be too busy to golf, promised to lower the national debt…
Donald Trump warned us, though. Trump and his MAGAzens like to pretend that he’s an outsider.
But Trump is the political establishment in 2026. And to quote him, he’ll say anything to remain in power.
Which circles us back to Trump’s base:
Unfortunately for Trump, many of We the People have wised up to his multiple cons. That’s why Trump is so desperately trying to pretend that everything is really going great — including the war.
And yet, despite Trump’s claim, the Iran war goes on.
Donald Trump will never stop lying, cheating, and conning people. That’s why a strong Congress is needed now more than ever.
Republicans have shown that a few might protest what Trump does or says once in a while — usually to curry favor with voters — but overall, they are quite willing to let Trump continue what he’s done, regardless of what is happening to the nation.
Trump, the News, My Wife
My wife is pissed.
She unleashed a rant this morning, growing angrier as she spoke. The focus of her ire was dual: Trump and his remarks about Iran taking out a couple American cities, and the news coverage of it.
Actually, her ire grew because of how Nebraskans reacted, laughing and cheering. I don’t know which aspect of this pissed her off more.
First, she found Trump’s comments, made in a speech in Nebraska about Iran ‘taking out San Diego or Los Angeles’ as treasonous. “A President should not be suggesting things like that.”
What triggered her was the ho-hum coverage in so much of the media. “They’re writing it off as, oh, that’s just Trump being Trump! That’s one of the big problems with our country. They keep normalizing this insane shit that Trump says.” She went on with a louder, angrier tone about this.
Then, though, her anger punched through the roof as she talked about Nebraskans’ reaction. “They laughed and cheered. Oh, those are California cities! Who cares! Well, hello, Nebraska. What would you think if Trump suggested that Iran could take out Omaha. How would you feel then?
“Did they even think about what he was saying. Do they know how much California contributes to the economy? Think your fertilizer prices are high now? How much higher those prices are going to be if the ports of Los Angeles and San Diego are gone!
“California has a huge economy! Think of all the subsidies that the government would no longer be able to pay if two California cities are destroyed. And what about the radioactive fallout? What do they think, that it’s not going to spread to more of the country, that it’s not going to drift over the Midwest?
“And look how much of the military would be damaged! The Navy has a fleet stationed there, marines!”
She was furious by this point. “I don’t care why Trump said it. No American should cheer that. No human should cheer that kind of killing and destruction.
“Even if he was just suggesting that if he didn’t take action, nobody should be cheering the possibility of someone nuking and killing someone else.”
I think I correctly conveyed the gist of what my wife said. Hard to say, because she was going loud, fast — and angry.
Donald Trump’s Multi-Thread Approach
We’ve seen enough of Donald Trump to know his approach. He’s used them in business, interpersonal relations, and in politics. We know what to expect.
- Trump begins with lies, misinformation, and exaggeration to establish a position for himself. Facts, data, and history are all distorted or dismissed.
- After Trump repeats his position multiple times, Trump claims that only he can fix it, and talks about how great he is. He’ll often claim that he’s never wrong and that only he can see what’s going on. As part of this, he’ll frequently declare himself an expert, even often saying that he ‘probably knows more than anyone in the world’ about the subject. Anecdotes about others coming to him — often with tears in their eyes — will emerge. These thankful people shake his hand and tell him how great he is, that, “nobody else has ever done this before.”
- In the next stage, Trump makes dire predictions about how bad everything will be if he doesn’t get his way. Along the way, Trump now begins character assassination and name-calling of anyone who criticizes, questions, or opposes him. Others are dumb, stupid, horrible. They’re rapists, murderers, thugs. They come from shit-hole places.
- Trump will then stoke fears with angry tirades — commies, con jobs, hoaxes, woke! They’re taking advantage of you! They’re coming for you! They’re eating your pets, killing your babies, stealing your money, forcing their religion on you, taking your jobs!
- Distractions commence. Trump makes broad proclamations, announces a new project, a new trade agreement, new investments, new peace deals, new factories! He’s renaming something, he stopped another war, we’ve made so much money! Prices are going down, everyone is getting rich!
- Bribes, wheedling, and begging begin. Donald Trump offers money, often characterizing them as dividends. When the money can be found, the promise is fulfilled, such as the $1776 dividend to the military, where the funds were shifted from military housing. Or the more recent $90 Medicare dividend, where money was drawn from the Medicare improvement fund. More often than not, the money is never seen.
If you’ve been paying attention to US political news, you can see how Trump puts them together in his ‘weave’. Trump’s methodology creates a sort of chaos, like a toddler running through a dinner party.
Donald Trump doesn’t understand that many of We the People are as smart or smarter than him. Trump’s magical weave is nothing new to We the People who track what’s going on. His lies and broken promises were bound to catch up with him.
When his lies and cheating caught up with him in business, Donald Trump stiffed contractors and declared bankruptcy.
Trump can’t do those things in his current situation. Instead, he uses the Oval Office’s power to threaten, cajole, attack, and declare emergencies.
But more of We the People are onto his ‘weave’. They know that despite his claims, promises, and lies, prices are not going down, the war in Iran should never have been started and is not over, and that putting his name on more buildings does nothing to improve freedom, democracy, security, or affordability.
Trump’s weave is frayed and falling apart.
Vote Blue in November. It won’t ‘magically’ change things or automatically lower prices, as Trump likes to claim he will do, but it will help temper the whims and arrogance of the authoritarian now in office, Donald J Trump.
Quick Hits on Donald Trump & the 2026 Midterm Elections
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Don’t Read That Book
Just finished reading a book. Non-fiction, it’s by Michael Lewis. It’s called “The Premonition”.
The book is about the US government’s efforts to develop a coherent pandemic plan well before COVID-19 struck. A small group of people took deep interest in it and kept things going, even when the various presidents changed requirements. Most strikingly, we gained insight into Trump and his administration’s response to COVID-19.
Oh, I remember what Trump said about COVID-19. His quotes are burned in my mind.
Trump lied about how bad COVID-19 was and refused to commit the US government to any course to mitigate the virus’s spread. Donald Trump then told the states, “You’re on your own,” and finally, took credit for the vaccine’s quick development when he was barely part of the equation. He was a fan in the stand shouting, “We won,” after the game is over.
So, I urge you not to read this book because it will probably piss you off.
By reading that book right now, I see Trump taking the same course of action with the US education system. He’s dismantling the federal system and telling states, you’re on your own.
Donald Trump is pursuing his same ass-backward approach with climate change. He’s denying it’s a problem, deriding it as a con job or a hoax. When it’s finally too late, he’ll walk away and tell everyone, you’re on your own
Trump is already doing his COVID-19 shuffle with affordability and healthcare. When running for election, Trump extravagantly and frequently criticized President Obama’s healthcare plan, claiming, “I’m coming up with a better one.” Trump never did come up with a better healthcare plan.
Likewise, Donald Trump stumped on the affordability crisis in 2024. Oh, how terrible it is to live in President Biden’s economy, Trump screeched over and over. I will make it all better. I will lower prices on day one.
Well, it’s well past day one. Prices are much higher and heading even higher. Trump is already shrugging it off, telling us, “You’re on your own.”
It’s not that bad, Trump says. Prices are already falling.
Just as Trump did with healthcare.
Just as Trump did with COVID-19.
Survival Mode Dream
I was part of a military unit. A light colonel – a commander from my real life – led us. Something disastrous had happened, and we’d shifted into holding on, bracing for attacks and problems. Food, water, and fuel were all issues.
Second in command, we had a dozen people. All were much younger than the commander and me. The weather seemed consistently dark and cloudy. Rain was often falling.
I started out required to make suggestions to the commander. He then agreed or not, and gave orders. My suggestions were about needing shifts, requiring everyone to collect and bring food, man the place and keep watch.
We arrived back in the morning as scheduled. Still a dark, rainy day. Part of our structure was gone. I suggested to the commander, maybe we should move our people inside the rest of the structure, to get us out of the rain.
“No,” he said. “Put them on the covered porch.”
I ordered that, but saw at that point that my commander had recognized that I was thinking about things. Touching my shoulder, he told me, “Supervise them. Get them set up and ready.”
I agreed. We had an engine. It ran a generator which gave us electricity. I’d seen the commander add oil to it the previous day. I went to the engine to do the same. The way he’d done it before didn’t make sense with what I saw. This was a Chevy V8, and it was running. I knew it was important to keep the engine running. The engine steamed as rain drops hit.
I checked fluid levels. Gas, oil, etc., were all topped off. I worried that I was overlooking something and decided, I didn’t know enough about how the engine worked. I needed to learn more.
People reported in to work, bringing food and water with them, including doughnuts. Thanking the people for them, I ordered the doughnuts to be shared, encouraging everyone to eat.
Reports came in – I’m not sure of the mechanism – that enemy forces weren’t far off. I directed people to take positions as lookouts. Someone asked if we should launch a drone.
I knew we had a drone but we also had a plane. I directed that both be launched.
They were launched but we weren’t getting images from other. I went outside to see where they were in the sky, which had turned apricot but was marbled with gray and black. Craning my head back, holding my hat on, I couldn’t see the plane or drone.
My commander asked me what I was doing. I told him, and he replied, “Good idea.” Others came out to also look. None of us could see either aircraft.
“I think the enemy destroyed them,” I said with worry.
The situation is getting grim, I thought.
Dream end.
