Tag: inflation

Trump Flails Again!

Trump has become a bad television show or movie, one you stay with because it becomes so bad, it’s funny.

Unlike those television shows and movies, Trump is a real-life challenge to our norms and acceptable behavior, with far-ranging repercussions emerging from his action.

We rolled into Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — Election Day in the US — with Trump and his policies and administration growing less popular. Donald Trump has fired effort after effort to enhance his standing. He’s offered payments, subsidies, and benefits to offset the impact of starting a war in Iran, driving up prices, and causing death and chaos. He’s even portrayed himself as various respected people like superheroes and saints. Nothing is swaying the voters because the pain from Trump’s failures is cutting too deeply.

As part of Trump’s flailing desperation, he turned again to Iran. New attacks were launched, resulting in greater confusion and tension about what was going on with the war. Donald Trump previously said no attacks on Iran were planned and also mentioned that the war was over or won, that the war wasn’t a war, and that gas prices would quickly come down, soon.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Trump was trying to say that the US isn’t at war because there was no shooting going on — never mind the death and destruction already caused by the seven months of war already endured.

Unfortunately for Donald Trump, commander-in-chief, the US announced new military strikes on Iran shortly after Trump’s convoluted weave about what constitutes war. The timing between Trump’s defensive explanation and the new attacks left Trump looking like an a) an idiot, b) a liar, c) out of touch, d) not in charge, or e) all of these things.

Trump already attempted to reduce the impact of voting by mail. Recent elections showed more Democrats than Republicans voting by mail so Trump tried an end run, attempting to slow down the mail. This slowdown affected rural areas more sharply. Rural areas in the US tend to lean heavily Republican, so these postal measures have paradoxically created the highest risk of ballot rejection for the very demographic that Trump historically needs, rural voters.

Trump also attacked voter registration in California and other states, and tried intimidating state voting officials. In parallel, red states attempted to reduce voter participation by onerous voter registration and ID laws, closing voting locations, and prohibiting water in line.

With none of that working, Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! went into action.

Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! is Donald Trump’s recurring project to keep people distracted from what’s going on — especially bad things like a war not going as planned, prices rising across the board, and a rising national debt and a growing deficit. Worse than all of those things for Donald Trump is the specter of the Epstein files and what they tell about Donald Trump, and Trump’s declining popularity.

Under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!, Donald Trump has launched a succession of distractions. These include trying to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, demolishing part of the White House, starting construction of a new, gigantic White House ballroom, festooning the Oval Office with tacky gold decor, paving over the historic Rose Garden, tearing up a golf course, cutting down trees, arbitrarily declaring new names for places, sending ICE into US cities, abducting the sitting president of Venezuela, and of course, attacking boats at sea, killing people, and starting the war with Iran.

Whew! That’s not even a complete list!

The distractions aren’t working. In fact, many of them blew up in Trump’s face, acting as a catalyst to decrease his popularity and approval ratings.

Something had to be done. Something grand!

U.S. will stop $4B in aid to Israel at the end of the year, Trump says

I yawned when I read Trump’s latest desperate distraction.

There are a number of legal, political, and logistical impediments to Trump’s grand declaration. Besides those aspects, I’m dubious of Trump maintaining the focus and political will to do this. I put this alongside of many other Trump announcements, like eliminating the national debt, prices coming down on day one, no new wars, prescription drug prices being cut by hundreds or thousands percent, and stopping the Ukraine War before he even began his second term.

Donald Trump makes many promises. Few promises result in anything close to what he claims. Instead, he’s enriched himself, increased division in the nation, and is inflaming the affordability crisis.

A change is needed. I hope enough people realized this.

I hope a blue wave is sweeping the US.

Fingers crossed that it will make a difference.

16

Trump Double Standards

The political world had some fascinating headlines going this past weekend.

Five big reasons Republicans don’t deserve your midterm vote

Trump Tries to Trick Voters. They Treat Him to Pushback.

Trump cut funding for farmers — then unlocked billions for them before Election Day

That last headline is interesting. It highlights Trump’s patterns, IMO.

Trump likes to lie to win over voters (which some admire because he’s ‘telling it straight’ to them, in their mind). Then he makes solemn promises — over and over — about the great things he’ll do for people and the nation. Righteous declarations follow about who he is — a peace president who stopped eight wars, a unifier, a churchgoer who cares about everyone, a person who would never condone violence.

Then Trump broke many of his promises. Donald Trump often claimed that wasn’t what he said, that wasn’t what he meant, or that he was joking.

Next, Trump cut funding to programs and services. Some was done in secret, depending on the category of spending and how his ‘base’ feels about it. However and whyever Trump cuts, repercussions emerge. Experts often warn Trump and his supporters that those results will probably happen, but they ignore them, because TRUMP.

Then, lo, the results come in, almost as predicted. People become angry. If the angry people are part of Trump’s base, he slowly, belatedly, tries to fix things. Trump’s typical fix is usually a cash offer of dividends, subsidies, assistance. Those things sound terribly socialist, because such government handouts are branded as socialist by the right, but that’s okay; that’s Trump and his base.

That’s different.

It always is one standard for Trump and his supporters, and another for everyone else.

It’s the Trump Double Standard.

The debacle with the farmers can be traced across Trump’s second term.

Farmers’ problems began well before Trump came into office the second time as climate change, widespread heat, and drought changed weather patterns, and insurance costs skyrocketed. But I want to specifically address how Donald Trump’s actions actively worsened the situation for American farmers.

DOGE cut USAID funds because America First. As part of those cuts, the Food for Peace funds were cut. While the Food for Peace program fed people outside of the United States, Food for Peace bought billions of dollars of produce from American farmers. Just like that, that market was gone. Thank you, Donald Trump.

At the same time, funding for programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was frozen, leaving farmers who had already invested money into soil and water conservation projects completely in limbo regarding federal reimbursements. Thanks again, Donald Trump.

By this point, the financial strain from lost global markets, halted conservation rebates, and rising operational costs culminated in farm bankruptcies hitting a six-year high in 2026. Thank you again, Donald Trump.

Then, while farmers and most Americans were struggling to pay bills, Trump launched his war against Iran, immediately affecting global oil shipments and the international supply chain, resulting in higher prices for oil, diesel, and fertilizer for farmers. Thank you a fourth time, Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s solution for the problems he caused American farmers from the 2025 DOGE cuts, lost global markets, and higher prices from the 2026 Iran war was to throw money at it. Just days before the November 2026 midterms, the USDA scrambled to pledge $15 billion in emergency ad-hoc aid.

It’s too late for many farmers. They already declared insolvency. It’s also too late for those who are planning their fall purchases and next year’s crops. Not for the first time, Donald Trump, self-proclaimed expert in so many fields, failed to grasp the powerful negative impact of his decisions. And not for the first time, Donald Trump has No. Way. Out.

Thank you again, Donald Trump. Thank you for worsening the situation for farming in America. Thank you for raising the prices of food staples, oil, gas, diesel, and fertilizer. Thank you very damn much.

A change is needed. Vote blue.

0

Thursday’s Theme Music — Think

Ashland, southern Oregon — Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Another cold autumn night fell over us last night. I awoke this morning to 30 F and frost on the ground. A line of high and thing white clouds stretches over the blue sky. 36 F now, we expect a high of about 52 F today.

Happy birthday to Mom! I called and spoke with her for thirty minutes. She’d just had pizza for lunch as part of her birthday celebration, which the assisted living people did for her. They also presented her with a birthday cake for them to all to enjoy. Yellow cake with thick white frosting with yellow, purple, and pink flowers on it. Sheet cake. Mom was eating it while speaking with me. Our conversation was peppered with, “Oh, this cake is so good.”

My sister, Gina, complained that Mom is losing it because she paid for her rent with old checking account, and if Mom keeps doing that, that account will run out of money.

I resisted responding, yes, as you get older, change is harder to process. It doesn’t necessarily mean Mom is ‘losing it’. But changing habits and routines get more challenging as we age — especially since Mom didn’t participate in making the change. Gina made the change and forced it on Mom.

But I don’t think I would change Gina’s mind with those insights, so I’ll go on.

Mom had some coughing fits while I was talking to her and asked me if I could call her again later. So we agreed that I will call her again tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, the flowers I ordered her were delivered after our conversation. She should have them by now but hasn’t mentioned it. Maybe she’s saving it for tomorrow. *smile* She does that.

Back to politics. It’s asking a lot for some people, I know, but I hope they go into the 2026 midterms, think, and vote. Hard to do when Republicans are juking and jiving, avoiding giving truthful answers about anything and everything. They try to dismiss inflation by mentioning that it’s not as bad as it was under President Biden, while ignoring the practical ramifications of how much more things cost now. And the Iran war? Why, that’s necessary to save us, using the same kind of trumped up *sorry, not sorry* excuses used to invade Iraq.

So I hope people think and vote blue. Hope they realize that Donald Trump lies and breaks promises. Hope they think and understand that Donald Trump can’t be trusted. Hope people think and see that Donald Trump’s policies are not making America great in any sense of what that means.

I know I’m 1) a broken record about this (ha, ha, hope you’re old enough to understand the reference) and 2) that there’s a solid wall of Republicans who say, “Never Democrat”. 3) There’s also a group of voters out there who remain ignorant, some deliberately so, and 4) some MAGAts love the way Trump is tearing down the nation because of their framework, emotions, self-pity, or whatever.

So here is Aretha Frankling with “Think!” A rousing song, it’s one of The Neurons’ favorite songs and often haunts the morning mental music stream.

Sample Lyrics

People walk around everyday
Playin’ games and takin’ scores
Tryin’ to make other people lose their mind
Well, be careful you don’t lose yours

Ooh think (think)
Think about what you’re tryin’ to do to me
Woo-hoo, think (think)
Let your mind go, let yourself be free

I love this scene in the movie. Makes me grin and laugh every time. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Cheers

1

Tuesday’s Theme Music — Here we go

Ashland, southern Oregon — Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Here we go, another rainy autumn day, snow on higher elevations further north, shifting quickly from fall toward winter. Light blue splashes between white clouds smeared with gray. Rain rushes down and moves away. Another wave comes and goes.

It’s 42 F. Been 42 F since I got out of bed hours ago. High is supposed to be 48 F.

We’re all welcoming the rain. Lovely witnessing brown fields become green again.

Today’s music is “The Walker” by Fitz and the Tantrums. Came out in 2003. It entered my morning mental music stream today after I made my colonoscopy appointment. November 3 and 10 were offered first. But those are the Tuesdays after my next two BCG washes, so no thanks. The colonoscopy calls for a limited diet for the four days before the surgery, and the BCG can afford mood, energy, so on.

“The Walker” also fit my mood (and The Neurons’ thinking) because we’re closing on the national 2026 midterm elections. It’s like, here we go, just next Tuesday. Trump is already stumping that anytime someone he endorses loses, it’s a fake or stolen election — or ‘something smells’. Never offers any evidence, because there isn’t any. Now Donald Trump is offering money for reporting voter fraud.

Trump offers $1M rewards for reporting voter fraud in midterms

It’s another Trump stunt, another facet of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!

In effect, Trump is begging voters, “Please don’t judge me on my record. Don’t judge me on the desultory Iran war I began. Don’t judge me for not releasing the Epstein files. Please, please, don’t judge me on the affordability crisis and rising prices. And don’t judge me on the many lies I’ve made or the money my family and I made while in office. Don’t judge me for the pardons and the pay to play that’s going on.”

Trump was especially upset by how much better former President Barack Obama is polling compared to Donald Trump. Former President Obama is so much more popular than Trump! Showing how hurt and angry he is, Trump threw a fit on social media, ranting about Bill Maher. “Distraction, distraction, look at me, listen to me, love me!”

Trump’s justice department is trying to bring cases they failed to win before, and judges are slapping them around.

And Donald Trump is out there, trying to tell people that there is no inflation while grinning surrogates explain there is no inflation if you adjust for inflation.

Brace yourself, brothers and sisters. Here we go.

Sample Lyrics

Ooh, crazy’s what they think about me
Ain’t gonna stop ’cause they tell me so
‘Cause 99 miles per hour baby
Is how fast that I like to go

Can’t keep up with my rhythm
Though they keep trying
Too quick for the lines they throw
I walk to the sound of my own drum
We go, they go, we go, hey yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really mean it, mean it, so go
Gotta feel it, honey takes control
Really mean it, mean it

May this October day find you healthy and well, no matter what your season is.

Cheers

2

Saturday’s Theme Music — Gonna get wild

Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, October 24, 2026.

It’s a bright autumn day outside. Got cold last night, 32 F. Frost on the ground in places this AM. Up to 37 at this point. With high cirrus clouds, a bright blue sky, and sunshine slanting in from on high, a high of 68 F is projected.

As October closes, everyone is reminded to vote. My wife and I filled out our ballots and dropped them in the box on Wednesday. Oregon does all its voting ‘by mail’, although designation collection boxes are set in strategic locations. I used the one at the city library, beside the book drop off boxes.

Mom is angry. My sister, Gina, her POA is angry. It’s about spending, adult diapers, Mom’s sense of neglect, Gina’s resentment that Mom doesn’t appreciate her, etc. Mom’s birthday is next week. She texted Gina’s daughter that she’s looking for a lawyer. I should add, again. Mom looked for a lawyer a few previous times this year. I’ve stepped back from the fray. Gina dropped off diapers for Mom this morning but didn’t see Mom because Mom wasn’t in her room.

Like Mom, Trump is angry. Mom is also frustrated, and I think Trump is as well.

Trump has been bulldozing his way ahead, only stopping when absolutely forced to. It’s a struggle for the courts because Trump, as leader of the executive branch, is supposed to enforce the court’s findings. Declaring emergencies, diving for loopholes, Donald Trump speeds ahead on his reckless courses, challenging legal systems, lawyers, and opposition to stop him. As we’ve seen with SCOTUS rulings, the conservative Roberts Court remains ‘reluctant’ to rule against Trump until the damaging is clear and demonstrated. Trump counts on that.

Trump is also counting on distractions and whatever financial ‘dividends’ he can find to boost his standings. Trump’s WH announced a ‘rebalancing’ of the tariffs on goods from Canada. They’ll take effect on October 30.

Just like Trump’s deal to for Russian diesel, it’s another bit of too little, too late, as the impact won’t be felt until after the election.

It’s funny. Trump always insists that Americans don’t pay for tariffs. Yet, there he is, suspending tariffs on beef to help consumers (while hurting ranchers) and rebalancing tariffs on Canada to help Maine and the New England states. It’s like Trump may have been lying…

As Trump goes, so goes the GOP and many of their candidates. It’s laughable to hear the local Republican candidate, Brad Hicks, talk about “making things affordable again.” His solution is to cut regulations.

Yeah, cut regulations. That will do a lot to reduce the immediate costs of food, shelter, electricity, health insurance, healthcare, gas, oil, and diesel.

We have a fascinating local example about that. My wife belongs to the local Family Y. Her fees have gone up roughly 20% a year for the last ten years. This is supposed to be due to wage increases, renovations, etc. The larger note is that this is one of those things which keep increasing. BTW, people who work at the Y scoff at their pay and the increases they’ve seen.

Next month feels like it’s shaping up as a wild week. BCG washes end for me. Election day. Mom has several doctor appointments. I’m waiting to see what kind of surprises are handed out.

The Neurons responded with Quiet Riot in my morning mental music stream. They’re a pop metal band, I guess. The song du jour is “Cum on Feel the Noize”, a Slade song which Quiet Riot covered in 1983. Yet, when I hunted for a video to share, I stumbled over an Oasis cover and went with it.

The sample lyrics explain why it’s in my morning mental music stream.

Sample Lyrics

We’ll get wild, wild, wild
Wild, wild, wild

I expect it to get wild.

Hope, though, that your day is chill, free of wild swings, and rich with satisfying moments.

Cheers

3

Sunday’s Theme Music — Money in Our Pockets

Ashland, southern Oregon — Sunday, October 18, 2026.

It’s totes autumn today, with rich fall foliage decorating trees with red, gold, orange, and yellow leaves burying the greens. Sun is up, delivering tepid temperatures, putting us at 60 F right now. 72 F is in the future for the valley and its blue sky.

Nothing from Mom today, and I only recall one dream. It was another military-themed dream where my hair was out of reg.

Today’s music is by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The song, “Thrift Shop”, was released in 2012. My Neurons released it into the morning mental music stream as I read political news. Donald Trump is running on nothing but fear, trying to convince everyone that absolutely everthing will be much, much worse under Democrats. Republicans are pouring money into the 2026 midterm elections. So is Elon Musk, which should tell you how worried Trump and the GOP are at this point.

Trump has already tried buying votes. Donald Trump has offered seven different dividends or financial incentives for supporting him while crowing about how great everything is. Trump claims we’re in a new golden age in the United States.

But the actual numbers for most Americans show a completely different story. Compared to when Trump took office, most ordinary expense has increased for the majority of Americans.

  • Residential electric rates have steadily outpaced core consumer inflation. National averages climbed from roughly 17.5¢/kWh in 2025 to 18.31¢ – 18.83¢/kWh.
  • Grocery store inflation has significantly dropped down to 1.8% year-over-year. Heavy deflation in specific categories like eggs (-22.2%) has lightened the financial load for food, households are still facing steep localized spikes on beef (+9.4%) and coffee (+6.1%).

    Individuals purchasing coverage via the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace saw a premium spike of 20% to 30% following the structural expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits.This increase is directly attributed to Donald Trump’s signature act of 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

  • Gas prices are way up, as almost every driver can tell you. After averaging around $3.22 to $3.40 per gallon in 2025, national regular fuel prices rose above the $4.00 mark for historic stretches, peaking as high as $4.79 in May 2026 before leveling out to $4.33 – $4.47 per gallon. Most of these increases are tied to the war in Iran which Trump started in February, 2026, and the war in Ukraine, which Trump promised to end on day 1 of his second term.

It’s not surprising after noticing these price increases that “Thrift Shop” is playing in my morning mental music stream. Trump crows about how great things are but most people are worrying about how much money they have. Personal bankruptcies are up. Personal savings are down.

So. Much. Winning. For Donald Trump and his wealthy cohorts, like Elon Musk. They’re much, much wealthier now than they were before Trump took office in 2025.

May money worries leave you alone to enjoy the day, no matter who you’re with or what you’re doing.

Cheers

0

Friday’s Theme Music — Next chapter

Ashland, southern Oregon — Friday, October 16, 2026.

Another warm autumn day has climbed into the valley. Sunshine brings the trees to bright life, and a warm wind chants with confusion. 79 F now, we’re going to be in the 80 to 90 range, depending on where you are.

Mom’s partner, Frank, passed away a year ago today. I don’t like to linger on anniversaries like these. It just came to me last night. There’s sadness that he’s gone, joy that I knew him, and sympathy that he’s no longer part of Mom’s life.

Frank, though, was 95 and lived an interesting, full life. He raised a family and helped his sisters through their struggles. Widowed thirty years before, he and Mom found one another, enabling them both to enjoy another chapter.

Well, we already turned the page on Trump’s new press secretary.

Katie Zacharia Is Ousted After 5 Days as White House Press Secretary

My wife wondered if Fox News was going to run out of young blondes at the rate that Trump is going through them. Then what will they do?

I told her that I was sure that blonde MAGAts are out there, ready to jump into bed with Trump in whatever role he offers.

Looks like Trump may be moving on from Kristi Noem, too.

Kristi Noem out as special envoy to Shield of the Americas. What’s her new role?

It seems like Kristi Noem has managed to become so toxic, even Trump is distancing himself from her.

Watching Trump campaigning for the 2026 midterms, declaring that people should ‘vote like he’s on the ballot’, it’s apparent that many Republican candidates are distancing themselves from him.

In our area, Republican candidates are trying to even distance themselves from the GOP. They refuse to mention their party affiliation in their ads and commercials. When they talk about party, they often lip sync that they’re trying to bring balance, common sense, and affordability to voters in Oregon. It’s hilarious how they wrap themselves up in knots to avoid Trump and the GOP, promising that they’ll make things more affordable as Trump, in D.C., bellows that affordability is a hoax.

Truly headspinning.

Trump also launched another episode of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! This one showed Donald Trump running around, laughing and playing with a tiger. You could tell it was fake because Trump doesn’t laugh or smile. He smirks and growls, trying to project a tough guy persona, using old films as his inspiration.

Trump also said — again — that the war with Iran will end when he “wants it to end”. Rather arrogant, again. Has nothing to do with foreign policy nor military objectives, or rising costs and prices for oil, gas, food, fertilizer, shipping, construction and the many other things growing more expensive. Nor does it have to do with Trump’s concern for Americans and their ability to pay their bills and enjoy food and housing security. No. Trump makes it clear — again — it’s all about him, and nothing else.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Gas prices remain much higher under Donald Trump than they were during most of President Biden’s term in office.

Today’s music is “Turn the Page”. Originally performed by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, The Neurons unleashed Metallica’s cover in my morning mental music stream.

May your October day begin with happiness and end with joy.

Cheers

4

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.

1

Tuesday’s Theme Music — Fall

Ashland, southern Oregon. Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

First day of fall today in the northern latitudes. Autumn and summer have been fluttering in and out for the past few weeks. Leaves are rushing to change colors in some parts of the city. Other leaves are like, nah, not yet.

Temperature today will rise to 75 degrees from its current level of 61 F. Rain showers are considered possible though in my view out the window, the clouds aren’t the rain kind. They’re just thin, wispy white paste.

Mom asked my sister Gina to let her move back in with her. Mom insisted, she would never go upstairs and Pat, Gina’s husband, would not be allowed within six feet of Mom.

Of course, Gina said, no. Pat never did anything to Mom; we have video footage proving so. Mom was hallucinating, a combo of pain pills, other medication, and UTIs. But she insists that what Pat did was real. Guess it was, to her.

The White House has announced “Trump TV”. I laughed and shook my head at that.

It’s showing clips of Trump speeches. Trump thinks himself a great orator but he’s a terrible, stumbling speaker who doesn’t stay on topic. The clips will reveal this, reminding people of Trump’s grandiose promises about greatness, lies about his accomplishments, falling prices, refund and dividend checks, and how we won in Iran as the war continues seven months later. Trump is failing and falling in approval and popularity as a result.

I have spent time reading “Leaving MAGA” over the past two days. Started by a former MAGAzen, Rich Logis, a few years ago, this is a place where Trump supporters reveal what finally broke their willingness to support Trump. They’re not monolithic but very individual stories, although they often show common threads. Most stories tell of their slow spiral into anger, disillusionment, and conspiracy theories. They end up supporting Trump because they’re hoping for change. Then they begin to notice his inconsistencies and the scales fall from their eyes.

For example, Erica Roach:

“A doctored video circulated that made it seem as if Gates was saying he could kill more people with better vaccines. 

“Then Trump played up Operation Warp Speed, which led to the creation of the COVID vaccine. He called himself the father of the vaccine. He said he had saved millions of lives. That didn’t make sense to me.

“I started doing a bunch of research in the White House archive; I found Trump executive orders, including one setting up a national influenza vaccine task force. I learned that Trump had asked Bill Gates to be the White House science advisor.

“This all upset me terribly; Q had said Trump knew about the 16-year plan to destroy America, so why was he backing what I believed to be a depopulation tool?

Trump often tries to play both sides of the field simultaneously when making claims. For instance, when running for re-election in 2020, Trump claimed that the Democrat’s characterization of the coronavirus as a “hoax”.

Then Trump ran for re-election in 2024 and hammered President Biden’s economy, especially inflation. After Trump returned to the Oval Office, he dismissed affordability as a Democratic hoax.

When Trump ran for office in 2024, he warned that Democrats would begin new wars. Then he promised no new wars, and then attacked Iran — twice, in 2025, and 2026. We remain at war with Iran seven months after Trump initiated the attacks on Iran. He tries to sell the softer term, ‘conflict’, but has also notably referred to it as a war.

Most of the US caught on to Trump’s Double Standards, outright lying, and rhetorical flexibility long ago. I’m happy that some MAGAzens are also waking up.

Today’s music is “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” by the Kinks. When I first heard the song on their live album, I thought, oh, the Kinks have done a “Jumping Jack Flash” cover.

I was wrong. While it often sounds like that Stones song, this song was written about the United States needing help back in 1979. Took me a while to decode the lyrics back then. When I finally did, I was like, whaaat?

Sample Lyrics

Now I’m calling all citizens from all over the world
This is captain America calling
I bailed you out when you were down on your knees
So will you catch me now I’m falling

Help me now I’m calling you
Catch me now I’m falling
I’m in your hands, it’s up to you
Catch me now I’m falling

I remember when you were down
You would always come running to me
I never denied you and I would guide you
Through all of your difficulties

I thought of the song today because of our nation’s fluctuations in fortune. Davis wrote and sang about America needing help in the last century, how America used to reach out and help others. In the Trump era, the US has been withdrawing and reducing help. Instead, Trump uses economic clout and military threat to bludgeon others. Hasn’t been working well, with disastrous results for the US and its allies.

I hope you enjoy the first day of whatever season this day is for you, that it makes you smile now and look back later, and smile again.

Cheers

0

Your Trump Quote of the Day

Looks like Trump’s War on Iran is going to heat up more as the US attacked and destroyed three Iranian oil tankers.

Nothing like escalating a war to end it! Especially when Trump said the six-month war — or is it seven? — war was over months ago.

Well, I’m sure after all the attacks on Iran so far, Iran will now meekly submit — right? Sure. I have a Trump golf course to sell if you believe that. Based on previous responses, the Iranians will fight back. That’s what tends to happen when you kill and threaten to kill more. People get upset.

On other aspects of this escalation, sinking oil tankers is probably not good for the environment, and will be bad for oil, gas, and diesel prices. Might be bad for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, too, which might be bad for the global supply chain.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Of course, Trump did promise no new wars. Like everything else he does, he’s lying about what he said and meant. Just like when he told his first (and second) wife that he would love them forever and never cheat on them.

Just as he said he would never golf if he won the election because he would be too busy. Yet, We the People have spent over $100,000,000 on Trump’s golfing.

Just think of what We the People could have done to help the poor and sick. But no, Trump wanted to golf. Priorities, am I right?

Trump also claims that this is not a war. He’s just ordering the US Army, Navy, and Air Force to bomb things and kill people in Iran and on Iran ships.

Reading Trump’s quote shows the extent of his delusions. Trump claims ‘we had no equipment’ when he came into office. Sure. Search the net to find out how long it takes to build aircraft carriers like the USS Abraham Lincoln. Years, friends. Does Trump think he just snapped its fingers and ‘lo, there it was?

Likewise, the US military had huge numbers of personnel and armaments in place before Trump arrived. If anything, we’ve seen how Trump’s mismanagement and abuse of our military power is weakening the military.

As proven through the years, though, Trump is a lying idiot who fancies himself an expert on everything.

To the people like MAGAts who went to tear down everything, he’s perfect for the job.

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