The Same Ol’ Trump Song & Dance

Trump is doing his dance once again, singing a weave of lies, blame, and misinformation mesmerized and fooled so many in 2016 and 2024.

That must be qualified. Some were fooled because they weren’t paying attention. They liked Trump’s sound bites about affordability, releasing the Epstein files, and no new wars.

Stalwart MAGAts were not fooled. They knew what Trump was, and they liked it. Trump talks about hating others, and they like that because they hate others, too. Trump also blames the ones he hates for what happens to him, and those stalwarts like that because they like to blame the ones they hate for what has happened to them.

White Evangelicals weren’t (mostly) fooled. They’re interested in a Christian nation, as long as they can re-define Christianity (and American history) in ways that make them feel righteous and justified in hating others and preaching hate.

The wealthy were not fooled, either. They see Trump as a wealthy but useful idiot, cutting regulation, encouraging greed and profiteering as long as they gave him a taste.

Nor were the rock-hard conservatives like the Heritage Foundation fooled. They also saw Donald Trump and his stalwart base as useful tools for breaking the norms and precedents established through 250 years of existence as a nation. They disliked the direction of the country because it was too liberal and progressive, and they really prefer kings and dictators.

Those are the groups who sit in Trump audiences, regurgitating “Lock her up” and “Let’s go, Brandon”, limited in scope about what they’re able or willing to see and accept. Despite the blue wave of the 2026 midterm elections, those are the groups Trump is trying to win over again.

Just watch Donald Trump’s 2026 song and dance.

First: Trump thinks himself very popular. Why, if he was on the ballot, the results would have been very different. Even though all the accepted and respected polls tell Trump that most of the nation dislikes and disapproves of him, he insists otherwise.

Second: the blue wave wasn’t Trump’s fault. Even though Trump campaigned for others and urged Republicans to come out and vote like Trump was on the ballot — REPUBLICANS LOST.

So Donald Trump decides that it’s because all those other Republicans are losers.

Third: Donald Trump is very contrite in an interview. Yes, I went through this yesterday, and some media, as they so frequently did with Trump, tried to humanize and normalize him.

How long did that last? Why, within a few days, Trump was doing his regular dance moves.

Fourth: The midterm elections were stolen!

Gasp! How is that possible! It’s never been claimed before — except, of course, by Trump and MAGAts, people who can’t believe they lost and refuse to accept the evidence right before their eyes.

Fifth: Trump announces, gosh, the Iran war is ‘effectively over’.

Donald Trump has declared the Iran war he started as over, effectively over, or won before, and told the world that it would be over in a few weeks when he started the war over eight months ago.

Donald Trump also said he would not start wars, that he would stop war.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Donald Trump also said he never promised he would never start a war.

Next, Trump, said that he believes in freedom of the press, attacks a reporter for asking the questions which freedom of the press demands. Then he’ll blame the ‘fake news’ for the election results.

The next step will be Trump declaring that the economy is doing great! Prices are already coming down! They’re coming down fast! We’re in a golden age. A gaggle of distractions will be released, like this one, trying to change the subject.

Next, we can expect Trump to blame former Presidents Obama and Biden. Why, it’s their fault.

It’s the same ol’ song and dance that Trump was doing in 2015 – lie and blame others. Accept no responsibility. As the blue wave demonstrated in November of 2026, Trump’s song and dance is so yesterday.

A change is needed. The blue wave was the beginning, but a lot of work remains to be done.

Trump Has Got A Brand New Weave

Gotta love that Donald Trump, don’t you? So very, very predictable, always wanting credit for how great he thinks himself, while shedding responsibility like a rattler shedding its skin.

Appearing on CBS’s revamped “60 Minutes”, Trump was contrite about the ICE raids and his anti-immigration policy. “It was too tough. I think it might be too tough,” Donald Trump said.

Before his contrite admission was even aired, Trump promoted Stephen Miller to be his White House Chief of Staff. Miller, who was the primary architect of the immigration policy which might have been ‘too tough’.

Trump makes it sound like, well, gosh, he had little control over it. Because anyone in charge of something can change it, right? Especially if they don’t like how it’s going. And the way that Trump kept framing it, repeatedly insisting that the midterms were lost due to “bad messaging”, doesn’t show that he didn’t like policy; it was the public’s response which bothered him.

And then, Donald Trump promoted the person in charge of it — Stephen Miller — and gave him more power.

How very contrite.

CNN wrote it up as a ‘striking acknowledgement’. Please, Donald Trump acknowledged nothing. Trump merely gave cover to himself, trying to lull people and get them to lower their guard.

A truly contrite person would have said something like, “We’ve already made changes.” Trump didn’t say that, and won’t, because this is just a PR stunt.

Trump also declared that he has no idea that he’s making money or how much he’s making. He doesn’t know what stocks he has…

Yet, Trump was upset with his lawyer’s husband when he made a chunk of millions, mentioning

Just in, more consistently than the sun’s rising and setting, Trump has spun back. Donald Trump originally said that he accepted the elections results. Less than a week later, he’s gone back on what he said.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Donald Trump’s new weave is just like his old weave — misinformation, lies, and fantasies. Diehard MAGAts will eat it up.

The rest of We the People have had our fill. We have learned from watching and listening that Trump makes promises, breaks promises, and goes on, pretending like everything is great as it all falls apart.

Remain on guard. More weave is coming.

Friday’s Theme Music — Notorious

Ashland, southern Oregon – Friday, October 30, 2026.

Octobers is sliding home. On to November – highly anticipated, fraught with tension and holidays, November. Many think change is needed. Disagreement still fills debate about what change is required.

It was another cold night last night, 34 F. Today is bleakly sunny with faded, slanting sunshine and a high in the low 50s.

My wife and I are going to a movie tonight at the Varsity Theater. “Wicker” is finally out, a movie starring Olivia Colman, Peter Dinklage, and Alexander Skarsgård, my wife has been looking forward to it for months. Based on a short story, the movie is a romantasy comedy about a woman who commissions a basket weaver to make her a man made of wicker.

Mom and I talked on the phone for another 30 minutes today. Her voice doesn’t carry well and her thoughts seem to scatter. She’s free of her UTI for today, and her birthday went well as my other sister, Lisa, visited her. Gina went by today, dropping supplies off for Mom. Gina also will take Mom to her doctor appointment on Tuesday and take Mom to vote. Peace is at hand for a day.

Like many, I’m waiting to see what happens on election day next week. Mail slowdowns have been spotted so people have voted early in reaction. Trump’s Department of Injustice is already attempting to influence and challenge election results in several states. Whispers keep circulating about ICE being deployed to voting locations or other ‘strong man’ intimidation tactics. Trump insists without evidence that it’s needed because others will cheat. Well, we can smell that trumpshit, because we’ve smelled it before.

Trump is notorious for being indifferent to the law – or anything and anyone who isn’t him. When it comes to his welfare, wealth, image, and legacy, he’s very concerned. Not so much when it’s anyone else.

Donald Trump has failed in so many ways. Economy, healthcare, national debt, war, popularity, cell phone, crypto, tariffs, trade agreements. He even failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. He’s only won fake prizes created to appease him.

And his approval and popularity are getting lower and lower, especially compared to former President Obama. President Obama is filling places, getting cheers, and grabbing headlines. He’s very popular. People came away from President Obama’s speeches saying, “President Obama is so smart, and he looks so good. Wasn’t that another great speech?”

Trump is winning empty seats and crickets. He’s very unpopular. People come away from Trump’s erratic rants wondering, “What the hell was he saying? God, he looks so sick and unhealthy. I think he’s going to die soon.”

So, we’ll see what Trump. Tries. Next.

“Notorious” by Duran Duran is today’s theme music. Yes, The Neurons plugged it into the morning mental music stream after I used the word notorious while discussing Trump with my wife this morning.

Although it was released in 1986, the song has some lyrics which fit well with the Trump practice of making and blowing off promises.

Sample Lyrics

Girls will keep the secrets so alone the boys making noise
Fools run rings to break up something they’ll never destroy
Grand notorious slam (bam) and who really gives a damn for a flaky bandit
Don’t ask me to bleed about it I need this blood to survive

You own the money you control the witness I’ll leave you lonely
Don’t monkey with my business you’ve paid the profits to justify your reasons
I’ve heard you promise but I don’t believe it that’s why I done it again
No no notorious, notorious, notorious

I can see references to the Epstein files via ‘girls will keep secrets’ too. Ditto, ‘fools run rings to break something’. Damn, that pretty well summarizes the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025: let’s break everything so white rich people can rule and make more money!

I hope these final days of October of 2026 find you in good health and good spirits. May you keep both through the coming months and many years beyond.

Cheers

Trump – Rolling Out the Oldies

Donald Trump is desperate. The signs continue to accumulate. Assistance programs, bribes, and ‘dividends’ spring out of Trump’s mouth on a daily basis.

Then, though, came a Donald Trump Golden Oldie:

Donald Trump made this announcement yesterday, October 20, 2026, at a rally in Texas.

OMG, how I laughed when I read that. Who believes it at this point? I easily found an article that pointed out that during Trump’s first administration, Trump made 32 announcements along the same lines. None of his announcements about a healthcare program advanced beyond Trump’s claim that it was coming.

Well, I imagine that Trump will trot out some of his other promises now. Like, “No new wars!” Or, “I will end the Ukraine war.”

Perhaps Trump will roll out his ever-popular MAGA chant, “Lock her up!”

Or he’ll boast — again — about ending the national debt, which is climbing fast on his watch, or lower prescription drugs by “thousands of percent.”

Trump is already on again about Somalis.

Trump, 80, says Minnesota now has fewer lakes thanks to Somalis

And in that speech, of course, he deprecated Somalis without quoting any facts, just feeding hate and anger.

Then Trump went off in another text rant.

Trump, 80, Unravels in Bizarre Typo-Riddled 1:37 A.M. Rant

This one had him claiming that he, Donald Trump, MANDATED that data centers must blah blah blah. He claimed a power he didn’t have with no plans to enforce it — unless, probably, those companies are willing to pay him a ‘dividend’.

The WTF has gone on for so long, the WTF Meter broke. But expect more, because Trump is spinning with desperation. Donald Trump’s blizzard of bullshit is going to intensify.

Please. Vote Blue in 2026.

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

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.

Friday’s Theme Music — Gigantic

Ashland, southern Oregon — October 2, 2026.

It’s a summery fall day with a spring feel in our area. A thin, waning moon hides behind a screen of nebulous clouds in a bright blue sky. Sunshine splashes off the autumn foliage with eye-watering vividness. We’re at 68 F, on our way to 85.

October always means birthdays in my family. Too many of the people we’d fete have gone through the secret door. But I set up reminders to buy cards during the digital dawn. The reminders come up, reminding me that I need to take them down.

It amuses me that the reminders have survived a succession of computers, laptops, and software updates, yet my regular processes are often maligned or broken. As Laura put it in a comment on my current WordPress issues, “In order to serve us better… (worst phrase in the English language!) …”

Yes, when they tell us, they’re often putting icing on a turd.

No, my WordPress tags do not work today. Hearing that Laura was also a comfort in the ‘it’s-not-just-me’ sense.

As I went through the news headline progressions today, I thought, what a gigantic friggin’ mess the world is becoming. I modified my appraisal a few times. The world has always been a gigantic mess. Usually, though, if we found out we were making the world worse, we would try to fix things. With Donald Trump on the scene, our government actively works to make the gigantic mess an even larger mess.

Which led to my conclusion, Donald Trump is a gigantic jackass.

This headline helped cement that conclusion:

Third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops head to Mideast as Trump weighs new Iran strikes

Most striking here are, well, so many thoughts. Like, it’s Trump weighing new strikes. Said he was a peacemaker. Unifier. Said the war was over. Said it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Yes, that Trump.

SMFH

Verifying Trump remains a gigantic liar and ignorant buffoon, I read the story following this headline:

When Trump boasts about donating his presidential salary, be sure to read the fine print

  1. Trump inflates is salary from $400K to $550K.
  2. Trump is not the first or only to donate is salary.
  3. All of this is easily found and verified via the Internet so, WTF is he making these claims?
  4. Donald Trump is a gigantic jackass.

Which brings us to Your Trump Quote of the Day:

It’s another Trump broken promise, as Trump reported making over $1B while being in office in 2025. That doesn’t include his golf and travel scams.

That brings me to a song by The Pixies, “Gigantic”. The Neurons plugged the song into my morning mental music stream but the song doesn’t really fit. It only connects with my thinking via that one word, gigantic.

Sample Lyrics

“Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let’s have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let’s have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul, let’s have a ball”

[Chorus: Kim Deal & Frank Black]
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love

[Verse 2: Kim Deal]
Lovely legs, they’re a…
What a big black mess, what a hunk of love
He’d walk her every day into a shady place
He’s like the dark, but I’d want him

Nevertheless, I like the song — especially Kim’s voice.

May your day be full of gigantic good news and good times

Cheers

Thanks for the Broken Promises, Donald Trump

Today ends the ninth month of 2026.

Just a little month than a month and a few days remain until the November midterm elections. It’s a good time to reflect on what Donald Trump promised and what Donald Trump delivered.

Back in 2024, Donald Trump promised no new wars. At the end of Feb, just seven months ago, Trump started a new war with Iran. Donald Trump has since claimed we won the war or that it’s over or that it’s almost over over 30 times.

How can anyone still believe anything Donald Trump says about the war with Iran after that?

Donald Trump’s story about his relationship with Epstein and the Epstein files shifts just as much.

From that quote, Trump drifting into telling us that he barely knew Epstein.

““Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach,” Trump said in 2019 soon after Epstein was charged. “I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan.”

When asked in 2024 while he was running for office, Donald Trump said that he would release the Epstein files if elected. Almost two years into his second term, they still haven’t been fully released, and Trump’s DOJ continues to avoid doing so, despite a law saying he would.

While campaigning in 2024, Donald Trump assured voters he would lower prices, vilifying President Biden’s economy as he did.

Now AAA national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.43. By comparison, the national average in September 2024 hovered between $3.06 and $3.24, meaning drivers are paying roughly $1.20 to $1.37 more per gallon today than they did two years ago.

Many food prices are higher this year than they were in 2024, especially beef, coffee, chicken, and fruit and vegetables.

Thanks, Donald Trump, for breaking all of these promises and assurances.

Thanks to Donald Trump’s arrogance, Americans can no longer see the White House’s East Wing. Donald Trump demolished it to build a new ballroom. Donald Trump claimed that balloom would cost Americans nothing because donors were paying for it all. Now Trump insists that the ballroom is being build for ‘national security’.

We the People will pay about $1B for a project we didn’t ask for and Congress never approved.

It’s like renting your house to someone. While they’re living there, they tear down part of it because they’re living there, so they assume they have the right to change it as they want.

These things are not even the top of the mountain, and Trump has brought a mountain of disaster to the United States and the world. Today’s headlines will help keep us focused on what a disaster Trump is in his second term of office.

The Government Rolled Back Fuel Economy Standards. Here’s How Many Lives It Will Cost

Only Trump Would Spell United States Wrong in an Executive Order

Donald Trump embarrassed as NFL ratings claim is contradicted

Trump Used to Be Good at Attacking the Press. Things Have Changed.

From the horse’s mouth: Trump’s comment on his presidency becomes accidental self-own

That last headline leads us to your Trump Quote of the Day:

Renaming AI to something else is Donald Trump’s latest effort in the Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! playbook. As with many other things, Donald Trump, arrogant and ignorant, thinks that just because he thinks of something and says it aloud, it’s so.

Desperate to make something out of nothing because 2026 has been such a horrible year for Donald Trump, he tried to make it look like he was being praised for being great.

Instead, he stupidly confessed that he’s doing a shitty job.

Couldn’t have said it better, Donald Trump.

Couldn’t have said it better.

Trump’s Slipping Masks

Trump has worn masks all of his life.

Yeah, Trump put on masks as genius, intellectual, historian, grass keeper, builder…

Avoiding military service, Trump went to a military school and has since pretended he’s tough as a marine, as knowledgeable as admirals and generals.

Given hundreds of millions of dollars, power, and name when he was young, Donald Trump wore a mask as a self-made businessman. Masquerading as a leader, he’s trying to become a trillionaire via grift and political corruption.

Married three times, he’s worn masks as a faithful husband and doting father. Holding a Bible, he wore a mask as a Christian and paid money to hide his affairs.

Wearing a mask as a good friend to Epstein, Trump then put a mask that he would provide the truth, and now keeps trying to put on a mask that he had little to do with Epstein.

What wouldn’t Trump do to advance himself?

Well, tell the truth. Face reality.

Trump’s masks slip off his face so fast these days, it’s almost as if the masks are rejecting him. During his inauguration, Trump tried masking himself as a unifier and peacemaker.

Since that time in 2025, Trump:

  • Established immigration policies which ordered ICE to surge multiple times, brutally rounding up people, deporting them without due cause, detaining, shooting and killing US citizens
  • Directed the US Navy to attack boats in international waters, murdering 234 people without due process or evidence
  • Ordered the US military to kidnap President Maduro of Venezuela, again without court orders, due process, or evidence
  • Commanded the US military to attack Iran in 2025 to destroy their nuclear capability
  • Began a war with Iran to overturn their government and destroy their nuclear capability — which he’d already claimed to have destroyed, despite his promise of no new wars

Trump claimed he would Make America Healthy Again. Despite that slogan, the number of rural hospitals closing continues without slowing down. The hospital closures through 2026 are highest in Texas (39), Tennessee (19), Mississippi (17), and Oklahoma (17). All of these are red states who carried Trump back into office in 2025.

Measles outbreaks is at the highest levels in the United States since 1991, thanks to Trump’s healthcare policies and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Trump campaigned against President Biden and Vice President Harris on affordability. Now affordability is a major crisis for many Americans, completely tearing the mask off the person making those claims that he cared about them and would lower prices.

The worse mask Trump wore, though, was the one that he would govern in accordance with the Constitution and the laws and norms which bind our politics. Trump tossed that mask aside on day one. He began by Installing a billionaire, foreigner, and unelected individual, Elon Musk, to an official government position. Musk, via DOGE, fired employees, cut Congressionally authorized spending and programs, and ignored the checks and balance and agencies established via 250 years of trial and error, law, and votes.

That was only the beginning. Trump has since completely abandoned the masquerade that he’s for free and open democratic elections. Through Republican surrogates and toadies, he’s pushed for lines to be redrawn to favor Republicans. Using executive orders as imperial decrees, Trump personally attacked mail-in voting and is using the USPS and DHS to reduce its effectiveness — even though Trump uses the mail to cast his votes.

Classic Trump Double Standards. He never could find a mask to hide that one.

Trump’s masks fooled enough people that he was voted into office twice. But now, approach the midterms, enough of Trump’s masks have fallen away to expose all of his corruption and ineptitude.

Anyone voting for Trump now is voting to continue that corruption and ineptitude, regardless of the reasons they give for supporting Trump.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg of corruption under Trump. We’re not sure how much of it is concealed. Growing evidence such as Trump’s exploding wealth and the number of pardons he’s issued led many of us to think that the corruption is enormous.

Vote blue in 2026 so We the People can begin again to try to have and hold a democratic republic.

Trump’s Backwards Thinking

It’s more of here we go again, the same damn thing after another.

Today’s political headlines are about Trump rolling back CAFE regulations to lower car prices.

Trump approves new fuel economy rules, says car prices will fall

Trump says he approved new fuel economy standards ending Biden-era electric vehicle mandate

Yes, let’s pause to consider the logic of this. Gas prices are high and will probably go up more with current global variables, so let’s gut the mileage requirements for new cars.

It’s not a surprise that this comes from the same Trump logic that declared that prescription drug prices would be reduced 100% or more, the same fine intelligence that claims elections are stolen without presenting evidence, the same weak thinking that pushes raising tariffs on products won’t affect prices because other countries, companies, manufacturers will pay for them.

Right.

Let’s file this under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!

It’s another Trump attempt to distract people from how poorly things are going for them under Trump. Previous Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! actions include demolishing the White House East Wing to build the ballroom and distract people from Trump’s relationship with Epstein. Trump then tried distracting We the People with a summer of celebrations, much as Hitler used the 1936 Olympics and Rome used games in the coliseum.

This phase of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! specifically targets several favorite MAGA and Republican areas: regulations, electric cars (and ‘green’ initiatives’), and car prices, specifically how manufacturers wring their hands and declare, “Woe is me, we could make much cheaper cars if it wasn’t for those darn regulations!”

From what I read, these regulations will require three to seven years to get merged into the design, manufacturing, and sales of cars. So these are no immediate savings as Trump is insinuating.

Meanwhile, Trump claims it will save people buying new cars about $810M. But industry experts say that high gas prices will cost more than double that in the meantime.

As a result, Trump is trying for cheap headlines and distractions from the affordability crisis and the war with Iran. Trump’s war with Iran goes on; oil, gas, and diesel prices remain high because of that war. Trump has no clearcut objectives or timelines, and no exit strategy.

Hence, a distraction.

Ultimately, these Trump moves will move the United States further out of step with the rest of the world. As EPA standards for clean air and water are dropped, our air, water, and land quality will decline, affecting the tourism industry. Respiratory illness will probably increase, causing a decline in student and worker health, lower productivity, higher healthcare costs, higher insurance costs, and increased absenteeism.

We know these things will likely happen because we experienced it before. By paying attention to history and facts, we can predict the outcome of these actions. Or, equally effectively, we can look at other nations who lack these regulations, and how it affects them.

We know that’s not what will happen. Trump is taking the United States back in time. As the US pivots back to fossil fuels in its power plants and internal combustion engines, led by China and Europe, the rest of the world will race forward with electric cars and green power initiatives.

And Trump and the oligarchs will grow wealthier.

That’s why voting blue in the 2026 midterms matter.

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