I have never been a super patriot, the kind of person who flies the American flag at home or on my car.
I was opposed to the war in Viet Nam, opposed to our government building ten times more nuclear weapons than we needed for deterrence, and while a college chaplain I joined an educational group called World Without War.
But I have always been proud to be an American, have always rooted for American athletes in international competition, and on the few occasions when I have travelled abroad I have always come home feeling glad that the United States is my home.
I have never believed we were the greatest nation on earth, never thought that was necessary for us to be a great nation in the things that matter. You don’t have to be perfect, or the best, or the greatest to be proud of who you are. It’s knowing you’re not the best or perfect that keeps you humble, that there is always someone who can do things better than you can.
I say all of this as background to explain why I hate the Trump presidency as much as I do. He is tarnishing who and what we are as a nation, embodying the worst instinct, traits, and actions we sometimes manifest as if they are what make us a great nation.
Donald Trump is the quintessential “ugly American,” an arrogant, self-centered, condescending of others, spoiled brat of a rich kid you’d like to slap in the face if you ever had the chance.
The simple truth is that Donald Trump is beneath who we are as a nation. He doesn’t measure up, he demeans the office he holds, he stains it with dishonesty and corruption, all the while deluding himself that he’s the greatest president in history.
His first term was bad enough, but in the first three months of his second presidency he has sullied the name of the United States in every way imaginable.
And we know why he is out of control, because the Supreme Court conservative majority gave him a get out of jail free card he interpreted to mean he can do anything he wants to do without any legal consequences. On top of that, with a spineless Republican majority in the House and Senate, he knows he won’t be impeached again.
I wonder how anyone who actually cares about the country can support this man. Pages can be filled with the childish, petty, incompetent, foolish, stupid, and mean-spirited things he has already done without even a line on a single page listing anything good he has accomplished.
This is the man who says he will make America great again when in truth he makes a mockery of what being a great nation actually means.
The only thing anyone needs to know about Donald Trump is that everything, absolutely everything, he accuses other people of doing or having done, especially Joe Biden (it was Barak Obama is his first term), he is doing himself.
It’s called “psychological projectionism,” a defense mechanism in which individuals attribute their own behaviors, impulses, and emotions to another person. Trump is the poster child for projectionism.
He’s not only bad at his job, he’s just a bad person who belongs in jail instead of the White House.
It hard to feel good about your country when it’s leader is as corrupt and incompetent as Donald Trump is, made worse by Republicans who lack sufficient self-respect to do what is right instead of what Trump tells them to do.
Trump shows no appreciation for just how amazing this nation of ours is. It truly has been for some 248 years a stunning, awe-inspiring grand experiment in self-governance where the the rule of law governs instead of the rule of tyrants.
America was founded on big, hairy, audacious goals, to borrow a phrase from the book, Built To Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, all of which were and are intended to strengthen both our freedoms and unity as a people.
Trump wants to replace this grand experiment with a cheap autocracy. He will fail. Trump is never going to be the king he sees himself as being, he is never going to be the beloved leader he wants to be, he will never be remembered as anything other than an incompetent, ego driven, little man who aways thought he was bigger and better than he ever was.
Here’s the reason he will fail. The American people have known only freedom from tyranny since 1776. We have never experienced even one minute of dictatorship and I don’t believe for one minute we are willing to start now.
That is what Trump is up against as the rebellion against his first hundred days in office is showing. He is going against America’s DNA, the spirit of freedom that gives us breath, the stuff of which we are made as a country, and all of it together will defeat him, and everyone helping him now will go down with him.
The courts the founders made a co-equal branch of government, even with all their faults, are proving their worth by telling Trump over and again that in this land he will not rule.
Just as important, we the people are telling him the same thing. There will be demonstrations the likes of which this nation has never seen if Trump foolishly tries to destroy the rule of law altogether by suspending habeas corpus or declaring marshal law.
The key for us lies in never taking the gift of being Americans for granted. We must always remember as we rightly criticize our government at all levels that we always have much for which to be thankful.
Trump wants us to believe government has betrayed us and that only he can fix it. That’s a double lie. Government hasn’t betrayed us (except for Trump’s administration) and he can’t fix anything. He only knows how to break things.
It is when we remember how precious American democracy is that we realize Trump can never embody the best about us, when we see plainly that his very presence sullies and betrays everything that actually does make America a great nation.
That is why I hate everything about the Trump presidency, and why I know I am not alone. It is ironic that the worse he becomes the more people realize he does not belong in the Oval Office.
He is beneath us as a country, as a people, beneath us as the world’s longest remaining democracy, beneath us as a refuge for the tired, poor, huddled masses longing to be free.
The truth is, Donald Trump is not America’s president, not the real America he doesn’t even know or care about, and he never will be.
Even better, one day sooner rather than later he will find that out.
linnposts.com 
Jan,
While I agree with you and hold these same beliefs, aspirations and hopes for our “more perfect union,” I, also, harbor the yearning hope that a critical mass of our fellow citizens will soon see the man Trump truly is and will find the will and energy to do what needs to be done to put us back on course to continue the journey the Founders envisioned.
Thanks for our continuing belief in our country.
Gene
Gene, I think the public awakening to who Trump is will be slow among those who voted for him. They don’t want to admit they were wrong. That said, it has to happen because he will get worse and worse and at some point they will have to.
Jan, this is a wonderful description of who we are as Americans, from your point of view. Thank you for that. And I believe most Americans are of your ilk. Most of us do not shout on a mountain top how great we are, as a once admired boxer once did. But he was in the entertainment business. We now, as you describe, have much more important business to attend to. I believe that most Americans are more humble, and for sure more grateful, for this country that we call our home. And as you have concluded, we must now become even more determined than ever to rid ourselves of this scourge that has now been thrust upon us.
I continue to be amazed at your relentless condemnation of the despicable tyrant that we now once again call our President. But as you say, he is not really “Our President” and he never will be. And I also agree with you now that he will fail. He will fail because, as you say, Democracy is now in the DNA of most hardworking, loving, caring people of America. And the initial resistance that you identify by the American people and the courts to his first 100 days, in my mind is only the beginning of our determination to succeed.
It will get worse! But we will get better – much better!
America is finally waking up to the notion that it does not want a “Tyrant King” in the White House. And even some of those that voted for him are beginning to realize this. There will come a time when a handful of Republicans must say enough is enough. And while much damage has been done and will be done by the Supreme Court, I have to believe that the liberal justices and Amy Barrett and John Roberts will ultimately protect the American people “if Trump foolishly tries to destroy the rule of law altogether by suspending habeas corpus or declaring marshal law”. We all should be buoyed by the recent 9-0 unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court ordering the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
The American people will “Rise Up”! I am sure you, and others, are aware that this coming June 14th , Flag Day, has been declared “No Kings Day” in America. This day must become one of the most important days in our history. We must all respond. And I believe we will. (Ironically my wonderful, amazing sister-in-law, Claudette’s birthday is June 14th. I will give her all the credit. And my birthday falls on a very important day “June Teenth” – June 19th).
All of this must lead to sweeping victories at the polls on November 3, 2026.
My concern is that the Democratic Party must get its act in order. It must stop bickering with each other. And it must take ownership for this new resistance movement and present new ideas and faces that will define its identity for the future.
If just 4 Republican Senators voted against the upcoming Trump Agenda, that would speak volumes.
It is now time to speak volumes!
John Hamerski
John, the June 14th “No Kings Day” is the perfect counter to Trump’s self-praising parade for his birthday. As for the Democratic Party, I think Democrats are actually doing well in challenging Trump in words and deeds. Not sure what internal bickering you are talking about, but whatever it is we are united in opposing everything he is doing. Good to hear from you.
Jan, I agree with so much of what you’ve said. I think it will be many years before we fully appreciate and understand the damage Trump has done and will continue to do. I don’t take much solace though in the idea that he will fail and the country will survive. To me that feels a bit too much like a house being gutted by fire and taking solace that the walls are still standing. The country may survive but will we only be left with the walls, literally and figuratively?
I guess we don’t know at this point, Wilbur, but what else can we do except work to defeat Trump and MAGA Republicans and then pick up whatever pieces that are left?
perfectly said, we all need to hit the streets, write letters, make calls, and vote for the country, ousting republican enablers.
It’s likely to come to that, Guy. I’m willing.
thanks, Jan for summarizing so much of what I’ve been feeling and observing
Thank you for saying so, Amy. I hope many in your generation feel the way you do.
Whenever Trump starts attributing actions and motivations to someone else, I take that as a message about how he sees Thsnks snd what he’s doing or wants to do. A core of his followers believe his lies ( especially with Fox as their news source)even in the face of truth, but others are starting to see he never really represented them. So
Some of his followers will never see what is in front of them, Amy, but, yes, others may be open to truth. Let’s hope so. He represents no one but himself.
I think a question that should be asked is how could Donald Trump be re-elected? The answer is reflected in the polling numbers that showed almost 80% of voting aged Americans believed the country was headed in the wrong direction. The Democratic Party has lost touch with everyday Americans. And now you have the emergence of the largest political scandal in our nation’s history. The cognitive decline of an American president that was hidden by top White House staff and aided by a complicit legacy media. Mark Halperin of MSNBC, now says he first saw evidence of Biden’s decline during a 2017 book tour. Whenever this was questioned it lead to accusations that you were mocking his stuttering. Videos of Biden just walking away were attributed to deep fakes. When Robert Hur pointed this out after a five hour interview he was called morally corrupt. It was only after the presidential debate, when his condition was made obvious, that he was pushed out. Yet he remained president for another six months. Democratic leaders found Biden unfit to run for reelection, yet fit to be president. Another question that has now become pertinent, who was really running this country?
Another issue was the southern border. We were told it was republicans fault, that a bipartisan immigration bill would have solved the problem. The bill that was so bad, many democrats voted against it. Now, in one hundred days, the border is closed. Biden opened the border via executive orders and Trump closed it using executive orders. We all knew the southern border was deliberately opened by the Biden administration, allowing millions of unvetted immigrants into our country.
The Democratic Party and its lapdog media has lost credibility with the American people that even a Donald Trump can’t restore. It promises to be an eventful time as these new books continue to come out
This comment could have been written by the Republican National Committee. You assume you know Biden’s mental condition when the book is as much speculation as reporting, plus the fact that Biden has spoken in public twice in recent weeks and is as cognitive alert as Trump is as he rambles through his incoherent speeches. And, as a Republican, you ignore the fact that Ronald Reagan was suffering from Alzheimers at least the last two years of his presidency. No, the immigration bill was NOT bad. It was everything Republicans wanted, which is why many Democrats didn’t support it. Name me one thing that was bad about the bill – the increased border funding? the increased money for more border agents? What? The Biden open borders tripe is Trump propaganda so spare the rest of us repeating it. Trump has done nothing about the border except show, last time with a wall, this time with deporting innocent undocumented immigrates. But the bottom line is that you are supporting a traitor to his country who swore to uphold the Constitution and then said he didn’t know if he was obligated to follow it. What would you and other MAGAs have said if Biden has said such a thing? You would have called for impeachment, which is precisely what should happen to Trump again, this time with a conviction.
There are statements you make that have to be called out. There is no fact that Reagan was suffering from Alzheimer’s at least through his last two years of his presidency. There is not a shred of evidence to support this outlandish lie. Shame on you for saying it.
The claims of Biden’s diminished mental capacity are being made by members of the MSM who covered for him and have lost credibility for doing so. They can’t analyze every breath Trump takes without admitting they were deceived by the White House staff in regards to Biden’s cognitive abilities. However, the majority of Americans know they covered for him.
Did you not see the Biden-Trump debate? Did you somehow miss what everyone else in the Democratic Party saw? You really think Biden is as coherent as Trump? Trump did more unscripted interviews in his first 100 days than Biden did in four years.
Now we get the sad news that Biden has suddenly found out he has stage 4 prostate cancer. Unlike you, we on the right do have sympathy for our political opponents. But, as Zeke Emanuel, chief architect of ObamaCare, said on MSNBC, Biden most likely had prostate cancer since the beginning of his presidency. If is very doubtful this is something he is just being made aware of. Was this also hidden from voters? These are questions the legacy media will now, for the first time, look to answer
Last, the main reasons the bipartisan immigration bill was bad is that it allowed up to 4,000 border crossings per day, forever. Crossings today are down 97% from a year ago. Also, any immigration litigation would only be handled in DC courts. This was ridiculous
On November 5, 1994, Reagan publicly announced his diagnosis in a letter to the American people, stating, “I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Amen, Rollie, as I noted in my response to him.
“Not a shred of evidence,” you say. Guess Rollie B made up the quote in his response to you. And I suppose the two links listed at the end of mthis response are “fake news.” As for Border crossing, there has been a gradual decline since February of 2024 until now, so NO, crossings are NOT down 97% from last year. There was even an uptick in April because of spring weather, as always happens. You also imply that the bill Trump killed would allow illegal crossings. What you apparently don’t understand is that it 5000, not 4000, of legal entrance by people applying for entrance as part of immigration that happens all the time and is a good thing. If you actually want to know what the bill Trump killed said, read the following article from Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/09/10/harris-slams-trump-for-killing-border-bill-in-debate-here-are-the-facts/. If you want to be taken seriously, do your damn homework instead of quoting Trump lies you apparently take as truth. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/201101/when-did-reagans-first-signs-alzheimers-appear
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ronald-reagan-alzheimers-disease/
“Over the past twelve months we began to notice from President Reagan’s test results symptoms indicating the possibility of early stage Alzheimer’s Disease. Additional testing and an extensive observation over the past few weeks have led us to conclude that President Reagan is entering the early stages of this disease.”
STATEMENT BY:
Dr. Oliver H. Beahrs, Mayo Clinic
Dr. Leslie Weiner, University of Southern California
Dr. James R. Blake, St. John’s Hospital
General John Hutton, M.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Dr. Ronald Petersen, Mayo Clinic
(Personal Physicians to President Reagan)
also…
There is a growing body of expert opinion and documented behavioral evidence suggesting that Donald Trump is exhibiting signs consistent with cognitive decline, including speech deterioration, impulsivity, memory lapses, and physical changes. While Trump and his supporters dismiss these concerns, and media coverage has often downplayed them, many mental health professionals and political observers argue that the signs are increasingly difficult to ignore.
Would anyone like to see the links behind this statement?
Yes, note them on a comment, Rollie, so other readers can research them. Thanks.
This is your example of doing your damn homework? Seriously, it wouldn’t pass scrutiny in middle school. I said Reagan did not have Alzheimer’s while President. Saying he had early onset in 1994 doesn’t refute what I said, since his last day in office was 1/20/89. The statement quoted by Rollie also came from 1994.
Border crossings in March 2025 was fewest since FY 2000, at around 7,181. This is an 95% decrease compared to March 2024. Nationwide apprehensions are at historic lows, averaging about 264 per day, down from 330 in February and 4,488 in March 2024. (US Customs & Border Patrol)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6922000/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/questions-about-bidens-age-echo-similar-concerns-that-reagan-faced-in-1984
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3233/JAD-240294?icid=int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.1
Go to the links Rollie B provided. That prove that you have no evidence to declare that Reagan did not have Alzheimers while president (an unimportant subject at this point in history). For example, “President Reagan was not diagnosed with AD until August of 1994, but the results of our analyses suggest that changes in speaking patterns were becoming detectable years prior to clinical diagnosis. Analysis of his transcripts revealed significant differences in variables known to be associated with the onset of dementia. We found that the use of unique words in the discourse of RR declined over time, and the use of non-specific nouns and fillers increased over time.”
You cite statistics from Trump’s people at Customs and Border Patrol, meaning they are manipulating statistics to make him look good. Nothing from this administration should be believed – nothing. Axios had a recent article that said: “Illegal border crossings spiked at the end of 2023 but started to slope downward in 2024 after the Biden administration implemented new restrictions and Mexican officials ramped up enforcement…
Mexico’s actions were a “really key” reason for the downward trend “that often goes a bit under the radar,” said Putzel-Kavanaugh.
Former President Biden in June signed an executive order that took aggressive action to curtail border surges by implementing asylum restrictions in periods where border encounters were high.”
That said, none of this matters as long as Trump poses the threat he does to our democracy. Supporting him makes you complicit in his betrayal of his oath of office. That’s ALL THAT MATTERS. Until you abandon that position, nothing you say will have any credibility.
Border Security is Trump’s only consistently positive issue, with 52–55% approval. Economy & Inflation approval is low, with only 33–38% approving, and a majority disapproving. On other Issues Trump’s approval is underwater on nearly every major issue, including healthcare, government funding, and foreign policy. js
That anyone approves of anything Trump is a sign of how far our nation has moved from our once absolute commitment to democracy.
Jan, I am the most fortunate of people to have had you as a professor… and you continue to fill me with a fighting spirit for all that is good and precious in our lives and in our country. Thank you. Bonnie
You made my day, Bonnie. It is students like you that make teaching the special blessing it is. Thank you for your gracious comment.