Author Archives: tomallain

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 184: This Is Exactly What He Promised He Wouldn’t Do

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For the past 5 months we have been at war with Iran. And President Trump has been promising the whole time that we are winning/have won/will win soon. There’s an exhaustive timeline on the Politifact website.

This would be bad enough but we all remember that Trump promised no new wars.

While we’re on that topic he also promised to tame inflation.

Now the case can be made that the attack on Iran was necessary and wars have consequences. But there is virtually no evidence that this is true.

In June of 2025 the United States destroyed nuclear sites in Iran and Trump promised that the nuclear threat was obliterated.

Posing a nuclear threat requires two steps: enriching uranium to weapons grade and developing a rocket that can carry the warhead hundreds or thousands of miles to its target. Nobody seriously believes Iran is close to this capability and Trump has refused to give any evidence of his claims. In fairness he’s also never given any proof that he won the 2020 Presidential election.

Face it America: we are a paying the price for a war that has no justification and we can’t trust anything our President says.

Thoughts On Our First 250 Years

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I am writing this essay on the day we celebrate the fact that 250 years ago today a group of men in Philadelphia made an incredible declaration. They asserted that 13 colonies in North America were no longer answerable to England’s King George III but were instead free to govern themselves. A few years later many of these same people wrote an owner’s manual that we call the Constitution.


Since then we’ve been governed by geniuses, heroes and scoundrels. We’ve always been a work in progress. Since our founding we’ve opened up voting to women, native Americans and former slaves. We’ve recognized that people from all over the world have found us and have come to our shores to join us. And we’ve recognized that we never stop learning what it means to be free.


And there are times when we’ve stumbled. We’ve not always lived up to our ideals and we’ve been slow to recognize that. But we haven’t given up.


Now on our 250th birthday we have an opportunity to look back and look forward. But it’s a hard time. Our current President is not a man who chooses to do either. He has, at best, a limited understanding of what it means to govern and no understanding of what it means to lead. He’s made this celebration of our nation an homage to himself.


But in the end we have proven ourselves to be stronger than just one man, regardless of his intent. We need to keep fighting but we need to avoid falling into despair. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Trump v Barbara reminds us that he doesn’t have the power to repeal a Constitutional Amendment by executive order.


There is a great deal more I could say but in fifty years we will celebrate our Tricentennial and we will have learned from this chapter. This I believe.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 183: It’s Not Easy Being Green

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Apologies to Kermit the Frog but I couldn’t help but make the connection with the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

It was constructed in the 1920s, around the same time as the Lincoln Memorial and is designed so that President Lincoln’s statue can see the whole of the Washington Monument reflected in the pool.

But, as is happening with more frequency, President Trump saw the Reflecting Pool as yet another opportunity to make something he can brag about. He saw it as a swimming pool and claimed to be an expert in constructing pools. He ordered the bottom of the pool painted blue, which would seem to make the reflecting part harder.

As any pool owner knows, swimming pool water uses chemicals like chlorine to keep the water free of things like algae. But the Reflecting Pool uses water from the nearby Tidal Basin (part of the Potomac River).

As any high school biology teacher could have predicted, the Reflecting Pool is now green. As I speak crews are pouring hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals to try to battle the algae.

President Lincoln could not be reached for comment.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 182: Watch Out Statue Of Liberty: You May Be Next

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President Trump likes to build things. Or at least he likes to admire what he’s built. Or things someone else built that he can claim credit for like Mar A Lago which was built in the 1920s.

His time in office has shown us that he has no ability to hire good people, or manage the economy, or win a war. Most people, when faced with the fact that they’re not up to the job, will retreat to something they know how to do.

Enter the White House ballroom. Last year Trump ordered the tear down of the East Wing of the White House to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom for entertaining. In an attempt to justify this he added an underground bomb shelter (even though there has been a bunker under the White House since 1942).

Not surprisingly there is a lawsuit claiming Trump doesn’t have the authority to do this. Now here comes the fun part: in a recent article the administration now claims that since construction has already begun, it’s too late to stop it.

In response, Judge Patricia Millett asked a hypothetical (as judges often do). She asked if Trump decided to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty on his own and started the job before telling anyone, the courts couldn’t stop him. The lawyer for the Department of Justice said he could.

Watch out Lady Liberty, you could be next.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 181: Remember When Competence Mattered?

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So when you’re the CEO, who do you hire? Well, if you care about the company you hire people who can do the job. Unfortunately we’ve all had the experience of working for someone who hires his buddies, supporters, or those who pledge absolute loyalty. When it becomes clear that this new hire just can’t do the job, the whole company suffers. Enter President Trump.

From his first day in office he’s used his appointment powers to hire (at our expense) his cronies and he’s gotten rid of people who sought to do the job well even when they clashed with the president. Think Rex Tillerson, John Kelly and Mark Milley.

Perhaps more troubling is his tendency to put people in important jobs when they have no experience or expertise. Today Trump announced he’s appointing Bill Pulte to be the Director of National Intelligence. Bill currently heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and apparently will keep his old job. Bill’s background is housing, philanthropy and persecuting Lisa Cook.

Bill will now lead an agency that was founded after the attacks of 9/11 to coordinate the intelligence we gain from several agencies (e.g. CIA, NSA, FBI and others). He will find himself surrounded by career public servants who are much more knowledgeable about these issues. But he’s shown his only concern is loyalty to Trump.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 180: Who’s Weaponizing Justice Now?

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During President Trump’s 2024 Presidential campaign he announced that he will be “your retribution.” That is, at least, one campaign promise he’s kept. A few days ago we learned that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation against E. Jean Carroll.

In 2019 she accused Trump of raping her in 1995. Because of the statute of limitations she couldn’t file a criminal complaint but she did sue him in civil court and was awarded $83.3 million. The case is still under appeal.

The current investigation claims that she lied under oath when asked if she was getting help in paying her legal bills. She said she wasn’t but it was later found that she was getting some funding from American Future Republic, a nonprofit that gives aid to left wing causes. Trump’s lawyers complained but an appeals court ruled that “litigation funding was not relevant to the case at hand.” In other words this was matter between American Future Republic and her law firm, Hecker & Fink and had no bearing on the case.

So why is the Justice Department pursuing this case? Clearly they are doing this at Trump’s instruction. He is using them to warn people about what happens when people seek justice against him. I wrote a similar post in Trump’s obsession with James Comey.

Can someone please explain to Trump that the Justice Department works for the American people, not him?

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 179: Hope You Have Enough Peanuts To Fill Your Gas Tank

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It’s hardly news that gas prices have risen dramatically since the invasion of Iran and their response to close the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has consistently argued that the rise is marginal, temporary and will be soon forgotten. Problem is, that’s not much consolation to people who find that driving to work is getting more and more expensive.

And if the message of “your pain is not my problem” isn’t enough, he’s just claimed that the price hikes are just peanuts. He also insists that once peace is achieved prices will drop dramatically. On top of that he also announced over the weekend that he won’t be rushed into a peace deal and “time is on our side.”

Call it a guess but I don’t think he pumps his own gas.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 178: Is The President Calling? No Way To Know, You Haven’t Gotten His Phone

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President Trump ran on a platform of wealth, both his ability to get rich and his promise to make us all rich. In office he’s used his office to promote several causes, among them the Trump Phone (and no, I’m not going to link to it). Last year in June you could pay $100 to preorder it and it was supposed to ship in August of 2025; that’s not a surprise, lots of technologies are delayed.

I got most of my information here and you can see that purchasers still don’t know when they will get their phone. Also, if you were attracted by his promise that this phone is “Made in the USA” you can forget it. They are now admitting that it’s made somewhere else and “assembled” in Florida. They also won’t say where “somewhere else” is.

The good news is this: you’ve learned an important lesson about our President. He doesn’t keep his promises (ie, “Made in the USA”) and he will won’t tell you what’s happening.

I wonder what the ringtone will be.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 177: He Really Doesn’t Care About Your Financial Situation

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When President Trump was running in 2024 he promised to tame inflation and keep us out of “forever wars.” So far he has done neither.

His invasion of Iran and their decision to close the Strait Of Hormuz (or at least attack ships attempting to pass through) has led to a dramatic rise in oil prices which affects nearly everything.

A few days ago, on his way to China, he was asked to what extent “Americans’ financial situations” were motivating him to make a deal with Iran. He responded: “Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”

And while I’m not convinced Iran ever posed a nuclear threat to us, I do understand that he’s concerned about national security.

That said, his remarks are nothing short of stunning. Inflation hurts everyone but it disproportionately hurts those who live paycheck to paycheck or on a fixed income. It forces them to make difficult choices (gas vs. food, medication vs. rent, etc.).

He and his supporters claim that he was taken out of context and he cares deeply about Americans’ financial situations. But remember, this is a man who means what he says and says what he means. His comments have never been nuanced or had hidden meanings. There are no layers of complexity.

Remember this on your next visit to the voting booth.

The Justice Chronicles, Volume 45: Limits On The Power To Impose Tarriffs

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I periodically read through Supreme Court decisions if the subject interests me and on February 20, 2026 they decided the case of Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump. I read this so you don’t have to.

President Trump has always believed incorrectly that a trade deficit is bad and it means other nations are taking advantage of us; he has used tariffs (taxes on imported goods) as way to limit imports. But because imposing tariffs has the same effect as collecting taxes it’s often been left to Congress.

There have always been exceptions and Trump held that in 1977 Congress gave him broad authority to impose tariffs in case of emergencies. He further held that trade deficits and imported drugs have created just that emergency.

In a 6-3 decision the Court found that President Trump exceeded his authority and struck down his tariffs. The majority consisted of Chief Justice John Roberts along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito dissented.

The 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, gives the President broad authority to act when necessary. But the majority held that it was never intended to include tariffs and that if Congress intended to include tariffs it would have said so.

The dissenting opinion held that in times of emergency (that the President has the power to declare) require extraordinary measures and curtailing them would harm the country.

I agree with the majority. While I agree that the President should be given broad authority in many areas, these tariffs are outside of the law. The trade deficit does not harm our country and imposing tariffs will do nothing to impede the importation of illegal drugs. Bravo, Supreme Court.