How the Trump Stole 4th of July

You can step aside Mr. Grinch because someone eviler than you have taken the spotlight.

"You're a mean one

You really are an ass

You're a liar

Without any class

Mr. Trump, you're cruel

Mr. Trump, you're crass."

(Apologies to Dr. Seuss)

It doesn't feel like 4th of July this year. 

I remember celebrating America's 200th anniversary in 1976. It was special. There was a series of celebrations and observances that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic.

The whole country embraced the activities. I was on a patriotic push and talked my long-suffering wife into decorating our house in red, white, and blue. I even bought a Bicentennial set of Commemorative coins. I displayed the flag outside our house proudly.

That was then. How things have changed in 2026.

Trump has managed to turn the holiday into a series of political events and tributes for himself. Each worse than the one before. Despite having a National State Fair at the Washington mall to celebrate 4th of July hardly anyone has shown up for the event which is slated to last 16 days.

It didn't help that Trump opened the fair with a two-hour-long political screed that saw a sparce crowd walk away by mid speech. The fair's failures to secure entertainers and the lack of shade (Washington DC is in the 100s right now) contributed to the small crowd. The state booths (only 40 states participated) were bland and often weren't staffed by anyone.

Like a political slap in the face, the organizers (Trump's Freedom 250 clowns) erected a facsimile of one of Trump's vanity projects - a triumphal arch like the one in France. His plans call for it to be by the National Mall. The only people it attracted at the fair were the few who used the little shade that it provided.

We have to look at the big picture. Trump has taken national holidays over and is desecrating them with his vile politics. America is split into warring fragments that refuse to unite. Even once safe national holidays have been poisoned.

It's particularly galling watching Trump and his cronies wrapping themselves in the American flag and claiming they are super patriots. They've appropriated national symbols, striping them down into a MAGA centric meaning that most Americans revile.

The takeover of Fourth of July is a continuation of an authoritarian government holding freedom hostage.

As it Stands, I'll still hang my flag out this year, but I'll skip buying any commemorative coins with Trump's mug on them.

It's a Mystery to Me: How Can Anyone Take Trump Seriously?

Trump must be gnawing on his pacifier.

Everyone is making fun of him. The Iranians have started a small industry of Lego videos featuring Trump and his MAGA buddies doing stupid things.

The news is crawling with jokes, memes, and cartoons about America's first felon president. Trump's beautification projects in Washington DC have been mocked and scorned in the print media and online daily.

One of Trump's beautification projects has spawned a series of memes and viral themes that will someday be put in a future Meme Museum. 

The Lincoln Reflecting Pool. There you go! You're already smiling. I bet you've seen a few. Let's view some examples.

- "Make Algae Green Again." Nice twist on Make America Great Again.

- "Drain the Swamp." Comedians and critics have seized the opportunity to ironically twist Trump's signature catchphrase "drain the swamp" to apply to the stubbornly algae-filled monument.

- "Vandalism." One of the most popular memes features an edited clip of artist Bob Ross dabbing globs of bright green paint onto a picture of the D.C. landmark. Comedians and critics poked fun at Trump's response to his alleged vandalism (evidence free rant) claim and mocked his idea of arresting people for "touching water."

All kidding aside for a moment. Here's a sobering reality; Trump is mentally ill. It's obvious to over 50% of Americans (latest Quinnipiac poll) and the rest of the world.

Particularly troubling is Iran's approach to dealing with Trump. They truly believe he's insane. They may joke about Trump's thin skin but beneath that humor they know he's not dealing with a full deck.

The Iranian negotiating team genuinely believes Trump is crazy. They factored this assessment into their official diplomatic strategy according to major news outlets.

During indirect peace negotiations, Iranian officials brought senior psychologists and psychiatrists onto their negotiating team to analyze Trump's cognitive and decision-making styles. The Iranian Psychological Society published open letters about Trump, calling for a scientific evaluation of his mental health to address concerns over his hostility and impulsivity.

Trump's latest medical evaluation involved 22 doctors (a record). There's little doubt that they are following his cognitive decline. It's getting worse. America and the rest of the world is aware of what a walking time bomb Trump is. 

As it Stands, watching Trump unravel is like watching a runaway train. You know nothing good is going to happen.

14th Amendment Victory: Supreme Court Actually Rejected Trump's Birthright Challenge

It doesn't happen too often in the Age of Trump where the Supreme Court stands up against Trump's attempt to dismantle the Constitution.

Today the 14th Amendment was upheld by SCOTUS. A hundred and fifty-year-old law regarding automatic birthright eligibility stood the test against Trump's assault on the Constitution with a 6-3 ruling. 

Justice Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented.

I'm not here to praise the Supreme Court because the conservative majority has been going along with most of Trump's attacks against our freedoms.

Today they got it right. But for how long?

Precedent is no longer a guiding light for this Supreme Court. Chief Justice Robert has granted Trump complete immunity and made a mockery of the Executive Branch with unlimited powers.

The decision firmly rejected the executive order that Trump issued on the first day of his second term. 

The executive order never went in effect because every lower court judge who reviewed it concluded that it was "blatantly unconstitutional."

To put the challenge against the 14th Amendment in prospective it was part of Trump and Stephen Miller's immigrant purge.

Prior to today's decision Trump posted this on his Truth Social platform, "The United States of America cannot live with the shackles of Birthright Citizenship. It is not economically, or otherwise, sustainable, and no other Country in the World, of consequence, does it."

Today Trump wrote, "No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP."

Trump is not going to get what he wants however, because it would take a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate (or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures).

The likelihood of that happening is minus zero on a scale of 1 to 10.

For the record, the case was Trump v. Barbara. 

As it Stands, you can bet the ketchup is flying in the Oval Office this morning!

Trump's Repeated Tours of Washington DC Monuments Causing Residents Grief

Whenever the pressure from his war on Iran gets to him Trump goes on a tour of monuments in Washington DC. His desire to make Washington DC his lifetime legacy is more important than the war he started in Iran or the failing American economy.

His interpretation of beautification falls short of normal standards. Whenever he has the chance, he redecorates things with gaudy gold gilding. The bronze horses near the Lincoln Memorial have been covered in a heavy 23.75-karat gold leaf that cost taxpayers $5 million.  

I wonder how American taxpayers feel about that? It's just one of Trump's multiple attempts to beautify DC for the country's 250th anniversary that is fleecing America. Funds to make the changes come from the National Park Service which has had to divert projects in national parks throughout the country to meet his demands.

Recently Trump has engaged in multiple high-profile, highly secured tours of the monuments and fountains causing rolling road closures and restricted public access. Needless to say, his tours are causing grief for local commuters and tourists.

Following his tours Trump goes on rants about his pet projects like the triumphal arch he wants to erect for Columbia Island at Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Memorial Bridge.

On Sunday Trump posted a 594-word diatribe praising himself for all the good work he's doing around town. Without any authorization he had plans drawn up for his Arc de Triomphe (already being called Arc de Trump) with an intensive construction schedule that involves crews working 20 hours a day (across two 10-hour shifts) year-round to complete the arch within two to three years.

That's years of pain-in-the ass commutes for local residents who never asked for such a stupid monument. The fact that their taxes are footing the bill is both galling and appalling.

As it Stands, at this point there's no doubt that Trump is living in another universe where nothing is normal.

Before You Donate to a 'Go Fund Me' Page Do Your Due Diligence

What began as an organic way to help average Americans raise money for good causes has morphed into a way to rip people off. 

The first GoFundMe page was officially launched on May 10, 2010, and was originally called "Coin Piggy" and later "Create-a-Fund" before becoming the platform it is today.

Created as a for-profit crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses.

It wasn't long before bad actors found ways to abuse the platform. GoFundMe controversies fall into two distinct categories: platform-wide corporate scandals and individual criminal scams.

Here's four ways that individual grifters have managed to turn a good thing into a bad thing:

1. The "Good Samaritan" Hoax. Perpetrators fabricate a heartwarming story that urges people to donate to.

2. The Faked Childhood-Cancer Hoax. A parent falsely appeals for help for their terminally ill child. At some point they post that the child died and has been cremated.

3. The "Degenerative Disease" Hoax. Someone begins by telling friends, family, and online donors that they have a rare, terminal degenerative illness.

4. The Faked Animal Cruelty Hoax. This scam targets animal lovers by claiming their pet suffered a grievous injury, and they need help to pay for medical bills. 

These examples are the most common ways people get scammed donating to a GoFundMe site but are far from the only ways the platform has been abused.

Platform wide abuse has spurred government investigations for years.

One of the biggest abuses stemmed from 1.4 million GoFundMe pages created for fundraising and donations that were formed without the prior knowledge or consent from the charities they featured.

As of March 2026, a coalition of 22 state Attorneys General launched an investigation and issued a scathing letter accusing GoFundMe of "identity plagiarism."

Update: GoFundMe has removed unauthorized donation web pages and is now requiring prior consent for charity web pages as of June 3, 2026. You'd think after all of these years this problem should have been addressed a long time ago.

Then there's spoofing threats that are still happening. Beyond platform fraud, scammers regularly "spoof" real GoFundMe pages - copying text and imagery verbatim-and re-uploading them to unmonitored alternative crowdfunding sites that request untraceable payment methods like Bitcoin.

There are good alternatives to GoFundMe for families. For example, SupportNow doesn't charge any fees to participate, unlike GoFundMe that charges 2.9 percent from every donation and asks for an additional tip.

The bottom line is do your research before giving away your hard-earned money to anyone.

As it Stands, I'm waiting for the MAGA man who dressed up as Uncle Sam in Trump's Great American State Fair to start his own GoFundMe page after being arrested for perversion.

Will Trump's New Experimental Medication Help Him?

In medical news today the Food and Drug Administration and Eli Lilly recently approved an experiential drug for President Trump's unstable condition - called Moronical - through the agency's "compassionate use" program.

According to the FDA only patients with a serious illness are given access to use experimental treatments when no other alternatives remain. 

Apparently, doctors concluded that Trump's brain was too small for a surgical cure for his malicious moron malady. Coupled with the fact that they would have had to cut into an abnormally thick skull the surgeons had to pass on the attempt.

White House staff were tasked with monitoring Trump's one-of-a-kind medication that came in a suppository form. 

A lottery quickly sprung up among the staff who drew cards to see who would have to remind him to stick the solid medication up his fat ass three times a day.

One poor staffer came in to remind Trump just before midnight and passed out from the stench of his dirty diaper mixed with the fetid suppository, that he was gleefully shoving up his amble rearend.

The daily drawing was dreaded but it was the only way to make sure the Orange POTUS took his medicine regularly. 

The traumatized staff tried not to think the worst, but they all had a nagging feeling that Trump's experimental drug wasn't working. He was as big a moron as ever.

Meanwhile a crazed Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy was working on a cure for his mob boss in the Oval Office.

His cure involved ingesting ivermectin mixed with powdered raccoon penis, honey, and Zebra dung. Thus far his cure had only made mammals teeth fall out but RFK Jr. knew he was getting closer to a cure for mega morons.

Stay tuned for more medical updates on the convicted felon that somehow got elected twice.

As it Stands, if only there was a cure for morons. It would wipe out the MAGA movement.

Breaking News: Trump Holds Emergency Press Conference

Reporters have been gathering at the White House early, hoping to get a good seat for what Trump promised would be a bigly press conference. 

As usual the regime turned off the air conditioning to make sure the reporters were uncomfortable. While waiting for Trump to waddle out the reporters were busy comparing notes and talking about what Trump's announcement was going to be about. 

ABC reporter: "I got a tip that Trump was going to talk about Iran and make a big announcement."

NBC reporter: "Do you think Trump is going to tell us he surrendered?"

CBS reporter: "It's more likely that he's going to boast about what a deal he made with the Iranian government involving investing in his family cryptocurrency and a new Trump golf course in Tehran."   

Fox News reporter: Who says it has to be about Iran? It might be about the precautions our beloved president is taking to make sure the midterms aren't rigged by the liberals. 

OAN reporter: It could be about exposing a Democratic plot to take over the midterms."

Fox News reporter: "Do you mean voting by mail?"

NBC reporter: "Maybe Trump, who is obviously ill, is going to share a Road to Damascus moment and admit his crimes hoping for a spot in Heaven."

CBS reporter: "It's more like he's going to announce a pact with the Devil."

ABC reporter: "I'm wondering if this is something corporate will allow me to report on."

OAN reporter: "My sources tell me that beloved leader is going to announce that he's made alien contact with a group of Martians taking a vacation on earth."

The conversations suddenly came to a halt as Trump's theme song YMCA by the Village People blared from hidden speakers. Trump slowly bumbled his way towards the podium but walked right past it forcing his handlers to turn him around and gently escort him back.

An expectant hush filled the room.

Trump who was blinking rapidly to keep his eyes open while triumphantly raising both arms to the sky declared, "I have created a year around Reflecting Pool Task Force that will permanently protect out national treasure by harassing visitors and tourists who get too close to its American Blue water!"

 As it Stands, the funny thing is I can really see this happening in America today.

What Does America Stand For in 2026?

If your curious about what America stands for these days, I suggest you get reactions from other countries while researching the question. For starters.

The Pew Research Center recently conducted interviews with the rest of the world on how America is viewed today.

Some talking points include;

* Europe and Canada view America as unpredictable and increasingly isolated from Democratic nations. Trump's agressive trade policies, tariff threats, and geopolitical rhetoric - such as acquiring Greenland one way or another - see the U.S. as transactional rather than a defender of global peace and stability.

* Views from Global South & Asian partners is remarkedly similar to Europe and Canada in that the polled countries feel the U.S. does not contribute to global peace and stability. In fact, 63% of the people polled feel America frequently interferes in other nations' affairs.

* A prominent consensus across online communities - such as Reddit's GlobalTalk - suggests a strong dualistic opinion globally: most people distinguish between warm, welcoming American citizens and the polarizing, often abrasive nature of Trump's foreign policies.

It's not unusual to see countries protesting Trump himself and not average Americans. Global confidence in the U.S. has dropped to historic lows, with international perception scores falling behind both China and Russia in global surveys.

The hyper-Polarization of American politics has observers viewing U.S. political institutions as deeply fractured and dysfunctional. Many countries view America as being imperialistic or self-serving.

At least a dozen countries have issued travel advisories or warnings against the United States, citing concerns over strict immigration enforcement, political protests, and gun violence.

Damn. It sounds like America is a third world country laboring under a dictator. We are globally viewed as bullies. In a nutshell, our country is no longer looked at as a symbol of freedom welcoming people from around the planet.

Trump has taken America to a low no one could have imagined two years ago. Our pathetic and cruel regime has succeeded in turning the U.S. into a pariah state that is more feared than revered.

As it Stands, I fear it's going to take another generation before America reasserts its democratic values and position of trust with the rest of the world. 

Reflections on the Reflecting Pool Controversy

Tourists in Washington DC this last week are wondering why the Reflecting Pool is being guarded like Fort Knox and why it's green and stinks.

National Guard troops packing weapons have been joined by US Marshals and local cops patrolling the pool around the clock. 

What's going on here? 

From the looks of the massive security surrounding the now controversial pool I expect Trump is going to declare a national emergency at any moment.

Let's back up for a moment.

Trump has been bragging about his beautification project on the Reflecting Pool for months. He went out and hired one of his Mar-a-Lago billionaire buddies to do the job and didn't bother to take other bids. 

The buddy was going to paint the pool blue so it would look cooler. It would only cost $1.8 million to do the job. But when the bill came in the cost had bloomed to $15 million.

Within a couple of days of the completed restoration the pool turned neon green. Algae, in quantities never seen before, bloomed brightly under the hot sun. So, workers were sent out with nets to scope up the algae and that didn't work. It got worse when workers poured gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the green stew.

Then disaster hit.

The American blue lining that Trump kept bragging about began deteriorating and pieces started floating to the surface where the wind blew them around making little waves.

When ABC reported the damage Trump lost whatever remains of his mind and tried to gaslight the public. He declared, without evidence, that a vandal slashed the coated blue covering with a knife (or box cutter) from end to end.

Trump's explanation for what happened to the pool was obviously bullshit and almost everyone in the country knew it. Experts talked about the cracks that had been covered up with the new coating that caused the water to quit circulating making it a dream location for algae.

Meanwhile Trump pushed the vandal lie to its limits and sent goons out to arrest tourists (or anyone) that dared to dip a hand into the green slime. ABC reporter Jonathan Karl dipped a hand into the pool and came up with a piece of the blue coating. Trump was so upset at being exposed he's suing ABC. 

Reports that there were six people arrested (!) for touching the green sludge offended the public. It was insane. Undemocratic. And a perfect example of how far Trump's insanity is affecting the country...and the world. Think Iran and the economy.

Trump's obsession with beatifying Washington DC has taken on more importance than solving the Iran war. Despite the fact that there is no evidence of vandals causing the problem in the pool, Trump keeps pushing that false narrative. When a reporter asked him about it, he suggested the media go talk to someone in the Department of the Interior because they would verify his claim.

The problem is no one at the Department of the Interior has been available to back up Trump's claim. Not even the Interior Secretary Doug Bergum whose currently AWOL.

It looks like everyone was given a sudden vacation because reporters couldn't find anyone to question. The entire department appeared closed. Coincidence?

As workers struggle to clean the mess up, their finding dead ducks in the fetid water. 

The state-owned propaganda station, Fox News, take on the whole controversy is weak. They wondered why such a big deal was being made over the pool by liberals. Forget the fact that Trump has been talking about the Reflecting Pool for months and he was obviously lying about what happened. 

There will never be proof of Trump's assertion, but it doesn't bother him because he regularly lies and gets away with it. The whole controversy has come about because Trump refuses to admit he was wrong about anything. That includes Iran and the economy.

As it Stands, while the cause of the duck deaths is still unknown, wildlife advocates have expressed concerns the ducks could have consumed cyanobacteria, often referred to as blue-green algae, which produces toxins that cause illness in humans and animals.

Will Trump Succeed in Rewriting American History?

One of the hallmarks of a dictator is rewriting history to conform to their twisted ideology.

Trump is doing his best to whitewash American history on issues like slavery. His racist motivation is no secret. He wants his MAGA followers to be happy with the United States history. 

Part of his solution involves threatening prestigious museums like the Smithsonian Institution if it didn't obey his demands

The Smithsonian's independence has been under fire by Trump for over a year. On Trump's propaganda website also known as Truth Social, he posted that "the Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been."

Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution has been pushing back at Trump's efforts to rewrite (and conceal) history. He's resisted J.D. Vance's and Carlos Gimenez's (R-FL) efforts to scrub so-called "woke" ideas in the museum. Both are on the Smithsonian's Board of Regents. 

In a failed effort to fire the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Trump showed how serious he was about taking over the nation's narrative. His next step is getting loyalists on boards (there's currently openings) who will help reshape the museum to his liking.

The assault against truth doesn't stop with reshaping museums histories. Earlier this month a federal judge ruled against Trump's attempts to remove historic content that is featured at national parks. He specifically targeted content that discussed America's history of racism, including slavery.

It's now a matter of compliance with the judge's order to restore what the Park Service has already torn down.

I don't expect it to happen right away, however. If the resistance to a court order to take Trump's name off of the Kennedy Center is a hint, we can expect the same reluctance in the Smithsonian ruling.

For the sake of brevity, I won't going into the Trump regime's attempt to influence schools and libraries across the country with a revamped American history. That's for a future post.

As it Stands, one of my favorite authors is George Orwell whose quote here sums up this post, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."  

Trump Might Not Attend a World Cup Match: His Handlers Say Fans Are Being Mean

It's getting harder for Trump to attend big events anymore because Boo Birds are faithfully following his orangeness from one venue to another.

Leading up to the World Cup tournament FIFA president Gianni Infantino made up a fake award to curry Trump's favor - a so-called Peace Prize. A week later he started a war with Iran. 

There's a reason Trump hasn't gone to any soccer matches thus far despite the United States hosting the big event. Soccer fans are being mean to Donny even though he hasn't shown up at stadiums yet. 

Concern is running so high that serious questions are being raised about if Trump will even hand over the trophy at the July 19 final. This must be serious if his handlers are suggesting he pass up an opportunity to caress a trophy.

Fans from England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand have crafted songs that now ring out through bars before matches and reverberate around stadiums during games. There isn't a fan alive who doesn't know how fragile Trump's ego is.

So, when fan's began highlighting Trump's well-documented connection with Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious pedophile who he hung out with for years, the writing was on the wall. Trump's staff are in a crisis mode trying to prevent him from being exposed to the chants in person, and that includes matches with English-speaking teams.

Australian supporters were among the first to make headlines after footage of thousands chanting anti-Trump songs went viral on social media.

Trump's connection with Epstein is a story that just won't go away. Trump claims he did not do anything wrong but the ongoing debates over the disclosure of Epstein-linked court filings coupled with investigative materials just won't go away. No matter what he has to say, the Epstein files remain politically challenging.

It must be humiliating for Trump to see fans worldwide mocking his relationship with an international pedophile Epstein. Maybe that's why Trump hid over the weekend at Camp David where no one could reach him, instead of Mar-a-Lago or the White House.

After spending months touting the World Cup as proof of America's global stature and power Trump escaped to Camp David for several days to avoid international shame. For all we know, Trump's handlers still have him there in a rubber room under medication. 

As it Stands, Trump's minions claim he met with them after the Iran talks stalled, but they also admitted he was at Camp David for some "executive-time." 

For the record, Lesley Gore's song, "I'll Cry If I Want To," was playing during Trump's retreat from reality.