This is what happens when 1) the rules, including the Constitution, are not enforced, 2) no one is held accountable, and 3) those violating the rules jigger the government around so that they all but CAN'T be called to task for their actions. It's also a massive indicator of the two-tiered system of justice in the US: the rich essentially get away with ANYTHING while those of lesser means get hammered for even the slightest infraction.
And if this is allowed to go on much longer, the rule of law in the United States will devolve to the point where IT MEANS NOTHING.
I don't know that we are utterly THERE just yet, but the closeness to that point was past just being uncomfortable about 10 squares back. Where we are right now is NOT GOOD.
The problem is not Trump. It’s the corrupt character of most Americans who chose to elect a sexual abuser, pedophile, insurrectionist, and financial fraud twice and I think would again if he were allowed to run in 2028. Trump is simply a mirror to who most Americans are—some combination of ignorant, racist, and corrupt.
Americans are NOT ignorant or morally corrupt.I refuse to give in to that.
It is the Power of the Press that will carry this devastating message to the American people who certainly deserve all of the transparency the Press can provide. But they must make it LOUD AND CLEAR so all of us can face up to the revolting Corruption of our once Sacred American Democracy.
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED as a brave and stalwart People of America 🇺🇸 THIS TAKES ALL OF US - ALL OF THE TIME- TO CLEAR OUT THE FILTHY CORRUPTION THAT WILL SELL OUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.
Helen, oh sad half-blind Helen. Bless your heart. I can possibly buy you “not morally corrupt” statement on the Americans, but not ignorant?? You can’t be serious. The majority of Americans who voted for this clown a second time after listening to his bumbling, ridiculous statements during COVID, and who wanted him back in the White House so desperately are getting exactly what they deserve. And most of them don’t even realize what he’s done. That’s what he counted on when he returned to office. Your rah-rah, let’s get ‘em cheer is falling on the purposely deaf and willfully blind Republicans. Let’s see what the Dems do at the midterms, but even though there’s enough ammunition to win those big I also think my party is a bit lost when it comes to putting forward candidates who can make compelling arguments. I hope this turns out better than it appears it might. Remember, Trump still has time for the midterms and more than two years to destroy that which he hasn’t already.
I love your optimism, I sincerely do. But I can't join your club ....being old and having seen and experienced, not only "the good, yes, but more of the "bad." In these dark, dark times, this is the sentiment that rings true for me: "The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Thomas Hobbes. I hope you are right. I would LOVE to be wrong. Peace.
I agree with you, Joanne! The majority of the American people do not possess low intelligence or poor character. The ballots from 2024 Election were fraudulently manipulated. Felon47 bragged the night before the inauguration that Elon Musk had very effective computer skills, particularly with vote-counting computers. He expressed his thanks to Elon because they had won by a landslide in Pennsylvania. Later, when the occupant in the White House and Elon were fighting, Elon Communicated to Felon47 that he would never have won without him!
It’s good to hope, but we have enough evidence over the past decade of most American’s willingness to support or ignore Trump’s attitudes and behavior.
Sadly, I see a lot of very tired People doing their best to put one foot in front of the other when our own people are tired and sad. Exhausted from attempting to claw their way over all of the lies, confusion and corruption. I have tried to be engaged in the current political Atmosphere but…it is frightening painful and exhausting. I am old and so very saddened by the dissension among us. This might sound trite but I truly think ALL OF US need to Pray to whatever power you believe in and Pray extra hard for eachother🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🍀🇺🇸God Bless America
There are approximately 342 million Americans, 244 million of whom were eligible to vote in 2024, 155 million of whom actually voted, 77 million of whom voted for Trump. He was voted into office by less than a third of the voting-eligible population, less than a quarter of the country overall. And he didn't win a majority of the popular vote last time, even though he got more votes than Harris. Opinion poll after opinion poll shows his support shrinking. It's still far too high for my liking, but it certainly isn't "most" Americans, and I don't think it ever was.
Yes. He won twice and most voters supported him again in 2024 after COVID, January 6th, his conviction for sexual abuse, and his felony convictions for financial fraud. He appealed to their worst nature and was rewarded. He would be again.
This is a great summary of SOME of the perfidy of the Trump crime syndicate, a truly mind-boggling ledger sheet. Thank you, Terry for your faithful reporting. With the water torture we're continually having to endure, it's hard not to zone out. But to see such a summary as this keeps the outrage fresh. God grant us soon deliverance from this dangerous and humiliating regime!
Thanks, Karen. That’s exactly what I wanted to do—for myself as much as for readers like you. It comes at us in such a blizzard, and frankly, a lot of the stories get written in ways that are hard for me to understand. I’m not a finance guy. So I tried to put some of it on my own words. Liz Oyer is so great at that. Check her out.
Poll numbers don't mean squat if something isn't done to substantiate them to those who think they're above authority or any attempt at correction. That means not just voting, but letting them know at EVERY opportunity just how badly they've screwed up, and that there is a price to pay for failing to actually DO THEIR JOB.
I find it perplexing to, on one hand, to have all the corruption defined and exposed, and on the other, no one nor any one body unable or unwilling to do anything about it. All I see and hear amounts to nothing more than hand-wringing. Sad.
Our Congress is broken. Once, even members of a president’s own party were willing to at least go through the motions of hearings on stuff far, far less damning than what we see from Trump.
I understand, Terry. If outside pressure and forces were brought to bear on even a few members of Congress (i.e. people take to the streets on a Viet Nam scale), and if that pressure, in turn, put more pressure on Trump, either a few in Congress would come forward, or Trump would finally lose it altogether and be taken away in a straight jacket. Underneath it all, bullies are fearful children. If shaken violently enough, even they will fall out of the tree.
I totally agree, Todd! I want someone to hand Felon47 an orange jumpsuit, and escort him to the Big House. It would be fitting if they would then throw away the key! I believe all the nations in the world would cheer!
Lots of zeros in your report. It’s incredulous that one man and his family need to amass such wealth. Our nation would be in fine shape if we put some of those zeros to good use. But, alas, trump doesn’t care about the financial needs of every day Americans. He only cares about himself!
I’m getting informed. I’m angry. I’m more than ready. I’m going to work to get out the vote!
It's hard to understand why Congress, much less many, STILL don't or won't accept not only the blatant (in-your-face) corruption during a crashing economy, but also the complete incompetence of this regime and the sheer cowardice of the "Congress".
I think you know the answer to that one as well as I do: it's a combination of being drunk on power and scared sh*t-less of crossing Trump. Throw in the thought that they can do this without consequences, and you have the trifecta.
Making them answer for their actions would go a LONG way toward straightening things out. Sadly, right now, that's one hell of a big ask.
Sad but true! But I still struggle to understand why politicians are so afraid of Trump. So you might lose your election - so what! Your ego or thirst for power is so high that you lose sight of why you serve - for the greater good and to defend and support the Constitution?! Perhaps naivety on my part, I'm ok with that, after 38 years in the US Army and Army National Guard.
So many elected Republicans are afraid of Trump because he can make or break any Republican politician. Trump controls a lot of the money on the Republican side and politicians need money--lots of it--to win reelection. Since the 2010 Citizen's United SC decision, our political system has been flooded with vast amounts of money.. There's way too much money in politics --Democrats and Republicans rely on vast sums money to run campaigns and win reelection. Trump controls the money R politicians need for their campaigns and that is the reason they are so afraid of him.
Let's hope the Montana Initiative 194 passes and that the Hawaii bill limiting campaign contributions (non-entities, dark money, Citizens United, etc.) sets an example for the rest of the country and our democracy can be restored. (But not to the way it was - because then we'd be going through this every few decades. We need something better.)
And that's only Trump's corruption. His whole administration and family reek of fraud, grift, blackmail, pay-to-play, shakedowns, lack of ethics, etc. Thank you, Terry, for continuing to keep track of this and bring it to our attention.
The Art of the Grift - thanks for adding the zeros - unfortunately, so many people can’t even fathom how much those amounts really mean because they’ve never had that much money in their lifetimes. I don’t think even the trillionaires even fathom how much.
Someday "the chickens will come home to roost", but it will be years before that happens. While the courts may be the only recourse, SCOTUS is bought and paid for (6 of the 9). Hopefully with a change of folks in Congress, they will address that as well. Term limits, additional justices, creating and enforcing rules for them that the lower courts have to abide by, changing or creating constitutional amendments? And will there ever be an opportunity to get some of that money back from the family? Seizing assets, massive fines, etc.?
But first the country needs to recognize that it's less of a party problem and more of a cultural one. The ultra-wealthy (the Epstein class, Mar-a-Lago class, or whatever you want to call them) vs the average American. They just bought their way into power. What's to stop future administrations from being as greedy as this one? Certainly not just by assuming they have "good hearts".
Yes, inherently MOST people are "decent" but fear and temptation are powerful motivators, and once social norms are broken, it's hard to go backwards. (Pandora's box)
(My usual PollyAnnish self is feeling more like Debbie Downer today)
The chickens won't come home to roost all by themselves, not in this political environment. They'll need to be grabbed by the neck, thrown into the coop, and forcibly shown the error of their ways. I hate to say it, but we need an American Nuremberg to deal with all those who preferred power over responsibility, who served Trump and his cronies, rather than the American people. The Trumpers will say that we're weaponizing the judicial system, and of course, they'll be wrong. Meting out justice is not "weaponizing;" it's putting that system to the use for which it was designed.
I hate to use this phrase, but it's true: "An example must be set," so that EVERYONE can understand that wrong was done, that it is intolerable, and cannot be allowed to happen again. The real question becomes: do the people of the United States have the will to actually DO this?
This horrifying situation must be continuously shouted out and exposed so clearly that every single American person gets the TRUTH EVEN IF IT IS UGLY AND TERRIFYING.
Meanwhile, the entirety of the GOP supports and defends this crook while morally corrupt Faux news lies to vast swaths of the American public. This is totally unacceptable. Speak up, protest, show up, vote!
It is up to us, the voters--as it has always been. Some voters dropped the ball, though in 2016 and 2024--thinking voting for President is a popularity contest--they didn't "like" Hillary or Kamala.
Before Trump was elected in 2016, we knew he was not a "good businessman" because of his 6 bankruptcies. We also knew he was a crook because of the Trump University fraud case. In 2024, after the events of January 6, 2021, a vote for Trump for President was voter malpractice in the extreme. And here we are .
This is what happens when 1) the rules, including the Constitution, are not enforced, 2) no one is held accountable, and 3) those violating the rules jigger the government around so that they all but CAN'T be called to task for their actions. It's also a massive indicator of the two-tiered system of justice in the US: the rich essentially get away with ANYTHING while those of lesser means get hammered for even the slightest infraction.
And if this is allowed to go on much longer, the rule of law in the United States will devolve to the point where IT MEANS NOTHING.
I think we're already there.
I don't know that we are utterly THERE just yet, but the closeness to that point was past just being uncomfortable about 10 squares back. Where we are right now is NOT GOOD.
👍
The problem is not Trump. It’s the corrupt character of most Americans who chose to elect a sexual abuser, pedophile, insurrectionist, and financial fraud twice and I think would again if he were allowed to run in 2028. Trump is simply a mirror to who most Americans are—some combination of ignorant, racist, and corrupt.
Americans are NOT ignorant or morally corrupt.I refuse to give in to that.
It is the Power of the Press that will carry this devastating message to the American people who certainly deserve all of the transparency the Press can provide. But they must make it LOUD AND CLEAR so all of us can face up to the revolting Corruption of our once Sacred American Democracy.
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED as a brave and stalwart People of America 🇺🇸 THIS TAKES ALL OF US - ALL OF THE TIME- TO CLEAR OUT THE FILTHY CORRUPTION THAT WILL SELL OUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.
STAY STRONG
SPEAK OUT
BE A BRAVE AMERICAN 🇺🇸
Helen, oh sad half-blind Helen. Bless your heart. I can possibly buy you “not morally corrupt” statement on the Americans, but not ignorant?? You can’t be serious. The majority of Americans who voted for this clown a second time after listening to his bumbling, ridiculous statements during COVID, and who wanted him back in the White House so desperately are getting exactly what they deserve. And most of them don’t even realize what he’s done. That’s what he counted on when he returned to office. Your rah-rah, let’s get ‘em cheer is falling on the purposely deaf and willfully blind Republicans. Let’s see what the Dems do at the midterms, but even though there’s enough ammunition to win those big I also think my party is a bit lost when it comes to putting forward candidates who can make compelling arguments. I hope this turns out better than it appears it might. Remember, Trump still has time for the midterms and more than two years to destroy that which he hasn’t already.
Attempting to shame people for their ideas would be, I think, in this forum totally unacceptable. You make good points after the first 4 lines.
I love your optimism, I sincerely do. But I can't join your club ....being old and having seen and experienced, not only "the good, yes, but more of the "bad." In these dark, dark times, this is the sentiment that rings true for me: "The life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Thomas Hobbes. I hope you are right. I would LOVE to be wrong. Peace.
Sigh -- I really hope this is NOT true for "most" of US citizens.
I agree with you, Joanne! The majority of the American people do not possess low intelligence or poor character. The ballots from 2024 Election were fraudulently manipulated. Felon47 bragged the night before the inauguration that Elon Musk had very effective computer skills, particularly with vote-counting computers. He expressed his thanks to Elon because they had won by a landslide in Pennsylvania. Later, when the occupant in the White House and Elon were fighting, Elon Communicated to Felon47 that he would never have won without him!
It’s good to hope, but we have enough evidence over the past decade of most American’s willingness to support or ignore Trump’s attitudes and behavior.
Sure, Americans elected Trump twice—and would probably do so again—because they are of such high intelligence and character.
Are you relying on same Press (including Terry?) that gathered during the WHCA dinner last month to “honor” Trump?
Sadly, I see a lot of very tired People doing their best to put one foot in front of the other when our own people are tired and sad. Exhausted from attempting to claw their way over all of the lies, confusion and corruption. I have tried to be engaged in the current political Atmosphere but…it is frightening painful and exhausting. I am old and so very saddened by the dissension among us. This might sound trite but I truly think ALL OF US need to Pray to whatever power you believe in and Pray extra hard for eachother🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🍀🇺🇸God Bless America
HI Binsey...I Replied to your, this, comment somewhere else in this section!
Only voters matter—you are just guessing the rest.
There are approximately 342 million Americans, 244 million of whom were eligible to vote in 2024, 155 million of whom actually voted, 77 million of whom voted for Trump. He was voted into office by less than a third of the voting-eligible population, less than a quarter of the country overall. And he didn't win a majority of the popular vote last time, even though he got more votes than Harris. Opinion poll after opinion poll shows his support shrinking. It's still far too high for my liking, but it certainly isn't "most" Americans, and I don't think it ever was.
Do you really think it's "most"?
Yes. He won twice and most voters supported him again in 2024 after COVID, January 6th, his conviction for sexual abuse, and his felony convictions for financial fraud. He appealed to their worst nature and was rewarded. He would be again.
This is a great summary of SOME of the perfidy of the Trump crime syndicate, a truly mind-boggling ledger sheet. Thank you, Terry for your faithful reporting. With the water torture we're continually having to endure, it's hard not to zone out. But to see such a summary as this keeps the outrage fresh. God grant us soon deliverance from this dangerous and humiliating regime!
Thanks, Karen. That’s exactly what I wanted to do—for myself as much as for readers like you. It comes at us in such a blizzard, and frankly, a lot of the stories get written in ways that are hard for me to understand. I’m not a finance guy. So I tried to put some of it on my own words. Liz Oyer is so great at that. Check her out.
Exactly.
Today's new plummeting polling numbers offer a heartening parallel to this. May we vote in historic proportions, proportionate to his grift.
Poll numbers don't mean squat if something isn't done to substantiate them to those who think they're above authority or any attempt at correction. That means not just voting, but letting them know at EVERY opportunity just how badly they've screwed up, and that there is a price to pay for failing to actually DO THEIR JOB.
Talk the talk, but don't forget to walk the walk.
I find it perplexing to, on one hand, to have all the corruption defined and exposed, and on the other, no one nor any one body unable or unwilling to do anything about it. All I see and hear amounts to nothing more than hand-wringing. Sad.
Our Congress is broken. Once, even members of a president’s own party were willing to at least go through the motions of hearings on stuff far, far less damning than what we see from Trump.
I understand, Terry. If outside pressure and forces were brought to bear on even a few members of Congress (i.e. people take to the streets on a Viet Nam scale), and if that pressure, in turn, put more pressure on Trump, either a few in Congress would come forward, or Trump would finally lose it altogether and be taken away in a straight jacket. Underneath it all, bullies are fearful children. If shaken violently enough, even they will fall out of the tree.
I totally agree, Todd! I want someone to hand Felon47 an orange jumpsuit, and escort him to the Big House. It would be fitting if they would then throw away the key! I believe all the nations in the world would cheer!
I follow Liz Oyer, she's a very well spoken, intelligent woman. I appreciate her insights.
Truly. I found her on TikTok first. I trust her.
Lots of zeros in your report. It’s incredulous that one man and his family need to amass such wealth. Our nation would be in fine shape if we put some of those zeros to good use. But, alas, trump doesn’t care about the financial needs of every day Americans. He only cares about himself!
I’m getting informed. I’m angry. I’m more than ready. I’m going to work to get out the vote!
Thanks Terry!
Thank you, Rita. This is such a hugely important election. Gonna have to put our shoulders to the wheel.
It's hard to understand why Congress, much less many, STILL don't or won't accept not only the blatant (in-your-face) corruption during a crashing economy, but also the complete incompetence of this regime and the sheer cowardice of the "Congress".
I think you know the answer to that one as well as I do: it's a combination of being drunk on power and scared sh*t-less of crossing Trump. Throw in the thought that they can do this without consequences, and you have the trifecta.
Making them answer for their actions would go a LONG way toward straightening things out. Sadly, right now, that's one hell of a big ask.
Sad but true! But I still struggle to understand why politicians are so afraid of Trump. So you might lose your election - so what! Your ego or thirst for power is so high that you lose sight of why you serve - for the greater good and to defend and support the Constitution?! Perhaps naivety on my part, I'm ok with that, after 38 years in the US Army and Army National Guard.
So many elected Republicans are afraid of Trump because he can make or break any Republican politician. Trump controls a lot of the money on the Republican side and politicians need money--lots of it--to win reelection. Since the 2010 Citizen's United SC decision, our political system has been flooded with vast amounts of money.. There's way too much money in politics --Democrats and Republicans rely on vast sums money to run campaigns and win reelection. Trump controls the money R politicians need for their campaigns and that is the reason they are so afraid of him.
Let's hope the Montana Initiative 194 passes and that the Hawaii bill limiting campaign contributions (non-entities, dark money, Citizens United, etc.) sets an example for the rest of the country and our democracy can be restored. (But not to the way it was - because then we'd be going through this every few decades. We need something better.)
And that's only Trump's corruption. His whole administration and family reek of fraud, grift, blackmail, pay-to-play, shakedowns, lack of ethics, etc. Thank you, Terry, for continuing to keep track of this and bring it to our attention.
There is a whole slew of these greedy self righteous people who never were taught humility. They worship gold as if it were a God.
The Art of the Grift - thanks for adding the zeros - unfortunately, so many people can’t even fathom how much those amounts really mean because they’ve never had that much money in their lifetimes. I don’t think even the trillionaires even fathom how much.
Someday "the chickens will come home to roost", but it will be years before that happens. While the courts may be the only recourse, SCOTUS is bought and paid for (6 of the 9). Hopefully with a change of folks in Congress, they will address that as well. Term limits, additional justices, creating and enforcing rules for them that the lower courts have to abide by, changing or creating constitutional amendments? And will there ever be an opportunity to get some of that money back from the family? Seizing assets, massive fines, etc.?
But first the country needs to recognize that it's less of a party problem and more of a cultural one. The ultra-wealthy (the Epstein class, Mar-a-Lago class, or whatever you want to call them) vs the average American. They just bought their way into power. What's to stop future administrations from being as greedy as this one? Certainly not just by assuming they have "good hearts".
Yes, inherently MOST people are "decent" but fear and temptation are powerful motivators, and once social norms are broken, it's hard to go backwards. (Pandora's box)
(My usual PollyAnnish self is feeling more like Debbie Downer today)
The chickens won't come home to roost all by themselves, not in this political environment. They'll need to be grabbed by the neck, thrown into the coop, and forcibly shown the error of their ways. I hate to say it, but we need an American Nuremberg to deal with all those who preferred power over responsibility, who served Trump and his cronies, rather than the American people. The Trumpers will say that we're weaponizing the judicial system, and of course, they'll be wrong. Meting out justice is not "weaponizing;" it's putting that system to the use for which it was designed.
I hate to use this phrase, but it's true: "An example must be set," so that EVERYONE can understand that wrong was done, that it is intolerable, and cannot be allowed to happen again. The real question becomes: do the people of the United States have the will to actually DO this?
This horrifying situation must be continuously shouted out and exposed so clearly that every single American person gets the TRUTH EVEN IF IT IS UGLY AND TERRIFYING.
We are on the brink of disaster🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏
Thank you for your clear eyes and faithful heart. A mestasazizing cancer is destructive but at least not contemptuous.
Meanwhile, the entirety of the GOP supports and defends this crook while morally corrupt Faux news lies to vast swaths of the American public. This is totally unacceptable. Speak up, protest, show up, vote!
It is up to us, the voters--as it has always been. Some voters dropped the ball, though in 2016 and 2024--thinking voting for President is a popularity contest--they didn't "like" Hillary or Kamala.
Before Trump was elected in 2016, we knew he was not a "good businessman" because of his 6 bankruptcies. We also knew he was a crook because of the Trump University fraud case. In 2024, after the events of January 6, 2021, a vote for Trump for President was voter malpractice in the extreme. And here we are .