Freshly returned to The Land of the Free, America was in worse shape than when I left it. And I was only gone for two weeks. An uneasiness is gripping America. As one friend put it, “Bad things keep happening.” And when my friend said that, I responded, “And most of them involve Donald Trump.”
As I write this column this morning, Canada is waking up to 35 percent tariffs. I wonder, is Donald Trump trying to destroy Canada’s economy and turn them into an enemy so that the U.S. can annex them? That would be the scheme of a madman. And, between that, the redecoration of the White House “Palm Room,” which I had never heard of, and the President’s excellent vacation working trip to his golf clubs in Scotland, I wonder if Trump has lost it.
A certifiably insane Trump would not be allowed to remain in office, right? If Trump continues to act crazy, even mental giants like Pete “Maybe I’d be better at being Tennessee governor” Hegseth or “Higher temperatures are good for crops” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, would push Trump to leave office. Either the 25th Amendment or a dozen or so Trump appointees forcing the President into an intervention and reading him the riot act might work. Likely? Please stop laughing, I don’t think so either.
And what about the Epstein scandal? The President keeps digging his hole deeper. That creep Epstein “stole” Virginia Guiffre from Mar-A-Lago, Trump claims. That was the day Trump walked away from the creep. Gentlemen don’t steal women from one another.
The scandal may be about to reach a breaking point. Republicans returning to their districts are finding that more constituents want to talk about Epstein-Trump than about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that might close their local hospital.
During my trip abroad, one of the few references to Trump I heard from other Americans on the trip was about the President’s quest for a Nobel Peace Prize. The only place that happened was in Stockholm, the home of the Nobel Prizes (although not the Peace Prize). Comments included questioning Trump’s continuing support for Netanyahu despite starvation in Gaza and the President’s failure to get Putin to stop his war on Ukraine. (President Trump appears to have overestimated how much Putin admires him.)
Nobody was talking about Epstein on my trip. I think it was because they thought the scandal would be over by the time they returned to American soil. After all, Trump survived January 6, two impeachments, the Billy Bush tape, Stormy Daniels, and E. Jean Carroll. And Epstein was already dead. Trump argued it was time to move on, and I assumed America, to its shame, would obey. But many haven’t.
So, my second theory about what might drive Trump from power is Jeffrey Epstein. Most decent people don’t think there should be a statute of limitations on sex with underage women.
Trump, as August begins, is in hot water. He is mentally and physically declining, shows evidence of fatigue, and is carrying the stress of the Epstein scandal. I suspect that while he apparently believes he can wipe January 6 from the history books, people will remember Epstein.
My third theory is the one I worry about the most. It is that, like so many times before, Trump survives—he remains in office. This seems to be the most likely scenario, and it is worrisome because Trump is trying to fix the 2026 mid-term elections to prevent a third impeachment. With help from Texas Republicans, they are attempting to gerrymander themselves into five more Republican House seats.
Meanwhile, toady Emil Bove is now a U.S. Appellate Court Judge, patiently waiting for a Supreme Court vacancy. Trump has already robbed the Supreme Court of much of its credibility, turning it into a political tool to dismember the Constitution. Imagine what the Court would look like with Bove bobbing his head yes at everything Trump asks for.
I could go on, but my insight of the week is President Trump is in hot water but, like a Timex, keeps on ticking. Those tariffs on Canada are evidence of leadership. Right?
In perusing the news last night, I saw Trump with a “Trump did everything right” hat. The story was that Trump’s lawyers are suing entrepreneurs who are selling the hats online without paying Trump royalties. Enough said.
Thank you.
Thank you for reading Friday Insights.
They did not have sex with underage women, they had sex with children.
They are/were NOT "underage women". They are/were TEENAGE GIRLS!!!! Children! Minors! NOT WOMEN!!!!! Hundreds, maybe Thousands of CHILDREN were abused, violated, raped! CHILDREN!!!!!