It was not that long ago that President Biden was vilified for normal aging. That he was aging was undeniable and the need for fresh eyes and legs was justified. The stamina, integrity and cognitive cohesiveness of a person with enough years of experience to incorporate those qualities into a vigorous and effective administration is essential for a functional presidency.
President Biden gave his all to his time in office and that office took all of it. With Trump, the compare and contrast is devastating, a man of vanishing comprehension, with more power than competence. He
is not cognitively intact. His physical health is observably failing. His emotional stability is not based in reality. He has moved way past the line established by the Democrats to question his acuity. If the criticism of the Democrats was that we waited too long, then how long is too long for there to be a reckoning of Trump’s vast and ever deepening deficits.
Trump is stuck in an endless cycle of fear and retribution now, retribution tomorrow, retribution forever. He must be right and for him to be right everyone else must be wrong. These are not the actions of a well man; his demeanor is not one of health or competence and he has the nuclear codes. Every mistake is not his fault, every obsession is his reality and every decent into further perversion of his authority is inevitable. He is trapped in his severely compromised state and he is dangerous.
and though Biden was slow on the uptake in the last couple of years of his administration (no doubt a development of his life-long stammer), he was always honest and never cruel and never childish, and he surrounded himself with competent and patriotic advisors who were not on the take. So a contrast with Trump in every conceivable dimension.
Yes, the Democrats waited to too long to sound the alarm about Biden, as well as Biden's immediate close aides and family worked very hard to conceal his deterioration, but the Republicans in the House and Senate aren't even raising any concern that has publicly come to light nor has any aide in the current White House done so. There is no one in the White House, including the VP, who will even attempt to set in motion Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Without that event happening, "We the People" are stuck in hell.
Deborah, yes, Donald Trump has been experiencing dementia for at least 7 years which is about when I noticed the patterns of his speech that were similar to my mother's when she moved into dementia. The people around him knew it, yet hid it from the American people. Well, now, it is obvious. Trump is far more involved with his ridiculous ballroom and refurbishing the Kennedy Center than he is with the war he started, the ships he and Hegseth have left stranded in that war, the people who are losing healthcare due to his "big Beautiful Bill" and with the permission of Republicans in Congress. In short, Donald Trump has no business being in the white house. Now, our Johnny Roberts has told Baby Donnie he can have his ballroom! Thanks Johnny. Again you prove just how wrong it is that you are a chief justice or on the court at all!
I am grateful for these lower court judges and their rulings, but as long as Trump's attitude is that "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission" - re: moving on construction of the ballroom at superspeed, etc. - it's not enough. We also need a DOJ and a Supreme Court to enforce the law. (And a Congress with a spine....)
This is why we need to create a mechanism in the Constitution to make it possible to investigate, indict, try, and if convicted, remove a sitting President for criminal or anti-constitutional acts. We know Impeachment doesn't work.
Impeachment could have worked if Mitch McConnell and his cronies in the senate had done their jobs properly and convicted and removed Donald J. Trump. The House of Representatives did theirs. Instead, the senate conducted a kabuki-theater style trial (twice) and failed to remove this menace.
Liz - I don't think he has a clue there might be a thing to ask forgiveness for. Felon47 is so mentally disabled and so involved in the fantasy world he has in his demented excuse for a mind I don't think much that exists in reality actually gets perceived by him. As for him asking for forgiveness
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
He does believe he knows more than anybody else and that he only does wonderful things that everyone else find fantastic. I don't think he has the intellectual ability, nor the basic social skills, to even recognize when he has done something wrong or inappropriate. Also, apologizing in any way would imply he had made some sort of error, which he will never do in regard to anything meaningful of any substantial import.
"However, lower federal court judges have consistently defended the rule of law, the separation of powers, and due process against arbitrary actions by an unhinged president. We should be grateful for their undaunted and uncompromising stance in defense of our democracy that keeps tyranny at bay." Lower court judges are slowing down the Trump assault and that is what we can do now till this midterm. Slow down his destruction of our country.
After the Democrats are back in control, they will have to investigate members of Trump's cabinet (especially Blanche), for lawless and unconstitutional actions. Also, if Blanche's actions in a given state violate state law, that state should charge and try him. Meanwhile, the bar association in the state where Blanche is licensed as a lawyer must immediately begin dulisbarrment proceedings.
Formal ethics complaints and charges have been filed with the New York bar against Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, requesting a professional misconduct investigation into his law license rather than criminal charges. These grievances target his actions and use of prosecutorial power within the Department of Justice.
Filed Misconduct Allegations
Vindictive Prosecution: Accused of launching or overseeing politically motivated investigations and prosecutions to target perceived opponents.
Conflicts of Interest: Allegations of acting out of misplaced loyalty to former clients and the administration rather than independent justice standards.
Abuse of Authority: Cites mishandling of high-profile department documents and utilizing federal powers for political retribution.
When Bondi was A.G. I wrote to the FL Bar Association suggesting she be investigated and disbarred. They responded that they don’t investigate federal officials. I don’t know if it’s the same in NY. They both should be disbarred.
It's long wait for precious little. We'll have to wait and see how and if this progresses. You can bet that the Republican owned legacy media won't say much about it. Thank you for bringing this to light!
This is all encouraging and I appreciate the reporting. However (and I really hate to say this) since Day One of this administration it's semed abundantly clear that we didn't and still don't have an ENFORCEMENT mechanism to call Trump&Co to account. 'The Donald' has ever and always violated laws and norms and pushed the limits of control over his basically entirely self-directed and self-aggrandizing actions. Like others of his ilk he is a black hole, sucking anyone and everyone else's rights into its maw. The only way to stop such people is via arrest and imprisonment. Even fines, such as E. Jean Carrol has finally collected, won't do it.
Ms Carroll has recovered the first, much smaller, award of damages, not a fine. The second damages award, $83 million (with interest accruing), is still under appeal, though the grounds are flimsy.
Normally this is the job of the Congress, but it seems that a Constitutional amendment is needed because as you write, there's no mechanism of enforcement. Would any mechanism actually function? These people are lawless and are supported by a structure of institutions that they have subsumed. They don't obey the law, and dare anyone to try to make them.
"The White House’s obvious contempt for diverse religious faiths" is hardly the only thing it has contempt for. We can add disregard for human rights, ignoring separation of church and state, total arrogance and unbridled egotism, spitting upon scientific data, demolishing national treasures...The list is actually endless at this time.
“We should be grateful for their undaunted and uncompromising stance in defense of our democracy that keeps tyranny at bay.”
Absolutely! They are keeping the beast behind bolted doors. Woe unto us if we ever lose our law-based judicial system, and the brave men and women who enforce it. In SPITE of the spineless, traitorous….yes, PUPPETS….on the Supine Court!
Thank you for another great and clear-eyed article, Ms Rubin.
Vote Blue…..the ONLY hope we have to crawl OUT of this Trumplican-created mess!
His raging arrogance, contempt for Congress and due process, and willful disregard for Americans’ rights are the direct result of the GOP deciding that a morally bankrupt, inept, egoist, etc., was the best choice for their candidate, and the Republican Congress (which now includes Fetterman de facto) allowing him to do anything he wants without restraint.
Thanks to the federal judges we might not even have a shred of democracy left. ICE has no business conducting raids in schools or churches to terrorize the public with their lawless behavior. It all comes from the top until we put the federal judiciary in play. I look forward to seeing more losses from the 47th felon of the United States.
Don't forget the courts. ICE has no business extracting supposed immigation violators from our courts and the hallways that surround them where the people are awaiting justice to act.
Article 4, Section 3, clause 2 could not be clearer. It is the sole province of the Congress to make rules and laws to manage federal territory and federal property, It is not an executive function.
The Republican majority congress refuses to act upon this guardrail, just as they, as overly permissive parents, let the treacherous baby get away with mayhem and violations.
It's possible that a civil case could be brought under the terms of dereliction of duty, though as you note, voting them out would be equally effective, except that it seems that they keep getting re-elected.
It's good that Dirty Don is losing in court, some of the time. But he and his sleazy attorneys appeal, appeal, and appeal endlessly. It's never over and won't be over until the Crime Boss is, in fact, punished. Apparently, the Iranian psycho-religious fanatics are the only ones in the world who know how to fight him in a manner that matters.
IMO, the problem isn't simply old Miracle Ear's dotage, it's the spineless and venal GOP and SCOTUS enablers of the anti democracy goal. The Project 2025 agenda is advancing behind the smokescreen of daily outrage.
It *is* advancing, sort of, but the wreck of the Republican Party (or "crack-up," as Dana Milbank called it) was proceeding apace long before Project 2025 came along (at least by that name).
Pundits have predicted the demise of the GOP at least since President Obama was elected, which galvanized the "Tea Party" racist movement, but since Democrats have been in "Candidate Purity" and rightward movement inertia, the GOP bobs to the surface, just when we think they're underwater.
This is why I think it had to get this bad -- Trump II, DOGE, etc. -- to wake the Democratic "leadership" up. I've been visualizing the Potomac & Anacostia Rivers rising to clean out the Augean Stables, i.e., the White House, but it's fine with me if they take most of Congress and the Supreme Court majority too.
Every evening, Trump Dracula and his latest "wife" Natalie, retire into their dark and cavernous bat cave below the former "East Wing" (the real reason for the teardown) to plot their moves for the upcoming day. Soon, they are joined by many fellow vampire heroes; Stephen Miller, Pete Testosterone Hegseth, RFK Jr, Bessent, Vought, "Justices" Thomas & Alito & sometimes Roberts, Peter Navarro, and etc.
It feels like they settle on 3 or 4 new plots everyday to attack the American People, our Constitution and titillate their cult base. The villagers are catching on. Their reign will end soon. The pitchforks and silver stakes are ready. We will overcome.
To the Democrats in Congress:
It was not that long ago that President Biden was vilified for normal aging. That he was aging was undeniable and the need for fresh eyes and legs was justified. The stamina, integrity and cognitive cohesiveness of a person with enough years of experience to incorporate those qualities into a vigorous and effective administration is essential for a functional presidency.
President Biden gave his all to his time in office and that office took all of it. With Trump, the compare and contrast is devastating, a man of vanishing comprehension, with more power than competence. He
is not cognitively intact. His physical health is observably failing. His emotional stability is not based in reality. He has moved way past the line established by the Democrats to question his acuity. If the criticism of the Democrats was that we waited too long, then how long is too long for there to be a reckoning of Trump’s vast and ever deepening deficits.
Trump is stuck in an endless cycle of fear and retribution now, retribution tomorrow, retribution forever. He must be right and for him to be right everyone else must be wrong. These are not the actions of a well man; his demeanor is not one of health or competence and he has the nuclear codes. Every mistake is not his fault, every obsession is his reality and every decent into further perversion of his authority is inevitable. He is trapped in his severely compromised state and he is dangerous.
We the People Do Not Consent.
and though Biden was slow on the uptake in the last couple of years of his administration (no doubt a development of his life-long stammer), he was always honest and never cruel and never childish, and he surrounded himself with competent and patriotic advisors who were not on the take. So a contrast with Trump in every conceivable dimension.
And he provided aid to ‘red’ states, not just ‘blue’ states,
… let alone Trump attacking Blue states every way he can.
Then Trump tried to take credit for the help Biden gave Red states! 🙄
We miss him greatly. When is Biden going to get credit for all of his accomplishments in four years?
Yes, the Democrats waited to too long to sound the alarm about Biden, as well as Biden's immediate close aides and family worked very hard to conceal his deterioration, but the Republicans in the House and Senate aren't even raising any concern that has publicly come to light nor has any aide in the current White House done so. There is no one in the White House, including the VP, who will even attempt to set in motion Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Without that event happening, "We the People" are stuck in hell.
… and sharing it with the rest of the world.
(Unintentionally, of course - except for MAGA).
Deborah, yes, Donald Trump has been experiencing dementia for at least 7 years which is about when I noticed the patterns of his speech that were similar to my mother's when she moved into dementia. The people around him knew it, yet hid it from the American people. Well, now, it is obvious. Trump is far more involved with his ridiculous ballroom and refurbishing the Kennedy Center than he is with the war he started, the ships he and Hegseth have left stranded in that war, the people who are losing healthcare due to his "big Beautiful Bill" and with the permission of Republicans in Congress. In short, Donald Trump has no business being in the white house. Now, our Johnny Roberts has told Baby Donnie he can have his ballroom! Thanks Johnny. Again you prove just how wrong it is that you are a chief justice or on the court at all!
We are a minority trying to play jufitsu, which is our only recourse until the playing field changes.
I am grateful for these lower court judges and their rulings, but as long as Trump's attitude is that "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission" - re: moving on construction of the ballroom at superspeed, etc. - it's not enough. We also need a DOJ and a Supreme Court to enforce the law. (And a Congress with a spine....)
This is why we need to create a mechanism in the Constitution to make it possible to investigate, indict, try, and if convicted, remove a sitting President for criminal or anti-constitutional acts. We know Impeachment doesn't work.
Impeachment could have worked if Mitch McConnell and his cronies in the senate had done their jobs properly and convicted and removed Donald J. Trump. The House of Representatives did theirs. Instead, the senate conducted a kabuki-theater style trial (twice) and failed to remove this menace.
But the rethugs in Congress are the Cabal that the Founders feared…
I think the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism. So we will have to wait until a cleansed and reformed DOJ is back in existence.
He won't ask for forgiveness either, but have a raging throw-ketchup-on-the-wall fit and attack the families of the judges who have thwarted him.
Liz - I don't think he has a clue there might be a thing to ask forgiveness for. Felon47 is so mentally disabled and so involved in the fantasy world he has in his demented excuse for a mind I don't think much that exists in reality actually gets perceived by him. As for him asking for forgiveness
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
He does believe he knows more than anybody else and that he only does wonderful things that everyone else find fantastic. I don't think he has the intellectual ability, nor the basic social skills, to even recognize when he has done something wrong or inappropriate. Also, apologizing in any way would imply he had made some sort of error, which he will never do in regard to anything meaningful of any substantial import.
Why can’t lawsuits be filed against the contractors who are working on this illegal project? Are they not culpable?
"However, lower federal court judges have consistently defended the rule of law, the separation of powers, and due process against arbitrary actions by an unhinged president. We should be grateful for their undaunted and uncompromising stance in defense of our democracy that keeps tyranny at bay." Lower court judges are slowing down the Trump assault and that is what we can do now till this midterm. Slow down his destruction of our country.
After the Democrats are back in control, they will have to investigate members of Trump's cabinet (especially Blanche), for lawless and unconstitutional actions. Also, if Blanche's actions in a given state violate state law, that state should charge and try him. Meanwhile, the bar association in the state where Blanche is licensed as a lawyer must immediately begin dulisbarrment proceedings.
Already in the works.
AI Overview
Formal ethics complaints and charges have been filed with the New York bar against Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, requesting a professional misconduct investigation into his law license rather than criminal charges. These grievances target his actions and use of prosecutorial power within the Department of Justice.
Filed Misconduct Allegations
Vindictive Prosecution: Accused of launching or overseeing politically motivated investigations and prosecutions to target perceived opponents.
Conflicts of Interest: Allegations of acting out of misplaced loyalty to former clients and the administration rather than independent justice standards.
Abuse of Authority: Cites mishandling of high-profile department documents and utilizing federal powers for political retribution.
When Bondi was A.G. I wrote to the FL Bar Association suggesting she be investigated and disbarred. They responded that they don’t investigate federal officials. I don’t know if it’s the same in NY. They both should be disbarred.
It's long wait for precious little. We'll have to wait and see how and if this progresses. You can bet that the Republican owned legacy media won't say much about it. Thank you for bringing this to light!
This is all encouraging and I appreciate the reporting. However (and I really hate to say this) since Day One of this administration it's semed abundantly clear that we didn't and still don't have an ENFORCEMENT mechanism to call Trump&Co to account. 'The Donald' has ever and always violated laws and norms and pushed the limits of control over his basically entirely self-directed and self-aggrandizing actions. Like others of his ilk he is a black hole, sucking anyone and everyone else's rights into its maw. The only way to stop such people is via arrest and imprisonment. Even fines, such as E. Jean Carrol has finally collected, won't do it.
Ms Carroll has recovered the first, much smaller, award of damages, not a fine. The second damages award, $83 million (with interest accruing), is still under appeal, though the grounds are flimsy.
Your mind has a genius for detail. Thanks for the correction. I suppose my main point still holds, though? Smiley face emoji.
Absolutely, and for 99% of its value.
I think today is the day of decision by the Supreme court to review?
Normally this is the job of the Congress, but it seems that a Constitutional amendment is needed because as you write, there's no mechanism of enforcement. Would any mechanism actually function? These people are lawless and are supported by a structure of institutions that they have subsumed. They don't obey the law, and dare anyone to try to make them.
"The White House’s obvious contempt for diverse religious faiths" is hardly the only thing it has contempt for. We can add disregard for human rights, ignoring separation of church and state, total arrogance and unbridled egotism, spitting upon scientific data, demolishing national treasures...The list is actually endless at this time.
“We should be grateful for their undaunted and uncompromising stance in defense of our democracy that keeps tyranny at bay.”
Absolutely! They are keeping the beast behind bolted doors. Woe unto us if we ever lose our law-based judicial system, and the brave men and women who enforce it. In SPITE of the spineless, traitorous….yes, PUPPETS….on the Supine Court!
Thank you for another great and clear-eyed article, Ms Rubin.
Vote Blue…..the ONLY hope we have to crawl OUT of this Trumplican-created mess!
I am grateful for these decisions. It is not enough. Do NOT sit on the sidelines. It is an"all hands on deck" moment.
His raging arrogance, contempt for Congress and due process, and willful disregard for Americans’ rights are the direct result of the GOP deciding that a morally bankrupt, inept, egoist, etc., was the best choice for their candidate, and the Republican Congress (which now includes Fetterman de facto) allowing him to do anything he wants without restraint.
don't forget though, fetterman has brain damage from his stroke...
He does, which is why I excused and defended some of his eccentric behavior, before he decided to turn his coat.
the brain damage remains no matter what "coat" he wears
I understand. I'm just not sure his turn toward the GOP is a result of it.
my reply was hidden, all I said was something like how can someone w/o affliction support trrump. I have seen worse here !
Thanks to the federal judges we might not even have a shred of democracy left. ICE has no business conducting raids in schools or churches to terrorize the public with their lawless behavior. It all comes from the top until we put the federal judiciary in play. I look forward to seeing more losses from the 47th felon of the United States.
Don't forget the courts. ICE has no business extracting supposed immigation violators from our courts and the hallways that surround them where the people are awaiting justice to act.
Article 4, Section 3, clause 2 could not be clearer. It is the sole province of the Congress to make rules and laws to manage federal territory and federal property, It is not an executive function.
The Republican majority congress refuses to act upon this guardrail, just as they, as overly permissive parents, let the treacherous baby get away with mayhem and violations.
Every one of them has violated the oath of their office.
Yet there is no move to prosecute these violations, hence the 'oath of office' has become as meaningless as all of the other unenforced "laws".
The remedy is to vote them out of office. A violation of their oath is not a criminal office but it is a very good reason to remove them.
It's possible that a civil case could be brought under the terms of dereliction of duty, though as you note, voting them out would be equally effective, except that it seems that they keep getting re-elected.
Not all of them will be reelected.
It's good that Dirty Don is losing in court, some of the time. But he and his sleazy attorneys appeal, appeal, and appeal endlessly. It's never over and won't be over until the Crime Boss is, in fact, punished. Apparently, the Iranian psycho-religious fanatics are the only ones in the world who know how to fight him in a manner that matters.
"It's never over and won't be over until the Crime Boss is, in fact, punished."
Or until he perishes.
Thank you for calling it out in a timely fashion!
Excellent, as usual.
IMO, the problem isn't simply old Miracle Ear's dotage, it's the spineless and venal GOP and SCOTUS enablers of the anti democracy goal. The Project 2025 agenda is advancing behind the smokescreen of daily outrage.
It *is* advancing, sort of, but the wreck of the Republican Party (or "crack-up," as Dana Milbank called it) was proceeding apace long before Project 2025 came along (at least by that name).
Pundits have predicted the demise of the GOP at least since President Obama was elected, which galvanized the "Tea Party" racist movement, but since Democrats have been in "Candidate Purity" and rightward movement inertia, the GOP bobs to the surface, just when we think they're underwater.
This is why I think it had to get this bad -- Trump II, DOGE, etc. -- to wake the Democratic "leadership" up. I've been visualizing the Potomac & Anacostia Rivers rising to clean out the Augean Stables, i.e., the White House, but it's fine with me if they take most of Congress and the Supreme Court majority too.
Welcome to Trump's America.
Every evening, Trump Dracula and his latest "wife" Natalie, retire into their dark and cavernous bat cave below the former "East Wing" (the real reason for the teardown) to plot their moves for the upcoming day. Soon, they are joined by many fellow vampire heroes; Stephen Miller, Pete Testosterone Hegseth, RFK Jr, Bessent, Vought, "Justices" Thomas & Alito & sometimes Roberts, Peter Navarro, and etc.
It feels like they settle on 3 or 4 new plots everyday to attack the American People, our Constitution and titillate their cult base. The villagers are catching on. Their reign will end soon. The pitchforks and silver stakes are ready. We will overcome.
All very good news, Jen.