To be totally honest, I had not intended to write about anything related to Donald Trump. Enough is said, written, and tweeted by and about him that there can’t be anything more. And yet, somehow, he manages to come up with something new to assault our sensibilities. So, yes once again our Deflector-in-Chief has been hard at work trying to bypass attention from, well, what are uppermost in voters’ minds. Like the cost of a gallon of gasoline once again topping $4. So, his declining job approval ratings have driven him to focus on something that hits us all where we live. Accuracy in museum displays. If you’re like me, you’ve been worrying about that almost as much as you’ve been stewing about contaminated lettuce or the spread of measles.
The president on Friday ordered that “warning” signs be placed in front of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to inform visitors of the “inaccurate information presented in the Museum.”
The executive order comes after a White House report released July 4 claimed the museum “cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.” Trump said in March 2025 that he intended to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution, signing an executive order that sought to target federal funding for programs that present “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.” (NBC News; 7/26)
Let’s break that executive order down just a little bit. “Inaccurate information” caught in my throat for much longer than is healthy. We do know that Mr. Trump and inaccurate information are no strangers. Fact-checkers during his first term found that almost three quarters of what came out of his mouth, either on script or not, was dead wrong. Many of us remember the famous “killing pets” remark in a presidential debate. Mr. Trump repeated a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were killing and eating their neighbors’ house pets. The moderator had to clarify that it was a rumor, completely untrue. However, in the deeply troubled Trumpian mind, it fit his narrative that immigrants are dangerous. Never, ever, did he retract the statement, nor did he apologize for the inaccuracy of his statements. That’s not his style. Put it out there, and if it proves false, well, . . . just hope it will go away over time. The American voter has a short memory, right?
Mr. Trump, in his ongoing quest to “inspire and unify”, fired the Kennedy Center board of trustees and appointed a mixed cluster of his cronies. We all know what a deep and abiding relationship Donald Trump has had with the artistic community, admitting that he never went to the Kennedy Center during his first term. He has since removed funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. Do we really need more Ken Burns stuff, while we have a beautifully made documentary on First Lady Melania Trump? All we need is more Jeff Bezos-funded projects like that to truly inspire us. The Trump-backed board promptly approved a measure to add his name to the building. A federal judge pointed out that he lacked the authority to do that, so down it came. The curtains are still there, though, giving us time to forget and masking the “bullet holes” his name made. “Inspiring and unifying” takes another hit.
As all this is happening, of course, the war with Iran, never the short and assured outcome that the president noted repeatedly, has moved from a “memorandum of understanding” to “we’re bombing away again”, along with news that “the price of crude oil topped $100 a barrel” and “mortgage rates inched up to . . .” All welcome news to the average citizen. Of course, we are safe – for the time being – from Iranian nuclear weapons. We still haven’t found Iran’s store of enriched uranium, but it’s just a matter of time. And the regime-change Mr. Trump told us was an objective of the war with Iran went well too, father to son.
A few weeks back, I wrote about the slightly embarrassing situation at the national Reflecting Pool in DC. Fourteen million dollars later, it’s still an algae-choked mess. Not quite the swimming-pool sparkling treasure he wanted, but not the contractor’s fault. “VANDALS”, cried the president, and managed to round up a few hapless folks that may or may not have cut into the installed lining. Arrest a few folks and everyone will forget that, just perhaps, the contractor wasn’t up to the task.
Then, a few months back, there was this little item. An exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington must be restored at his former home in Philadelphia after President Donald Trump’s administration took it down last month, a federal judge ruled on Presidents Day, the federal holiday honoring Washington’s legacy. The city of Philadelphia sued in January after the National Park Service removed the explanatory panels from Independence National Historical Park, the site where George and Martha Washington lived with nine of their slaves in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital. The removal came in response to a Trump executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. It directed the Interior Department to ensure those sites do not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.” (Associated Press; Feb. 2026)
Once again, by way of providing some insight into the mind of Donald Trump, the term “truth” is relative. It should fit his story line, his narrative. Supporting evidence isn’t really necessary, because just the mere fact that he believes it and speaks or tweets it repeatedly should be enough to make outlandish idea real and valid. And it certainly should be enough to allow Americans by the millions to accept it. (And sadly, many do.) The phrase, “restoring sanity” to American history is a straightforward process by which we remove anything that might be potentially embarrassing or cast negative impressions on real Americans – white and pure. Anything racial certainly fits solidly into that category. Slavery, for example. Let’s all agree that it was an unpleasantness that the President would like best forgiven and forgotten. Why make a big deal of it? One of his handmaidens on the Supreme Court, Justice Sam Alito, agrees with him that racism and prejudice have virtually disappeared from the land, so we can dispense with the legislative protections like the Voting Rights Act. “Climate change” is a fiction created by radical, far-left elements like scientists, designed to alarm people unduly and to prevent industrialists from causing a little harmless pollution here and there. Who really needs a world with polar bears anyway? President Trump didn’t roll back the killing of animals on the Endangered Species list, it merely removed many protections for their habitats – forests, wetlands, deserts. So as long as they develop a little stamina and adaptability, they should be safe. That will allow humans to continue fracking and drilling for oil on a great scale, making us energy independent. In the president’s mind, a win all around.
Let’s all remember too that when a number of prominent musicians declined to perform at his “big, beautiful” July 4thCelebration, he was able to swiftly pivot to a gigantic political rally for . . . wait for it . . .himself. Wow. Nice save.
Donald Trump’s War on Immigrants has had a couple of setbacks too, what with several shootings of people that weren’t even their targets. One in Maine by an ICE agent with a troubling history of violence and spousal abuse. Again, no apologies or corrective action plans from the administration or ICE officials have been forthcoming beyond that they’re “investigating.” I’m translating here, but that means “bury it in the files and keep your mouths shut.” By the way, the new ballroom has added some gold touches, and plans are progressing nicely for the Arc de Trump. Change the subject – it’s all in the art of deflection.
I'm Thinking...No! 