Bob Sheak

Arlene Sheak edits

Introduction

Historians have ranked Trump as the worst present ever. According to Factually,  “recent expert surveys commonly place Donald Trump and James Buchanan among the lowest-rated presidents… with Trump ranked last in several 2024 specialist polls (https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/worst-us-president-historians-ranking-6854f1).

There is considerable evidence that documents the appropriateness of this ranking. Here are some examples.

#1 – A president of “lost opportunities.” E.J. Dionne, Jr., writes on Trump’s “lost opportunities” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/opinion/trump-lost-opportunities.html). Mr. Dionne is a contributing Opinion writer. He has done damage “to the rule of law, to the United States’ standing in the world, to the constraints on corruption and self-dealing we once took for granted.”

He offers a general summary in two paragraphs of his detailed article.

“He has wasted the nation’s time and attention span on a festival of personal obsessions: tariffs, Greenland, a ballroom, the outcome of the 2020 election and an ill-considered war. In doing so, he created a public agenda entirely out of sync with the problems our nation needs to solve. He also blinded himself to the ways in which he might have made his presidency more successful and more popular.

“We are in a moment when we need to build — more housing and better ways to address child care, elder care and health systems. The country also needs to think ahead: about the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence, the need for alternatives to fossil fuels, the imperative of strengthening rather than wrecking alliances and of curbing inequality that is rising unsustainably and leaving nearly 60 percent of consumer spending in the hands of just the top 20 percent of us

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#2 – Trump’s “staggering corruption”

Trump filed a suit back in January, saying the IRS should have done more to prevent the leak of his tax returns during the 2020 presidential campaign. He initially asked for $10 billion in recompence.

Rep. Jamie Raskin comments in a segment of Democracy Now that Trump modified has monetary claim but still is able to get a bundle of taxpayer money channeled to one of his outlets (https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/18/anti-corruption). Raskin points out, Trump did manage to bilk the taxpayers in what he describes as “staggering corruption.”

Raskin says that “Donald Trump on Monday dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a leak of his personal and business tax records, a bizarre case of a sitting president suing his own government and essentially acting as both plaintiff and defendant. This comes amid reports that Trump’s Department of Justice was considering settling the case in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate victims of so-called weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden and Obama administrations. Trump allies who participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol could file claims and be compensated.

“They want a $1.77 billion slush fund, which comes to a million dollars a head in terms of Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the insurrectionists, with $100 million left over of taxpayer money to spread around in different ways,” says Congressmember Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, who spoke with Democracy Now! shortly before news broke of Trump dropping the IRS lawsuit.

Congressmember Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who is also a constitutional law scholar, calls the proposal an illegal “political slush fund.” Last week, Congressmembers Raskin and Senator Adam Schiff introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act to curb the president’s profiteering and corruption.

Here are parts of Raskin’s Democracy Now interview.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN: Sure. Well, the $1.7 billion political slush fund in the Department of Justice may take the cake in terms of being the most thoroughly corrupt movement of the Trump administration, after the billions of dollars that they’ve been getting through the crypto schemes and the foreign governments.

“But, so, let’s go back to the beginning. The $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS is completely bogus. It’s empty. It’s vacuous. There’s nothing to it. There was a private contractor who leaked reports of Donald Trump’s tax returns, that Trump had promised to make public. Like every other president had done, he said, ‘I’m going to release my tax returns.’ Then he said he wouldn’t. The IRS didn’t do anything, but this private contractor released some of the details. And he’s in prison. He went to jail for it. There’s no private right of action under the statute, and it’s happened to lots of people.

“So, the idea that it’s $10 billion that he’s going to order the secretary of the Treasury to order the IRS chief to give to him is ridiculous. There’s just nothing there. So, there’s nothing to trade, but then they traded that mythical $10 billion they claimed to be owed, for dropping real criminal investigations into all of the corruption, or some of the corruption, that the Trump family is engaged in, and then also for the creation of this $1.7 billion slush fund.

“Well, there are 1,600 people that he’s pardoned, and they want a $1.7 billion slush fund, which comes to a million dollars a head in terms of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the insurrectionists, with $100 million left over of taxpayer money to spread around in different ways. Congress never voted to appropriate that money. We control the power to spend. We never created that, and we never would.”

“So, they’re using the judgment fund of the United States, which is for valid court verdicts against the United States or valid court settlements, to simply confer money on their private political militia, their street-fighting militia, which went to battle for them on January 6, 2021. And what do you know? Right before this election, they want to shower these people with a million dollars a head. I mean, it’s just a — it’s an outrage, and it’s a scandal. It’s also unconstitutional, because the 14th Amendment says in Section 4 that no money shall go to pay for insurrection or rebellion. That, of course, was in the wake of the Civil War, but it’s written in general terms. Basically, they’re paying his insurrectionary army.”

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#3 – Trump’s Iran policies have put many Americans under economic stress and threaten more instability in the country

Tony Romm and Ben Casselman address this issue (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/business/for-trump-soaring-prices-test-voters-fiances-and-patience.html).

Romm and Casselman remind readers that “President Trump promised at his inauguration to ‘bring prices down.’” That was in January 2025. But then “the White House would forge ahead with an agenda that has sent inflation roaring back, testing the patience — and the finances — of a cost-wary American electorate once again,” as consumer prices rise” “outpacing workers’ wages.”

As a result, they continued, “Americans are racking up more debt. Families are saving less. And a key measure of consumer confidence dipped to an all-time low this month. The anxiety has bled into recent political polls, which have registered broad public disapproval of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy.

“At the heart of matter is the war with Iran, which sent the average gallon of gasoline to about $4.52 nationally, according to AAA. That is a more than 40 percent jump from a year ago, an uptick that has cut across the global economy, affecting everything from the cost of workers’ daily commutes to the prices of goods at grocery stores.

“Yet the president has largely dismissed those recent signals, telling reporters at one point last week: ‘I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.’”

The dire situation could help Democrats in the November elections.

Romm and Casselman point out, “The jump in fuel costs is only the latest blow for American families, who have suffered through years of rising prices, high interest rates and a softening labor market — as well as much longer-running concerns about the affordability of housing, childcare and other essentials.”

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#4 – Trump wants more money for the Pentagon and the Iran War.

Nick Turse reports on Secretary of War Hegseth request for more money for the Iran War (https://theintercept.co,/2026/05/12/hegseth-pentagon-budget-defense-iran-war-cost).

Turse refers to this central point: “War Secretary Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill Tuesday to defend the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request.” This is despite a “ceasefire” that has been in “effect” for more than a month. The largest request in history.

Turse continues. “Two weeks ago, the Pentagon claimed the war had cost $25 billion, a figure that analysts said was likely a gross undercount. In testimony before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, the Department of War’s comptroller, Jay Hurst, said the cost of the war has risen ‘closer to $29 billion because of the “repair and replacement of equipment’ and ‘general operational costs’ of keeping troops in the Middle East.’ But experts referred to by Turse were even skeptical of this revised count.”  

They now want $350 billion through reconciliation and $1.15 trillion in the base budget.

“Hegseth said the Pentagon was prepared to reignite hostilities with Iran. ‘We have a plan to escalate, if necessary; we have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets,’ the secretary testified, declining to say more in the public hearing.”

Bear in mind that this has always been an unnecessary war.

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#5 – Trump’s spends on a myriad vanity projects: Examples

Collin McDonough provides us with a list of Trump’s vanity projects, May 5, 2026 (https://momentrumadvocacy.substack.com/p/trumps-vanity-projects). Here’s what he found, admitting that it is not a complete list.

“The new Republican Senate Judiciary Committee budget would allocate $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to ‘security’ upgrades for Trump’s attempt to remake the White House’s East Wing.”

Bottom of Form

· $400 million for the Trump ballroom (the initial estimate was $150-200 million paid for by private donors).

· $1 billion in changes to the Washington Commanders’ NFL stadium.

· $377 million request in his executive budget recommendation for this year and $174 million for next year to do various White House renovations.

· $100 million for the DC archway.

· $17.4 million for fountain renovations (which were estimated to cost $3.3 million when Biden was going to do the same thing last year).

· $2 million in disgusting changes to the reflecting pool.

· $2 million for changes to the Rose Garden.

· $1.75 million for White House furniture and rugs.

McDonough figures the cost of these projects add up to “almost $2.7 billion.” He also notes that Trump plans to put his name on half of these. There are better ways to spend this money. Here are a few examples.

· A month of SNAP funding for almost 14.3 million Americans—a third of the total population enrolled in the program.

· Half of the annual funding for WIC, which is used by 41% of infants in the US.

· A quarter of the annual funding for national free breakfast and lunch for school students.

This is a time when food programs for children and families are being cut. There are also cuts in Medicaid with 300 hospitals poised to close across the nation.

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#6 – Trump promotes fossil fuels, including coal, despite their toxic impacts on human health

As Coal Rebounds, More Toxic Mercury is In the Air

Irena Hwang and Hiroko Tabuchi report that the production of more coal puts more toxic mercury in the air (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/as-coal-rebounds-more-mercury-a-potent-toxin-in-in-the-air.html). Irena Hwang is a data reporter at The Times, using computational tools to uncover hidden stories and illuminate the news. Irena Hwang covers pollution and the environment for The Times. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years in Tokyo and New York.

Here is some of what they write.

“Coal-fired power plants across the country released more mercury last year as power demand surged, reversing a yearslong downward trend in the emissions of a toxic metal that impairs brain development.

“Mercury emissions from coal-burning plants increased by roughly 9 percent in 2025, compared with a year earlier, totaling more than 4,800 pounds, according to a New York Times analysis of data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“At the same time, the Trump administration launched a series of moves that experts say may make those emissions climb even higher this year and beyond.

“The administration has encouraged the burning of more coal, which emits more carbon dioxide and other pollutants than other fossil fuels, while also blocking tighter pollution controls on coal-burning plants that were supposed to take effect by 2027. It has directed the Pentagon to buy more coal-powered electricity and reopened millions of acres of federal land to mining while working to stymie nonpolluting energy, like wind and solar power.”

“The rise in mercury ‘adds to the growing evidence that, as the administration has made a significant effort to bring back coal, it is making us sicker,’ said Amanda Levin, director of policy analysis at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who has also analyzed the data.

“Public health experts say savings for the industry ignore the economic impact of additional pollution, including health care costs associated with cardiovascular disease and developmental problems in children; researchers at Harvard had calculated that keeping stricter limits on mercury pollution from lignite plants alone would have resulted in $200 million a year in public health benefits in just the first year.”

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#7 – McKibben dismisses Trump’s unscientific and uninformed desire to eliminate “wind power”

Bill Mckibben provide evidence to support this Trump position, May 13 2026

(https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-war-on-wind’). Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org. His most recent book is “Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?.”

McKibben makes his main point, “the administration has stopped all approvals on wind farms across the country.” He continues, “As Katherine Krawczyk explains, for 15 years wind farms have applied to the Department of Defense (DOD) where:

they’re supposed to undergo a “timely, transparent, and repeatable process to evaluate potential impacts” to national security and military operations. It’s a routine that has spanned presidencies, including the first Trump administration, and that typically revolves around making sure turbines don’t interfere with radars or federal airspace.

“This has always been routine, until last summer when it became… impossible. Pete Hegseth’s DOD simply stopped replying, and didn’t explain why till last month when it sent a letter to developers saying it was ‘reevaluating how it reviews wind projects national security impacts.’ Somewhere between 165 and 250 big projects are in limbo, and that’s obviously the point: Not only does it screw up their financing, it means they may not get done in time to qualify for what tax credits are left from the Biden Inflation Reduction Act.”

McKibben continues. “That this is stupid goes without saying. Those blocked projects constitute… about 30 gigawatts of cheap clean energy at a time when we desperately need it. But it also goes without saying that the blockage serves two purposes. One is to artificially increase demand for fossil fuel (and the other Trump-favored power sources, like the expensive array of nuclear reactors whose development the government is currently generously funding). The other is to serve his febrile rage at the wind farm built off his Scottish golf course all those years ago. A policy that feeds both his appetite for corruption and supplies his narcissistic hunger—well, that’s a twofer that can’t be missed. Hegseth may have no idea how to win the war in Iran, but he knows how to win favor from dear leader.”

McKibben offers a summary of his rebuttal. “Of course, it means indulging in a huge number of lies, from President Donald Trump’s claim that wind power is the most expensive energy on Earth (actually, second-cheapest, right behind solar) to his claim that it causes cancer (1 death in 5 on this planet comes from breathing the combustion byproducts of fossil fuel) to his claim that though the Chinese build and sell wind turbines they don’t actually use them. If he glances out the window of Qatar Force One on this week’s trip to China he’ll be forced to recant that one: The Chinese actually lead the world in producing not just wind turbines but wind energy.”

China is way ahead. “Last year, China installed three times as much wind power capacity as the rest of the world combined, even as its turbine exports jumped. The global industry’s center of gravity has shifted decisively: All of the world’s six largest wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese, displacing once-dominant European firms and companies like General Electric.”

Technology over Trump. “Fewer turbines, spaced further apart, and equipped with modern bird-detection technology such as IndentiFlight, should reduce bird mortality in the Altamont Pass going forward.”

“Turbines will be equipped with individual AI paired cameras to detect the presence of avian species which would trigger feathering/shut-off of specific turbines.”

A Stanford University study

McKibben cites Justin Gerdes, who reports, “this kind of repowering could happen at every wind farm across the country:

“‘By replacing aging turbines with modern technology at existing sites, the United States could more than double its current onshore wind capacity and electricity generation without requiring new land,’write the authors of a Stanford University study published in March.”

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#8 – Trump Is Making America Uninsured Again

Sasha Abramsky makes this argument on Truthout, May 16, 2026

(https://truthout.org/articles/trump-is-making-america-uninsured-again).

Sasha Abramsky is a freelance journalist and a part-time lecturer at the University of California at Davis. Abramsky’s latest book, American Carnage: How Trump, Musk, and DOGE Butchered the US Government, is available for pre-order now and will be released in January. His work has appeared in numerous publications,

He opens his article with these statements:

“The GOP is heading into the midterms as the party that made health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans.

“In 2025, the Trump administration successfully pushed Congress to enact nearly $1 trillion in health care cuts over the coming decade, which the Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated would result in 10 million people losing health coverage by 2034. More recently, it has blocked any and all efforts to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credit subsidies for people buying insurance on the state exchanges. In demanding that the GOP leadership in Congress prevent at all costs a continuation of the expanded ACA tax credits, Donald Trump intimated that his administration was on the verge of proposing a better and more affordable health care reform to replace the ACA system.

Abramsky continues. “Nothing of that nature has materialized. Instead, the administration’s health reforms have been shockingly small-bore — a handful of measures to lower the costs of prescription drugs, more incentives for consumers to create health savings accounts, a rollback of regulations on catastrophic coverage plans — thus, making it easier for younger, healthier, patients to buy junk insurance, but doing nothing for those who are older or suffer from chronic conditions.

“Over the past months, even these baby steps have stalled out, with the GOP seemingly and inexplicably resigned to the fact that it will be heading into the midterm elections as the party that is putting health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans. Early in the Iran war, Trump was caught saying that the federal government could no longer afford its massive Medicare commitments now that the country was engaged in an expensive overseas conflict, and it would have to roll back responsibility for paying for this bedrock safety net program onto the states.”Bottom of Form

“Predictably, following Congress’s failure to renew the expanded tax credits, in the first months of 2026 state exchanges calculated that up to 2 million people dropped coverage, and millions more shifted to lower cost plans with far higher deductibles, some in the $10,000 a year range.”

Concluding thoughts

Trump’s presidency is costly and harmful. It reflects anti-democratic priorities. It reveals the true values of this self-serving, oppressive and incompetent president. We can only work for an alternative to the Republicans who both laud and fear him. Right now, as Trump’s popularity declines, it seems the Democrats will continue to do well in upcoming elections, if people vote.