It’s a stress-filled holiday season for Americans, especially Trump supporters. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Madman gains no sympathy

Richard Nixon’s announcement on August 8, 1973, that he would resign the following day, elicited a modicum of sympathy for the disgraced president. When he turned to face the cameras and thrust his arms upward, as he boarded the presidential helicopter for the final time, Nixon flashed his famous victory signal. There was bi-partisan sadness watching an American presidency end before its scheduled conclusion, not because of untimely death but because of dishonor.

When Nixon resigned, people did not mourn the way they did when beloved presidents such as Lincoln, FDR and JFK died. Weeks-long gloom did not settle over the land, as was the case after the deaths of FDR, Lincoln and JFK. Instead, the feeling of regret over Nixon’s downfall was brief, quickly turning to anger when Gerald Ford misused his presidential power of the pardon and likely spared Nixon from prison.

Conversely, when Trump leaves office, whether by impeachment, or because of failing health, or because his feckless cabinet (hoping to save their own hinds) turn on him and invoke the 25th Amendment, there will be few tears shed. A collective exhale of “good riddance” will usher Trump out on his final day at the White House as the nation’s Trump experiment – electing a reality show buffoon to the presidency – concludes.

If MAGA voters cry, they won’t cry for Trump. MAGA sadness will result from the tardy realization their unrelenting ignorance is their legacy. Their reward? A lump of coal. That’s what MAGA has earned after a decade of starry-eyed devotion to Trump, excusing his barbarism, and embracing the incessant, easily provable lies flowing from Trump and Fox “News” anchors.

The stupidity of a large swath of the electorate will finally reckon with Trump as the chickens come home to roost. Trump’s ever-growing mountain of lies will be rejected by a significant number within his base. (Let’s be honest, you gotta be some kind of crazy to vote for a man who openly bragged he would destroy your life with costly tariffs, unaffordable healthcare costs, and an incompetent, sinister cabinet including a crazed director of Health and Human Services.)

It starts with a trickle

The likes of MAGA stalwarts Joe Rogan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Nick Fuentes turning on Trump gives permission for everyday MAGAs to do the same. Now, moderate GOP congress members are flexing on Trump. They vote against Trump with increasing regularity as the base back home moves from restless to incensed by Trump policies that threaten lifestyles and lives. The menace of being primaried by Trump has lost its punch. As folks back home tire of Trump, there’s at least an equal chance of losing elections if Republican politicians continue supporting Trump.

Polling tells an undeniable story. On numerous measures, Trump’s presidency is a historic failure: on the economy, tariffs, affordability, immigration policy, healthcare, and the Epstein files. Americans now reject Trump like a sophisticated sorority girl rejecting an awkward dormitory boy at the homecoming dance. In most categories Trump’s approval hangs around 30-35% with disapproval at 65-70%. A historic thrashing that cannot be corrected by a ranting speech from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room.

Another unhinged performance by Trump spells doom for Republicans. (Photo credit ABC screenshot)

Last night’s speech was full of the usual grievances, paranoia and top-to-bottom lies. On the defensive, Trump virtually shouted like an infomercial pitchman. And his brain occasionally locked up, like when he said that under Biden “we had transgender for everybody.” What the…?

The initial crack now leaks. Like those hurricane walls that failed in New Orleans, the MAGA wall protecting Trump will be crushed. Who will seek lifeboats of rehabilitation? Who will play with the media, trading salacious inside information in hopes of a soft-landing leading to career resumption under the cover of normalcy? Who might end up testifying in front of authorities, Nuremburg-style, answering for their crimes?

Trump’s family appears to be in retreat. Don Jr. and Eric no longer yap constantly. Ivanka hides in the shadows. Melania, already a mostly absentee First Lady, looks ready to permanently leave the moment Trump is no longer president.

In the year 2026

My predictions for the coming year…

Politics - Dems will take the House and Senate. Trump will be impeached. A crumbling GOP will pressure Trump’s cabinet to remove Trump via the 25th Amendment. If not forced out, Trump may attempt to escape to Russia or South America. If he becomes president, under immense pressure JD Vance will not pardon Trump. Several Trump sycophants (e.g., Steven Miller, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel) may flee the country when Trump betrays his most loyal enablers, refusing to pardon them before he leaves office.

Sports - College sports will continue in a state of chaos. Humpty Dumpty is broken and the glue is missing. The greed of middle-aged men at universities and at broadcast companies paved the way to overpay young athletes. Now, one of America’s favorite pastimes has been deconstructed.

College athletes should be paid, but the current Wild West approach is ruining college sports. Some athletes, in search of max payday, play for three or four schools in four years. Most will not play professionally, and some will end up broke by the time they are 30 years old. (In a related matter, it’s been reported that 60% of NBA players go broke within five years of retirement.)

Current Events - Artificial Intelligence moves from seeping into the pores of society to a place of dangerous ubiquity, with AI data centers sprouting like Walmart Supercenters did several decades ago. As it stands now, you cannot compose anything on your computer (such as what I am composing right now) without interruptions from AI that, at least for me, offer mostly worthless suggestions. I do not need AI to write for me and therefore won’t allow it. AI is eliminating jobs at an alarming pace, stressing resources such as water and electricity and endangering the health of people living near toxin-spewing data centers.

2025 Person of the Year - Washington D.C. Bishop Mariann Budde. At a church service attended by fake Christian Trump on the day following his inauguration, Bishop Budde delivered a powerful message. Looking directly at the president, Budde asked Trump to be merciful and compassionate. Trump and his vice president, the fake Christian JD Vance, sat uncomfortably as the unafraid Budde gave them what amounted to a dressing-down. Had Trump followed Budde’s redemption advice he wouldn’t be in quite the pickle he finds himself in.

Happy holidays!

Note: The Weekly Opine will return on January 8th.

A LUMP OF COAL