We all know that President Trump violates many laws, but one he continuously ignores is called the Law of Holes: When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.  Well, since my May 11 post, it appears that the president has been using an even bigger shovel.  He was already in trouble for tenaciously pursuing his inflationary tariff policies, pushing a stupid retribution campaign against opponents, starting an unpopular, costly war in Iran and more.  Yet, he just keeps finding more ways to further alienate voters, which erode GOP chances to retain control of Congress in 2027.

I think the best example was disclosed in documents released May 18 by the DOJ.  They specified that Trump would drop his family’s spurious $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that he would control.  These terms immediately caused public and bipartisan anger when Trump said beneficiaries of this fund could include many of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021.  How stupid was that?

A federal judge put a hold on this outrageously corrupt settlement, and acting AG Todd Blanche advised a House Appropriations subcommittee on June 2 that the administration is “not moving forward” with this fund.  Still, last Sunday when Kristen Welker on Meet the Press asked Trump if he was backing off the fund completely, he said it was “a great idea” and he wanted to get it approved.  That may not happen, however, since several lawsuits are challenging what critics call a “slush fund.”

Trump talks about retribution constantly and it appears that revenge is more important to him than GOP wins in the midterms.  He endorsed primary candidates against loyal supporters Sen. Bill Cassity (R-LA), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) because they angered him – and they all lost.  Others have retired because of Trump, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), both of whom have been highly critical of him.  Some still in Congress have talked about getting revenge while they have the chance and Ms. Greene, who is quite popular with the MAGA crowd, trashes Trump almost daily.  

But here’s the thing. Trump has given the Democrats a mountain of solid material to make killer attack ads against Republican candidates leading up to the 2026 election.  There is his One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which Democrats can convincingly argue harms working class Americans.  Conversely, the Republicans will have one hell of a time selling the OBBBA as a positive policy because it deprives millions of deserving voters of food stamps and health care in order to give tax cuts to the wealthy.

In a critical election year, Republicans desperately need Trump to be out among the voters trying to sell the benefits of his economic policies.  Yet, while Americans are suffering under his inflationary economy with very expensive food and fuel, he has been obsessing over his grandiose ballroom, bragging about painting the reflecting pool blue and hyping a gaudy 250-foot-tall arch, which he claims is to honor him.  Who cares?

It will be those videos of Trump saying the wrong things at the wrong time, however, that Republicans will really struggle to explain as they campaign before the midterms, and two really stand out: 

When asked to what extent Americans’ financial situation was motivating him to make a deal with Iranian leaders on May 12, Trump responded, “Not even a little bit.  I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”  He added, “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”  Clips of these jarring comments will be combined with those of last June when Trump claimed that his bombing campaign had completely obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities, which will leave voters questioning, why then was this war necessary?

These comments won’t help Republicans either.  During a May 27 cabinet meeting at the White House Trump speculated that Iranians were extending negotiations to put pressure on America while the negative economic impact of the war is hurting Republicans politically.  He said, “They thought they’re going to out wait me,” adding: “I don’t care about the midterms.”  Even if he doesn’t think that, it was a dumb thing to say on camera.

There is some good news, however, to offset Trump’s chaotic behavior; federal district court judges have been a solid bulwark against the president’s lawlessness.  Their smackdowns of Trump executive orders are far too many to list but one has put a wide smile on the faces of his opponents and caused Trump’s ego to take a big hit:  On May 29, a federal judge ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center façade, the Center’s website and all related materials by June 12, citing a federal law that prohibited additional plaques or memorials honoring others. 😊

Since fear of Trump has frozen all Republican attempts to enforce the laws Congress has passed, federal district court judges, both Democrat and Republican appointed, have become the heroes for upholding the rule of law. 

It is apparent that Republicans are not happy about being forced to defend Trump’s horrible decisions and comments during their campaigns this year and are angry that he has seriously damaged their chances to retain control of Congress next year.  Well, I say it is their own damn fault for not containing him.