Trump's constitutional sledgehammer hits a brick wall

Trump keeps bringing
 down the hammer

Trump is taking a sledgehammer to our Constitution, one amendment at a time.

Well, actually, yesterday revealed two.

Federal courts ruled that the Trump administration—despite its vow to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution"—violated not one, but two constitutional amendments, the First (free speech) and the Tenth (States' rights).

Regarding the First Amendment, Trump's Department of Education inexplicably thought it was appropriate to hijack the email accounts of its furloughed employees, surreptitiously crafting their out-of-office message to explicitly blame Democrats for the government shutdown, regardless of their personal beliefs or political leanings.

DC's District Judge Christopher Cooper found doing so was compelled free speech. He wrote: "Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople. The First Amendment stands in their way."

Meanwhile, in Portland, District Judge Karin Immergut issued a 106-page opinion to permanently block Trump's team from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, writing: "...the President did not have a lawful basis to federalize the National Guard."

That's two—count 'em—two breaches of constitutional amendments struck down in a single day.

And, of course, we remember the brazen attempts by Trump's DHS to deport dozens of alleged Venezuelan gang members, right?

Trump's Caribbean killings don't really
 worry about that pesky "due process" thing...

The US Supreme Court found it a clear violation of the Fifth Amendment, the right to due process (courts are currently hearing similar due process cases regarding Trump's wanton killings of alleged drug dealers in international waters). 

Trump also flirted with smashing the Fourteenth Amendment’s disqualification clause—pardoning and praising January 6 rioters, including those convicted of attempting to overthrow the U.S. government. That same amendment also enshrines birthright citizenship, which federal courts have repeatedly upheld despite Trump’s relentless assault.

And his allies say "there is a plan" for a Trump third term—a direct violation of the Twenty-Second Amendment. Trump has even kept "Trump 2028" hats on his Oval Office desk.

So, if you're keeping score, Trump's team has thus far violated the First, Tenth, and Fifth Amendments—as well as possibly the Fourteenth and—who knows?—maybe someday the Twenty-Second.

That leaves 22 amendments to go.

Keep that sledgehammer handy, Donald.

Trump: SNAP decisions, sham promises

Donald Trump has agreed to free up some money to feed hungry children.

Well, because a court ordered him to. 

Trump begrudgingly helps out

And while Trump did approve the court-mandated SNAP funds, it wasn’t a penny more than required. The amount will cover only about half of November’s SNAP costs.

Still the government shutdown drags on. November 6th marks day 36 of Americans held hostage. And the core dispute? Democrats insist that Obamacare subsidies shouldn't be allowed to expire—a move that, by most estimates, would spike premiums by at least 114%. 

Trump and the GOP say, "Just approve the budget and we promise to have meetings about the ACA subsidies after the government is again up and running."

Uh, yeah. Right.

There's solid evidence to show Trump won't keep his word.  Case in point: the 2018–2019 shutdown. Back then, Trump demanded border wall funding. Congress passed a bipartisan bill without it, after Trump signaled he’d sign it to avoid a shutdown.

Except—he didn’t. And that triggered the previous record-setting 35-day shutdown.

When you factor in Trump’s well-documented record of lying, bullying, and committing fraud, his word has less credibility than a diploma from Trump University.

Even Jimmy Kimmel weighed in during his November 3 monologue:

“He doesn’t want [low-income Americans] to go hungry—he just wants them to lose their health insurance.”

And Trump wasn’t exactly gracious at first.

“SNAP BENEFITS… will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

Naturally, the White House had to walk that back (as usual), assuring reporters:

“Of course we’ll comply with the court order.”

Trump later softened his stance with:

Red states also have SNAP recipients

“But I’m president, I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans. But when you’re talking about SNAP, if you look, it’s largely Democrats. They’re hurting their own people.”

Um, not quite. In many of Trump's most loyal—and inexplicably still slavishly supportive—red states, more than half of SNAP recipients are likely Trump voters.

My cut: It's a good thing Trump wants "to help Democrats and Republicans."

And children, I guess.

Even if it takes a court order.

Trump: Most transparent anyone's ever seen

Satire alert: The first paragraph is real, the rest, not so much...

(Washington, DC) 'I haven't been transparent, really?': Trump snaps, loses it on reporter when called out on his lies (about the ballroom construction/East Wing demolition) in the Oval Office.

"How can you say that?!" Trump demanded. "I am the most transparent president--nobody's ever seen anything like it!" 

Nobody's ever seen anything
like Trump

Trump pulled out a large, laminated tagboard labeled, "Transparency Chart," complete with a glittering star and some notes in Sharpie.

Pointing to the first box, Trump exclaimed, "Look at that first box: IMMIGRATION! And the examples of my transparency are here, too! For example, I've come right out and called them vermin and rapists! I've pushed conspiracy theories that they eat their neighbors' pets, for Christ's sake."

"Or the second box: LAW AND ORDER! I pardoned 1,500 patriots who stormed the Capitol and beat up cops! I told violent militia to 'stand back and stand by!' I sent federal troops in to terrorize peaceful Democrat cities!

That's about as transparent as you can get."

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy raised a hand and asked, "Mr. President, what's that big square with the gold star?"

Trump gets a gold
star for racism

"That's RACISM!" Trump shouted, beaming with pride.  "I've been transparent about racism like you wouldn't believe!" Trump held the chart up so everyone could see. "It says here that I've called for the restoration of honors for all our great Confederate heroes. I pointed out that DEI actually discriminates against our put-upon, white male population. I even purposely mispronounce Ka-MA-la's name and still bring up that Barack Hussein Obama wasn't born in the US."

"If you think I'm not a racist, you just haven't been paying attention," he claimed in exasperation.

"As these chart examples show, I am the most transparent president in the history of this country," he said. "By now, everyone should know exactly where I stand."

Although Trump was apparently done sharing his charts, journalists noted one in the pile titled, "And Here's How I've Screwed the Constitution!"

Trump then launched into a ten-minute rant about windmills and wandered off toward the former East Wing.

Blood on Trump's hands: 57 and counting

Trump’s killing spree has got to stop.

More and more alleged drug cartel boats are being targeted—first in the Caribbean, now in the Pacific—with 57 people killed in U.S. military strikes. The Trump administration has provided no public evidence that those aboard were engaged in criminal activity.

No warrants. No trials. No proof.

Sec of State Rubio says Trump ordered this strike
on a suspected drug boat to "send a message."
Um, that Trump believes in murder?

Instead of the traditional (and legal) method of interdiction—stop, search, seize—Trump’s team has opted for missile strikes. No questions asked. Just assume the boats are drug-running vessels and move on to the next target.

To sidestep due process, the administration labels these attacks part of a “war on narcotics.” Victims are branded “narco-terrorists,” collateral damage in a campaign that has drawn condemnation from allies, US Congressional members, international law experts, and human rights watchdogs.

But here’s the kicker: the two survivors repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador have not been charged with any crime. Their governments refused to prosecute due to lack of evidence. Not cartel members. Not traffickers. Just two men caught in the crosshairs.

Presidents of both Colombia and Ecuador call the killings “murder.”

And really, who could argue?

Imagine if Trump sent drones to Chicago, or Boise, or Poughkeepsie, and gunned down people who looked like drug dealers—maybe they were in a certain neighborhood, maybe they dressed or acted a certain way. Could anyone defend that? Would anyone defend that?

Trump would:

"We're going to kill them, you know, they're going to be, like, dead." (10/23/25)

Senator Peter Welch (D-VA) lays it out in a letter to DOJ official Pam Bondi:

“Drug trafficking is a terrible crime that has had devastating effects on American families and communities and should be prosecuted. Nonetheless, the President’s actions to hold alleged drug traffickers accountable must still conform with the law.”

Translation: Murder is still murder.

My cut: 57 deaths and counting. 

And their blood is on Trump’s hands.

Trump news: That's got to be satire, right?

I was going to write a satire column today — but then I realized:

Donald Trump's truth is stranger than satire.

Over the past few weeks, nearly every headline from his administration has been paired with a quote or twist that feels ripped straight from the satirical site The Onion — except it’s real.

Just in case...?

News: Former White House advisor and ardent Trump supporter Steve Bannon suggests there actually are plans in place for a currently-unconstitutional third Trump term. 

Satire-like: Trump keeps a "Trump 2028" hat on his Oval Office desk— perhaps, just in case?

News: Trump's administration has destroyed alleged drug cartel boats in international waters, 43 deaths and counting. 

Satire-like: Trump shrugs off legal concerns: “We’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them. You know? They’re going to be, like, dead.”

News: Trump quietly gets vaccinated with shots for Covid and flu.

Satire-like: Meanwhile, Trump's HHS Secretary — anti-vaccine crusader Bobby Kennedy, Jr. — insists the shots “fail to protect effectively against...Covid and flu.”

News: The DOJ may have to pay Trump for past investigations of his impeachable offenses and alleged crimes that were called off because he was elected.

Satire-like: Trump, now president, may be the one who decides whether the DOJ pays— and how much.

News: The White House East Wing is gone to make way for Trump's $300 million ballroom.

Satire-like:

Just like an onion, real Trump news stinks
 and can even make you cry...

Supporters say it's no different from Obama adding portable basketball hoops to the White House tennis courts.

News: Canada airs anti-tariff ads featuring actual clips of then-President Ronald Reagan downplaying the long-term benefits of tariffs.

Satire-like: Trump calls it AI, and slaps an extra 10% tariff on Canadian goods, for good measure.

My cut: If you can't make it to a satire site like The Onion, just check out the real news.

It's even more unbelievable.

Hey, Trump--attempted murder or just policy now?

US forces just blew up another vessel in the Caribbean for supposed drug trafficking.

According to US intelligence, the vessel was carrying "mostly fentanyl."

Trump affirms that the attacked vessel was transporting "mostly fentanyl."

Six alleged drug traffickers were killed in a
 US strike near Venezuela earlier this month

He claims the crew were "narcoterrorists." 

Two were killed. Two survived.

But, um, here's the problem. Actually, two problems.

1) Ecuadorian authorities just cleared the survivor the US repatriated. They stated, "There is no evidence or indication" he committed any crime.

In other words, in the determination of the Ecuadorian government, this survivor was not a "narcoterrorist," but rather an innocent man. And the US just tried to kill him.

2) US Customs and Border Protection data show that far less than 1% of fentanyl enters the country via Caribbean maritime routes. Virtually all fentanyl seizures occur at land ports of entry.

So, if this ship's cargo was "mostly fentanyl," it marks a dramatic shift in cartel operations— suddenly risking US drone strikes in open waters. Which seems highly unlikely.

So, what do these two points mean, really?

It means the US is apparently lying.

It means the intelligence it touts is either incredibly faulty or nonexistent. 

It means the traditional method of dealing with suspected drug boats—seizing/cataloguing evidence/building prosecutions/limiting escalation—has been replaced by "shoot first, ask questions later."

The Caribbean: home to palm trees, white
sandy beaches, and, um, murder? 

It means the US has destroyed numerous vessels (some reportedly not even heading toward the US) and killed dozens of people—without really even knowing if they were innocent or not.

Congress members call it unacceptable.

European leaders call it concerning that the US has presented no evidence in launching these strikes.

The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela—based on their own findings and the lack of US transparency—call these killings "murder."

My cut: That's not just tough to argue—it's nearly impossible.

Trump's Cut: Being "a president for all Americans"

2016, President-elect Donald Trump: “Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division… I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.”

Ah, such a hopeful, conciliatory, unifying message. Perhaps there is hope for this country—and this President—after all.

Donald Trump: doing all he can to "bind the wounds of division."

Fast forward to 2025. 

President Trump, self-styled defender of the Constitution, a "president for all Americans," posts a Truth Social video of himself as King, piloting a jet over "No Kings" protesters exercising their Constitutional rights of speech and assembly, before bombing them with a torrent of vile, liquid feces (watch it here).

Huh.

I guess that's how you "bind the wounds of division?"

Maybe it's a one-off? A momentary lapse of judgment in favor of misguided humor or satire designed to bring a smile to a division-weary populace? Surely, he doesn't feel that way about virtually half the country, right?

October 13, 2025 speech: 

"We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder called the Democrats."

Um, certainly just an ill-chosen metaphor to highlight political differences. Of course, no division should be inferred, right?

October 17, 2025, post:

(The Democratic Party is) "THE PARTY OF HATE, EVIL, AND SATAN!"

Um, yeah, if you want to be technical, well, sure, that kind of smacks of division. 

Trump: adding fuel to the fire
(Cartoon by Adam Ziglis, 2015)

But it's just Trump, right? There are still principled leaders in the GOP willing to stand up for all Americans, even those having differing viewpoints and exercising their constitutional rights, correct? The GOP leaders are surely working towards "binding the wounds of division," right?

GOP Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, October 17, 2025, press conference:

"We refer to it by its more accurate description — the 'Hate America Rally'...You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party. That is the modern Democratic Party."

Oh, boy. That, um, does kind of feel a bit divisive, doesn't it?

I guess Donald Trump has some work to do to meet his pledge to our nation and its citizens to "bind the wounds of division" and become a "president for all Americans." 

But he still has three years to work on that.

My cut: don't hold your breath.

UPDATE (10/20): House Speaker Mike Johnson just dismissed the video of King Donald Trump dumping feces on US citizens peacefully exercising their Constitutional rights, calling it "satire."