I’m not a huge fan of surprises in politics. Yes, they can sometimes be wonderful. Often they can be horrible.
When Barack Obama, then a lowly State Senator in Illinois, first indicated he would run for U. S President, I gave him little chance. He was a young man, with little experience running for office and with neither wealth nor family connections on his side.
And he was black. Color of skin or ethnic background should have no impact on a person’s political viability, not in a democratic republic such as ours.
But such characteristics often do matter. At the time Obama announced for President, no black person had ever been elected to that office.
Obama, against the odds, turned expectations upside down. He not only got elected nation-wide, twice, but continues to enjoy high favorability rates in polls of current voters.
Obama was, and is, a wonderful political surprise.
I would love to be amazed by the current occupant of the White House—in a good way, that is.
Trump does have the ability to astonish me. When I think he has gone as low as he can go, he finds a way to go lower.
I’d love to see him change from the narcissistic bully he is and become a leader who promotes other people’s needs above his own desires.
A wonderful surprise? It would be, for sure.
But that ain’t happening, from what I can see.
He says he doesn’t drink or smoke, and I have no reason to doubt that claim. But his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said recently that Trump “has an addictive personality,” and he didn’t disagree with her.
So what is Trump addicted to? Money. And power. There isn’t enough space here to list all the ways he has found to enrich himself and members of his family, in clear violation of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which places limits on gifts a President can accept from both foreign and domestic sources.
Compared to Trump’s behavior regarding gifts, the actions of all previous presidents in that regard (including Richard Nixon’s televised defense of his keeping a black-and-white puppy named Checkers because his daughters loved it) seem quaint.
As for Trump’s blatant powergrabs— such as attacking Venezuela and kidnapping its president without prior consultation with Congress (to which the U.S. Constitution gives the sole power to declare war on another nation); ordering ICE and the National Guard into cities against the wishes of officials in those cities and states; and outrageous use of the pardon power (such as freeing criminals because they’ve shown allegiance to him)—there seems to be no limit to what he’ll do if he so chooses.
Asked recently by a New York Times reporter what would stop him from doing whatever he chose to do on the world stage, Trump replied, “My own morality.”
Of all the frightening statements Donald Trump has made over the years, that’s one of the scariest. From what I’ve see, Donald Trump has NO moral code that guides him. He does whatever he wants to do, and dares other people to stop him if they don’t like it.
He clearly has no regard for what he’s legally allowed to do according to the U. S. Constitution, just as he has no regard for the rights and feelings of anyone except himself.
Addictions are dangerous—not only to the addict himself but to other people as well. That’s certainly true in Trump’s case.
The prospect of getting through nearly three more years of having Trump at the helm of my beloved nation is terrifying.
The only thing that consoles me, gives me real hope, is that people all over the country, in rural areas as well as cities, are speaking out, showing up, and generally telling Trump a loud “NO!” to his lawless behavior.
The American public can sometimes astonish me. While I never would expect Trump to surprise me in a good way, I am expecting that now of the American people.
Our really holding Trump to account isn’t guaranteed. Such triumphs never are a sure thing in a democracy. But I think we will win in this case.
Donald Trump is a small man, after all. He likes to swagger and act like he’s a big deal. He isn’t.
Right now, he exercises control of the U.S. military, the most powerful fighting force in the world, and has other ways of imposing his will on events. But there are also ways to limit his power.
Congress (yes, even some Republicans) has begun to assert itself against Trump’s worst instincts. If just a few more Republicans turn against him—which increasingly seems likely—Trump can be stopped.
Most important, perhaps, he isn’t popular with the general public. A December 2025 Gallup poll showed his favorability with voters to be at 36%, historically low for a sitting president at this point in his administration (chathamhouse. org/2026/01/Donaldtrump- poll-numbers-suggest-hispopularity- waning), rivaled only by Nixon’s 29% during the Watergate fiasco.
I think we’re in for a political surprise before the next presidential election in 2028. I don’t know exactly what form it will take. But I’m betting most of us will welcome it.
Fingers crossed, fellow citizens.