Trump’s increasingly lunatic behavior has bankrupted the English language. Words fail. We stand agape, hoping that the latest report of Trump’s mind-bending antics is satire from The Borowitz Report or The Onion. Sadly, each report overtops itself, pulling the nation deeper into the maelstrom that is Trump’s disordered mind. We know we should look away, but he is our president and his words matter, even when they are incoherent and chaotic. We are simultaneously repulsed and spellbound.
We can’t live like this.
We don’t have to.
Let’s start with acceptance. Trump is sick, seriously so. We can’t fix him, nor will we ever convince Republicans that they should abandon Trump. They have risked everything, hoping that eight years of madness was an act by an evil genius who had a plan. It is too late for them to admit that they were wrong, that the evil genius was a madman, nothing more, nothing less. So, they hang on, praying that cataclysmic events will overtake Trump’s madness and make us forget that they excused and justified and rationalized Trump’s lunacy, attempting to convince us that he did not say what he said, or that he did not mean what he said, or (failing all else) that we can’t take a joke. We won’t change Trump, and it is a wasted effort to expect Trump’s loyalists to admit their grievous error in defending Trump. See NYTimes, Trump’s Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate. Gift article, accessible to all. (“As the president threatens to wipe out Iran and attacks the pope, even some former allies and advisers are questioning whether he has grown increasingly unbalanced, describing him as “lunatic” and “clearly insane.”)
Accepting that Trump is sick does not mean that he gets a free pass. He has chosen to weaponize his madness. He retains enough cognitive ability to discern when he has crossed a line that even his broken supporters cannot abide. On Monday, he deleted a depiction of himself as Christ healing the sick. And then lied about it. He knows. Every insult, slur, and chaos bomb is a test that asks, “Can I go further? Can I get away with more?” We must answer, “No further. We will hold you accountable for everything.”
We must condemn Trump’s depraved statements. Every one of them. Not because condemnation will change Trump, but because lack of condemnation will change us. Someone must speak for human decency and social norms. Without them, we are animals. And when we condemn Trump, maybe—just maybe—our breath will fan an ember in a heart that remembers the difference between right and wrong, the sacred and profane, humanity and depravity.
We must work tirelessly to replace Trump and all his enablers. We can shape the future. Not control, shape. We cannot pry Trump’s smartphone from his stubby hands, but we can reclaim control of government from those who pretend lunacy and depravity are just “Trump just being Trump.” A wave is coming. Trump’s increasing madness is a gale generating waves of outrage and resolve that swell as they reach the shore. We are the wave. We will sweep away the rot and bloat.
We must be patient and disciplined. The day of renewal is coming, slowly, inexorably, inevitably. Trump’s madness is hastening that day. Yes, it is disconcerting and destabilizing to awake each day to a new barrage of madness. But each tantrum and meltdown adds momentum to our resistance. We are winning. We have seized the narrative. The increasing velocity of Trump’s madness is the surest sign that he understands his presidency is unraveling. We must remain steadfast. If we can do that, we will win. It won’t be easy, and things may get worse before they get better, but they will get better. Stay the course.
What Trump did on Monday.
Trump began a “blockade of the blockade.”
Effective Monday, the US Navy began to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Or not. It depends on whether you believe Trump, the Commander in Chief, or CENTCOM, which is desperately trying to retrofit Trump’s statements into the law of the sea, the law of war, and the laws of logic.
“Blockading a blockade” is not a thing, even though that is what Trump has instructed the US Navy to do. CENTCOM refashioned Trump’s order to say that the US will block ships from exiting or entering Iranian ports—an economic blockade of Iran.
No matter. The most important point is that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. 20% of global seaborne petroleum passed through the Strait of Hormuz prior to February 28, 2026, the day that Trump ordered the US military to attack Iran for no clear reason.
Trump is stuck in Iran. He doesn’t know how to exit the war that he started without consulting Congress or our allies. In the absence of a plan, he claims that Iran is begging for a deal. We’ll see.
Trump shares a post of himself as Christ the healer.
Yes, he went there. Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick. The negative reactions were so widespread that Trump did something he almost never does—he deleted the post. See Snopes, Did Trump post, delete AI image depicting himself in likeness of Jesus?
And then he lied about the post. He claimed that the post depicted him as a doctor. You know, like all the doctors you see in a white robe with a red stole and a glowing orb in his hand that seems to illuminate the head of the sick patient. See Irish Times, Trump deletes post with AI image depicting him as Jesus: ‘I thought it was me as a doctor’.
Let’s be frank: Almost anyone who claims to be Jesus Christ is adjudged to be delusional. That standard should apply to Trump.
Trump starts war of words with Pope Leo XIV
Trump started a war of words with Pope Leo XIV that risks alienating his Catholic supporters. See Axios, Trump attacks Pope Leo XIV, risking support from Catholic swing voters.
Trump’s lengthy attack on Pope Leo is here: Truth Details | Truth Social. After a densely packed attack on the Pope, Trump concludes with:
Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!
JD Vance piled on, saying that the Pope should “stick to matters of morality” and let Trump decide US foreign policy. See Irish Star, JD Vance doubles down and tells the Vatican to stay out of US politics.
Pope Leo was non-confrontational in his response—thereby occupying the high ground in the debate. See NPR, Pope Leo says he does not fear Trump, as he pushes back in feud over Iran war.
Pope Leo said, in part,
To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is. And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.
Here’s the bottom line: Trump’s feud with the Catholic Pope is insane. Catholics formed a significant portion of the coalition that reelected Trump in 2024. Insulting the leader of the Catholic Church will drive millions of Catholics to abandon Trump-supporting Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
I was struck by the number of commentators who say that they are no longer practicing Catholics but have a visceral urge to come to the Pope’s defense. Catholics spend a lot of time getting their heads wrapped around the notion that the Pope is the infallible leader of the Church and Christ’s representative on Earth. Even those who leave the Church have a reflexive desire to stand with the Pope.
Trump will lose his battle with the Pope over the claim that God has chosen a side in the US war against Iran. And in the process, Trump will make it more difficult for Republican candidates to win in November 2026. It is almost as if Trump wants the GOP to lose badly in the midterms. Only a madman would believe that is a winning strategy.
Concluding Thoughts
I am cutting the newsletter a bit short tonight. We started the day in Columbia, Tennessee, drove to Nashville, then hopped on a flight to Los Angeles, where I interviewed independent Dan Osborn, a candidate for US Senate in Nebraska, then began work on the newsletter. (Will write about interview with Dan in tomorrow’s newsletter.) So, I am a bit jet-lagged and time-zoned out.
I received the following note from reader Pat Halperin today, which included the first photo below:
If there is a silver lining to our current political climate, it is this: the administration has performed a ‘stress test’ on our democracy, quickly revealing the gaps in our State and National laws.
We now have a clear roadmap for progress: we must maintain our hope, vote to rebalance power, and work tirelessly to mend the constitutional flaws that have been unmasked. At 80, my greatest hope is to witness the beginning of this restoration.
Well said, Pat!
Talk to you tomorrow!