Trump’s doing it again, but this time on steroids, so let’s talk about what “it” is.  The way to cope with his all-chaos-all-the-time strategy, we need to understand what he’s doing so we can understand it and then counter it.  Over the last couple of days, Trump has provided two textbook cases:

1) The blowup with Colombia over deportation flights.  First, the facts: The Biden administration had a deal with Colombia to fly deported migrants in commercial planes and was actively doing that.  In fact, the US landed 174 such flights in 2024 and have made 475 of such flights in the last 5 years.  Trump upended that program, and started flying deported immigrants on military flights.  Worse, they were shackling them in chains and treating them like violent criminals.  Even worse, the planes were showing up with no-notice, de-Santis style.  So, US military planes were flying into foreign countries without any prior communication causing alarm.  The Colombian president justifiably said no, and the ensuing flame war on social media exploded, which has been widely reported.  After much behind the scenes negotiating resolved the issue the flights resumed.  In the meantime, Trump beat his chest and declared victory in an international incident that he alone caused.  His sycophants fall in line chanting his name and celebrating said fake victory.

2) California water. Another example, this time in California over a water crisis that doesn’t exist.  For years Trump has been screaming about California’s water plan that was attempting to save an endangered species of fish in northern California.  When the fires in LA started, he immediately returned to the fish he’s obsessed with rather than trying to help.  LA most certainly had a water problem, but not because of shortage of supply but because the pumps that move the water were not functioning because of damage to the electrical grid.  Of course, the facts were inconvenient to Trump, so he continue harping on the fish and demanded that California “open the taps!” which, of course, is horseshit.  Not satisfied that he’s gotten enough personal attention, last night he lied, posting this on Truth Social:

So, Trump posts that he moved the US military into California (he didn’t) and “turned on the water,” magically solving California’s water problem.  What actually happened was that the federal government completed a 3 day maintenance repair to a federal pumping station and put it back into service.  No troops, no military invasion. Trump wiggles his tiny tallywacker at Gavin “Newscum” and declares victory in another fake crisis.

This is what we’re in for as long as FOTUS (Felon of the United States) sits in the WH plugging toilets.  He creates a crisis from a false narrative, creating an alternative reality, then thumps his chest to declare victory for fixing a problem he created.  Such is the new reality (again).

Trump has now pulled security details from Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, as well as aide Brian Hook, who are all under active threat from the Iranians for Trump ordering Solemeni’s murder.  At the same time, Trump pulled government funding for security for Anthony Fauci, who has faced death threats because of Trump’s violent language towards him and other healthcare professionals.  Fauci is now paying for his own security only necessary because of Trump and his goons.

This is textbook behavior for Trump, demonstrating that at his core he is chickenshit and meets its basic definition.

Chickenshit – (adj.) “Behavior that makes life worse than it need be: petty harassment of the weak by the strong; open scrimmage for power and authority and prestige; sadism thinly disguised as necessary discipline; a constant ‘paying off of old scores’; and insistence on the letter rather than the spirit of ordinances. Chickenshit is so called–instead of horse- or bull- or elephant shit–because it is small-minded and ignoble and takes the trivial seriously.”

The Trump Ass Kissers in the House have introduced a Constitutional amendment to allow Trump to run for a third term.  Fuck that.  The measure requires 2/3 of the House and Senate as well as 38 states to ratify, so it doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing, but it shows the depth of obsession that has overtaken what’s left of Republicans.  They’ve also introduced bills to annex Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal and are rushing to codify his idiotic renaming of the Gulf of Mexico is such a grand idea.  This merry band of morons has been dubbed The Land Grab Caucus.

With his constant diet of Big Macs and Diet Cokes, there’s a more than even chance that he’ll keel over long before 2028, which just illustrates how ridiculous Republicans have become.

Bishop Mariann Budde spoke truth to Trump yesterday at the National Cathedral.  He was clearly displeased.

And unmoved:

Less that 12 hours in and it’s as bad as we all feared.  Withdrawal from the Paris Accords, 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, withdrawal from the WHO, AND he just pardoned 1,600 insurrectionists including the worst of the worst.  Buckle up, Buttercup.

Here in Texas we’re all bracing for the winter storm that’s supposed to hit us tonight – or may not, or…whatever.  The forecasts are all over the place, but not for the cold, which is consistently being forecast to be freezing the next couple of days.  It’s the snow/ice/sleet/rain alternatives that are all over the map.  Houston has gone from no precipitation to 7 inches of snow, depending on the hour of the day the forecast comes.  In any event, I’m holed up at the Beer and Bread Emporium, with plenty of supplies and batteries for when the electrical grid fails, which generally happens as soon as the weather drops below 40 or above 90.  Fingers crossed.

Speaking of the weather, current conditions in Washington DC is 28 degrees, partly cloudy.  Recall that Trump moved the inauguration ceremony into the Capitol citing “severe weather”.  I knew that excuse was bullshit and more about stalled hotel occupancy rates (tiny crowd syndrome), and that he didn’t want to see the flag over the Capitol at half staff.  This is typical Trump – either lie about inconvenient facts or hide from them.  It’s pretty interesting that this is his initial message on the first day of his second (and hopefully last) term in the WH.

For reference, here was the weather during previous inaugurations:

2021 42, cloudy, snow flurries
2017, 48, cloudy, sprinkles
2013, 45, cloudy
2009, 28, high clouds
2005, 36, cloudy
2001, 36, pouring rain
1997,  34, high overcast
1993, 40, sunny
1989, 51, cloudy
1985, 7, sunny – held inside
1981, 55, cloudy

So, the weather in DC is no worse than many previous inaugurations, so, as we would expect, Trump is starting this next term by bullshitting.  What a surprise.