The Nightmare Before Christmas

December 18, 2025 (Vol. 19. No. 48) - You've got to hand it to Donald Trump. He doesn't care if the glass is half-full or half-empty as long as he owns the glass. In a rare televised national address last night, Felon 47 tried to convince Americans that this is not the season to rejoice in the coming of Christ, but instead a time to revel in the second coming of Trump. He failed miserably.

Humpty-Trumpty started by saying he inherited a country last January with a failing economy - despite the fact that the U.S. economy at the end of Biden's term was, according to Bloomberg, the envy of the world. Trump blamed Biden for inflation - ignoring the fact that the inflationary spiral was created during the first Trump term when he destroyed the supply change by largely ignoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump said grocery prices are going down. While the cost of certain items has dropped in some areas, the overall cost of food shopping has risen. And let's talk about health care. The Republicans are willing to go home for Christmas without restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies cut by Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." That means that the cost of health care insurance for millions of Americans - a majority of whom are Trump voters - will dramatically spike after the new year. (Don't worry, Trump's fabulous health care plan is only "two weeks away," the same place it was nine years ago.) He announced $1,776 bonuses for the more than one million active duty service men and women. He says his tariffs will pay for it. Those are the same tariff receipts that are going to pay for the bonus checks he's promising American taxpayers and subsidies to farmers. The problem is that Trump's tariffs are raising far less money than necessary to pay for these and other Trump schemes. It also ignores the truth about tariffs: Foreign nations do not pay the tariffs. American businesses pay them and that fuels inflation.

What the nation saw last night was an angry, unhinged vulgarian masquerading as a president. He's also a lame duck who is losing control of the Republican Party. Trump was trying to convince voters that it was Biden, not him, who should be held responsible for an increasingly fragile and flagging economy. However, those voters aren't buying it. By an almost two-to-one margin, they have told pollsters that it is Trump, not Biden, who is to blame. Even worse (in Trump's eyes) is that he is beginning to lose his grip on MAGA Republicans in the House. Against his and Speaker Mini-Mike Johnson's wishes, some have joined with Democrats to force a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. (Unfortunately, Mini-Mike is up to old tricks. He's going to send the House home for Christmas to delay that vote. It's the same strategy he used to delay - but not stop - the release of the Epstein files.) Republicans are scared that they are going to lose big in next year's midterm elections. These MAGA minions are moving into self-preservation mode, one that does not include Trump in their futures.

The sun is beginning to set on Emperor Orange's reign of terror. But the midterms are still a year away and three years left in his term (assuming he lives so long). There are countless ways an unhinged, demented and self-absorbed wannabe dictator can make our lives miserable in the interim. We must remain vigilant. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.