Harry Truman

Further Reflection On Trump’s Destruction Of “The People’s House”! :(

Ronald 11 Comments

With another 24 hours having passed, and the destruction of the East Wing of the White House, “The People’s House”, in full swing, without any hearings or approval by a Washington Landmarks Commission, this author and blogger is feeling more outraged and disgusted by the hour, and blood pressure is rising.

Who gives any President the right to abuse his position, and destroy a landmark historic building without any intervention to delay it and consider it carefully, instead of just charging ahead as if he is the Emperor, who makes decisions unilaterally?

Imagine if such destruction was to take place suddenly at the Vatican in Rome, or the Parthenon in Athens, or Buckingham Palace in London, or the Louvre in Paris, or a multitude of other historic and significant sites of history!

To create a 90,000 square feet (more than two football fields) Ballroom that will be larger than the rest of the White House structure, is a monstrosity that will harm the reputation and significance of the residence where the American President lives while in office!

What would Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Jacqueline Kennedy, all involved in throughtful renovations over the past century and more, say if they were here?

What would John Adams, the first President to occupy the White House, or James Madison, who fled during the War of 1812, when the White House was heavily damaged by the British, but began the needed renovation on the building, say?

What would Abraham Lincoln, who was always concerned that the Confederate States of America might attack the White House, think about his distant successor who had no regard for History and Architecture, and just wanted to glorify himself?

This is a travesty of injustice, and will condemn Donald Trump for all time, as the absolute worst American President, no matter what else occurs!

It is a disgrace that as we are about to commemorate, not celebrate sadly, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, that we are seeing the complete reshaping of an historic building which should have been left as it was for the long haul of history!

Renaming Defense Department As War Department A Bad Sign For Future!

Ronald 2 Comments

Pege Hegseth, the Fox News weekend host, now heading the Pentagon, has brought the “wrecking ball” to that government agency, and has promoted renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

That was the name of the department that deals with military and security matters from 1789 to 1947, but renamed the Defense Department under President Harry Truman in 1947.

But Donald Trump and his crony, Hegseth, want to promote a war like imperialistic image, and are aggressively engaged in hostile actions toward nations in the Western Hemisphere, including attacks on speculated “drug boats” of Venezuela and Panama regarding the Panama Canal Treaty, as well as pushing the idea of Canada becoming the “51st state”, thereby causing the worst relations with our northern neighbor in more than a century and a half of peaceful neighborliness.

Additionally, there is growing fear of Trump and Hegseth pushing for control of Greenland, taking it away from Denmark, which it has been part of for the past two centuries, thereby causing tensions with NATO.

Additionally, Hegseth has attempted to force journalists who report on the Pentagon to agree to limitations on freedom of the press, but the good news is that journalists of the left and the right have refused enmasse to agree to such limitations.

The idea of reviving the Department of “War” needs to be repudiated in every way possible, and the idea of US invasion of sovereign nations and territories needs to be repudiated vehemently by all civilized nations, as there should not be any caving in to the concept of US imperialism being revived!

Preposterous Idea: Nobel Peace Prize For Trump, Or Addition To Mount Rushmore!

Ronald 51 Comments

Donald Trump, and those who support him without any qualms, are promoting preposterous ideas, that indicate total delusion.

The idea of a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump is hilarious, as he has no credentials to win such an award, and it seems clear that the Nobel Committee will not consider giving an authoritarian who is Fascist and mentally deranged, such an award.

The fact that Trump is also a convicted felon, and was impeached twice, and has had multiple bankruptcies, and have lied so often that he has no idea of truth, only adds to the craziness of the concept of a Nobel Peace Prize.

Also, the idea of Trump being added to Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota, is immediately a joke.

Of course, then South Dakota Governor, and current Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, was the loon who came up with that idea, which led to her gaining a position in the Trump Administration as close to the worst single appointment of a long list of many. Noem is a danger in her position, and an embarrassment to the idea of women in government!

For one thing, no one can be added to that monument, without creating damage to the tenuous condition of that site.

But also, if there were to be the equivalent of a second Mount Rushmore being created somewhere else on American soil, Trump would not be on the list to be considered.

Instead, the likelihood would be a combination of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman or Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama!

Reagan would be the Republican to add, not Trump!

This is silly season, overall, with the craziness of the Nobel Peace Prize and Mount Rushmore being bandied about as proper awards for Trump, and it will never happen!

Past Presidential Disputes Never Anything Like Trump With His Predecessors!

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump’s incessant attacks on many of his predecessors in the White House is unparalleled in American history!

Trump has attacked over the years not only Barack Obama, but also Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and both Presidents Bush in vehement and outrageous ways.

In the past, there were cases of “bad blood” between Presidents, but nothing on the scale of what Trump has done.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had strong criticism of each other, as well as Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, and neither Adams attended the inauguration of his successor. But later, Adams and Jefferson revived their former friendship, with extensive letter correspondence over the last 14 years of their lives.

John Tyler, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan were unhappy with Abraham Lincoln’s policies during the Civil War.

Andrew Johnson had issues with his successor, Ulysses S. Grant, and refused to attend Grant’s inauguration.

Theodore Roosevelt fought bitterly against his own annointed successor, William Howard Taft, and challenged him in 1912, and both TR and Wilson were at odds very often with Woodrow Wilson.

Herbert Hoover was very bitter in his loss to Franklin D. Rooosevelt, and during the terms that FDR was in office, probably more vehement than any other situation other than Trump, and FDR never invited Hoover to visit the White House.

Harry Truman was critical of Dwight D. Eisenhower to some extent, and he and Richard Nixon were dire enemies, until Nixon brought the Truman piano in the White House to the Truman Library in 1969.

Jimmy Carter tended to be critical of other Presidents, but in the case of Gerald Ford, they became the best of friends after both had left office. Carter remained a strong critic, but in a dignified manner, of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

Despite past rivalries, both Bush Presidents and Bill Clinton became good friends in later years, and the same for Barack Obama and the two Bushes.

It is extremely inappropriate for the members of the “Presidents Club” to be lambasting others in that group, and it was refreshing that Carter and Ford became friends, and that the Bushes and Clinton were cooperative, as well as Obama with the Bushes.

But then, Donald Trump has destroyed the idea of camaraderie among the small, select group who have the opportunity to be President of the United States.

The 80th Anniversary Of End Of World War II In Europe, And The Inspiration Presented By Pope Leo XIV To The Challenge Of Trump, Vance, And Authoritarian Fascism!

Ronald 6 Comments

Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, although the war against Japan lasted until the surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945.

The war against Fascism caused more death and destruction than any war in human history, and yet, today, in 2025, we face new threats from a domestic Fascism that allies itself with authoritarian dictators around the world.

And it is not just Donald Trump who is a threat, but his whole administration from JD Vance downward through the Cabinet and other advisers, all of whom are dedicated to the destruction of the Constitution, as we approach the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, based on rebellion against a King!

Harry Truman was the right person to be President 80 years ago, but the thought of JD Vance as a “backup” to Donald Trump, as Truman was to Franklin D. Roosevelt, is enough to undermine one’s mental and physical state.

Even in his so called conversion to Catholicism, Vance has demonstrated that he is a phony Catholic, and the new Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, has already, three months ago, called out Vance on his despicable view of Christianity!

Pope Leo XIV will, clearly, be a challenge to the Fascism of Trump and Vance, and an inspiration to those who despair over what is happening to the American Republic!

A Half Century Since End Of Vietnam War, A Continuing Tragedy!

Ronald 3 Comments

It is difficult to conceptualize that the most divisive moment in American history since the Civil War, the Vietnam War, ended fifty years ago tomorrow.

The tragic escape from the US Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam, by the American military and diplomatic personnel, and many South Vietnamese trying to make it onto the helicopters, and many falling to their deaths, marked the end of an involvement by the US, lasting 20 years.

This caused the greatest loss of American lives, other than the Civil War and the two World Wars, a total of 58,000 American military personnel.

An involvement in the war begun by Harry Truman providing military and economic aid to France, beginning in 1950;

followed by about 2,000 “advisers”, under Dwight D. Eisenhower;

an escalation to 16,500 soldiers, including Green Beret combat forces, under John F. Kennedy;

a massive escalation to a final total of 549,500 soldiers in March 1968, under Lyndon B. Johnson;

and very slow withdrawal and dragged out combat until a peace agreement was finalized in March 1973, under Richard Nixon;

and then, the final collapse of South Vietnam by April 1975, under Gerald Ford.

The war divided the nation, as it was the greatest division since the Civil War, and so many survivors’ lives from the war effort suffered dearly, and many of them became victims for years after in so many ways, including those still alive fifty years later!

The nation owes a debt to these surviving veterans, which has never been fully repaid, and now, with cuts in the US Department of Veterans Affairs under Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, the failure to follow through on proper treatment and benefits will be a continuing tragedy!

Imagining A Harry Truman-Donald Trump Meeting!

Ronald 6 Comments

It has been 80 years since Harry Truman ascended to the Presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945.

Truman stood up for the accomplishments of FDR’s New Deal, most notably Social Security and labor rights.

Truman also faced the challenge and threat of the Soviet Union, and by utilizing the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and challenging successfully the Berlin Blockade of 1948-1949 with an Airlift, he upheld the promotion of democracy from the totalitarian threat of Joseph Stalin.

Truman was known for speaking his mind, and had the nickname “Give Them Hell Harry”, and could use salty language against those he saw as detrimental in their ideas and policies, including for example, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin of the infamous “Red Scare” during Truman’s second term!

So try for a few minutes to think of what it would be like had Harry Truman had the opportunity to meet his “namesake”, meaning another future President whose last name had the first four letters shared—meaning Donald Trump!

The verbal confrontation and stern, glaring demeanor of Truman toward Trump would have been legion for the ages, as he would not be tolerant in any fashion of the personality, views, or actions of Donald Trump, which are diametrically opposite of Truman!

Truman would be very voluble and outspoken in the extreme and “give Trump hell”, as Truman did in his Presidential campaign of 1948.

And had, in theory, Truman had Trump as his opponent, he would have verbally “slaughtered” him nationwide, and put him back where he belongs, in obscurity as a totally failed President, who has been rated absolutely last in the American Political Science Association Poll that ranked Presidents in 2024!

Trump Use Of Executive Orders At All Time High, And Way Beyond The Norm!

Ronald 34 Comments

Donald Trump is setting records for the use of the power of Executive Orders, and the use of this tactic is seen as leading the nation toward an authoritarian dictatorship, with Congress and the Courts unable or unwilling to intervene to halt, or control the use of that tactic.

The all time record of Executive Orders is with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served longer than any other President, 12 years and 39 days, and utilized executive orders a total of 3,721 times.

Woodrow Wilson was second with 1,803, followed by Calvin Coolidge with 1,203; Theodore Roosevelt with 1,081; Herbert Hoover with 968; Harry Truman with 907; William Howard Taft with 724; Warren G. Harding with 522; Dwight D. Eisenhower with 484; and Ronald Reagan with 381, closing out the top ten.

Recent Presidents—Bill Clinton with 364; George W. Bush with 291; Barack Obama with 276; and Donald Trump first term 220.

Notice that Executive Orders have been used much more often by Republican Presidents, who, except for Theodore Roosevelt, tend to be more conservative.

So far, in two months of his second term, Donald Trump has issued at least 100 Executive Orders, the fastest clip in American history, and may end up surpassing all Presidents, except possibly FDR and Wilson, if the rate continues at the same clip!

Just today, Trump has issued an Executive Order attempting to have the President control federal elections, an abuse of the right of state and local governments to do so!

As Donald Trump Is About To Give His State Of The Union Address, His Public Opinion Ratings Are Lowest Except For His First Term!

Ronald 17 Comments

As Donald Trump gets ready for his State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, his public opinion ratings (Gallup Presidential Job Approval polls) are the lowest of any President since 1945, except for his first term first month!

From Harry Truman to Trump, below are the ratings, in order of high to low!

Harry Truman 87
Lyndon B. Johnson 78
John F. Kennedy 72
Gerald Ford 71
Dwight D. Eisenhower 68
Barack Obama 67
Jimmy Carter 66
Richard Nixon 59
Bill Clinton 58
George W Bush 57
Joe Biden 57
Ronald Reagan 51
George H W Bush 51
Donald Trump 45 (2025)
Donald Trump 44 (2017)

So Donald Trump is not gaining approval for his radical, anarchistic, and disruptive domestic and foreign policies, with a majority of Americans uneasy about the direction of the nation!

Talk Of A Trump Third Term And Putting Trump On Mount Rushmore Pure Lunacy!

Ronald 13 Comments

The lunacy and craziness around Donald Trump continues, with talk of a Trump third term, which will never happen, as it would require a new constitutional amendment and a repeal of the 22nd Amendment!

Both would need a two thirds vote in the House of Representatives and in the US Senate, followed by three fourths of the states (38) ratifying by a majority in both houses of the state legislatures in 49 states plus the one house legislature in Nebraska.

Additionally, Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has, crazily, proposed that Donald Trump be put on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt!

First of all, putting anyone else on Mount Rushmore is a massive job, and highly unlikely ever to occur!

But if such a suggestion was to be followed through on over time, it should be Franklin D. Roosevelt, not Donald Trump!

And if one was to propose a Republican President, it would be more reasonable to put Dwight D. Eisenhower or even, although not something this author and blogger would promote, Ronald Reagan!

As it is, Mount Rushmore has a Federalist (Washington); a Democratic-Republican (Jefferson); and two Republicans (Lincoln and TR), so the argument for an additional President should be for a Democratic President, with FDR clearly the major example, or possibly Harry Truman!

All this is silliness, as there will never be additions to Mount Rushmore!

And with Trump rated either number 45 or at best number 43 tied with Franklin Pierce and above James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, in surveys of historians and political scientists, it is truly delusional to consider him worthy of being on Mount Rushmore!

The way Trump is beginning his second Presidency will only insure that he will be number 45 in all rankings of intelligent, educated scholars, and with any American who has a brain, and ethics and morals!