At 2:24 this afternoon, Donald Trump flipped through the pages of his ringed binder, looked at what he had been told to say, and began speaking from his desk in the Oval Office. Standing on both sides of him were nine men and five women, placed together by gender. The event was supposed to be a major announcement about a steel plant in Iowa and American steel production, but Donald Trump was more focused on other things. He spent nearly the entire 43-minute event sitting behind his desk, and fighting with everything he had to stay awake after repeatedly falling asleep. When he was actually awake, he struggled to understand and respond to reporters’ questions.
Every single word he said was a struggle, and at times his words barely made sense. He said things like, “We have the best murder. It’s not a nice thing to say.” He went off on a tangent about Canada, saying they have “been one of the worst countries in the entire world.” He even went so far as to get worked up and attack a sitting governor: “Minnesota has a lousy governor, but they have great iron ore. They have one of the worst governors in history. A real stupid guy. But they do have good iron ore, which is more important, I guess.” His invited White House guests just nodded and smiled along to everything he said.
That is what this event really was for. It was a press conference about steel in name only. Everything about it was a carefully staged performance by the people around Donald Trump, his enablers and benefactors, to keep a declining president physically upright and still engaged so that they don’t lose the power that comes from having him in office. The show they put on today even included having a majority of the people surrounding him step forward, one after another, to shower him with praise. What they said was obviously rehearsed, with their words extensions of the same message, just with each person putting their own spin on it.
Trump Administration-appointed Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic looked at Donald Trump and told him it was “your plan in action, Mr. President.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was photographed on Epstein’s island, said, “This is exactly your plan. This is exactly why you’re doing it.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Trump was leading the “re-industrialization of America.”
The bowing down and theatrics just kept coming. Governor Kim Reynolds said, “This would not be happening without your leadership.” Senator Joni Ernst called it “one of the greatest American muscle flexes” and said it was “all because of you, Mr. President.” Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson each took turns thanking the President personally for making it all possible. The CEO of the company building the steel plant joined in, telling Trump that “it is your policy and your leadership, Mr. President, that have made this possible.” One after another, they all spoke to Donald Trump, the reporters in the room and the audience watching at home, to say the same thing in slightly different ways and words: we owe everything to you. Donald Trump is a hero.
It looked and sounded like blind loyalty and cult-like devotion, but if we look closer, we can see something else too. They were feeding Trump’s ego to keep him useful to them. They were not just supporters expressing unwavering admiration for their strongman. These were handlers given a specific job to keep him stimulated and focused in the moment and for the weeks to come ahead of the midterms. They were hoping to feed him enough flattery to keep his eyes open for the event. They need him fully functional and sitting behind that desk looking like he was powerful and in charge. They were not doing that for our country or even for him. They were doing it for themselves. They all have a lot to lose if his presidency collapses before they are finished sucking him and our country dry.
They were there because they need him to keep performing, and the performance is getting harder to sustain. They need us to hear what they are saying about him and believe he is someone worthy of that praise, even when we can see him with our own eyes and all the destruction he is causing. They want us to believe all the good things they are saying about him are true.
Donald Trump might not see it for what it is, how most of them don’t believe a word they are saying, but we can and do. He sat there, falling asleep as they told him what he desperately wants to be told. That he is special, smart, and that he is creating a lasting legacy. But try as they might, their false praise couldn’t cover up the things he said today. No amount of flattery could cover for his decline.
During the periods when his eyes were actually open, his raw, unfiltered, and at times incoherent thoughts came spilling out of his mouth. He told reporters his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping deserved a rating of “twelve” on a scale of zero to ten. He said, “We have the best murder. It’s not a nice thing to say,” while he was attempting to brag about historically low crime in the United States that had started to decline long before he took office. When a reporter asked why Republicans are having a hard time holding onto seats in Iowa, a state he won by 13 points, his answer was “I don’t know,” followed by, “there’s been some things that the Democrats have done that are very bad for our country.” He was struggling terribly today, and his answers made even less sense than they typically do.
Then came the worst of what he said with comments about nuclear weapons and Canada. When asked about the price of gas, he gave a deeply concerning reply, “If you want to see turmoil and a travesty, let them take out a city with a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I’m not only talking about Israel and big parts of the Middle East. Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon. For all those stupid people that think it’s okay. I deal with them and they are crazy. There’s no question about it. They are very crazy people. I tell them that all the time. I said, ‘You’re crazy, man.’” That is what the President of the United States said today. He has access to nuclear weapons. Every person in that room heard him say that, and not a single one of them reacted. They just stood there, nodding, smiling, waiting for their next opportunity to tell him how wonderful he is, and what a good job he is doing.
Then came his next attack on Canada. Trump called them “one of the worst countries in the entire world” when he was talking about trade negotiations and used China as an example of a “good” country while painting Canada as the “bad” one. He said Canadians “feel entitled.” He claimed that now Canada is being invaded by people coming in “unchecked, totally unvetted.” He is trying to create the same irrational, conspiracy-theory fears he has successfully sold to his MAGA Trump loyalists here. He also said Canada would come to the United States and say, “Sir, we are sorry.”
Destabilizing Canada and causing fractures by inciting the less educated up North is how Trump plans to carry out his vendetta against Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He has refused to do what so many other world leaders have learned to do in order to survive this era: flatter Donald Trump to his face and play his game. But Carney will not kneel, praise, or pretend that the relationship between Canada and the United States is anything other than what it is. Trump does not actually want to negotiate with Canada. He wants Canada to suffer. He wants them economically isolated, financially weakened, and increasingly fractured. His ultimate goal is to make them vulnerable enough for him to step in and conquer them politically and/or physically.
One other moment from Donald Trump came when his emotions got the better of him after he brought up Governor Tim Walz. He called him “a real stupid guy” and “one of the worst governors in history.” When the discussion turned to an issue in Walz’s state, Donald Trump turned to one of his “yes men” standing beside him and asked a question about American federalism and stripping states of their power: “We can supersede the state, right?” The response to Donald Trump was, “Yes, we can supersede the state.” Trump smiled and said, “It’s good. Otherwise, the state will never be good. They’re very, they’re really troubled people.” The President of the United States asked whether the federal government can override a state government, was told yes, and then called the people of that state troubled. That was the moment we can’t afford to miss.
Donald Trump is fading and is saying his plans out loud. He couldn’t even stay awake through a 43-minute event. His ability to form coherent responses to basic questions is gone. The people around him today are still desperately trying to hold on and squeeze him dry while he is still useful to them. But not everyone is in it for the long haul. More of them are dropping him now, before the hearings and investigations, hoping they can still save themselves.
Today, FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey announced his resignation, citing a desire to “return to his family in Missouri.” Bailey was the former Missouri attorney general who left his state position to take a made-up role at the FBI alongside Dan Bongino, who also quit. Bailey was present when federal agents searched Fulton County, Georgia’s election office, for 2020 election records. He helped Kash Patel restructure the bureau and purge career agents who had dedicated their lives to their country. He was an active participant in much of what has been done to our country. This was not a change of heart for him. This was a parachute out the window of a moving plane, trying to save himself.
People distancing themselves from Donald Trump isn’t just happening in and around the White House. We saw it from within an organization that has tried to stay neutral in the face of this authoritarian takeover as well. Today, the National Football League demanded that the Department of Homeland Security take down a video it posted using Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins’ playing highlights as immigration enforcement propaganda. DHS had posted a collection of Dawkins’ biggest tackles in response to a report about a migrant caravan supposedly moving towards our southern borders. They added the caption, “Our time has come.” Dawkins posted a video on social media saying he did not give permission for his name, image, or likeness “to be used by anybody.” DHS refused to take the video down, and a spokesperson released a statement that read, “DHS is playing lockdown defense at the border. We will use every Weapon at our disposal, from A to X, to keep Americans safe.”
This might seem trivial, but the NFL pushing back like this, so publicly, shows that the time of ignoring and pandering to this administration is over. More and more people and organizations can see the writing on the wall and are further distancing themselves from this sinking ship.
I was talking to a friend today that I don’t see often, just trying to get a feel for where people are right now, as we are getting closer to the midterms in November. My friend isn’t as invested in what this administration is doing. They definitely care and are troubled by it all, but they are not someone who follows it all daily or hourly like we do. They’re disgusted by what’s happening, but there wasn’t the same kind of urgency I heard from them before the summer. This is a normal dip that many experience when schedules change, and kids are home from school, people are traveling, routines are broken up. But normally by late September, that momentum comes roaring back even stronger before the summer months, especially this close to an election. I’m just not seeing it yet, so I thought I could maybe get a feel for where their mind is, and that might give me some answers.
What I learned from the conversation was both good and bad. My friend’s stress level over the elections, at least right now, is low because they have already made their decision. They know exactly who they’re voting for, and they don’t want to spend another second giving Donald Trump their mental energy, and I completely understand that. It gives me some hope knowing that maybe there are millions of others who are feeling the same way, and maybe that is why the energy hasn’t bounced back. Hopefully this is the calm before the storm, because we need that fire back in as many people as possible. We need the kind of outrage that makes people get out there and vote. We need the biggest blue wave this country has ever seen. Hopefully, the closer we get, the buildup will keep growing, and we see more people getting energized and involved.
What we are watching right now is the slow and painful downfall of Donald Trump and the entire circus built around him. The President is struggling to perform, and his handlers are having to stage more events to announce made-up wins for the cameras. Donald Trump and his sycophants have everything to lose and are not going to give up their unchecked power without a fight. They are going to escalate in ways we can’t even imagine. They are going to get more desperate and dangerous, because when they lose, it means facing everything they have done before Congress and potentially the courts.
In 36 days, we will find our way back to the promise of what our country really stands for and not the fear and corrupt leaders ruling it today. We will come together and vote for a better future for our children and grandchildren. The history books will say we stood up and we did what generations of Americans have done before us. When the times got tough, we stood together and demanded to be heard. That is why I still have hope for America. You should, too.
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather
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This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.
Picture of the day: The big story around here is climate change and the upcoming El Niño. We went down to the beach to watch the waves for a few minutes, and I was thinking about how important it is to do whatever we can to protect the planet and our natural resources. My heart hurts to imagine future generations suffering because we had the opportunity to do something, and instead we just stood by and let the Trump administration reverse so much of what we had already done.
Links to sources used in writing this article:
President Trump Makes an Announcement, Sep. 28, 2026: YouTube Video
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-steel-plant-iowa/
https://abcnews.com/Politics/fbi-deputy-director-andrew-bailey-resigns/story?id=136825203
Well said. My heart breaks for my friends and family in the states. I live in Japan near my son, his wife, her children and grandchildren, my family. I will return to my home in Texas in a couple of weeks to vote and and work the polls. I am beyond horrified at the minions, enablers, and CongressEunuchs that have blindly allowed that man to destroy the world...yes, I see what is happening on this side of the Pacific Ocean and it is saddening. I post nearly everyday on my personal FB page, "Is he dead yet?", but really hope that he lives long enough to be held accountable and responsible for all of the damage he has done , not only to those living through it now, but for generations to come. He deserves to rot in jail with no internet service.
Keep up the good words. Never be silent or silenced.
Excellent analysis. It is frustrating to watch this man’s mental and physical health deteriorate right in front of us, and yet no one in the government does anything about it. The greed for maintaining the status and power is greater to them than the welfare of our nation. Let us hope that we can turn this country around, if our democracy can hold out that long.