Things are going to get better
At 11:15 this morning, the sitting President of the United States published a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social. Exactly one hour and 25 minutes later, he published another. Taken individually, they show his leadership failures. But taken together, these two posts tell us almost everything we need to know about who he respects, who he sees as a personal threat, and most importantly, the kind of America he is reshaping our country into.
In the first post, he wrote about Chinese President Xi, saying, “I take him at his word.” He described his relationship with Vladimir Putin as one that “remains” intact, and added that he was doing Xi “very big favors.”
Eighty-five minutes later, he was writing about Canada. Our neighbor, one of our closest and strongest allies, and the country with which we share the longest peaceful border in the world. In that post, he shares that being disinvited from the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge was “fine.” Then he declared that the United States had changed an agreement and will now take “50% of the Profit” of the new bridge.
In the span of 85 minutes, the contrast could not have been clearer. There was warmth and trust for two authoritarian leaders. And for a country that has always been there for us, that we share a border with, there was mockery and contempt.
And when we look at everything he said in that first post, it just gets worse. He is telling the entire world that the full basis of his leadership rests on personal relationships between powerful men. “I take him at his word.” “The relationship remains.” “I am doing him very big favors.” He is talking about the leaders of China and Russia, democracy’s two most significant adversaries.
And then he feels compelled to mention that he does not sell weapons to Ukraine, adding “how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea,” because he refuses to take a strong stand against his friend, Vladimir Putin, even though he is attacking a sovereign nation. The warmth and careful consideration of words goes to strongmen. He gives his trust to dictators. And to our actual ally, Canada, there is nothing but a demand for money from a bridge named after a man who spent his life bringing our two countries together.
I know that most of you reading this tonight already see this for exactly what it is. Tonight, I want to talk to the people who might not. And for those of you who are on the right side of history but who have a friend or loved one who still supports this president, maybe this gives you something further to start a conversation around. Maybe it plants a seed. Or maybe it just helps you feel less alone in what you already know.
Dear MAGA,
I am not writing this to mock you or ridicule you. I am writing this because somewhere underneath all the chaos, I believe most of you still care about this country the same way I do. So I am asking you to stop for a moment. Not to listen to me. To listen to yourself. Look at your own life. Not the entertainment the other side is bringing you. Just your life.
Is it better? Do you have more money in your bank account than you did before Trump? Are your retirement savings stronger? When you or someone you love needs to see a doctor, is that easier or harder than it was before? Do your groceries cost less? Has your paycheck gone up? When you look at the country your children and grandchildren are going to grow up in, do you feel good about where it is headed? Do you honestly feel like the world is safer for them right now? Because those were the promises. That was what Donald Trump promised us. And if the answer is no, even to just one of those questions, then we need to ask whether he has actually delivered on his promises, or simply replaced every missed deadline with another promise that everything will happen in two more weeks.
Because if you are not more financially secure, then where is all the money going that Trump has cut from what was being spent to support the needs of the American people? What we do know is that according to Forbes, his net worth has more than doubled since the start of 2024, climbing from an estimated 2.4 billion dollars to 6.3 billion. This money came from cryptocurrency ventures, overseas licensing deals, and a multitude of financial arrangements tied directly to the power of the presidency. A UAE royal secretly bought half of the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company for 500 million dollars just days before the inauguration, and weeks later the administration granted the UAE access to advanced American semiconductor technology that the previous administration had blocked. None of this is new reporting. We just keep learning how deep the corruption goes. He is selling Bibles, watches, sneakers, and digital coins while he is occupying the Oval Office. And the programs we have paid into our entire working lives, the ones that were supposed to be there for us when we retire, when we get sick, when we need them most, those are the ones they keep cutting funding from. So I will ask again: who is this presidency for? Is he really for us?
If you are starting to see what is really happening to our country, you do not have to go public or post about it or even tell a single person. You don’t have to admit anything to anyone. But when you look at what is in front of you and decide whether this is really what you want, it’s okay to know it isn’t. This country is headed somewhere very dark. But it does not have to keep going there. We still have a Constitution and elections. And the midterms are less than four months away. That can be your moment to let your voice be heard.
And if you are the one who has been quietly questioning, who has been wondering whether this is what you signed up for, you are not alone. More people are stepping back from this than any of us can see. Many are doing it the same way you are: quietly to themselves or to a small group of others who are also deciding this has gone too far. Every single person who decides they do not want to take the country on the path Donald Trump is taking us changes the math in the next elections and the trajectory of our country after.
This is a dark time for our country. People on both sides of the divide the President has created are hurting. And maybe some are too far gone to reach, at least for now. But there are enough people who were on the sidelines for too long, or who truly believed in Trump’s words, who are seeing him for what he truly is. And they will vote accordingly in November. That is why I still have hope for America. And 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: I spent the evening at the “Things Can Only Get Better” tour with my oldest sister and my middle daughter. We spent hours listening to ‘80s music and just having fun. Dave Wakeling from English Beat opened his set by telling the crowd he wakes up every morning not sure if it is the start of World War Three or the Age of Aquarius, and then promised us a thirty-minute escape from having to think about the reality of the world, and I did just that. Instead of the horrors of what is happening here and around the world, I focused on the moments when nearly the entire audience was singing together. It made me believe that just maybe we can still come back together in meaningful ways. Howard Jones closed the night with the song “Things Can Only Get Better,” and before he played it, he said something about how in hard times like these, you have to hold on to the hope that things can get better. It has always been my favorite song of his. And tonight, standing with my sister and my daughter and an arena full of strangers all singing and dancing to the same words, it felt true.
Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/07/10/trump-uae-mgx-crypto-export-commerce-warren.html
What the Orange Bozo hasn't figured out, or more likely doesn't care, is that the Tariffs aren't paid by the country they are applied against. They get paid by us here in the US. As a small business owner, I've had whole markets closed to me because parts that are only made in one place in the world, no longer want to deal with our administration's BS. This isn't hurting them. Just us.
Heather,
I have followed your site for a long time. I am a Brit and proud of it! I was born in 1939 and I was brought up being grateful for the US being our ally, with Russia and others, during WW II. In my childhood and teenage years the US was the source of many of our cultural imports - music, cinema etc. My education gave me an interest in US history as well.
I was amazed and then horrified that the country that elected Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, FDR, Truman (my favourite), Eisenhower & JFK, could elect the current incumbent.
Mindful that we have our own problems; (but none as egregious as those facing the US), I fear for the future of the US as a democracy. There is little that I can do on this side of the pond but when the state of play in the US comes up in conversation I do fly the flag for the ant- Trump position.
The one thing that really got my goat was Trump’s lambasting of the UK and other NATO allies for not joining his forever war against Iran. Has he read Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty? Probably not!