The crazy Trump train continues this week unabated. First, he claims, as usual without supporting logical evidence, that California’s current voting system, which delays the final vote totals in statewide and major elections until mail-in ballots are counted, is fraudulent. He had backed somewhat crazily, in fact, both a mayoral candidate, Spencer Pratt, and a guber-natorial candidate, Steve Hilton—both white, MAGA-influenced candidates.
He is now pressing for federal investigations of the California voting system. Both of his favored candidates looked to be doing very well on election night but have since fallen short. In fact, Mr. Pratt has completely fallen all the way out.
Mr. Trump is now threatening to have federal forces seize the California ballots and to cancel the local and state elections. Not to worry, that idea won’t travel far. The California ballot is both very alive and very legal.
Second, he currently has to fend off an unwel-coming home scenario in New York, his home state. The New York Knicks are in the basketball playoff finals against the San Antonio Spurs, and the third game of that series—the first one in New York—was just played Monday night. Mr. Trump decided to attend and, in doing so, became a huge distraction. The Knicks lost their first game of the series, and Mr. Trump was booed very loudly by the fans. He is now seen as a pariah and unwanted at any more Knick games.
Third, his administration is causing major disruption problems with the world internation-al soccer tournament that is currently underway in the U.S. Numerous officials and players from countries Mr. Trump has displayed hostility towards have either been barred from the U.S. or have faced major travel delays, which can negatively affect their on-the-field activities.
Mr. Trump has also decided, along with having his face plastered on new American coinage for the celebrations, to show his classy upbringing by building a UFC fighting cage on the White House grounds so that visitors to the American 250-year celebrations in Washington this month can “enjoy” cage-match wrestling as part of their national celebrations. Appar-ently, he thinks such Camptown follies are ‘real Americana that everyone (all Americans, that is) should be forced to enjoy.
Meanwhile, for the rational among us, the federal courts did make sure Trump’s name was recently removed from the Kennedy Center, and his gigantic Trump arch, which he is currently building to glorify himself, is in serious trouble. The new White House ballroom is in serious doubt now, too, given that more than one feder-al court has recently ruled that Congress has to give the president permission to build it or the project has to be stopped, and Congress, thus far, has not done so.
Trump’s caricature-like and cartoon antics still continue, but there does seem to be a lot more energy being put into resisting them now-adays, including major gains in the fight over the Trump team’s systematic attempts at remov-ing notices of Black brilliance and significance in American history and society.
Project 2025 still chugs along into 2026, but an anti-project effort is very much alive and is becoming increasingly effective. Yea for the home team!!!
Professor David L. Horne is founder and exec-utive director of PAPPEI, the Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute, which is a new 501(c)(3) pending community-based organization or non-govern-mental organization (NGO). It is the stepparent organization for the California Black Think Tank which still operates and which meets every fourth Friday.
