Donald Trump Is a Loser
Five ways he is proving it
Long after Donald Trump is gone, lovers of democracy, decency, honesty, sanity, equality, justice, education and the truth will have plenty of work to repair all that has been broken. So I hesitate in taking too much delight in the growing number of ways that this massive malignancy—one of the worst humans to ever walk the planet—is losing.
But losing he is—and it should give all of us encouragement that his and his reckless regime’s days are numbered. Let me share with you five ways that he’s losing and what they portend for the future.
Viktor Orbán was defeated yesterday.
The people of Hungary spoke in no uncertain terms that they were done with his corrupt, illiberal, anti-democratic, pro-Putin 16-year rule. Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party is on course to gain two-thirds of the Hungarian parliament’s seats, providing a super-majority for the new government and enough to convince Orbán to concede quickly and graciously.
This is great news for the people of Hungary, stuck with one of Europe’s worst economies and an ongoing state of fear. But it’s also great news for pro-democracy progressives, longing for signs that the far-right, white nationalist movement may be on the wane.
And more, this is a serious loss for Trump (and his Orbán-loving henchman, JD Vance) who pushed hard to keep the Hungarian strongman in power—including full-throated endorsements, visits to Budapest, invitations to Mar-a-Lago and even a last-day promise/bribe by Trump to “use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s economy.”
They not only learned that Hungarians rejected their corrupt illiberalism, but also that they did not have the power to swing a foreign election for a despised authoritarian. This landslide win should give all of us encouragement to keep up the opposition here, speak out for democracy and democratic values, and take nourishment from our allies in Europe and beyond.
He keeps making a fool of himself over Iran.
Well before the talks with Iran led by JD Vance in Pakistan fell apart, Trump was already bragging that the outcome of “very deep negotiations with Iran” didn’t matter. “We win regardless,” he stupidly said. “We've defeated them militarily.”
The genius dealmaker may have imagined he could bully the Iranians into submitting to his demands, including re-opening the Strait of Hormuz and giving up their nuclear material. But he himself proved how empty his comments were by following up Vance’s failed negotiations Saturday with a new plan to launch a naval blockade of the strait. That may put pressure on Iran, but it also worsens conditions for the global economy, exacerbating the oil crisis that will further raise costs for Americans.
Every time the untethered, bloviating Trump declares “we’re winning,” he reinforces the reality that he is an ill-informed loser unable to tell the truth and manage the reckless war of choice that he triggered. Doubling down by blockading the strait underscores that he’s only capable of acting out of anger and grievance.
While this plan promises more bad days ahead—and growing doubt about how exactly this all ends—Trump’s self-made quagmire makes the foul odor of failure increasingly hard to miss. He’s the arrogant fool who tore up President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran in 2018, a deal meant to keep the peace, negotiated by competent professionals. Now we see the danger caused by incompetent leaders who only look at agreements in terms of how it makes them look.
Once-staunch American allies despise him and won’t work with him.
It’s no surprise to any sane person that when you treat people (and countries) like garbage, they are disinclined to help you later. Put aside the verbal abuse, the foolish tariffs and the hostile threats toward NATO, Trump then launched a reckless war of choice without consulting allies and then thought he had the power to force them to assist as the failures mount. He attacked historic allies as cowards for refusing to help defend the strait and now likely is lying in a Truth Social post that “other countries will be involved in the blockade.”
Yes, Trump has succeeded in dangerously undermining the credibility of American promises for years to come, well after his departure. But his hostile approach should make painfully clear that it doesn’t matter how mighty a military may be, publicly abusing allies and going it alone inevitably puts you in danger. Future White House occupants will surely prioritize alliance-building and earning respect of former friends with genuine partnership, not belligerence and bully-boy tactics. The real “art of the deal” means acting with respect, honor and honesty.
Most Americans increasingly despise him and his policies.
Even before launching the deeply unpopular war with Iran, including among his MAGA followers who believed him when he said he wouldn’t get involved in unnecessary foreign wars, he had historically low approval ratings (38 percent, per an Economist/YouGov poll last month). That includes being seriously underwater, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll, on such major issues as the economy (65 percent disapproval), inflation (69 percent disapproval) and immigration (56 percent disapproval). Add to that the fact that just 6 percent of Americans are satisfied with the extent of the Epstein files released by the Trump Justice Department.
All this data underscores a simple truth. Good policy increases public support. That’s what elected officials in democratic societies should recognize is the key to their success. Democrats can prove that with the midterms, especially with affordability issues as gas and food prices continue to spike because Trump’s Iran war is dragging on.
He can only win in the midterms by cheating, motivating violence and suppressing the vote.
A winner trusts that his and his party’s policies will earn him the support of voters. A winner welcomes the will of the people. A winner does not work methodically to deny voters access to the polls in order to suppress the vote.
If we had a real winner in the White House, Americans would not have to worry that he was hostile to the democratic process. They would know that he wants to win for the good of the American people, not because he fears the prospects of impeachment and prosecution if the opposition party retakes the majority in Congress. His assault on democracy underscore why we need stronger voting rights laws.
Every time you read about Trump and his operatives seizing ballots, demanding that married women and others prove their citizenship to register to vote or threatening to send ICE agents to polling places, remember that this is what a loser does. This is what a man who fears the will of the people does.
In short, this man who never belonged near the levers of power—constantly declaring he is winning—is proving who he really is. Donald Trump is a loser.
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While I wholeheartedly agree Trump is a profound loser in the five “big”ways Steve points to, and the many more small, but equally destructive and damaging, ways this imperfect imbecile of a human being is unfit for the presidency and as a leader more generally, I think the tendency to focus on him is a mistake. Losers fail, and he will fail as well, he’s a disgrace. The greater challenge today, for all democracy defending Americans is to stop the destruction to the federal government and to American society at the hands of those behind a cruel, corrupt, and catastrophic Project 2025. People like Lee Zeldin, Russell Vogt, and those deeper into the crevices of this administration who are pushing the disastrous policy and institutional changes in their zealotry for a White Christian National America.
Always was.