Morally Rotten and Unfit to Serve

From Moscow to Ohio, odious Trump henchmen sink to new lows

Trump’s special envoy is all smiles for the murderous Vladimir Putin, the man he called a “humanitarian.” (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/AFP via Getty Images)

If you asked me before this Trump era whether I expected to be writing at length about depravity and moral dissolution, I would have doubted it. Yes, past presidents have made obscene choices that led to profoundly unnecessary mass deaths; look no further than George W. Bush with Iraq and Richard M. Nixon with Vietnam. The immorality of such bloodshed should never be minimized because it was carried out under the framework of war, that is, the legitimation of murder.

But the moral failure also extends deep into everyday life. Today we find ourselves held hostage by a hateful regime whose policies force children to go hungry, poison our air and water, make food unsafe, put the lives and limbs of workers at risk, abuse vulnerable populations and make basic healthcare increasingly unaffordable. Behind every dangerously careless policy are men of doubtful moral character who demonstrate contempt for the struggles of everyday Americans and their responsibility to keep them safe.

The last few days have seen a sickening escalation of depravity and degradation, the kind of moral rot that is rarely so visible and yet seems to be infecting a wider and wider circle. At the center of this circle, of course, is Donald J. Trump, a singularly repulsive individual who’s referenced thousands of times in the Epstein files, is an adjudicated rapist and displays his bottomless capacity for abuse—to members of the press, to the rule of law, to our country and its foundational values—virtually every day. All this on top of his treasonous betrayal of Ukraine by openly allying with Vladimir Putin.

Just this Wednesday he could be found abusing CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins: “You’re a dummy. You’re a low-IQ person, you’re a dummy and you work for CNN.” It’s way past time when one of these access reporters—or a whole group of them—finally say that they will not take his nasty bullying any longer.

But just as Trump tears down his perceived enemies in an effort to shame or destroy them, he often does the same with his sycophants, turning them into the worst and most degraded versions of themselves—perfect to do his bidding. Let me explain.

First is the sniveling obeisance this week of Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff—the real estate guy who’s been transmogrified into a diplomat. You may have heard what he said to Putin—morally repugnant words that call to mind Neville Chamberlain’s kowtowing to Adolf Hitler.

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,” Witkoff said to Putin Wednesday in St. Petersburg. “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that. I commend you, and I thank you again.”

This to a murderous sociopath whose imperialist fantasies have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians, with overall casualties exceeding two million. This to the man responsible for kidnapping and starving tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, assassinating journalists and political rivals, happily escalating missile strikes on civilian targets. Witkoff glorified this sadistic war criminal ostensibly because he permitted the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American school teacher who was living in eastern Ukraine and was taken and tortured by Russia after its invasion in 2022.

How soulless must you be to call a man like Putin a humanitarian? How morally rotten must you be to seek business opportunities for Trump in Moscow while your beloved Kremlin business partner is murdering innocent men, women and children?

That, of course, would also be a question for his crony Jared Kushner as they’ve plumbed for billions in the Middle East while the death toll rises in Trump’s war of choice in Iran.

Then there’s the odious, bottom-feeding Vivek Ramaswamy, who decided to release a video highlighting the mother of Amy Acton, his rival for Ohio governor. This is the mother that Acton has not seen since she was 12 years old, when she was removed from the woman’s custody after experiencing years of rape and sexual abuse from her stepfather. Rather than face justice, he became a fugitive and fled—and Acton’s mother went with him.

It’s a miracle that Acton has overcome that horrific history to become a physician and an accomplished public servant. But never mind that for Ramaswamy, who saw an opportunity to shove a seriously unwell person into a political ad and falsely claim that her daughter lied about her traumatic past.

Here’s how Acton’s younger brother described what Ramaswamy did:

After [their stepfather] was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core—a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.

And here’s how candidate Acton responded: “I think it was a terrible thing to do this to someone who is not well, as my birth mother isn’t. I know my opponent will stoop to anything to get ahead.”

It’s been encouraging to see politicians from across the political spectrum condemning the ad, including Ohio’s GOP governor Mike DeWine. But of course Ramaswamy—a Trump-bred candidate—has offered no apology. Instead, he has doubled down, spending some $4 million to keep running it.

Now I’ve got a clearer picture of what “scum of the earth” means. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “scum” as “a slimy film on a solid or gelatinous object” or “a low, vile or worthless person or group of people.”

Surely this repugnant event would be an opportunity for the Donald Trump/Peter Thiel-bred JD Vance to do the right thing? Nope.

This Catholic convert, who wears his religion on his sleeve, has been busy conveying his disgust. But not for the hideous ad or the heinous neglect and abuse that a fellow human suffered as a child. No, Trump’s vice president saw an opportunity to score political points.

“I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said at an Ohio campaign rally Wednesday.

It should be no surprise that Vance’s boss Trump also defended the ad, even believing it strengthens Ramaswamy’s case for governor. This is what depravity looks like.

In ten days, Ohioans and all Americans have the opportunity to say what they think about these morally rotten men (and others such as Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.). I hope voters take Trump’s advice and vote like he’s on the ballot. His poisonous impact is not hard to find among the Republican candidates.

We must not let these depraved Trump loyalists continue to degrade our nation without consequence. Every day they are free to pursue their moral corruption is another day we must spend cleansing the stain they’ve made. We have much work ahead of us.

As we near the midterms, it’s more important than ever to support the survival of democracy. I remain committed to raising my voice as vividly and fiercely as I can. I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $50 a year or $5 a month to show your support and enhance your engagement—to share your thoughts in the comments sections and access all content.