Have the Republicans in Congress finally found a moral compass or a collective spine? Or did they leave town to avoid their governance responsibilities which often require some compromise to achieve mutual goals?  After prostrating to Donald Trump’s demands, both whimsical and dangerous, for the past 18 months and more, some Congressional Republicans have opened their eyes to the enormous grift and corruption surrounding Trump’s political and business activities.  They seem to be acknowledging, at last, what many voters and Democratic elected officials recognized at the outset – Trump’s race to the bottom includes setting up himself and his family to raid as many government coffers and taxpayer dollars as he can during his second term as president.  No amount of private payments or wealthy “donors” for ballrooms, memorial arches, blue swimming pool paint or whatever is next on his list can mask the stench of sleaze and venality emanating from the Oval Office.  

Donald Trump is, by far, the wealthiest president in American history, a billionaire many times over.  His net worth is estimated to have increased by more than two billion dollars since his second inaugural speech in January 2025.  But apparently it’s not enough for someone whose tech cronies are many times richer and who fancies himself as a “very stable genius.”     The proverbial icing on the cake occurred last week, when Trump withdrew his ten-billion-dollar lawsuit against the United States in favor of a “settlement” of $1.776 billion for an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that would provide compensation to people who claim they were victims of government legal actions.  That would include more than 1000 Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The fund would be controlled by five commissioners appointed by Acting Attorney General and former Trump personal lawyer Todd Blanche, with no reporting requirements.  What’s the word for an American president who sues the very government he has sworn to protect from enemies both foreign and domestic?  The answer is easy, and appalling – Donald Trump.

What’s worse, and perhaps what caught Congressional objections, is the additional agreement, supposedly negotiated by Blanche, that essentially indemnifies Trump, his family members and his businesses from any tax-related audits to this point, and is unclear about handling any future audits or misdeeds of the Trump empire. In this giant Monopoly game, that’s a “Get Out of Jail Free” card and he’s already passed “Go.”

Coupled with Trump’s declaration that he doesn’t care about ordinary Americans’ financial challenges exacerbated by his war on Iran, his campaigns of vengeance and retribution against fellow Republicans, and thousands of stock trades disclosed just in the first quarter of 2026, it’s quite apparent that governance is the farthest thing from his mind.  Deals and dollar signs are on his mind.           

For generations, the President of the United States was a role model of leadership, empathy, careful commentary and character. Disagreements with Congress and constituents were expected but many differences could be addressed with negotiation and, often, respect. It’s too late to expect Donald Trump to change his approach to the presidency, and that goes for his Cabinet, too.  Congress, and the voters, must do their jobs, now and in November.