Burning It All Down

By now, Trump’s disgraceful, petulant, and abhorrent meltdown in the Oval Office has likely crossed your timeline. Many are using words like “shocked,” “stunned,” and “appalled” to describe what went down.

Are we being serious? Really? You’re shocked?

This is exactly who Trump is. He has never once shown us anything different. The reckless, unfiltered, egocentric man we see now is the same man he’s always been. Let’s be real: we should have seen this coming. From the moment he descended that escalator at Trump Tower, he made it clear that basic norms of decency and decorum meant nothing to him. This is the same man who mocked the disabled, belittled war heroes, and threatened anyone who dared to challenge him. His entire political ethos has always been built on chaos, division, and sensationalism. Why are we still surprised? Trump is doing exactly what he said he would.

If we’re genuinely repulsed by his emboldened antics, it’s time to reframe our expectations. Hope for change is tempting; we all want to believe he’ll grow into the office or at least show some form of restraint. Expecting Trump to adhere to standards of governance, though, is like expecting a tornado to behave like a gentle breeze. The reality is, we can no longer react with shock when Trump takes a chainsaw to “tradition”. It drains our energy and distracts us from the more important task: responding. It’s not a question of if Trump will act outrageously; it’s a matter of when and how far. The odds are stacked in his favor right now.

We had clear warnings last November. 75 million Americans saw the threat and voted to reject Trump and everything he stands for. 77 million either didn’t see it or didn’t care enough. Trump ran on a platform of chaos and destruction, and in his first two months in office, he’s delivered exactly that. His supporters continue to cheer him on, but the rest of us are left grappling with the grim reality of watching an administration that values destruction over progress, cruelty over compassion, and chaos over stability. This isn’t new.

At this point, we must control our reactions. Anger may fuel us temporarily, but it won’t sustain us. Instead, we need to channel our frustration into something more productive. It’s time to apply pressure, to demand accountability from the institutions meant to serve the people. We can’t wait for a savior to swoop in and fix things. We must hold every politician, every leader accountable for their complicity in Trump’s actions — even Democrats. More than just condemnation, we need to push for an actionable resistance.

I hate to be the bearer of this harsh truth, but we’re only two months into this administration. The time for “shock” and “disgust” has passed. If this nation is going to survive what’s ahead, we have to face the reality: Trump will continue to push boundaries, undermine democracy, and seek his own gratification at the expense of the American people. Those who refuse to accept this truth are only making it easier for him to keep doing so.