On July 1, Donald Trump flew to the Theodore Roosevelt Library in a jet gifted to him by the Qatari dictator, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. This is unprecedented.
What was typical is that, once at the new library, Donald Trump spoke only about Donald Trump.
A few contrasts between the two men:
• Theodore Roosevelt wrote books. Donald Trump doesn’t read.
• Roosevelt was a soldier. Donald Trump only salutes like one.
• Under Roosevelt, numerous laws were passed to protect American consumers, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act. Trump believes that, for American consumers, affordability is fake news.
• Roosevelt sought to limit the power and wealth of American corporations. The Trump family seeks to increase their own power and wealth, amassing $2.2 billion in his second term.
• For negotiating peace in the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel winner María Corina Machado of Venezuela gave Trump hers.
• Roosevelt invited Black intellectual Booker T. Washington to a White House dinner in 1901. On a campaign stop, Trump once shouted, “There’s my Black guy!”
• Roosevelt loved his children. Trump once hit Don Jr. with his fist for not wearing a suit to a Yankee game. His love for Ivanka is disturbing.
• The barrel-chested Roosevelt lived a life of exercise—judo, vigorous walking, horseback riding, and outdoor adventures. Trump drives his golf cart over greens, and sportswriter Rick Reilly’s book about his golf is titled Commander in Cheat.
• Roosevelt believed that the presidency was a sacred trust. Trump believes the presidency is his personal property.
It’s true that Roosevelt was an ardent imperialist. Unlike Trump, he was a successful one.
Jim Gregory
Arroyo Grande
This article appears in July 16-23, 2026.
Yeah, and everything will magically change when Trump is gone.
Factories will reappear, banks will be regulated, the dollar will strengthen, 40 trillion on national debt will disappear, our border will be secure, our federal budget will be balanced, taxes will be lowered for workers, etc, etc, etc.
Your party has no solution, sir. I voted for the Republican party, not an individual. I believe in limited government. Your side of the aisle is just corrupt as my dude of the aisle, the only difference as your party loots our country, you do it waving a rainbow flag and speak a foreign language. Your craven candidates are no FDRs, instead they’re modern day Jacobins.
Robespierre would walk away in disgust if he saw how weak the opposition is to the current regime. Open corruption, extra-judicial killings, dismantling of our institutions and a pervasive anti-science, anti-democratic agenda go unchallenged. Yes, there are plenty of collective solutions to the current economic disparity, but the ignorant dismiss them as ‘Communism’ and run back to their cages.
Not many real Republicans support endless war in the Middle East/iran or a 1.4 trillion dollar defense budget, just as not all Democrats support DEI insanity and boutique identitarian issues.
These are the people that need to come together ASAP and restore American sovereignty. We are an occupied country by the military industrial complex, oligarchs, and bankers.
“Boutique identitarian issues”. Well done! A great term, which I may steal.
It’s true, John. Lol. Liberals are sacrificing their own futures for a tiny minority of people. I fear for the midterms.
“Not many real Republicans support endless war in the Middle East/iran or a 1.4 trillion dollar defense budget”
Please name one currently holding office as a Republican. They have voted for every increase in the defense budget since Reagan was president (look it up). Right now the Republicans control Congress and have done nothing to slow Mr. Trump’s ill conceived war with Iran. So, who exactly are these mythical “many real Republicans”?
Oh, they are real at doing whatever the Orange Man tells them to do.
Conversely, name a Democrat in office that is willing to go on record and denounce DEI garbage. Not possible. I’m referring to the rank and file. I know Democrats that are pretty exhausted with the DEI distraction and just want well paying jobs. I know tons of conservatives that are against our wars of empire and budget defects.
All the others are just RINOs and personally, I don’t appreciate being compared to people like miss Lindsey Graham or other warhawks just we are both members of the same party unless of course you are ok with being compared to that fraud AOC or perhaps the other crook ilhan omar.
This may be hard to believe, but there is a middle in each party. But Democrats refuse to put politics aside and do what is best for the country namely, closing our borders and cutting defense spending.
Just wait, it may have slowed down, but that defense spending request will pass. Democrats will sign off on it because they too have defense plants in their districts.
I guess you can’t name one.
A substantial portion of conservatives do not support Trump or his crazy ideas like the Mt. Rushmore proposal, which I suspect he put out just to provoke the left into even more of a hysterical rage and to thereby convincingly demonstrate how unbalanced they are. Sort of like teasing a safely chained dog into a frothy frenzy. But as long as the Democratic party remains in the thrall of their lunatic fringe and pushes their insane agenda, he will be assured of conservative votes as the “least bad” choice.
On the contrary, votes in Congress are near 100% supporting the lunatic. I predict the SAVE (my ass from accountability) ACT will pass.