A week in the life of Trump

Taking off Vance’s rose-colored glasses

If you watched Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, for one brief, shining moment you may have felt transported to an era in our not-so-distant past when displays of civility on the national political stage weren’t rare. They were normal. Boring even. Policy points, pleasantries, even some common ground—yup, they were all there on Tuesday night. Watching the debate felt a bit like sinking into an old pair of slippers you haven’t worn in a long time: familiar, warm, comfortable.

It was nice. But only for a little while. Because the truth is, this normal debate made JD Vance look kind of normal too. And that’s a problem because he isn’t. Let’s not forget that this notorious enemy of childless cat ladies and post-menopausal females, who played a huge role in spreading the lie about Haitian migrants in his state, is the same guy who said this:

It’s hard to say whether Vance, a former “Never Trumper” who has harshly criticized Donald Trump in the past, is more motivated by raw ambition, a radical ideological transformation, or some combination of the two. The debate gave us little insight. He kept his motives vague with a discipline Trump lacks. But he did let his normal-guy facade slip at a key moment. When asked point-blank by Tim Walz whether Trump lost the 2020 election, Vance dodged it by saying he’s “focused on the future” and changed the subject to censorship. Kind of an odd choice considering his running mate threatened to prosecute Google just a couple of days earlier.

In a truly normal world, my old boss would have been up there debating Walz. But Mike Pence refused to go along with Trump’s unconstitutional election scheme on Jan. 6, and that infuriated Trump. A newly released court filing from Special Counsel Jack Smith reveals that Trump, watching the Capitol insurrection unfold on Fox News that day, saw an interview with a man frustrated that Pence was not blocking the certification of the 2020 election. Trump responded by posting on Twitter that Pence “didn’t have the courage” to do the right thing. Seeing the tweet, the mob became enraged at Pence, and the Secret Service took him to a secure location. When Trump was informed of the danger Pence was in, he replied, “So what?”

Obviously, Vance, as Pence’s replacement, has to go all-in on the Big Lie—it’s the whole reason he was on the debate stage at all this week, and his chameleon-like political career (and maybe his life) depends on it. Anyone who watched the debate and felt reassured that a JD Vance who seems “normal” can help moderate Trump ought to remember that Pence actually is normal. He’s also older, wiser, far more experienced, and doesn’t have an edgelord alter ego like Vance. But at the end of the day, none of that mattered. Trump is gonna Trump.

To hear Vance tell it, there are no legitimate criticisms of Trump, only fabricated media outrage. In MAGA world, Trump is the consummate peacemaker, an effective administrator, and an unrivaled dealmaker. With delusions like that, it’s no wonder they believe the Big Lie. I’m here with your friendly weekly reminder that Trump is none of those things. Take the past week for example. Let’s imagine an alternate universe in which Trump is still in office, in the last few months of a second term…

Myth 1: Trump is the consummate peacemaker.

SCENARIO: On Tuesday, Iran launched a ballistic missile strike on Israel, the latest escalation in the growing regional war in the Middle East. Still humiliated that the Abraham Accords failed to prevent Hamas’ attack on Israel a year ago, President Trump has been itching for a fight with Iran since it attacked U.S. troops under his watch in 2020. He was further incensed when U.S. intel officials briefed him last week on an Iranian plot to assassinate him. Now, he finally sees his opportunity to retaliate. He decides to end his second term with a bang, and unlike in his first term, there are no more General Milleys around to constrain his basest instincts. China, which has expressed its support for Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, makes its move. Trump leaves his hand-selected successor on the cusp of full-out war.

Let’s get real about the Middle East. It has been a source of angst for nearly every president in the modern era, some more than others. Trump didn’t magically make peace in the Middle East, and neither did Joe Biden magically destroy it. Peace deals can have unintended consequences (just ask Jimmy Carter), and confrontation doesn’t always get you the results you want (just ask George W. Bush). Kudos to the Biden Administration and the U.S. military for helping to repel a malicious attack on our ally, just as they did last April. Managing the Middle East is largely about managing expectations, and that takes good judgment and restraint. The last thing it needs is an unhinged narcissist nursing a grudge.

Myth 2: Trump is an effective administrator.

SCENARIO: Back here at home, the Southeast is recovering from Hurricane Helene, one of the most severe and deadly storms to hit the U.S. in years. Project 2025 cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, eliminating the National Weather Service and leaving residents of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina without access to free, timely weather reports ahead of the storm. So Trump tries to fill in the gap. As in 2019, he goes on the air with a U.S. map and circles Alabama with a Sharpie, insisting it’s in Helene’s path (it’s not), and he asks national security officials if he can just nuke the hurricane (he can’t). Even the White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, tried to take the map out of his hands, fully knowing that Trump was about to go off the rails. After the storm passes, Trump barrels into the disaster zone, defying requests from state officials that he wait, to throw some paper towels to affected residents. But not you, Georgia—sorry, but you didn’t vote for him.

Let me be very clear: As a Homeland Security Advisor in the Trump White House, I witnessed firsthand how Trump politicized disaster relief, leaving devastated Americans waiting for help. Leaders across the country and government officials were calling my office, desperate for action as Trump failed them in moments of crisis. Today, he's once again failing Americans by distorting the facts and spreading lies about the Biden-Harris Administration’s response to Hurricane Helene. The reality? They are stepping up in the aftermath with decisive leadership and a swift, effective response—not a performance. 

Myth 3: Trump is an unrivaled dealmaker.

SCENARIO: Earlier this week, dockworkers and longshoremen based on the East and Gulf coasts unexpectedly went on strike, a major labor action that could have a significant impact on supply chains and the global economy. With no re-election campaign to worry about and, thus, no fears of losing the working-class vote, Trump drops the mask and orders the striking workers to be immediately fired. “You’re all gone. Every one of you is gone,” he posts on Truth Social. The only one who keeps his job is his personal friend and supporter at the top. The union-busters he appointed to the National Labor Relations Board enforce the order, and the unions file a class action suit. It ends up in the Supreme Court, where the conservative majority rules in favor of corporate bosses over union workers. 

That’s not a deal; it’s annihilation for workers. And that’s exactly the problem with Trump. He styles himself as a dealmaker, but he’s much better at blowing deals up than making them. The Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Agreement on climate are two good examples. Or, he can’t get a deal done at all because of his selfish approach. Healthcare, infrastructure, a big, beautiful wall paid for by Mexico, and, most recently, the border bill were all immune to his supposed dealmaking prowess. And a work stoppage? That didn’t bother him a bit when he presided over the longest government shutdown in history. 

Trump tries very hard to appeal to workers, but the one major piece of legislation that he did get passed as president, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, cut taxes for corporations, made it more profitable for companies to send jobs overseas, and eliminated the tax deduction for union dues. For his part, President Biden has said he will not intervene to force striking ILA union workers back on the job, allowing negotiations to proceed, despite the political ramifications.

None of this is outrageous conjecture; it’s all based on Trump’s own record, his actual rhetoric, actions, and plans. And it’s a lot closer to what a second Trump term would look like than the rosy picture Vance painted at the debate. We lived it already. Sometimes we just need a reminder.

Next week I’m taking on the border. You don’t want to miss it.

See you soon,

Olivia