Sure, let’s add “war with Venezuela” to the pile of dumb, unnecessary Trump actions

There’s much to be hopeful about in 2026 as Donald Trump’s political momentum sputters out, but there’s one issue that’s poised to get much worse very quickly: the White House’s nutty desire to start a war with Venezuela. After months of a blatantly illegal bombing campaign against Venezuelan boats under shady claims that they’re running drugs, Trump is now bragging that the military bombed a “facility” in Venezuela that was supposedly manufacturing drugs. (Which is not a military matter even if true.)

We have no reason to believe him, because he lies about everything and the administration will provide no details. What we do know is that Trump has grown attached to regime-change fantasies in Venezuela, despite being a Johnny-come-lately who criticized the Bush administration for the same foolishness in Iraq. But he can’t help but make the wrong choice nearly every single day, so I fear this might really be happening, even though no one outside a few fanatics in his Cabinet actually want it. 

Trump will almost certainly fail in Ukraine

Because I abhor war and care about democracy, I want very badly to believe Trump’s hype that there’s an imminent peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war. I’d even be willing to give him credit if he’s able to stop Russia’s vile invasion of the sovereign fledgling democracy. But I’m sorry, I’m skeptical. 

This is Trump and he fails at everything that isn’t bamboozling people. So when he makes bold promises that he’s “95% there” on a peace deal, I put that in the same bucket as his claims that tariffs will make everyone rich or that he’ll reduce drug prices by 1,000%: a bald-faced lie from a lifelong grifter whose only shtick is uttering total bullshit loudly and confidently enough that it temporarily persuades willing fools. 

But what really cinched my strong doubts is that Trump said, with a straight face, “Russia wants Ukraine to succeed.” I don’t know if that’s a deliberate lie or if he’s that far up Vladimir Putin’s rear, but either way, it’s a reminder that Trump will always side with Russia. He can’t help himself. He mistakes cruelty for strength, and admires Putin for attacking a sovereign country, using lies as justification. After all, Trump’s doing his own version of that with Venezuela. 

Trump will fail at peacemaking between Russia and Ukraine. If a peace deal happens at some point, it will be due to the Ukrainian people fighting so hard and so long. Trump can’t help but make everything worse. He did so for years by giving Putin hope that if he held out for the 2024 election, he’d get a U.S. president who’s always on his side. He is making it worse now by being too stupid and corrupt to do anything but muddy up diplomatic talks with more of his con-man nonsense. 

Support the progressive journalism you trust. Become a Salon member today!

2026 GOP dropouts are in full swing

We only have a few more days left in this lousy year, but there are signs that things may actually be looking up in 2026, at least in some ways. Namely, more and more Republicans are bowing out of running in the midterm elections. There have been a number of high-profile Republican retirements, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Beyond that, Republicans are having trouble recruiting candidates to run in important races. 

On Sunday, Virginia state Sen. Bryan Reeves abruptly quit his campaign against an incumbent Democratic senator, Mark Warner of Virginia. Reeves gave the usual family excuses, but then basically admitted that there’s no point in running when Trump is the party’s leader. “We must stop the infighting, regroup, and unite behind principled leadership worthy of our cause,” he posted on X. 

As I wrote earlier this month, Republicans are in a holding pattern, basically waiting for Trump to die or finally quit politics, with the latter feeling almost like a pipe dream at this point in time. Some of them increasingly seem to understand that they don’t really have a political party, just a cult of personality. Their best hope is to bide their time and plan on rebuilding the GOP from the ashes once Trump is gone. 

That’s definitely good news, but the big problem is that Democrats are also lost and unsure what their future holds. But I think 2026 may show some promising possibilities for the Democrats. The election of Zohran Mamdani in NYC — who will take office later this week! — shows that there really could be a path forward that will energize voters and create real hope for the future — but only if they’re willing to take it. 

Join the conversation: Comments are open for subscribers!

Click the speech bubble icon to leave a comment or click the heart to like this post.

What we're reading this week

• “Vance Rebrands MAGA Revenge as a Christian Crusade,” Ed Kilgore, New York

• “Why every vestige of Trump must be torn down,” Paul Waldman, Public Notice

• “We Don’t Seem to Be Making America Healthy Again,” Dr. Benjamin Mazer, New York Times

• “Americans Hate AI. Which Party Will Benefit?” Calder McHugh, Politico

Forwarded this email? Get Standing Room Only in your inbox twice a week.

ALSO FROM SALON

In partnership with

Start investing right from your phone

Jumping into the stock market might seem intimidating with all its ups and downs, but it’s actually easier than you think. Today’s online brokerages make it simple to buy and trade stocks, ETFs, and options right from your phone or laptop. Many even connect you with experts who can guide you along the way, so you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Get started by opening an account from Money’s list of the Best Online Stock Brokers and start investing with confidence today.

Start investing