by Wayne Besen • May 2, 2026 • Politics, Project 2025, Weekly Column • Comments (0) • 146

A Volcano of Vengeance Undermining Civil Society

Ridiculousness Doesn’t Negate the Impact of Trump’s Retribution Campaign

President Donald Trump is hobbled by multiple pathologies, but petulance might be his worst trait. He is a volcano of vengeance that thundered at his 2023 CPAP speech, “In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice’. Today, I add, I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Trump rarely tells the truth, but this is one ugly promise he has kept.

America is floundering in the Middle East, we are losing allies, the economy is tanking, while it is prohibitively expensive to fill up the gas tank. Yet, the president’s ego is so inflated he can’t see the impact of inflation and instead is mired in his all-consuming, ever-expanding carnival of grievances.

The cartoonish Trump directed his disgraced Department of Justice to indict former FBI Director James Comey after their first attempt failed. The ludicrous new charge is that Comey called for the president’s assassination by posting a beach photo on Instagram of seashells arranged to form the numbers “8647”.

Trump is a trust fund nepo baby who never worked a day of hard labor in his life. He used a “diagnosis” of bone spurs to avoid military service. So, he and his soft, privileged circle can be forgiven if they don’t know how “86” is used in the real world. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant can tell you it simply means to get rid of an expired food item. It doesn’t have anything to do with murder.

I’m old enough to remember when Republicans skewered Democrats for filing “frivolous lawsuits.” During the 2024 campaign, Trump relentlessly attacked Biden for “weaponizing” the DOJ. Clearly, the hypocritical Comey indictment is selective and vindictive prosecution that has beclowned Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. By absurdly claiming his life is in danger, Trump also comes across as paranoid and cowardly, the exact opposite of the “manly” brand conservatives promote.