Fathers

Remarks- June 21, 2026:

Happy Father’s Day. Thanks to you biological fathers, and father-figures for young people you have mentored, helped out, or set an example for. You know how important fatherhood is for not only getting the next generation to come home by midnight and take out the garbage, but also to develop character, to encourage generosity, honesty, and empathy, and make good choices.

On the level of our body politic, this past Friday showed us a stunning contrast between two father figures. On one hand there was Obama, dedicating the new Presidential Center in Chicago. On the other, there was Trump as usual, celebrating himself and his new tricked-out airplane and his fake Iran peace deal. The good father and the abusive father. The contrast was almost unbearable because of which one is in power, sowing dysfunction in our national family.

At the first event, with the past living presidents also showing up, and entertainment luminaries Springsteen, Bono, and so forth, all was order and light and inspiration. Barack Obama spoke with his characteristic eloquence about American values. Although he’s a flawed father as fathers tend to be—remember he was the first deporter-in-chief, his economic recovery favored Wall Street bailouts, he made serious mistakes in foreign policy, he never did close Guantanamo Bay, he didn’t lower himself to negotiate much with members of Congress --although his presidency was flawed, the country now sees him as an ideal father figure. We have to be wary of this nostalgic idealization; that’s a collective responsibility we bear. Nonetheless, the contrast with our present president was stark, as Obama reminded us of his intelligence, humility, deep knowledge of history and law, fairness, and dedication to the good of the people.

Yes, there was father Barack speaking in complete, logical sentences, at an event celebrating our nation’s diversity, on Juneteenth, the official federal holiday of liberation for African Americans.

That same day, there was Trump, the abusive father. He uses the presidency to serve not the people but his own greed and monstrous ego. And as with a bad father, you can’t escape his torments. Day in day out, the ubiquitous Trump tells us up is down and down is up, says we’ve won the war with Iran, purges the news media and federal agencies of everyone but loyalists, persecutes perceived enemies, trashes foreign aid, destroys academic freedom on university campuses, topples the world diplomatic order and threatens the global economic order, indulges his billion-dollar whims with our money, ruins the lives of millions of immigrants with arrests by his army of masked thugs.

This morning his stupidity was already at work: he posted that the fake news media are abusing ICE! His patriotic agents are being abused! And he has a brilliant idea: add an N to ICE so it will be NICE! Then see how that will drive the Fake Media and the Dumbocrats crazy!

On the same day as the Obama Center opening, Trump issued no statement, made no gesture to celebrate Juneteenth. In fact, he said there are “too many non-working holidays” that cost the economy billions in lost productivity. No, the main Trump news was his revealing the new Air Force One, that illegal bribe of a 747 from Qatar, which has been re-outfitted at taxpayer expense of a billion dollars. And news broke of the algae-infested reflecting pool. In his insatiable desire to remake Washington DC in his image, he took a perfectly tasteful monument, had it painted by a no-bid contract at jaw-droppingly inflated cost, and it grew green slime.

You can now see pictures of the former White House lawn destroyed by the UFC cage fights and the destruction of the East wing: it’s all like the alcoholic dad, laying waste to the family home, with empty bottles everywhere and holes punched in the wall and tire tracks on the front yard and bruises on the kids’ bodies and souls.

Now that Trump’s popularity is in the dank basement, he’s heaping on increasingly desperate measures of abuse. He’s trashing the place and cashing in, seemingly unconcerned with the reality that awaits him. The neighbors—Europe in particular—are whispering loudly about him; they can’t believe the guy is allowed to destroy everything around him. The wife and kids—both his real family and his Republican and corporate enablers—haven’t left for a shelter yet or turned him in, although a small few in Congress are starting to defect.

You know what stops the abuse? Fresh air, the light of day, EXPOSURE. Massive exposure. The whole family has to revolt. No one is going to save us but US. They’ve done it in Hungary, overthrowing Orban; the Albanians are doing it to Jared and Ivanka; Poland did it in 1989. Peaceful revolt and starting over. This means EVERYBODY waking up and casting off the shackles of authoritarianism.

(One more thought: why does our nation have to have a father? Sure, the Constitution requires a president to preside over the executive branch of government—but maybe it’s time to see if an understanding, well-organized, empathetic, collaborative MOTHER might be better…)

SHOW ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!