Mary Trump is the daughter of Donald Trump’s older brother Fred Trump Jr. Mary is a trained psychologist. If you haven’t read her first book about Donald and his dysfunctional family, you should. It’s called: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.
To mark Veterans Day, she wrote about her uncle on her blog.
To date, Donald has murdered over 79 people using the US military as a weapon in a way that is extralegal, unconstitutional, and a contravention of global law. Nobody seems to care. He’s also abusing the presidential pardon power, another thing we desperately need to reform in this country. One person he pardoned was involved in Donald’s insurrection on January 6th, 2021, and has since been revealed to be a pedophile. He pardoned or commuted the sentences of every single person involved on January 6th, even the most violent among them. Some of those people were supposed to serve jail sentences as long as 18 years, but because they were committing horrific acts of violence on his behalf, that was just fine with him. Recently, he pardoned people like Rudolph Giuliani, Jeff Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and others who were involved in the fake elector scheme to overturn the valid results of the 2020 election, the free and fair election that Joe Biden won by almost 8 million votes.
We know that Ghislaine Maxwell was Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator in the crimes of rape and sex trafficking of girls and young women. She has been transferred to a minimum-security prison, where she is reportedly receiving preferential treatment. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years of prison, and Donald will likely pardon her as well. Now, we are facing the very strong possibility that Donald will pardon her as well.
Why would somebody who cares about the rule of law or cares about justice pardon such people? Why would anybody want to be associated with such people? It looks like pretty much every single person Donald has pardoned, give or take, is some kind of criminal who has shown no remorse for his or her crimes. What does that mean? What does that tell us about him? Anybody willing to pardon Maxwell or any sex trafficker, any sexual abuser of women, men, or children, anybody willing to pardon someone who participated in the violent overturning of the American government is somebody who is just as bad, if not worse than they are. Instead of using his power to protect the American people from criminals like that, he sides with the criminals, unleashing them onto us.
Who is the last person on the planet who should be commemorating Veterans Day? Yes, that’s right– a five-time draft Dodger, coward, and traitor to America–Donald Trump. He marked today’s Veterans’ Day with an appearance at Arlington National Cemetery, one of the many things lately that makes my blood boil–the fact that scum has the right to step foot on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Everything about the event was, as we should expect at this point, devoid of the respect and gratitude our veterans deserve.
Donald also went on about changing the name of the holiday at the ceremony.
I was recently at an event, and I saw France was celebrating Victory Day, but we didn’t, and I saw France was celebrating another victory day for World War II and other countries were celebrating. They were all celebrated, we’re the ones who won the wars. And I said, from now on, we’re going to say Victory Day for World War I and World War II, and we could do for plenty of other wars, but we’ll start with those two. Maybe someday somebody else will add a couple more because we won a lot of good ones.
Today is not about any wars we won. It is about the sacrifices of our veterans, those who gave some or those who gave all to protect the American people. It is also about the American ideals of democracy and freedom. It’s not about victory. It is about honor and sacrifice, two things about which Donald Trump knows absolutely nothing. Next, in an essentially bizarre and meaningless rant, he bragged about firing people.
And the other thing is, we fired thousands of people who didn’t take care of our great veterans. They were sadists, they were sick people, they were thieves, they were everything you want to name. And we got rid of over 9,000 of them. And then when Biden came in, he hired them back, many of them, but we got rid of them, and I think we got rid of them permanently. We replaced them with people who love our veterans, not people who are sick people.
Every accusation is an admission. It is unspeakable that that man is allowed anywhere near a ceremony commemorating our veterans. There was another moment that captured Donald’s audacity–when he lectured troops about making the ultimate sacrifice, or at least he tried to do that. Here is what he said.
We ask only this, that if we die, we must die. And we as men would die without complaining, without pleading, and safe in the feeling that we have done our best for what we believed was right. We must do what is right. Colonel Wolverton died for us so bravely in battle today; we remember.
Donald has no right to speak about the sacrifices our veterans have made. He has no right to characterize the sacrifices that our veterans have made and continue to make. A man who doesn’t understand what the military does, what it should be used for, who has put this country in unspeakable danger because of his vast shortcomings. This draft dodger has called veterans suckers and losers. On a personal note, my dad was a second lieutenant in the National Guard, and he was treated like a sucker and a loser.
Thousands of veterans across the country spent the day protesting Donald’s use of the military to enforce his cruel, illegal, and unconstitutional immigration policies. Fox 32 Chicago spoke to US Army veteran Arti Walker Peddakotla in the lead-up to the protest, and here’s what she had to say.
Given the fact that ICE is occupying our communities in some communities, we have military and National Guard members occupying our communities that veterans really needed to stand together with working-class people and speak out against this administration.
Vets say rallies are planned for here in Chicago, as well as cities across the country, to stand against not only the use of the military and immigration actions, but also the tactics of ICE agents and border patrol on immigrants and citizens alike.
As veterans, we sign up to really protect everyone, and no one is being protected by this administration’s tactics. No one is being made safer. In fact, our communities are being made more unsafe by what ICE is doing and what the military is doing on our streets.
Air Force veteran Judson Wager rallied with over 500 other veterans in Washington, DC. He told independent military outlet Stars and Stripes that, quote,
We’re in the middle of an authoritarian takeover of our government.” Even as I’m honoring my fellow veterans, I’m also sounding the alarm for all Americans. Our democracy is in peril, and it will take all of us to protect it.
Donald is continuing to alienate our country’s closest allies. CNN reports that the United Kingdom has partially halted intelligence sharing with the us. They did this after finding that the Trump regime’s lethal strikes on suspected drug trafficking violate international law. CNN’s national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand shared additional details on this development.
Previously, the UK had been happy to help the United States locate and interdict vessels that were transiting the Caribbean that appeared to be trafficking drugs. But the key difference, of course, is that it was helping the Coast Guard intercept those vessels, arrest those on board, seize the drugs, and allow these individuals to have some semblance of due process. But now the US, of course, has started striking these boats unilaterally with military force, killing everyone on board. The total now for a number of people killed is around 76, and we’re told that the UK is deeply uncomfortable with that, and they believe that it is pretty blatantly illegal. Now, it is unclear exactly how long this intelligent sharing suspension is going to last, but we’re told that it has been going on for well over a month now, essentially since the US began its bombing campaign. And it really underscores the continued questions surrounding the legality of this US military campaign, which, of course, the US government, the Trump administration, has insisted is part of an armed conflict that is waging against cartel members and criminal organizations. But much of the international community, as well as legal experts inside the US, do not see it that way.
Let’s get back to our veterans. Yesterday, a flight filled with veterans and their families landed in Washington, DC, and was greeted by an unexpected guest. Please remember all our veterans, those still with us and those who aren’t.
Veteran: This honor flight is to honor all the veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam. It’s all free for them, but we show them all their monuments and explain what their monuments are about. We just try to treat them with dignity that some of them didn’t get when they came home from the war.
President Obama: Hello, everybody. As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service to you, your family. The sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honored, and we are very grateful. And we also happen to welcome you with a 70-degree day in DC, which doesn’t always happen around here.
Veteran: That’s the first time I’ve seen a president, former or current, greet an honor flight, and that is absolutely amazing. A commander-in-chief, a leader who’s going to show up and tell you that your service was worth something. I think that’s the important part. So I think it was a great thing to have.
Veteran: The last time I got to see a president it was Gerald Ford.
Thank you, Barack Obama, for demonstrating what a real leader looks like.

Mary Trump has a good grasp of her uncle’s many shortcomings. Having not been raised by Donald Trump and his revolving door of wives has made Mary a far better, more insightful person.
Thank you to President Obama for showing how a legitimate leader should act. Other Democrats need to demonstrate that they honor our history and veterans as well. The GOP and their contrived show of patriotism are sickening. They are first in line for a photo op with veterans while in Congress they vote against veteran benefits and services.
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I always have ambivalent feelings about Veterans Day. A soldier’s sacrifice, made with the intention of serving the common good and protecting their fellow soldiers, is deeply noble. But too often, the motives of those who lobby for and profit from war are anything but.
My father was a career soldier who volunteered for Vietnam and served in a field hospital. I still remember him saying “peace with honor” with contempt when Nixon ended the war. He saw wounded and fallen soldiers every day and was there during the Tet Offensive, when the casualties were so overwhelming that bodies had to be piled onto armored vehicles just to get them to the hospital. He was deeply moved by the selfless attitude of the soldiers who came through — young men who, despite their pain, often worried more about their buddies than themselves. I’m sure he often wondered what all that suffering had been for — and whether those sacrifices deserved more than an empty word.
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My father died long ago. I can’t imagine what his reaction to a Veterans Day speech by Donald Trump would have been.
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He wants to rob Vets of the National Holiday that honors them by changing the name of Veteran’s Day to Victory Day! He claimed that’s because other countries like France do that, but my guess is that it’s because “Veterans Day” reminds him of all the “losers and suckers” he does not want to see since some have been severely injured –so he won’t allow them in parades. How sick is that?
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See: “Trump Said Wounded Veterans In Military Parades Didn’t ‘Look Good’ ” For Him: Book (by his former WH Chief of Staff & 4 Star General, John Kelly)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-said-wounded-vets-in-military-parades-didnt-look-good-for-him-book_n_62f12ab8e4b0da5ec0f69062
(EVERYTHING is ALL about HIM.)
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Andy Borowitz
QUEENS, NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report) —In what has become a Veterans Day tradition for him, on Tuesday Donald J. Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Podiatrist.
Trump made his annual pilgrimage to pay homage to the heroic doctors who issued bogus diagnoses to ensure that their privileged patients never answered the call of duty.
In an emotional tribute, Trump thanked the fallen foot specialists who bravely risked their medical licenses so that others facing military service could be free.
Choking back tears, he said, “They gave everything so people like me could give nothing.”
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“He wants to rob Vets of the National Holiday that honors them by changing the name of Veteran’s Day to Victory Day!”
I hardly ever even remotely semi-agree with what the OFCF/PP* says but in this case Veteran’s Day is a moniker designated in ’54 (I think) bastardizing the original intent of Armistice Day. . . . Which marked the end of WW1 so that the OFCF/PP is right (unknowingly and unwittingly) that we should rename it. . . back to Armistice Day.
*OFCF/PP = ORANGE FACED CONVICTED FELON/PEDO-PREZ.
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As I recall, World War 1 ended on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at 11:11 am.
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Ah the joys of WP “comment in moderation”.
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Do you think we should be celebrating the victory of WWI today, or would you really prefer to honor those who risk life and limb to serve our country? Personally, I support the latter and I think the malignant narcissist just wants to divert attention away from the fact that he was not willing to risk anything whatsoever when he was drafted.
I feel very grateful to our Veterans, as my grandfather served in WWI and both my biological father and step-father served in WWII (and the latter was injured –which impacted him for the remainder of his life.)
One of the things I remember each Veteran’s Day is how grateful I am that, when we protested against the Vietnam war, we also protested against the fact that people age 18 through 20 who were being drafted were not considered to be old enough to vote. As a result, Congress passed and states ratified the 26th Amendment so the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18! (That occurred when I was 18 so I personally benefited from that. too.)
FYI, here’s the background history around the change from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day from the VA: https://department.va.gov/veterans-day/history-of-veterans-day/?redirect=1 )
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BTW, a lot of protesters complained about draftees not being able to drink alcohol, too, so states like mine lowered the drinking age to 18 as well. (I never liked the taste nor effects of alcohol so that didn’t matter to me. And some years later, they ended up raising the age back to 21 due to an increase in drunk driving for people in that age range.)
cx: I wasn’t exactly 18 when the voting age was lowered but I was under 21.
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Mary Trump is a port in a storm. Her book is a must-read.
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Another interesting post by Mary Trump, from today: “Criminal Pardons Criminals” https://www.marytrump.org/p/criminal-pardons-criminals?publication=
But I really don’t understand what looks like wacky math to me (I have dyscalculia and hate numbers), so if someone could explain that, I’d greatly appreciate it.
For example, he lost Georgia by 11,779 votes and said he only wanted Secretary of State Raffensperger to find 11,800 votes, “so that’s just one more” vote.
But isn’t it actually 11,800 votes that he wants them to find, not just ONE vote?
And I have no clue what the following means or what it has to do with the 11,800 votes that he needed: “there’s nothing wrong with saying that you’ve recalculated because the 2,236 in absentee ballots, I mean, they’re all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etcetera. And even if you cut him in half, cut him in half, and cut him in half, again, it’s more votes than we need.”
So how is 2,236 cut in half and half again more than the 11,800 votes that he needed? (Or is he still pretending that he just needs ONE more vote to win?)
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Trump wanted Raffensberger to find 11,800 votes because Trump lost Georgia by 11,799 votes. So he needed 11,800, just one more than Biden had.
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Oh, OK, thanks. Then he WAS asking them to find for him 11,800 votes, not just one vote. It makes sense when you don’t pretend that he only wants them to find one vote for him –like he makes it sound.
So how did he expect them to find 11,800 votes from 2,236 in absentee ballots (and cut like three ways)? –As if he’s asking for just one vote again?
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He hoped they could cheat for him.
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Yes, I do get that, but it seems to me now that what he said was in his own convoluted form of code. Such as this, “I mean, they’re all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etcetera.”
I think that was like saying, “go to the numbers guys and lawyers who can make what I want appear out of nowhere” (provide an endless stream of cookies in an empty cookie jar –as he learned from Roy Cohn). Preferably people who won’t snitch and will go to jail for him, like Allen Weisselberg –but that was a state case he couldn’t pardon.
As Mary Trump said though, this week he pardoned a lot of the people that were involved in the federal 2020 election case, so now I’m wondering if there was also a “hint, hint” reference to doing that for them somewhere in the conversations with Raffensperger et al.
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This sounds to me like a very sneaky guy who lives with one hand that is perpetually stuck in the cookie jar!
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It is about honor and sacrifice, two things about which Donald Trump knows absolutely nothing.
exactly. brilliantly said
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