Progressive Thinking

Donald Trump’s latest $230 million lawsuit against the Justice Department proves once again that no one loves the courtroom more than he does. What it would be like if the rest of us could sue him for the stress, sleepless nights, and emotional trauma his chaos has caused?

LAKE GENEVA, WI - If Donald Trump ever decides to start his own religion, it will be called Sueism, the sacred practice of suing anyone who annoys you. The man treats court filings like most people treat Facebook posts. He has sued journalists, comedians, political rivals, banks, states, cities, and even the people who used to work for him. He has turned the American legal system into his personal complaint department. Somewhere in Washington, a tree is weeping because it knows it is about to become the paper for Trump’s next lawsuit.

His legal calendar must look like a Sudoku puzzle, with hundreds of tiny boxes filled with the names of people who dared to tell the truth. The man does not have an army of lawyers. He is an army of lawyers. If they ever stop billing him, they will probably sue him for emotional distress.

And just when you think you have seen it all, along comes his latest tantrum: a $230 million claim against the U.S. Department of Justice. You heard that right. The man who treats subpoenas like junk mail is now demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from the Justice Department because he believes he is the real victim. It is beyond belief, a lawsuit so ridiculous it could only exist in Trump World, where up is down, losing is winning, and accountability is persecution.

Sometimes I wonder, half seriously, if regular Americans could turn the tables. What if we could file a class-action lawsuit against him? I am not talking about treason or hush money. I am talking about the daily mental anguish of living in a country where every morning starts with the question, “What did he do this time?” I would like to claim punitive damages for loss of sleep, high blood pressure, stress eating, and the years shaved off my life every time he opens his mouth.

And I am not talking about a measly $230 million either. That would not even begin to cover the collective damage. I am thinking more like a trillion-dollar settlement fund for national therapy. Every American who has had to endure this endless chaos deserves compensation for emotional trauma, ruined dinner conversations, and the permanent side effects of hearing “witch hunt” shouted on repeat. Honestly, I want damages for every brain cell I have lost trying to make sense of his word salads.

If there were any justice, we would all get hazard pay for enduring his presidency, or whatever we are calling this political circus reboot. I would settle for reimbursement for therapy sessions and the gallons of Pepto-Bismol it has taken to survive his “truths.” Forget infrastructure spending; let us build a legal bridge straight from our collective trauma to the courthouse steps.

Maybe someday, when this is all over, historians will look back and realize that Donald Trump did not just break political norms. He redefined what it means to weaponize the courts. Until then, I will keep my imaginary lawsuit filed under “wishful thinking” and my sanity filed under “pending.”

Read my latest Don’t Blink! blog post, “The Most Litigious Man in America,” and join me in demanding more than a measly $230 million in damages for what we have all endured.

Read it now at LauraKiefert.blog

Trump has a long history of firing anyone who tells the truth—from health officials and intelligence experts to election workers and generals. Now he’s firing the Commissioner of Labor Statistics because the job numbers weren’t flattering enough.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - Donald Trump’s America has always had its own logic: deny, deflect, distract—and when all else fails, fire whoever told the truth.

Now he’s at it again. This time, it’s the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, booted because the most recent jobs report didn’t match Trump’s fantasyland version of the economy. The markets stumbled, the numbers disappointed, and Trump—true to form—shot the messenger.

Sound familiar? It should. Trump has been doing this since day one. If the truth doesn't serve him, then truth itselfbecomes the enemy.

Remember when he fired FBI Director James Comey for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election? Or when he fired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a decorated war hero, for testifying truthfully during Trump’s first impeachment? How about Dr. Rick Bright, who was removed for criticizing the government’s COVID-19 response? Or Christopher Krebs, the top cybersecurity official, who was axed for stating that the 2020 election was not rigged?

Hell, he even turned on Dr. Anthony Fauci, mocking and sidelining him after decades of public service, simply because Fauci wouldn’t lie to make Trump’s botched pandemic response look better.

And let’s not forget the time he tried to pressure the Georgia Secretary of State to “find” just enough votes to overturn the election—and when that failed, he turned his rage on state officials who had the audacity to count votes honestly.

This is a man who thinks government employees exist to protect him, not the people. That the job of a statistician, doctor, judge, or general is to make him look good, even if it means rewriting reality.

Now he’s tossing out the nation’s top labor data expert for doing his job. What’s next? Fire the National Weather Service if it rains on his golf course? Fire the IRS if he owes back taxes? Fire gravity if he trips?

In Trump’s world, if a fact hurts his image, it’s fake. If an expert disagrees, they’re disloyal. If a result isn’t flattering, it’s sabotage. That’s not governance. That’s narcissistic delusion with authoritarian tendencies.

The firing of the Commissioner of Labor Statistics is dangerous not just because it's petty and absurd, but because it undermines the entire purpose of objective, independent government institutions. What’s the point of having experts if they’re punished for telling us the truth?

This isn’t about bad job numbers. It’s about Trump’s lifelong war against facts, accountability, and reality itself. He’s not just unfit—he’s actively corroding the foundation of American democracy by treating every fact he doesn’t like as a personal betrayal.

Imagine firing your doctor for giving you a diagnosis you didn’t want. Or demanding your mechanic lie and tell you your car is fine—just before the brakes go out. That’s where we’re headed.

Trump doesn’t want truth-tellers. He wants spineless sycophants. He doesn’t want public servants. He wants servants. Period.

And if we don’t collectively stand up and say enough, we’re telling every honest person in government that the price of integrity is unemployment.