Six Months In
Opinion by Team Thomas
Photo Credit: The White House
Trump 2.0 Is Already an Obvious National Disaster …
If FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency - were to continue to exist in the Trump Administration, the embattled agency that responds to national disasters would be hard at work in Washington, DC, where Hurricane Donnie has wreaked havoc on the federal government.
We said we would give Donald Trump a year before working to overturn his policies. It turns out that we were too generous in our stance. At the dawn of his second term, we did indeed pledge to take a pause, observe with fairness, and offer President Trump a clean slate to lead. We held our breath through the inaugural spectacle, the gold-trimmed Oval Office makeover, the opulent rebranding of Air Force One, and the bombastic reinstallation of flags the size of football fields on the White House lawn.
But now, six months into Trump 2.0, it is undeniable: this administration has already delivered an extraordinary collapse of decorum, competence, and constitutional responsibility. What was once called “unorthodox” is now corrosive. The second Trump term is not a reinvention. It is a revenge tour. And America is the casualty.
A Culture of Vengeance, Not Governance
Instead of national healing, we’ve witnessed the escalation of political persecution. Trump has publicly threatened to arrest his predecessors, floated retaliatory tax audits of his critics, and centralized control of the Department of Justice through loyalist appointees who view the Constitution as optional.
Inspectors general, once the independent watchdogs of the federal government, have been dismissed or muzzled. Cronies have replaced agency experts. Federal workers are fleeing. Morale is at a generational low, and the civil service is now the civil target.
This isn’t reform. It’s retribution.
American Institutions Under Siege
Melania Trump’s name is proposed to soon grace the Kennedy Center Opera House, not through public acclaim, but through presidential decree and an overtly partisan legislative feat. The White House Rose Garden has been stripped bare, re-landscaped for TV optics and state propaganda events. The press room sits quiet, with daily briefings reduced to sporadic performances of misinformation.
Presidential records have gone missing. Personal grudges are dictating foreign policy. The State Department has lost much of its professional core. The military is increasingly being politicized. And the long march to authoritarian symbolism continues, complete with golden drapes, massive banners, and the ever-growing cult of personality.
The Economy of Optics, the Poverty of Policy
Markets may be up, but institutions are down, and inflationary tariffs abound, but at differing rates depending upon the day or the week or the latest presidential burr up the, well, you know. Real wages remain stagnant, the national debt is ballooning due to unchecked tax breaks, and regulatory chaos is harming the credibility of U.S. businesses.
Nowhere is this more evident than in cryptocurrency policy, where Trump has invited unregulated speculative markets to dominate, putting everyday investors at risk while enriching a handful of loyal insiders. Meanwhile, America’s infrastructure, public health preparedness, and international alliances are eroding.
No More Time Needed
This is not a partisan judgment. It is a civic one. Mr. Trump was granted the chance to prove that he had grown into the job. Instead, he has shrunk the job down to fit his narrow worldview. The American presidency is being defaced in real time, and our institutions are being dragged down with it.
This is not just bad governance. It is a deliberate unraveling.
At Thomas, we stand with the American people, not with any particular party. We believe that the presidency must be more than performance art, more than a protection racket, and more than a megaphone for grievance. We believe that whoever follows Donald Trump must begin, on Day One, with a clear and patriotic plan to restore what has been defiled.
A THOMAS SIDEBAR:
"Overturns Needed on Day One: A Patriot’s Reclamation Plan"
Suppose America is to recover from Trump 2.0. In that case, the next president must act with speed and purpose if we are to restore institutional dignity, competent governance, and a sense of national unity.
Our list of “overturns” would be structured strategically across three levels:
Symbolic Reversals - obvious acts that signal a change in tone and direction
Structural Reforms - administrative and legal rollbacks to Trump-era governance changes
Substantive Policy Overturns - policy-focused reversals that affect domestic and international standing
Below is a structured list of recommended "overturns" that represent top-tier priorities, each chosen for its ability to signal a return to constitutional norms, professional governance, and a forward-looking, ethical presidency.
Symbolic Reversals - Restoring Presidential and National Dignity
If needed, remove Melania Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center Opera House
Reassert that public honors are earned through cultural and philanthropic contributions, not political association.Restore the White House Rose Garden to its historic design
Replant the Jackie Kennedy-inspired Rose Garden that was stripped bare in favor of sterile optics.Revert the Oval Office from gold-accented Trump décor to a more humble, classical look
Return visual focus to the Constitution, American history, and bipartisan inspiration.Return Air Force One to its iconic baby blue color scheme
Abandon the Trump-era rebranding of Air Force One as a vanity project.Remove oversized American flags and campaign-style banners from White House grounds
Reestablish the White House as a house of the people, not a backdrop for authoritarian displays or corporate sponsorships, such as the beloved annual Easter Egg Roll.
Structural Reforms - Rebuilding the Machinery of Government
Reinstate and empower Inspectors General across all federal agencies
Reverse Trump’s firings and restrictions of IGs, restoring independent oversight.Rehire key non-partisan civil servants purged or sidelined under Schedule F
End the Trump-led war on expertise and restore faith in a professional federal workforce.Reverse Schedule F and similar efforts to politicize the civil service
Codify protections to prevent future purges of career officials based on political loyalty.Rebuild the White House Press Office and resume daily press briefings
Restore transparency and a free press by committing to daily Q&A with journalists.Reinstate the Presidential Records Protocol and strengthen enforcement
Ensure documents, call logs, and digital communications are preserved by the law.
Substantive Policy Overturns - Rebuilding American Policy Integrity
Domestic Governance
Regulate the crypto industry with bipartisan legislation
End the “Wild West” environment encouraged during the Trump years by establishing guardrails for consumer protection, taxation, and national security.Restore DOJ independence and professional prosecutorial discretion
Reaffirm that justice is impartial and protect the DOJ from political interference in prosecutions.Reestablish ethical boundaries and norms
Introduce a strict Code of Ethics for Executive Branch appointees and the president’s family.Strengthen the Hatch Act enforcement
Prevent future use of government resources for partisan political campaigns.
Climate and Environment
Rejoin and expand upon international climate agreements
Go beyond simply rejoining the Paris Accord and set new national targets, while also leading global coalitions.Reverse rollbacks of environmental and land use protections
Restore Clean Water Act enforcement, wetland protections, and critical habitat designations.
Global Standing and Diplomacy
Rebuild U.S. alliances and normalize diplomacy with NATO and the G7
Repair Trump-era damage to core multilateral partnerships.Return to U.S. leadership in global human rights institutions
Restore our voice at the UN Human Rights Council and global development organizations.Stop pandering to autocrats and authoritarian regimes
Reassert American values of democracy, transparency, and the rule of law.
National Security
Rebuild a bipartisan national security advisory team
Bring back strategic thinkers and retired generals ousted for resisting Trump's loyalty tests.Reinstate pandemic preparedness initiatives
Restore the NSC Directorate for Global Health Security and renew pandemic playbooks that the Trump Administration discarded.
Bonus Ideas for You, America
How about we also look at the following long-term institutional safeguards to propose to Congress:
Amend the Insurrection Clause and clarify 14th Amendment enforcement
Prevent those who incite insurrection from holding public office.Codify DOJ guidance that a sitting president can be indicted for criminal acts
End the legal ambiguity that shielded Trump from timely accountability.Reform the Presidential Records Act with real-time enforcement
Add criminal penalties for violations involving classified and unclassified documents.Pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act
Prevent future abuses, such as Trump’s stonewalling of subpoenas, emoluments violations, and politicization of national emergencies.
Reassurances for the Public
These “overturns” are not designed to be anti-Trump vengeance, but rather pro-Constitution, pro-accountability, and pro-America initiatives. Our related themes will focus on:
A “Restoration of Integrity”
“Making Government Work for the People Again”
“Undoing the Damage, Rebuilding the Republic”
“Forward Together, Never Again Alone”
Make no bones about it. This list is not about aesthetics. It is about accountability, functionality, and national honor. We said we would give Mr. Trump a year. It’s been six months, and the time for patience is over.
The time for planning the 47th president’s successor’s first 100 days has begun. Bring it on!
