A Guest Column by my Friend, Dr. Donald Ardell: A Commentary on Trump
"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August 2018)
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"How do you spell ICE in German? GESTAPO."
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“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.
“Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
“Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me”. Pastor Martin Niemoller (c. 1946)
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My good friend, Dr. Donald Ardell, is the original developer of the modern concept of “Wellness,” dating from the 1970s. Next week [that of 11/17/25], I will be running a column of Don’s that presents an overview of his contemporary understanding of “Wellness,” which he summarizes in a word as REAL Wellness: Reason, Exuberance, Athleticism and Liberty. In this space, I am running a response of Don’s to the repudiation of the ideology and program of the other “Don,” Trump, in regional elections across the country. Don Ardell presents a perspective on Trump and Trumpism that arises from that original concept of his, “REAL Wellness,” which, to repeat, comprises for any individual and the life that they are leading “Reason, Exuberance, Athleticism and Liberty.” Again, this approach to living a healthy and happy life will be presented in more detail in a column in this space next week. But first, Don’s response to and comments on, the results of the Nov. 4 elections.
The Resistance Emerges While the Trump Tide Ebbs (by Dr. Don Ardell)
Introduction
November 4, 2025, was a great day for American democracy. The seven million who turned out for the “No Kings” demonstrations on October 18 were a sign of what was to come—and two weeks later, it arrived—a comeuppance to our demented authoritarian leader. As noted by Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist for the New York Times, “as president, Trump has been an albatross around the neck of his party.”
Thank you, Zeus, for sending an albatross.
Perhaps the clear message for our wannabe tyrant is that the people are on to you. The message might be something like this:
“Donald, Sir, you have reached the event horizon, the boundary point of no return wherein resistance to your war on democracy and the Constitution is now so strong that the bamboozle, the lies, not even the religious zealots and MAGA morons, can enable your escape from a fall. It might take another year, perhaps even three, but a comeuppance has begun.
“The off-year election suggests that your presidency is increasingly viewed as un-American, unwise and unacceptable.
“A partial list of behaviors would [begin with] undermining the Constitution by implementing the Heritage Project 2025 blueprint for a Christian theocracy.”
That might get his attention. The rest of the charges on the list would include, but not be limited to:
Soldiers on the streets of several cities, under siege for harboring populations and local governments insufficiently Republican [emphasis added by SJ--- for that’s what it is really all about];
Redesign of the White House with Gilded Age glitter and the grounds with an oligarchic-worthy ballroom without advice or consent from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the Commission of Fine Arts, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the White House Historical Association, or the Office of the Curator;
Regularly defying court orders;
Unleashing thuggish ICE agents, sans identification, often in unmarked cars, who arrest and confine people without due process, during illegal immigration raids;
Imposing arbitrary tariffs that create economic turmoil in markets while damaging relations with allies by overturning established trade agreements; and
Supporting legislation comically entitled, “A Big, Beautiful Bill,” that redirected Congressionally earmarked funds for food and medical care to help millions of poor Americans [for other Trumpist purposes]. Given that Senate Democrats could not vote for legislation that imposes such suffering among millions of the poorest Americans, Trump ordered Republican legislators not to compromise or even negotiate, leading to what has become the longest shutdown in US history.
While I’m hoping that the dramatic rejection of Trump policies during an off-year election is the beginning of the end for Trump and his ghastly minions, I admit to occasional lapses into overconfidence. One result is that my predictions leave much to be desired. [But in any case,] here they are.
For example, nearly a decade ago during Trump's first presidency, I announced in the REAL Wellness Report that he would be impeached before the mid-terms of 2018. While he was [eventually] impeached by the House of Representatives [after the 2020 elections], he narrowly [avoided conviction], thanks to Senate Republicans [with Mithc McConnell setting the tone --- let the legal system take care of the consequences {and we all have seen how that panned out}]. So, my [that is, Don’s] prediction was not too far off.
Maybe this time, after thousands more lies, conflicts of interest, self-enrichments, implementing much of Project 2025's blueprint for theocracy, threatening the rights of women/immigrants and LGBTQIA citizens, issuing clearly unconstitutional executive orders and, neither last nor least, being impaired cognitively (as well as ethically), my prediction will come to pass, though about a decade later than first forecast.
To borrow a line from King Henry II who famously said, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" (Actually, he meant Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.)
Maybe the people really might soon rise up and [in one way or another through the electoral process] rid us of a pernicious president sooner than later.
I hope my latest reading of the electorate is better this time than when I first predicted Trump's demise. Yes, maybe this time the resistance will emerge, and the Trump tide will ebb, forever and ever, and America will once again be more democratic than autocratic.
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An SJ note: Even though I am an atheist, may I endorse Don’s last sentence above with an English translation of an old Yiddish saying: “From your lips to God’s ears.”