By D.L. White
In January 2024, America (collectively) entered a relationship with Donald J. Trump for a second time. Although questions about that year’s presidential election remain, there were no widespread fraud claims or accusations of a “stolen” election—unlike 2020, when Trump clearly lost.
Some Americans learned nothing from Trump’s first term (2016), which exposed a novice not ready for prime time, produced two impeachments, and revealed an uncanny relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Still, the nation survived those four years.
Helping the nation through that first term were Republicans such as the late Arizona Senator John McCain, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, and Representative Liz Cheney, along with others who held Trump accountable to a degree.
Unlike Trump, who knew he had lost in 2020 yet cried “foul,” Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and most of her party accepted the 2024 loss and stepped aside peacefully.
This time, Trump returned to the Oval Office surrounded by the architects of Project 2025—a plan he claimed to know nothing about—along with white nationalist Stephen Miller and an ultracrepidarian (someone who offers opinions on matters beyond their knowledge): JD Vance.
The Trump–J.D. Vance ticket promised to put America first in every matter and to lower food and gas prices—especially eggs, a frequent Vance talking point.
Trump also pledged to prioritize American workers, bring jobs back to the United States, and end the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He further assured Americans that the United States would stay out of any wars during his presidency.
Unfortunately, Trump has broken those campaign promises, and the American people should end this failed political marriage.
Irreconcilable differences describes a situation in which two parties can no longer resolve their conflicts or save their marriage.
In no-fault divorce states, irreconcilable differences are sufficient grounds for divorce. In American politics, they are grounds for voting out any person or party that fails to keep its campaign promises.
In a divorce, a couple declares that their problems are too severe for harmony to be restored. Likewise, America’s problems may be too severe for the current administration to restore harmony.
America, the time has come to end this relationship!
Incompetence runs from the Oval Office through Trump’s Cabinet, which is far from the “best and brightest.” Indeed, many of its members likely would not have been considered for roles in a competent administration.
Chaos and confusion swept the country from the outset of the Trump administration, beginning with DOGE—the so-called Department of Government Efficiency—which dismantled and disrupted legitimate agencies without adequate evidence or justification.
The federal agencies DOGE disrupted or dismantled included FEMA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and—most shamefully—the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The administration eliminated tens of thousands of positions and laid off a similar number of workers, creating service backlogs for veterans. Amid these cuts to legitimate agencies, Trump—aided by Mike Johnson in the U.S. House and Senate Republicans—passed the Big Beautiful Bill.
The BBB made tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent while devastating the middle class and those living on the edge of poverty. Its cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and programs that support veterans and seniors are now beginning to take effect.
The Obama administration created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after the 2008–09 economic crash to protect Americans. Ironically, the agency had been investigating Elon Musk’s companies.
Cuts to USAID have contributed to the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and parts of Uganda. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov), the outbreak is centered in Africa, where case counts are highest, and has the potential to spread.
The chaos, disfunction, and sheer madness of the current administration has impacted all aspects of American life. Trump imposed unlawful tariffs on goods being imported into the United States.
Tariffs are added taxes on imported goods, increasing costs for businesses and, ultimately, consumers. After months of collecting hundreds of millions of dollars from American businesses, the courts ruled the tariffs unlawful and ordered the money returned.
While the tariffs hurt businesses, they were not as damaging as the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE in communities across the country, especially in places led by Democrats, including California, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia, which has a Democratic mayor.
Food and gas prices have risen because Trump; despite saying he would avoid war, launched an unprovoked conflict with Iran. Acting out of naivety and gullibility, he did what the previous five U.S. presidents had not: he listened to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and attacked Iran.
Iran promptly closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil-shipping lanes. The strait had remained open during previous conflicts in the Middle East—until now.
Trump and Netanyahu opened Pandora’s box, and now Trump is seeking help from countries that were once strong U.S. allies. Great Britain, Canada, and France have declined, saying it is not their fight.
Trump tried to guilt these countries into helping but failed. Most recently, he asked South Korea for assistance with the strait and received another refusal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently appeared before Congress to request more funding for the war with Iran and faced sharp questioning from both sides of the aisle.
In a final effort to win support from the religious right, the U.S. State Department announced a $2 billion package for faith-based health and humanitarian providers—the largest such allocation in more than two decades. The move underscored the administration’s preference for faith-based organizations over agencies trained and prepared to deliver these services.
Notably:
While campaigning for re-election, Trump told an evangelical audience that if they voted for him in 2024, he and others would “fix it” so they would not have to vote again. Yet Trump himself voted by mail in Florida’s primary election this summer.
Despite that, Trump has continued to attack mail-in and early voting. Is this how he intends to “fix” the 2026 general election and those that follow?
Voting by mail remains a safe, reliable way to cast a ballot without waiting in long lines or delaying until Election Day. Arizona and the rest of the country should continue voting early and by mail whenever possible. It is time to end this broken relationship.
Voting can make it happen.
D.L. White is an Author, Educator, Historian, Community Servant/Leader based in Phoenix Arizona. White works as a staff reporter and contributing writer for the Arizona Informant (and national NNPA syndications) covering local community issues, education, and human-interest stories. He Serves as an adjunct faculty member at Mesa Community College in the Maricopa County Community College District. He’s authored the children’s early-reading book The Sensational Letter “S” and is active in local community and civic organizations in Phoenix, including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.