In a recent political cartoon, artist Gary Varvel portrayed a Democrat lying on his therapist’s couch. When asked to name his greatest fear, he replied: “That Trump’s policies will make America great again.”
In a single, simple drawing, Varvel exposed a political reality that few Democrats are willing to acknowledge. His cartoon wasn’t merely satire — it was a mirror. It reflected a growing sentiment within much of the party’s base: that President Donald Trump’s failure is preferable to America’s success under his leadership.
While Democrats publicly voiced their indignation over the “Liberation Day” plunge in the financial markets, many were likely savoring a quiet sense of schadenfreude. As the losses mounted, they took to cable news and social media to mourn their constituents’ battered 401(k)s, laying the blame squarely at the feet of a president they’ve long portrayed as a madman.
Relishing the prospect of rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, and empty store shelves Trump’s trade war would bring, Democrats have been demoralized by the stock market’s rapid rebound, the announcement of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, a 90-day deescalation with China, and the promise of imminent trade agreements with several other nations.
Deeply distressed by how quickly Trump moved to secure the southern border, cut wasteful spending, and slash the size of government, Democrats turned to the courts for help. With the backing of sympathetic judges in some of the nation’s most liberal federal districts, they unleashed a wave of nationwide injunctions — legal roadblocks designed to stall, if not outright sabotage, the administration’s executive actions.
These efforts targeted everything from immigration and border enforcement to blocking efforts to fire underperforming and unnecessary government workers and restricting the Department of Government Efficiency employees’ access to data.
The injunctions have come so fast and furiously and pose such a threat to Trump’s ability to govern that the Supreme Court has been forced to intervene. On Thursday, the court will hear oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc. Hopefully, the justices will rule that the “proper role of district courts is to decide concrete disputes between parties, not impose judgments on the entire country.” Although their decision won’t be known for some time, we can gauge their positions from their questions and remarks.
In the meantime, the Left has largely downplayed Trump’s historic — and undeniably triumphant — visit to the Middle East this week. Beyond reinforcing diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he announced that the two nations will invest $600 billion and $1.2 trillion, respectively, in the United States. Trump also expressed his hope that both nations will one day join the Abraham Accords, which he views as a critical step toward lasting peace in the region.
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appeared to have a strong personal rapport. Trump often praised Salman as a reformer and a key partner in the Middle East, especially on economic and security issues. Despite international criticism of Salman, particularly after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump defended the relationship, citing strategic interests and major arms deals. Their mutual interest in strong bilateral ties and a transactional approach to diplomacy contributed to their apparent personal and political alignment.
Following a signing ceremony with Trump on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told reporters the agreements they’d signed had elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.”
The relationship has evolved substantially since 2017, when Trump said, “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.”
Now, the Trump administration is poised to accept a Boeing 747-8 luxury jet as a donation from the Qatari royal family. The aircraft is reportedly so lavishly appointed that it has been dubbed the “palace in the sky.” Valued at an estimated $400 million, it would rank among the most significant gifts ever received by the U.S. from a foreign nation. News of its potential acceptance has sparked outrage on the Left and even raised ethics concerns among some Trump supporters. He took aim at his critics in a Sunday night post on Truth Social.
By Thursday morning, Trump’s final stop in the United Arab Emirates was already off to a rousing start.
In typical fashion, shortly after Trump’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported: “The Middle East has big security challenges, but Mr. Trump is there for deals. Mr. Trump is not planning a visit to Israel, although the war in Gaza is raging and Hamas still holds hostages. And he has no intention of visiting Oman, where Iranian nuclear negotiations are taking place. Instead, he wants to do business in a region that is increasingly vital to the Trump family’s financial interests. He’s hoping to announce deals worth more than $1 trillion in areas like planes, nuclear power and artificial intelligence.”
Despite the barbs aimed at Trump from the legacy media, the first official foreign trip of his second term has been a remarkable success, which likely has Democrats seething. No one knows what tomorrow, next week, or next month may bring, but at this moment, Trump is delivering for Americans, and Democrats are left looking foolish. They’re right to brace for the unthinkable. Their worst fear may be on the verge of becoming reality: Trump’s policies might actually make America great again.