The WSJ Editorial- Trump As the Worst President of the US

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Trump: Wall Street Journal a 'rotten newspaper' - The Hill

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WSJ editorial issues stark rebuke of Trump 2.0 - Raw Story

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Wall Street Journal Says This 'Failure' By Republicans Will Come ...

The Wall Street Journal has ignited a fierce debate with its latest editorial declaring President Donald Trump the worst president in U.S. history, harshly criticizing his leadership, diplomacy, and approach to national unity. The editorial's sweeping indictment has sharpened existing divides, prompting both condemnation and defense from across the political spectrum.

WSJ's Core Criticisms of Trump

The Wall Street Journal editorial board, previously known for its generally conservative stances, has become increasingly vocal in its disapproval of Trump's second term. Their critiques focus on the president’s handling of major foreign policy issues, what they view as reckless economic moves, and a pattern of personal excess and executive overreach.

• The board faults Trump’s foreign policy for retreating from American leadership and reintroducing dangerous great-power rivalries, especially in Europe and Asia.

• Domestically, policies like sweeping tariffs and aggressive deportations are depicted as counterproductive and inflationary, undermining real wages and investor confidence.

• The editorial also highlights Trump's confrontational style, citing frequent personal attacks, dissemination of misinformation, and a failure to heal civil divisions, all of which the board claims diminish both the dignity and unity of the office.

The Accusation of Political Motivation

Many Trump supporters and conservative commentators have blasted the Journal’s assessment as a politically driven attempt to rewrite history. Trump himself has lashed out at the paper, branding it "corrupt" and "a rotten newspaper", while claiming its owner, Rupert Murdoch, is orchestrating a campaign to sabotage his administration and legacy.

• Prominent figures in the MAGA movement rapidly closed ranks after the editorial’s release, arguing that it exemplifies mainstream media’s coordinated efforts to misrepresent Trump’s achievements and stoke public distrust.

• Some have pointed to the timing of the editorial and its parallels with previous clashes between Trump and establishment media, framing the critique as part of a broader anti-Trump bias.

Editorial Impact and Broader Significance

While editorials often spark controversy, the impact of the Journal’s statement is amplified by the publication's reputation in financial and conservative circles. The scathing tone, combined with pointed critiques of specific policies—ranging from trade and labor statistics to executive interventions—raises questions about the ongoing alignment between Trump and the institutional right.

• Business leaders have echoed concerns over Trump’s economic strategies, especially tariffs and regulatory unpredictability, with a majority expressing skepticism about the direction of U.S. policy under his administration.

• The editorial reflects anxieties within elite circles about history and precedent, warning that presidential overreach now may haunt the nation in future administrations, regardless of party.

The Debate on Trump's Legacy

This editorial does not, and cannot, offer the final word on Trump’s place in history. For his critics, the piece strengthens the case that his tenure has caused long-lasting harm to America’s global standing and social cohesion. For his defenders, it merely illustrates the persistent gulf between "establishment" institutions and the populist movement that propelled Trump to power—twice.

In the end, this episode underlines how contested presidential legacy remains, and how media judgments both shape and reflect the deep polarization of the era. Whether the Journal’s blistering verdict changes minds or simply hardens existing camps, it will likely be remembered as a defining moment in the ongoing battle over Trump’s place in American history

Meanwhile, Here’s a latest breakdown of where things currently stand — and what is (and isn’t) legal — regarding putting Donald Trump (or any living person) on U.S. currency or coins. 

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Current Status & Recent Proposals

• The latest proposal is not to put Trump on a one-dollar bill (paper currency) but to issue a $1 coin for the U.S. semiquincentennial (250th anniversary in 2026). The Washington Post+3Politico+3Reuters+3

• Draft designs have been floated showing a profile of Trump on one side, and a clenched fist image with “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT” on the reverse. People.com+2Reuters+2

• The Treasury has emphasized that these are drafts, not finalized designs. Politico+1

So, as of now, there is no finalized decision to put Trump’s face on a circulating note, and only a tentative plan for a commemorative coin is under discussion.

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Legal Constraints & Traditions

Putting a living person’s image on U.S. currency is heavily restricted — by statute, tradition, and precedent. Here are the key legal and historical impediments:

1. 1866 Act (Congressional prohibition on living persons on currency)
   After an earlier mistake (a living person’s portrait ended up on fractional currency), Congress passed a law in 1866 banning the portrait or likeness of any living person on U.S. currency, bonds, or securities. Bureau of Engraving and Printing+2Military.com+2

2. U.S. Code / Currency Statutes
   There are provisions in U.S. Code (Title 31, etc.) that limit what portraits can appear on coins, especially in certain coin programs. For example, the law states:

   “No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin under certain programs.” Legal Information Institute

   And in the context of paper currency, the long-accepted rule is that only deceased persons’ portraits may appear. Politics Stack Exchange+5ThoughtCo+5CoinWorld+5

3. Custom, Precedent, and Treasury Policy

   • The U.S. Treasury maintains that a person must be deceased to appear on U.S. currency. Texas First Bank+1

   • All existing U.S. paper currency features people who have passed away (e.g. past presidents, founding figures). ThoughtCo+2k-5impactnewsg4-5.mheducation.com+2

   • For coins, some laws allow special commemorative coins, but impose restrictions (e.g. no “head and shoulders” busts of living persons on certain sides). Politico+3Legal Information Institute+3Reuters+3

4. Proposals to Change the Law

   • Some members of Congress have introduced legislation to make exceptions, e.g. a bill to issue a new $250 note with Trump’s portrait and to exempt him from the ban. Representative Joe Wilson+2CoinWorld+2

   • Others have proposed putting Trump’s face on the $100 bill in the future (if allowed by law). Fox News+2Newsweek+2

   • But none of those proposals have yet overcome the legal prohibition. Representative Joe Wilson+3NBC Bay Area+3CoinWorld+3

So, if the proposed $1 coin were to go forward with Trump’s image while he is still alive, it would face serious legal challenges (and likely require either a reinterpretation or amendment of existing law).

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Is It Illegal Right Now?

Yes — under current law and precedent — putting a living person’s portrait on U.S. paper currency is prohibited. The 1866 law and subsequent statutes essentially make that illegal.

For coins, the picture is more nuanced: certain coin programs explicitly forbid portraits of living persons (especially on certain faces of the coin). So even the Trump $1 coin proposal might run afoul of those restrictions, unless a legal workaround or statutory exception is made (or the draft design is altered to comply). Politico+3Reuters+3People.com+3

Thus, unless Congress or the Treasury formally changes or overrides those laws, any currency redesign featuring Trump while he’s alive would likely be struck down as unlawful.

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Recent news about Trump currency proposals

Reuters

US unveils draft design for $1 Trump coin to mark 250th independence celebrations

3 days ago

People.com

Donald Trump Is Putting His Face on Both Sides of a New Coin. U.S. Treasury Reveals 'First Drafts'

2 days ago

The Washington Post

Treasury Department proposes Trump coin to mark 250th anniversary of U.S.

3 days ago

Finally, 

I owe my Trump-supporting family and friends an apology. I’ve been critical of the Trump presidency and am still exhausted from the experience. But to be fair, President Trump wasn’t that bad, other than when:

He incited an insurrection against the government

Mismanaged a pandemic that killed nearly half a million Americans

Separated children from their families, and lost those children in the bureaucracy

Tear-gassed peaceful protesters on Lafayette Square so he could hold a photo op holding a Bible in front of a church

Tried to block all Muslims from entering the country

Got impeached, got impeached again

Had the worst jobs record of any president in modern history

Ppressured Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden

Fired the FBI director for investigating his ties to Russia

Bragged about firing the FBI director on TV

Took Vladimir Putin’s word over the US intelligence community

Diverted military funding to build his wall

Caused the longest government shutdown in US history

Called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate"

Lied 30,000 times

Banned transgender people from serving in the military

Ejected reporters from the White House briefing room who asked tough questions

Vetoed the defense funding bill because it renamed military bases named for Confederate soldiers

Refused to release his tax returns

Increased the national debt by nearly $8 trillion

Had three of the highest annual trade deficits in U.S. history

Called veterans and soldiers who died in combat losers and suckers

Coddled the leader of Saudi Arabia after he ordered the execution and dismembering of a US-based journalist

Refused to concede the 2020 election

Hired his unqualified daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House

Walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl

Called neo-Nazis “very fine people”

Suggested that people should inject bleach into their bodies to fight COVID

Abandoned our allies the Kurds to Turkey

Pushed through massive tax cuts for the wealthiest but balked at helping working Americans

Incited anti-lockdown protestors in several states at the height of the pandemic

Withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords

Withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal

Withdrew the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed to block China’s advances

Insulted his own Cabinet members on Twitter

Pushed the leader of Montenegro out of the way during a photo op

Failed to reiterate US commitment to defending NATO allies

Called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries

Called the city of Baltimore the “worst in the nation"

Claimed that he single handedly brought back the phrase “Merry Christmas” even though it hadn’t gone anywhere

Forced his Cabinet members to praise him publicly like some cult leader

Believed he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Berated and belittled his hand-picked Attorney General when he recused himself from the Russia probe

Suggested the US should buy Greenland

Colluded with Mitch McConnell to push through federal judges and two Supreme Court justices after supporting efforts to prevent his predecessor from appointing judges

Repeatedly called the media “enemies of the people"

Claimed that if we tested fewer people for COVID we’d have fewer cases

Violated the emoluments clause

Thought that Nambia was a country

Told Bob Woodward in private that the coronavirus was a big deal but then downplayed it in public

Called his exceedingly faithful vice president a “p---y” for following the Constitution

Nearly got us into a war with Iran after threatening them by tweet

Nominated a corrupt head of the EPA

Nominated a corrupt head of HHS

Nominated a corrupt head of the Interior Department

Nominated a corrupt head of the USDA

Praised dictators and authoritarians around the world while criticizing allies

Refused to allow the presidential transition to begin

Insulted war hero John McCain – even after his death

Spent an obscene amount of time playing golf after criticizing Barack Obama for playing (far less) golf while president

Falsely claimed that he won the 2016 popular vote

Falsely claimed that he turned down being Time’s Man of the Year

Considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller on several occasions

Mocked wearing face masks to guard against transmitting COVID

Locked Congress out of its constitutional duty to confirm Cabinet officials by hiring acting ones

Used a racist dog whistle by calling COVID the “China virus"

Hired and associated with numerous shady figures that were eventually convicted of federal offenses including his campaign manager and national security adviser

Pardoned several of his shady associates

Gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two congressman who amplified his batshit crazy conspiracy theories

Got into telephone fight with the leader of Australia(!)

Had a Secretary of State who called him a moron

Forced his press secretary to claim without merit that his was the largest inauguration crowd in history

Botched the COVID vaccine rollout

Tweeted so much dangerous propaganda that Twitter eventually banned him

Charged the Secret Service jacked-up rates at his properties

Constantly interrupted Joe Biden in their first presidential debate

Claimed that COVID would “magically” disappear

Called a U.S. Senator “Pocahontas"

Used his Twitter account to blast Nordstrom when it stopped selling Ivanka’s merchandise

Opened up millions of pristine federal lands to development and drilling

Got into a losing tariff war with China that forced US taxpayers to bail out farmers

Claimed that his losing tariff war was a win for the US

Ignored or didn’t even take part in daily intelligence briefings

Blew off honoring American war dead in France because it was raining

Redesigned Air Force One to look like the Trump Shuttle

Got played by Kim Jung Un and his “love letters"

Threatened to go after social media companies in clear violation of the Constitution

Botched the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

Threw paper towels and toilet paper at Puerto Ricans when he finally visited them

Pressured the governor and secretary of state of Georgia to “find” him votes

Thought that the Virgin islands had a President

Drew on a map with a Sharpie to justify his inaccurate tweet that Alabama was threatened by a hurricane

Allowed White House staff to use personal email accounts for official businesses after blasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing

Rolled back regulations that protected the public from mercury and asbestos

Pushed regulators to waste time studying snake-oil remedies for COVID

Rolled back regulations that stopped coal companies from dumping waste into rivers

Held blatant campaign rallies at the White House

Tried to take away millions of Americans’ health insurance because the law was named for a Black man

Refused to attend his successors’ inauguration

Nominated the worst Education Secretary in history

Threatened judges who didn’t do what he wanted

Attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci

Ppromised that Mexico would pay for the wall (it didn’t)

Allowed political hacks to overrule government scientists on major reports on climate change and other issues

Struggled navigating a ramp after claiming his opponent was feeble

Called an African-American Congresswoman “low IQ"

Threatened to withhold federal aid from states and cities with Democratic leaders

Went ahead with rallies filled with maskless supporters in the middle of a pandemic

Claimed that legitimate investigations of his wrongdoing were “witch hunts"

Seemed to demonstrate a belief that there were airports during the American Revolution

Demanded “total loyalty” from the FBI director

Praised a conspiracy theory that Democrats are Satanic pedophiles

Completely gutted the Voice of America

Placed a political hack in charge of the Postal Service

Claimed without evidence that the Obama administration bugged Trump Tower

Suggested that the US should allow more people from places like Norway into the country

Suggested that COVID wasn’t that bad because he recovered with the help of top government doctors and treatments not available to the public

Overturned energy conservation standards that even industry supported

Reduced the number of refugees the US accepts

Insulted various members of Congress and the media with infantile nicknames

Gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address

Named as head of federal personnel a 29-year old who’d previously been fired from the White House for allegations of financial improprieties

Eliminated the White House office of pandemic response

Used soldiers as campaign props

Fired any advisor who made the mistake of disagreeing with him

Demanded the Pentagon throw him a Soviet-style military parade

Hired a ton of white nationalists

Politicized the civil service

Did absolutely nothing after Russia hacked the U.S. government

Falsely said the Boy Scouts called him to say his bizarre Jamboree speech was the best speech ever given to the Scouts

Claimed that Black people would overrun the suburbs if Biden won

Insulted reporters of color and women reporters and women reporters of color

Suggested he was fine with China’s oppression of the Uighurs

Attacked the Supreme Court when it ruled against him

Summoned Pennsylvania state legislative leaders to the White House to pressure them to overturn the election

Spent countless hours every day watching Fox News

Refused to allow his administration to comply with Congressional subpoenas

Hired Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer

Tried to punish Amazon because the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post wrote negative stories about him

Acted as if the Attorney General of the United States was his personal attorney

Attempted to get the federal government to defend him in a libel lawsuit from a women who accused him of sexual assault

Held private meetings with Vladimir Putin without staff present

Didn’t disclose his private meetings with Vladimir Putin so that the US had to find out via Russian media

Stopped holding press briefings for months at a time

"Ordered” US companies to leave China even though he has no such power

Led a political party that couldn’t even be bothered to draft a policy platform

Claimed preposterously that Article II of the Constitution gave him absolute powers

Tried to pressure the U.K. to hold the British Open at his golf course

Suggested that the government nuke hurricanes

Suggested that wind turbines cause cancer

Said that he had a special aptitude for science

Fired the head of election cyber security after he said that the 2020 election was secure

Blurted out classified information to Russian officials

Tried to force the G7 to hold their meeting at his failing golf resort in Florida

Fired the acting attorney general when she refused to go along with his unconstitutional Muslim travel ban

Hired Stephen Miller

Openly discussed national security issues in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago where everyone could hear them

Interfered with plans to relocate the FBI because a new development there might compete with his hotel

Abandoned Iraqi refugees who’d helped the U.S. during the war

Tried to get Russia back into the G7

Held a COVID super spreader event in the Rose Garden

Seemed to believe that Frederick Douglass is still alive

Lost 60 election fraud cases in court including before judges he had nominated

Falsely claimed that factories were reopening when they weren’t

Shamelessly exploited terror attacks in Europe to justify his anti-immigrant policies

Still hasn’t come up with a healthcare plan

Still hasn’t come up with an infrastructure plan despite repeated “Infrastructure Weeks"

Forced Secret Service agents to drive him around Walter Reed while contagious with COVID

Told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by"

F***ed up the Census

Withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic

Did so few of his duties that his press staff were forced to state on his daily schedule “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings"

Allowed his staff to repeatedly violate the Hatch Act

Seemed not to know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican

Stood before sacred CIA wall of heroes and bragged about his election win

Constantly claimed he was treated worse than any president which presumably includes four that were assassinated and his predecessor whose legitimacy and birthplace were challenged by a racist reality TV show star named Donald Trump

Claimed Andrew Jackson could’ve stopped the Civil War even though he died 16 years before it happened

Said that any opinion poll showing him behind was fake

Claimed that other countries laughed at us before he became president when several world leaders were literally laughing at him

Claimed that the military was out of ammunition before he became President

Created a commission to whitewash American history

Retweeted anti-Islam videos from one of the most racist people in Britain

Claimed ludicrously that the Pulse nightclub shooting wouldn’t have happened if someone there had a gun even though there was an armed security guard there

Hired a senior staffer who cited the non-existent Bowling Green Massacre as a reason to ban Muslims

Had a press secretary who claimed that Nazi Germany never used chemical weapons even though every sane human being knows they used gas to kill millions of Jews and others

Bilked the Secret Service for higher than market rates when they had to stay at Trump properties

Apparently sold pardons on his way out of the White House

Stripped protective status from 59,000 Haitians

Falsely claimed Biden wanted to defund the police

Said that the head of the CDC didn’t know what he was talking about

Tried to rescind protection from DREAMers,

Gave himself an A+ for his handling of the pandemic

Tried to start a boycott of Goodyear tires due to an Internet hoax

Said U.S. rates of COVID would be lower if you didn’t count blue states

Deported U.S. veterans who served their country but were undocumented

Claimed he did more for African Americans than any president since Lincoln

Touted a “super-duper” secret “hydrosonic” missile which may or may not be a new “hypersonic” missile or may not exist at all

Retweeted a gif calling Biden a pedophile

Forced through security clearances for his family

Suggested that police officers should rough up suspects

Suggested that Biden was on performance-enhancing drugs

Tried to stop transgender students from being able to use school bathrooms in line with their gender

Suggested the US not accept COVID patients from a cruise ship because it would make US numbers look higher

Nominated a climate change sceptic to chair the committee advising the White House on environmental policy

Retweeted a video doctored to look like Biden had played a song called “F**k tha Police” at a campaign event

Hugged a disturbingly large number of U.S. flags

Accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding his State of the Union address

Claimed that the FBI failed to capture the Parkland school shooter because they were “spending too much time” on Russia

Mocked the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault

Was proven to be close friends with the biggest sexual predictor of young girls

Obsessed over low-flow toilets

Ordered the rerelease of more COVID vaccines when there weren’t any to release

Called for the construction of a bizarre garden of heroes with statutes of famous dead Americans as well as at least one Canadian (Alex Trebek)

Hijacked Washington’s July 4th celebrations to give a partisan speech

Took advice from the MyPillow guy

Claimed that migrants seeking a better life in the US were dangerous caravans of drug dealers and rapists

Said nothing when Vladimir Putin poisoned a leading opposition figure

Never seemed to heed the advice of his wife’s “Be Best” campaign

Falsely claimed that mail-in voting is fraudulent

Announced a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Syria which not only handed Russia and ISIS a win but also prompted his defense secretary to resign in protest

Insulted the leaders of Canada, France, Britain, imGermany, and Sweden!!

Falsely claimed credit for getting NATO members to increase their share of dues

Blew off two Asia summits even though they were held virtually

Continued lying about spending lots of time at Ground Zero with 9/11 responders

Said that the Japanese would sit back and watch their “Sony televisions” if the US were ever attacked

Left a NATO summit early in a huff

Stared directly into an eclipse even though everyone over the age of 5 knows not to do that

Called himself a very stable genius despite significant evidence to the contrary

Refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and kept his promise, and a whole bunch of other things I can’t remember at the moment.

But other than that. . .

Please share widely - TIA!!!

Whoever wrote this deserves credit but I don't know who it is...

~ Author unknown