Alan Zendell, April 27, 2026

Despite our hopes, Trump’s Saturday evening statesman act lasted less than one day. In an interview with Norah O’Donnell of CBS, his thin-skinned ego caused him to fall back into his familiar pattern of pugilistic rhetoric. Ms. O’Donnell read a few words from the manifesto of the Correspondents Dinner shooter, which reflected his animus toward the Trump administration’s policies, including an allegation that they were covering up damaging information in the Epstein files to protect pedophiles.

No names were mentioned, but Trump took the allegation personally, and attacked the messenger, Ms. O’Donnell, in the midst of a 60 Minutes interview. He called her a horrible, despicable person, declaring, “I’m  not a pedophile.”

No one said you were, Donald. Why are you protesting so much?

The question most of America would like answered is, was Trump aware that Epstein and many of his friends were pedophiles, and if he did, why didn’t he use his celebrity to report them to law enforcement? It’s hard to imagine, as close as Trump and Epstein were while the latter was committing the worst of his crimes, that Trump didn’t know.

Saturday’s message of unity is now ancient history, and Trump will undoubtedly continue to play the martyr card as long as it resonates with his base. Trump’s focus is on the midterm elections, despite conducting a war in which thousands of people have already been killed. If Democrats win control of the House, Project 2025 and much of Trump’s power will suffer crib deaths. Because the war and almost every major policy this administration put forth are so unpopular, Trump will do anything to distract voters from his record. As for the image Trump projected, Saturday, of a courageous president serving his country in a terribly dangerous job, his talent as a showman came through loud and clear, but…

…whenever Trump speaks, it’s important to remember that he suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder, a serious mental illness. It’s worth a refresher course in how that affects his perception of the world and how he treats people. I urge you to read The Mayo Clinic’s list of symptoms. The line that most got my attention addressed the bravado Trump displayed: “…behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.”

Trump’s reversion to form continued in today’s White House press briefing. I have no idea what to say about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, except that she reminds me of one of the Stepford Wives. Her hyperbolic, nonstop praise of the president sounds like Iran’s Revolutionary Guardsmen speaking worshipfully about their Supreme Leader, with equal credibility.

Leavitt, speaking as Trump’s surrogate, blamed the assissination attempt on the media and the Democratic Party, the same two institutions Trump praised for coming together in unity on Saturday. Read those Mayo Clinic symptoms carefully, and filter every word Trump says (or directs his subordinates to say) through them. His leadership act on Saturday was nothing but a disingenuous political performance, as Ms. Leavitt proved today.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel made the situation far worse with his inexplicable cheap shot at First Lady Melania Trump, when he described her as having “a glow like an expectant widow,” a week before the Correspondents Dinner. Freedom of speech aside, Kimmel’s bad taste earned Trump sympathy from his base. It certainly did nothing to reign Trump in.

At her press briefing today, Ms. Leavitt quoted several prominent Democrats including Hakeem Jeffries, several U. S. Senators, and Governors Josh Shapiro and J. B. Pritzker, asserting that they are responsible for the hate rhetoric and divisiveness that has overcome our politics.

If anything demonstrated that we were back to the Trump administration’s “normal” it was ignoring the fact that from day one, Trump and his loyalists have attacked every facet of our democracy, trampled over human rights and the Constitution, and violated major federal laws. The words of the Democrats she quoted sound like a cry to war, but two thirds of America understands that they were in response to Trump’s throwing down gauntlet after gauntlet.

The dust from Saturday’s alleged assassination attempt will clear quickly, as Americans realize the country is in no better shape than it was on Friday. Trump is undoubtedly feeling desperate, as the sixty-day limit imposed by the War Powers Act expires in four days. At that time, if hostilities with Iran have not formally ended, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth must obtain Congressional approval before firing another shot.

Trump knows that if Congress forces him to withdraw from the region, his failure to remove Iran’s enriched uranium will be unfavorably compared to the agreement President Obama negotiated, that Trump tore up. He also knows that Iran’s leaders watch the same cable news channels we do, and they will stall negotiations until the War Powers deadline expires.

The unfortunate events of Saturday evening will occupy our media for a while, but their memory will, more than anything else, remind Americans of the toxic environment Trump has created. This must be how Hungarians felt in 1956 when Soviet troops occupied their country after fifteen days of freedom. Back to normal.