Alan Zendell, June 21, 2026,

The concept of a day of reckoning is universal in Judeo-Christian and Islamic cultures. We’re taught since childhood, and we grow up believing that we will eventually be held accountable for our actions.

It hasn’t always turned out that way, however. Donald Trump is especially adept at stymying the legal process. He was convicted of ninety-four felonies prior to the 2024 election, but armed with the Supreme Court decision that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted for pretty much anything, there’s no doubt that a principal reason he ran again was to avoid sentences being imposed on him.

The courts held all that in abeyance during the 2024 election campaign, and Trump spent a fortune on lawyers skilled at delaying legal proceedings. If he could delay them until after the election and he won, he could use (misuse?) the Department of Justice to quash all his indictments and convictions, and that is exactly what happened.

No doubt, Trump feels invincible. He has a captive majority in both houses of Congress and a Supreme Court that will not get in his way unless he commits egregious constitutional violations like his tariff policy. Trump advocates the idea that it’s better to apologize than ask permission, though in fact he never does either. He knows the adage that possession is nine tenths of the law and he uses it constantly.

The philosophy of Project 2025 was for Trump to attack relentlessly on all fronts whether his actions were legal or not and dare everyone else to stop him. That worked very well for him until the Court’s decision on tariffs, but that defeat didn’t deter him at all. The assaults on voting rights, immigrants, and the social net that tens of millions of Americans depend on, including health care and food stamps, continue unabated. And with the skyrocketing costs of the Iran war, that will only get worse.

In Trump’s mind, assuring that wealthy Americans pay no taxes and rebuilding the capabilities of our military are much higher priorities than the basic needs of American citizens. Given his track record throughout his life, does anyone doubt that in the four plus months until the midterm elections he will pull every dirty trick and underhanded stunt he can to maintain his Congressional majorities? As time grows tighter, he can jam up both his opposition and the courts.

It’s clear to everyone but his most rabid supporters, and many of them too, that Trump is becoming more unhinged and irrational every day. What kind of leader posts the nonsense he does on social media in the midst of negotiations to end a dangerous and costly war? What kind of leader ignores his expert advisors and allows his actions to be completely dominated by his ego and mental illness?

It’s extremely clear that as of today, the winners of Trump’s Iran War were Iran, China, and Russia; the losers: the United States and, by far, Israel, which has squandered whatever good will it had with Europe and seriously eroded American support. It’s also extremely clear that Trump has severely hurt our economy and most of the established trade and economic policies world-wide.

He is despised by a large majority of Americans, and he is mocked by most national leaders while they praise and appease him to his face. His administration doesn’t even make an effort to hide either its corruption or its pre-occupation with things like the reflecting pool and Trump’s lust to have the biggest ballrooms and the tallest arches in the world, while plastering his name on every building and institution he can get away with.

The question for Congress and American voters is simple. With the election approaching fast and the certainty that Trump will create all the chaos he can before then, can his day of reckoning be delayed any longer? Can our republic and Constitution survive anything but an immediate all-out effort to stop him before he can do any more damage?

How do we do that? First, all the millions of Americans who are burned out on Trump’s antics need to grow a pair and re-engage. Not doing so is exactly what Trump wants, it’s how he wins. If you live in a swing district currently held by a Republican, or even if you don’t, focus on one that is and make a lot of noise at town halls, on social media, and by communicating directly with your representative’s Chief of Staff. Make it crystal clear that if they continue to choose blind loyalty to Trump and party over their constituents, they will be fired on election day.

Write to news outlets, call in to talk radio shows, interact with influential podcast hosts. Exercise your right to free speech and guarantee your right to vote while you still have them. Every day we delay joining the final battle for control of Congress, and by implication, to control and muzzle Trump, increases the chances that the 2026 election will be the last real election we ever participate in.