Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, those who have tied themselves inextricably to Donald J. Trump are in trouble. You see, it is difficult to save yourself from drowning in a sea of ills with a fat man clinging to you. Make no mistake, this captain has no intention of going down with his ship.

I’m reminded of an old “Seinfeld” episode entitled “Fire” featuring anti-hero George Costanza…a self-described “short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man.” At a birthday party for his girlfriend’s young son, George panics after a small fire breaks out in the kitchen and he runs over everyone, including an elderly woman with a walker, in his rush to save himself.

In typical Seinfeld comic fashion, a clown puts out the fire with his big shoes. When firefighters arrive, those at the party attack George for his selfishness, but George claims he is a hero for leading everyone in the right direction. A firefighter asks, “How do you live with yourself?” George answers simply, “It’s not easy.”

So, it should be with Donald J. Trump and every single person who sold their soul to get where they are in the current administration. But believe me, all those folks…every one…will be blamed by Trump for his failures eventually.

Of course, we all know drowned rats tell no tales. Even so, anyone with a conscience, a soul, any regard for another human…would have only one truthful answer about how they live with themselves as a Trump supporter, “It’s not easy.”

There are so many despicable people to choose from over the past 18 months…the president, the vice president, the Speaker of the House, presidential appointees, White House staff, Senators and Representatives, Cabinet members…all will one day have to defend their actions.

They might answer the question, “How do you live with yourself?” Most have no problem…a lack of decency will do that to you…but many will face investigations…and likely criminal indictments in the years ahead.

Given the great many corrupt actions and excesses of the Trump Administration, it is hard to find lesser evils. Everything flies in your face…all at once…a veritable firehouse of outrageous acts.

Even the most infamous Mafia crime bosses and foreign despots cannot keep up with Donald Trump. Consider his actions the last 18 months.

On Trump’s first day as president, he pardoned 1,600 insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol…including those who injured and killed innocent people…and a year later tried to give them $1.776 Billion in “restitution”. Nearly 100 of those pardoned have committed additional crimes…from serious weapons violations and robbery to sex crimes, driving under the influence and murder.

Trump imposed tariffs – arbitrarily – that have cost every American $2,512 a year…so far.

Trump killed dozens of Argentinians without legal justification in military actions against boaters who were – at best – relatively minor drug offenders.

Trump started a war with Iran that has killed and injured thousands, closed the Strait of Hormuz and is still driving prices up worldwide on everything from gasoline and oil to fertilizer…and because of transportation costs…all grocery and retail items. The loss – rising daily – already runs into the billions of dollars.

Trump weaponized the Department of Justice by targeting political opponents, judges, and anyone he dislikes in a vengeful campaign that has hurt innocent people and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández who served only a few months of a 45-year sentence for conspiring to import hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.

Trump sides with Russia and Vladimir Putin and effectively crippled Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian aggression…costing billions of dollars and thousands of lives.

Trump has threatened to invade Greenland and take it from Denmark, hinted at going into Cuba, and still talks about making Canada a 51st state.

Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, established a Department of Government Efficiency, slashing budgets and jobs of thousands of expert government employees. Those actions have saved taxpayers nothing…actually costing more than $11 Billion…again, so far.

Trump has imposed Draconian immigration policies, including aggressive mass deportations of immigrants guilty of misdemeanours rather than “worst of the worst” felonies. He allowed ICE to recruit and place masked agents in unmarked vehicles in cities…leading to nearly 20 deaths…most of them outright murders.

This is the real danger of having Donald J. Trump as president…there are no guardrails on the road to governing America. Everything is acceptable. Lies. Fraud. Cheating. Everything is okay…as long as you stay in power.

The truth is manufacturing and disseminating disinformation is a danger to democracy…it’s a verbal terrorist bomb. Every self-glorifying act another attack on what America’s founders intended. Like individual terrorist bombs…they have an cumulative effect.

Trump, who decried Joe Biden’s lack of vigour, has fallen asleep in more meetings than any president in history. In addition, his gaffes are piling up. In the last week alone, he referred to the “Islamic Republic of Japan” when talking about Iran; asked the media if they had questions for President Putin…he was with President Zelensky; and he called Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, Nicki Minaj…the singer.

Trump dismantled 83 percent of the U.S. AID program…leading to the starvation of 750,000 people worldwide – half of them children – this past year alone.

I could go on and on…literally there are too many evil actions to list in a single column.

Americans – Republicans – who either look the other way…or know and don’t care…are complicit. Lies, fraud and the corrupt nature of the Republican Party rip the fabric of American democracy and freedom.

Trump supporters are no different than the terrorists who throw real bombs at government offices and institutions…the objectives are the same.