Trump spent 2025 attacking and wrecking everything he despised. It was a very long list. He brought elite universities, museums, cultural institutions, and law firms to heel. He changed positions and openly advocated for Putin’s positions with regard to Ukraine. He stopped wind farms and threw lifelines to coal mine owners. He sent troops into blue cities on flimsy pretexts. He denied asylum seekers due process, evaded court orders, and sent immigrants to dangerous overseas prisons. He threatened war with Venezuela and bombed Iran. He cut Medicaid benefits and food stamps. He openly gave orders to prosecute his political and legal enemies; his DOJ complied. He intervened in administrative issues that should have been apolitical. He fired experts of all kinds when they didn’t support his agenda. He supported RFK’s madcap efforts to send public health back to the 19th century. He made it clear he had no interest in defending liberal democracy at home or abroad.
It’s an impressive list, if watching car crashes is your thing. Some of his supporters insist that the wrecking will now be replaced by more constructive, bipartisan efforts to build a new and fairer America. If you live in the real world, however, you know that the wrecking will continue into 2026, because that’s all the man knows how to do.
Some of the wounds he inflicted on the body politic may never heal. Thanks in part to the Supreme Court, the presidency now has more arbitrary power than ever before. For those “accomplishments,” Donald Trump is the man of the year for 2025.