It is not merely soothing but absolutely joyous to envision the world after Trump. I can’t wait to experience the lifting of the oppressive misery we’ve been living under, a soul-restoring relief that will come when the Republican candidate loses in 2028, and we have the big, tiring job of fixing and healing our nation. But it should be a happy job, however difficult.
I think Robert Reich tabulated an excellent working definition of Trump’s perfidy, treason, criminality, and depravity in his recent column: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/23/trump-moral-squalor
…and it is terribly important to stay aware of the nature and quality of Trump’s indecency, so we know what must change. I recommend you read it.
We need extensive plans for now and after 2028. Since we don’t yet know how the interplay of the administration and the Congress will work out, at least we should think of some desirable effects and tasks to attempt to carry out during the next administration.
Here are some thoughts on things to address. They are absolutely not in hierarchic order, or fully detailed, at all; it’s just a bunch of things that came to mind.
One thought I had was reparations to all those harmed by ICE. What if we granted citizenship to all those who’ve been detained? Sure, you can make people take a citizenship test — only instead of a test, make it mandatory education on citizenship stuff, and don’t force them to pass a test. So no test, actually. It’s not a thing to be used to toss them out, it’s there to increase their knowledge of US history and governmental structure. (In fact maybe we should have been requiring it of all native citizens, too.) And hey, let’s grant citizenship in absentia to all those who were sent to other countries’ prisons. It gives us a reason to go after them and get them released.
What next? Oh, of course all the investigations and trials of the former president and his family and cohorts, that must be from day one.
And let’s amend the Constitution. Put onto paper all the stuff that Trump violated, and make it absolutely clear it won’t be tolerated again. Add written consequences for violating it, too, so there is no gap in enforcement. Give Congress the power to incarcerate a lawless administration. Open up that jail cell they’ve supposedly got in the basement.
No more ignoring Congressional subpoenas without punishment.
No more violating the emoluments clause without punishment.
Stop allowing private citizens to make state-level decisions. Yes, we’re looking at you, Elon, and you, Jared.
No more bribery, no more pay-for-play.
While we’re at it, no state function or meeting should be taking place in a privately-owned setting like Mar-A-Lago or a private golf course. And let’s track down the money derived from those things, that Trump got, and make him repay it to the government. He wasn’t supposed to profit from other countries’ visits to this country to see him.
Let’s take that aircraft the Qataris supposedly gave him (it was actually payment, a bribe) and either dismantle it or return it to Qatar.
Track down all the other gifts foreign countries have given Trump and his family, everything, from little to large. Seize them. Donate these to the government use, or to charitable use.
And it’s high time both the Congress and the executive should be prohibited from doing any insider trading. It’s illegal for the rest of us, why not them? They simply shouldn’t be profiting financially from the very decisions they make. It’s really unthinkable.
Abolish Homeland Security, it was always a disgusting invention of Bush Junior. Prosecute ICE agents who’ve committed obvious crimes. Make it so that NO federal agent may conceal his face/identity.
Take that ballroom and turn it to a use that benefits the public, not the executive. Seems like new offices that help the indigent, the homeless, and all other Americans could be established and housed there.
Tear down the Arch. It is a slap in the face to all veterans and their families.
Start enforcing laws against hate crimes again, and extend it to all segments of the population, such as immigrants, trans people, and Democrats.
Start retrieving all these extra privileges the executive has acquired in the last two decades. Weaken the presidency.
Remove all tariffs Trump applied. Try our best to restore relations with our allies in Europe, Canada, Greenland, and the rest of the world.
End Congressional health care plans, and replace them with Medicare For All, which will definitely be for all Americans.
Enforce a security clearance on all those who work in the White House.
We really should make it impossible for the executive to violate treaties previously established with other countries — we must make it necessary for the Congress to sign off on such major changes to foreign policy. We can add in expedited means to make changes, but it must not be unilateral.
Prosecute Hatch Act violators.
Severely restrict the power of the pardon. Make it possible to rescind those pardons found to have been granted that financially or legally benefit the president or his family alone.
Clarify in law (Constitution) that no president may pardon himself.
Legislate legal consequences for any president who tries to redirect funds appropriated by Congress to any other use. Make it impossible, moreover; there should be no way a president can do it. Control that money flow; perhaps Congress should hold the power, or a nonpartisan entity.
Enhance and ease the process of impeachment. Give it more legal teeth.
Strengthen federal laws against anyone interfering in state elections. For a president, give it very serious weight and less proof needed to give it impeachment grounds.
Begin restoring foreign aid, scientifically-based departments’ use of science, and restore publication of those departmental databases that were formerly public; rehire lots of the people fired by DOGE.
Re-protect the civil service.
Restore Medicaid funds. Restore SNAP, and generally begin enlarging welfare to the indigent.
Restore the funds taken by Trump that were allocated by Congress but not released.
Mandate in all federal projects that go to private contractors that the contractors go through the proper bidding process, and have no serious ties to the president.
Create Medicare for All.
Create a Billionaires tax, and Start taxing every stock trade.
Repeal Citizens United. Restore severe limits on donations to elections. Reduce the power of the oligarchy.
Oh, and please spend what’s needed to remove the tacky, filthy additions to the White House that Trump made. They’re so ugly and offensive. Destroy the offensive slurs and photos he’s put in the hall of presidential photos, both in the White House and online.
Put the watchdogs/overseers back in place again, for all departments — the inspectors general. Give them power, make their removal have to be for cause, not whim. If one is removed, a replacement must be appointed and approved by Congress.
Give some consideration to putting some garden in the Rose Garden again. Or else making a new garden, dedicated to someone very worthy.
Naturally, remove all missiles and security additions placed at Mar-A-Lago and any other property of Trump’s.
Be humane. Be kind to our country.
The midterms give us a lot of hope in the future. Looking forward to 2029, we say: Good riddance to this debased man and his contaminated presidency.
And I haven’t even mentioned gas prices, grocery prices, housing prices, and immediate healthcare costs — I guess because all these take priority over addressing the criminality of the prior administration, and I expect the 2027 Congress will be working hard to take care of.
Oh, and I think Joe Biden should get a wonderful party in a refreshed White House — all in his honor, and maybe some kind of memorial later, to somewhat compensate him/restore his name for the direct and horrid insults to him that hung in White House halls (and online) for so long. I like the idea of a Joe Biden Garden.
Addenda:
Prosecute the actors in DOGE. Find out where they sold the databases of Americans’ private information, and do something about that. Make illegal the use of said databases by nongovernmental entities.
Give Venezuela back its oil. Pay it reparations for our attack, and interference in its government and trade.
Make sure we know in the grocery stores which beef is Argentinian, so we can avoid it.
Increase federal food inspectors about 4 times, at least. I’m not sure how many we lost.
Prosecute Pete Hegseth, Erik Prince, and all others guilty of war crimes. Prosecute aides to Trump who helped carry out Trump’s war crimes and other crimes.
End all federal contracts with the private prison industry. Replace the staffing of federal prisons and detention centers with federal employees.
Reach out to the countries that hold the prisoners we deported, and try negotiation to get them released and returned. If unsuccessful, try more forceful negotiation. We are trying to right a bad thing.
Restore environmental protections like capping CO2 release, clean water protection, wildfire prevention. Restore tax breaks and funding to renewable energy companies. Stop privileges to the coal industry.
Offer Canada and Mexico sweetheart trade deals, asap.
Start supplying Ukraine with whatever we can, asap.
Threaten Israel that they’d better stop killing Gaza, or else. Stop funding of any sort to Israel.
Begin peace negotiations with Iran. Protect our Mideast allies.
Tell NATO we’re back.
Report all the Trumps and the Kushners to the IRS and point out violations.
