Overview:
In response to a Los Angeles Times column describing Donald Trump as an extraordinary president, S.E. Williams argues that the term fails to capture the damage caused during his second term. Citing thousands of lawsuits, multiple felony convictions, and significant civil settlements, the author contends that Trump's legal record and policy decisions reflect a pattern of misconduct rather than exceptional leadership.
S. E. Williams
A Los Angeles Times columnist recently wrote, “Love him or hate him, it must be said: Donald Trump is the most extraordinary president of our time.”
Extraordinary is typically defined as going beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, established or expected. It can also refer to things that are very unusual, special, or strange. This certainly defines Donald Trump and his antics.
For me, however, the term extraordinary is too soft an adjective for the ongoing damage Trump perpetrates against the majority of this nation on a daily basis. There are dozens of stronger, more pointed terms I believe more accurately describe Donald Trump.
The writer admitted Trump is not the sharpest tack that ever sat in the oval office as president (my interpretation of the editorial). To me, the author’s tone seems to gush with a kind of reticent admiration for all the illegal antics the president has survived.
Looking at Trump’s record in this regard, it is important to begin any assessment of who he truly is by highlighting his 34 felony convictions and at the very least the two major civil settlements that went against him. They include the $25 million settlement in the Trump University fraud case and the $83.3 he was ordered to pay as settlement in the E. Jean Carroll case. But this is just a start.
The website Just Security tracks legal challenges to the Trump administration’s executive actions. To date, the website lists a total of 970 suits filed against the president since he was sworn into office for the second time in January, 2025.
“That was extraordinary. Unfortunately, extraordinarily bad.”
Simon Cowell
When it comes to Trump’s involvement in civil cases and the burden he alone has placed on the nation’s judicial system, consider this. Recent counts indicate Trump “has lost or withdrawn from hundreds of lawsuits.” These suits range from “business disputes and contract violations to defamation claims and allegations of fraud.
Because of the volume of cases he’s been and continues to be involved in, sources like Law Shun— a comprehensive digital media platform that covers a range of legal topics, including everything from criminal law and civil litigation to international law and human rights—reports the most recent data indicates Trump’s involvement in more than 4,000 lawsuits as either a plaintiff or a defendant.
Trump’s use and abuse of the legal system was more than evident in his primal and unprecedented attack on the outcome of the 2020 election where he filed more than 60 lawsuits in at least nine states.
He tried all the angles in hopes of getting something to stick. Those angles included contesting everything from the states’ election processes, how their votes were counted, and the certification process itself.
To reemphasize my previous statement of how Trump has abused the court system, I want to also stress how his legal actions continue to waste public funds. The most recent analysis indicates Trump lost a full 98% of the cases he pursued related to the election. The Equal Access to Justice Act requires the government to pay attorney fees to the plaintiffs in cases the government loses. And, Donald Trump has been on a major losing streak.
The exact number of lawsuits Trump has been or continues to be involved in is difficult to tie down. However, it is clear that Trump’s legal record is marked by a major number of defeats. As noted by one publication, this certainly raises questions about his” business practices, credibility, and approach to litigation.”
As I think about this poor excuse for a man and president, and the damage he’s done and continues to do to— this nation; its people; and those seeking a safe haven and a better life in the U.S. without the required documents, the term extraordinary is not the description that comes to mind.
When I think about the shameful elimination of access to food and healthcare for many of this nation’s most vulnerable; and the blatant, in our face graft of his family and those close to him that serve at his pleasure rather than that of the American people, the term extraordinary is not the description of Trump that comes to my mind.
When I think about the people of Venezuela; the poor fishermen off the Caribbean coast he is bombing killing at will; the people of Cuba suffering from the embargo; his complicity in the Palestinian genocide, his unwarranted attack on Iran, his dogged determination to destroy the environment by allowing the helter-skelter drilling in our national parks, world heritage sites and other pristine areas only to continue enriching those that are enabling him to enrich himself, extraordinary is not the word that comes to mind.
I’d certainly be curious to know what adjective comes to your mind when you think of Donald Trump? The only aspect I consider applicable to Trump is that he is the “Most extraordinarily bad politician of our time.”
Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.