Bill Press: 2026 is no happy new year

Bill Press, Tribune Content Agency on Jan 8, 2026

I’d like to kick off 2026 by wishing everybody a happy new year, but I can’t.

It’s no happy new year when a president of the United States openly breaks domestic and international law by invading another country that poses no national security threat to the United States, killing innocent civilians, kidnapping its president and first lady – and lying to the American people about it.

It’s no happy new year when, on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, a president of the United States issues a statement from the White House praising 1,600 armed rioters who stormed the U. S. Capitol as “patriots” and then blaming Democrats and Capitol Hill police officers for starting the assault.

It's no happy new year when an American citizen in Minneapolis is murdered by an ICE agent while simply trying to drive away from the scene, and a president of the United States, without any evidence, calls her a “professional agitator” who was “very disorderly,” and accuses her of “running over” an ICE officer, which she clearly did not do.

And, may I remind you, we’re barely one week into 2026.

By any definition, we are now a country in utter chaos. There are no rules. If there are, there’s no one to enforce them. There’s no law. If so, there’s no one, courts or Congress, willing to uphold the law. There’s no truth. But only a continuing cascade of big lies. So many colossal lies, repeated so often, as Hitler proved with his “Big Lie” theory, that a clueless populace starts to believe them.

For those who still believe in the rule of law and the primacy of truth, the challenge is how to respond to Trump’s daily, reckless, illegal actions. Unfortunately, Steve Bannon’s “flood the zone” strategy is working. We hardly have time to respond to the latest Trump outrage before he drops another one. But we can and must hold him responsible for each and every outrage – and make sure the American people know how dangerous he is.

Let’s start with this week. There’s no justification for Trump’s invasion of Venezuela. Period. It’s a total violation of international law, including treaties which the United States has ratified. Venezuela is no national security threat to the United States. Venezuela has never attacked any American citizens or property. Venezuela’s responsible for only a tiny sliver of illegal drugs coming into the United States. There’s no way Trump can justify blowing up small boats off the coast of Venezuela, seizing its oil tankers or kidnapping its admittedly illegally elected leader as a matter of self-defense.

It's also, of course, a total repudiation of his campaign promises to focus on “America First,” to avoid “endless foreign wars,” and, especially, not to engage in any “regime change.” Promises made, promises broken. Like Vietnam, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq, here we go with another ill-fated U.S. attempt at regime change, this one all Donald Trump’s.

And, as it turns out, it’s not about trafficking in illegal drugs, as Trump first declared. It’s all about oil. Trump admits he talked to American oil companies before and after attacking Venezuela – while keeping Congress in the dark. Wednesday’s New York Times headline blared: “Chevron Set to Reel in Big Rewards in Venezuela.” And you can bet that, somehow, the Trump crime family will get a slice of those profits.

This January 6, Trump, again, blatantly lied about the 2020 election being stolen. But blaming Capitol Hill police officers, who responded on Jan. 6, 2021, five of whom lost their lives, with "provocative ta ctics" and turning "a peaceful demonstration into chaos" is a new low, even for Donald Trump.

As quick as he was to blame Capitol Hill police for starting a riot, Trump was even quicker to defend ICE officers in Minneapolis for murdering an innocent American woman, Renee Nicole Good – contradicting reports by state and local law enforcement officials and ignoring the evidence seen on video by millions of Americans.

If you think you see a common thread here, you’re right. Three events this week unmask the essence of the Trump regime: Might makes right. We have the power and we have the right to exercise it anyhow, anywhere, any time we want – against perceived enemies at home or abroad – regardless of the law – and by violence, if necessary. For him, violence is good.

I fear for my country. This year will not be a happy year until we block this monster in the November midterms. I hope we still have a country left by then.

(Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of 10 books, including: “From the Left: My Life in the Crossfire.” His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter @billpresspod and on BlueSky @BillPress.bsky.social.)