Hypocrisy and Corruption: Rampant Edition
The Trump regime is pulling out all the stops, showing America its true colors – and they’re not red, white, and blue. They’re green and gold. It’s time to stop the graft and hypocrisy.
A Pitiful Saga of South African Refugees
Kicking off today’s continued lowering of the credibility bar of the Trump Administration, 59 white people South Africans were granted entrance as refugees from all the discrimination they were facing as the unfortunate victims of racial violence.
They landed at Washington Dulles International Airport (luckily missing one or two military helicopters piloted no doubt by Black people), making a controversial exception to the United States’ near-total suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program since Trump took office. The plane they flew in on was a chartered aircraft from the U.S. State Department, allowing them to be resettled in the U.S. as refugees.
The regime justified granting these poor, persecuted White people (who somehow found decent clothes to wear and were packing carry-on luggage) who bypassed all normal channels of application, consideration, paperwork, and other immigration things, to escape the genocide-level vast number 3 to 32 to 50 approximate total murders of farmers in South Africa in 2024. Depending on what source you believe.
They were greeted in a prepared reception area adorned with Red, White, and Blue balloons, flags, and other U.S. paraphernalia.
Of course, Elon Musk was part of the chorus praising the move by the United States, and certainly had no influence over President Trump as a $300 million campaign donor in the decision to open the welcome wagon fully for these emigrants.
Peeling off the Sarcasm to the Scathing Criticism, Well Deserved
Now let me give you my unvarnished take: This was a nauseating display of blatant favoritism, where the Trump administration flung open the gates of America to 59 white South Africans, plucked from the clutches of their supposedly "genocidal" homeland—a nation infamous for its rancid history of apartheid and white supremacy, lacking any objective evidence or data to support the justification for their admission.
While refugees from war-torn, brown-skinned countries like Haiti and Afghanistan are left to rot in limbo, these Afrikaners, dripping with privilege and clutching their tales of "racial persecution," were fast-tracked into the U.S. on a silver platter, courtesy of a free plane ride in great conditions paid for by our Marco Rubio-run State Department. This, while CECOT is still likely getting more U.S. prisoners being denied habeas corpus, is a terrifying display of amateurish, hand-picked, nepotistic bullshit.
All of this, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s whining and Trump’s dog-whistle obsession with “white genocide,” this grotesque stunt reeks of a MAGA fever dream, cherry-picking pale farmers from a country where they still own 75% of the land while Black South Africans scrape by. It’s a vile, racist middle finger to every desperate soul denied entry, wrapped in a flimsy lie about fairness and sprinkled with the rancid hypocrisy of a nation that claims to value justice.
The Republican “Big, Beautiful” Ginormous, Horrific Tax Bill
Mike Johnson, who I might remind readers was a giant nobody zit-of-a-Congressman just 1 year, 6 months, and 20 days ago, is now pushing a bill that touts a $880 billion cut to Medicaid and the ACA (Obamacare) by targeting “waste, fraud, and abuse” without actually showing there is waste, fraud, or abuse.
In an all-too-typical display of working backwards from a prescribed answer, Republicans have unveiled this version of the “big, beautiful” bill the Cheeto Chinchilla called for and are moving forward with round-the-clock hearings on sections of the bill before they put it back on the table to be Frankensteined back together in what will become an enormous tax and spend package.
The $880 billion, or the answer to a problem in search of a solution, was put on the table under the presumption that the dollar amount would offset the Trump regime v1 tax bill, the Tax Cut and Job Act (TCJA) from 2017, which included a massive tax cut for the ultra-wealthy which will expire at the end of 2025 if Congress takes no action.
The fact Trump campaigned on (among almost every other promise he could make to sway undecided voters that no matter their problem, he was their solution) not touching Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid, it appears the deaf and blind House Energy and Commerce Committee has exercised Congressional selective hearing and seeing and went ahead with massive changes that could leave 8.6 million people without health care.
On the faux compassionate side, Republicans are now so desperate to get Americans pumping out new babies that they have proposed a “MAGA” savings account for children, which will most definitely not lower in any meaningful way the costs of raising all of those rugrats, but will pay $1,000 in tax deferred seed money from the government. Perhaps the nicknaming of it as “MAGA” savings indicates the level of stupidity required to believe this will help parents of shiny new children raise those kids, who would be able to add up to $5,000 in tax-deferred money to each account per year.
Prez Loves the Qatari Heat and Flying Palaces
King Donald the Grand Cheeto started his day today in Saudi Arabia, where yesterday he touted more than a bazillion dollars in new investment from the Saudi government, which isn’t really true, it was really $1 trillion $600 million $400 million $5.36 after fees from Donny’s Scammy Crypto Stablecoin Exchange where all deals will be facilitated for American businesses after he’s vetted them for fentanyl trafficking, which is such a huge deal right now because we all know Dapper Diaper Don loves all of us little people so much he’s taken up the cause of drug abuse after his clearly drug free life and demonstrated habits of healthy living.
But seriously, yesterday Trump announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria during a speech in Saudi Arabia, which was a huge deal because we’d been sanctioning the crap out of them. This decision, made at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, aims to support Syria’s new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who seized power violently in December 2024 after rebel groups overthrew longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. The move is intended to stabilize Syria, encourage economic recovery, and counter Iranian and Russian influence, with Trump describing it as giving Syria “a chance at greatness.” He met al-Sharaa on May 14, 2025, in Riyadh, urging him to normalize relations with Israel, eject Palestinian groups, and prevent ISIS resurgence.None of which is guaranteed to happen, of course, with all of this unsanctioning and deal-making, because this isn’t a matter of U.S. interests, it’s a matter of Donald Trump’s enrichment.
We can’t talk about the Middle East trip without mentioning his visit to Qatar, the very rich Middle East country, with an extra 747s just lying around, which coincidentally Trump is all ga-ga about and has been whining about since his first regime in 2017. He toured the plane when it was on the tarmac a few months ago in the United States, apparently bedazzled by all of its bejeweledness.
But wow, is it hot there. Given the time Donnie spends at Motel-a-lago in Florida, though, we think he (like most cold-blooded creatures) likes it hot, and Qatar will not disappoint. We can only hope that the eternity Dear Leader will spend in a similar climate in the Underworld will be much, much warmer and more humid.
Back to the jumbo jet, he was quoted dumbsplaining the gift was actually from Qatar to him the Pentagon in a really illegal, constitutionally prohibited, totally fine way as stated by Department of Justice Attorney General Pam “Bar-bimbo” Bondi. She has no issue with the transaction, possibly because she missed an entire year of law school where they teach things like Constitutional Law. The transaction also includes the transfer of ownership of the plane to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation after Trump leaves office, for what can only be his optimistic hope that those Big Macs won’t have caught up with his cardiac system by then. At that point he and his soon-to-be fatherless son Barron can fly around the world on a whim at our expense. (The library will be filled with books containing all the wisdom from The Art of the Schpiegel, which young kids will read for generations to come with riveted fascination):
“If I wanted to, I could, you know, hurt Boeing, and I don’t want to hurt Boeing, but they are very late with the plane, and Qatar heard about it, and he’s a great leader. And we were talking, and he said, ‘If I can help you, let me do that.’ And they had a plane. Not a new plane at all, but they had a plane,” the president said in an interview that aired today on Fox News.
The plane, though, is a real deal for the United States. And as you can read from the quote, apparently Old Man Don doesn’t know that Qatar is a country, not some dude in an Arab getup (“He’s a great leader”).
At a value of $400 million, it comes loaded with a pile of Qatar’s most advanced bugs, most notably in the gold-plated bathrooms aboard which Trump’s Department of Tart-Uppery absolutely requires. The United States will only have to spend about $700 million upgrading its body with anti-radiation shielding, new communications equipment, and security communications so the President can talk safely to his billionaire business partners politically incorruptible appointees, whenever he wants.
That’s just the beginning of the transformation the plane will have to undergo. In short, Boeing (which has a great track record of getting stuff to work on time and on budget) will have to rip it down to its rivets and reassemble it. The $700 million estimate is in true government form, meaning we’ll probably end up paying $83 billion for the conversion, which will be done in time for the President’s Military Parade and Grand Funeral in 2029 during his third term in office.
The Librarians Kick Ass
When the Trump regime initiated a controversial attempt to overhaul the leadership of the Library of Congress, a legislative branch institution, Stephen Miller almost devolved back into the Underworld Shit Demon he is, while Russell Voight nearly had call Kristi Noem to go recreational dog-shooting cosplaying a super-mean ICE man to de-stress, rather than taking some Xanax herbal meds to calm down.
The resistance episode that sparked the standoff with the Library’s staff raised concerns about the separation of powers, such as the illegitimate (and repeated) overreach of the Executive branch into areas where it ought not be operating, e.g., the Legislative branch.
The conflict began with the abrupt firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden (who coincidentally just happens to be Black), citing her DEI efforts, on May 8, followed by the appointment of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (who is not-so-coincidentally super-White) as acting librarian on May 12.
Two other Trump loyalists appointees, Paul Perkins and Brian Nieves, were named to top roles but were denied entry by library staff, who refused to recognize either of their illegitimate claims of appointment.
The Library staff, however, keep right on recognizing Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, as the acting head. This resistance, backed by congressional scrutiny, actually created some tensions between the regime and Congress, with staff actions and legal questions thwarting the administration’s immediate control.
This situation is still unfolding, and as we get more details on how the showdown between the federal branches of government takes shape, we’ll share them with you.
That’s a Wrap
We’ve covered hypocrisy in detail today, and hopefully you’ll find it inspiring enough (and definitely factual enough, minus the snarkiness) to get you to call your congressman or contact your media outlets. I’ve listed the contact numbers for the Mainstream Media (MSM) below, just above the sources and citations for the article where you’re welcome to explore more details on any of the topics we’ve covered here today.
Our biggest question to our great readers out there today is: What do you think it’s going to take to get rid of this systemic hypocrisy, corruption, and outright defiance of the Constitution (in terms of accepting the Qatar 747 – even if it’s routed through legal channels to make it appear “acceptable”)?
We want to hear from you. If you like, please indicate, comment, and RESTACK this article if you want. It’s extremely helpful to us to expand our reader base and get the word out to more Daily readers.
I’m grateful for your time and attention to read the Adverse Action Daily. We’re always looking to improve, and if you have questions or comments, you can leave them below, or contact us directly via DM on Substack, or directly through email at rick@adverseaction.org.
I close today with a request I will continue to make: Please mind your mental health during these times of outrageous abuse of power and abundance of corruption, no matter how it’s spun. The stress can become intense, and it requires us to take a step back each day (sometimes multiple times a day) to relax, disconnect from our digital footprint, and do something completely different.
I suggest considering an outdoor walk, or if the weather or your schedule doesn’t permit it, at least some indoor time by yourself, isolated from the noise of demands upon your time. It can be a small commitment, and make a huge difference.
I hope you’ll at least consider doing that today for 20-30 minutes. May your Wednesday be starting off well, and your day go forward with positive things in store.
Be Well.
Rick Herbst
May 14, 2025
CITATIONS / SOURCES
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crljn5046epo
https://www.newsweek.com/episcopal-church-rebukes-trump-afrikaners-south-africa-refugees-2071124
https://www.agrilimpopo.co.za/13-farm-attacks-1-farm-murders-in-south-africa-february-2024/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_farm_attacks
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/14/text
https://www.wsj.com/politics/gop-tax-bill-speaker-mike-johnson-01456ff6?mod=hp_lead_pos4
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/mike_johnson/412706
https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-middle-east-news-05-13-25
https://apnews.com/article/trump-qatar-gift-jet-air-force-one-7f9afb461c6b3ac16fca3bb0973715ff
https://www.mobilize.us/citizenactionny/event/768379/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/12/trump-qatar-747-gift-security/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/14/trump-saudi-arabia-qatar/
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/politics/gop-senators-trump-plane-qatar
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/11/politics/trump-luxury-jet-qatar-air-force-one
https://www.thedailybeast.com/library-of-congress-staff-mount-standoff-against-new-bosses/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/trump-library-of-congress.html?searchResultPosition=2
What those “dreadfully abused refugees” don’t know yet is that he now owns them. They will be his cover. They will be subject to more hate crimes here than they were at home.
So totally f**ked I can’t bare this whole incident. (I say that every time the person who is in the Oval Office says or does anything. The only thing worse than him is ourGOP