President Donald Trump’s defenders often counsel me along these lines: Don’t listen to what Trump says; watch what he does.

But saying something is also doing something. And some things, once said, cannot be unsaid. Here are three examples:

Let’s make the point with an example that pre-dates Trump’s presidencies: During the 2016 campaign Trump bragged on the infamous Access Hollywood tape about enjoying such impunity as a celebrity that he could sexually assault women and they “let you.”

These are remarks that, not so long ago, would have ended a politician’s career immediately. But many Trump supporters rationalized them as “locker room” talk, permitting themselves to imagine that all men talk like that.

Of course, Trump may have just been bragging. He may never have exercised the impunity that he boasts about, though that seems unlikely. But the part of this that can’t be unsaid is the part that clearly depicts Trump’s attitude toward women as commodities for pleasure, and his belief that the privileges of fame, wealth and power provide a man with a pass on the common decency that we expect good people to observe.

In other words, this is who Trump is, and the fact that we’ve elected him to the presidency twice doesn’t change that. It’s no surprise that he and Jeffrey Epstein were such great pals.

Another example: Greenland. Remember Greenland? A few weeks ago, Trump was threatening to go to war with Denmark in order to acquire the icy island for the United States. But now Greenland hardly gets a mention.

Here’s what I predict will happen with Greenland: Nothing. Or we might build some airfields or ports or missile defense systems, all of which we were permitted to do, with Denmark’s likely support, before Trump raised this ruckus. In short, we’re not talking about Greenland now, and I don’t expect to hear much about it in the future.

But here’s the part that Trump cannot unsay: Once you have said that you are willing to use military force to seize territory from an ally—even if it’s “just” an ill-considered negotiating tactic—there’s no taking it back. It will take many years—if ever—for Denmark and our NATO allies to see us in quite the same way.

Here’s one more example: The Access Hollywood tape and Greenland are history, but this example has a significant bearing on the upcoming 2026 midterms.

On Feb. 1, Trump said to podcaster Dan Bongino: “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting—the voting in at least many, 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

This is, of course, way beyond differences of opinion between Republicans and Democrats about voter I.D. Nationalization of elections is clearly an unconstitutional and blatantly authoritarian move. The threat is part of Trump’s campaign to convince us that the 2020 election was rigged—it wasn’t—and that Democrats are such cheaters—they’re not—that the federal government has to step in and take control.

Is Trump really going to nationalize elections in 15 presumably Democratic-leaning states in 2026? My guess is that he will not. Such a move would be so far beyond the constitutional pale that his advisors, his lawyers, the Republican leadership or the courts might be able to dissuade him.

But here’s the part that can’t be unsaid: Once a man has expressed his willingness to nationalize elections because he fears the outcome, there’s no going back: It tells us who Trump is.

Again, his defenders say, watch what Trump does, not what he says.

The problem is that Trump has pounded the drumbeat of election fraud—without evidence—for almost a decade. Election denial is a prerequisite of admission to Trump’s cabinet and administration. He has installed election deniers in powerful positions. He has expressed his willingness to use the military to confiscate voting machines.

You see the problem: Once we see what Trump does to contest the 2026 midterms, we’ll realize, much too late, that we should have been listening to what he was saying all along.

_____

ABOUT THE WRITER

_____

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC