First, a couple of general points.  There is far too much political hatred in the USA. It’s foolish. We should be far beyond the Alexander Hamilton-Aaron Burr cycle. But we’re not.

I mean, who cares if someone is conservative or liberal? That’s a civil right. The important thing is how you present yourself.  If you’re an arrogant deceiver, scorn is in context. But sincere beliefs should be respected unless violence is attached to them. The Nazis were true believers.  However, there’s no room for destruction in advancing your cause.

My job is to call out deceit in a fact-based way. My target in this column is New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. Sorry, Tom, but you deserve it.

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Unlike many opinion scribes, Friedman has an impressive frame of reference. But he’s an ardent liberal who despises Donald Trump. His right.

But where Friedman goes terribly wrong is using his platform to evade and mislead. In a recent column entitled “Two Nations, Two Democracies at Stake,” old Tom eviscerates Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu but saves his true ire for President Trump.

Friedman writes: “Trump is the most un-American president in my lifetime … if Trump’s party prevails in November, his multifront effort to undermine America’s democratic institutions and the rule of law would almost surely go into a whole new gear.”

Wow.  One ticket for Bermuda, please.

Tom Friedman then brings out some artillery as backup: the Protect Democracy organization.

Who?  Tom neglects to tell us.  

The Protect Democracy group is anti-Trump all the way. They loathe him.  They have filed a bevy of lawsuits against MAGA people. Friedman could have mentioned that to his readers.  He did not. This is called sleight of hand.

And how about “undermining” democratic institutions?  Millions of Americans believe the President is doing that, aided by the GOP.  Fine.  Another protected opinion.

But Thomas Friedman runs down the sidelines waving his liberal flag while never even mentioning that his team, the Democratic Party, may have topped Donald Trump big time in the undermining sweepstakes. Here’s a partial checklist that Friedman might consider but won’t.

- The Dems have not criticized their radical left compadres for advocating open borders and blanket amnesty for migrants without documentation.

- The party generally favors adding Justices to the Supreme Court as well as abolishing the electoral vote so urban areas could call the shots in the presidential election.  Also, Dems want two senators each for DC and Puerto Rico, both leftist enclaves.

- Dems oppose voter ID and tightening up the voting process.

- Add to that a wealth tax, universal health care without private options, a surrender to Iran, no limits on abortion, massive entitlement spending with little oversight (hello Minnesota), and the diminishment of police agencies across the country.  All fine with the left.

Undermining?  Geez.  As Aretha Franklin once sang, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”

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This is not a pro-Trump column. He obviously sees America differently than the leftists do.  However, his fortunes in November should depend on what is really happening in this country, not propaganda and mindless ideology.

The regular folks are getting hammered in the marketplace right now. According to estimates shared by Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi, the average American household is paying $2,000 more year-to-year for essentials.  Painful. That’s the main issue on November 3.

But let me ask you a simple question: Is the two grand worth what the Democrats are offering?  Higher taxes, social mayhem. Yes, I am taking a hard look at the party and what it is willing to accept.  

Based on reality, my voting decision in the land of “undermining” is clear.  So is Tom Friedman’s.

How about you?

So President Trump made headlines as he does every single day of his life by lowering the tariffs on Russian diesel fuel. Why?? https://t.co/YZDkd0J48A

— Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) October 17, 2026