It’s Been a Rough Few Weeks for Donald Trump… and America is Still Waiting for His ‘Big Announcement’

The last several weeks have been anything but smooth for former President Donald Trump. As legal troubles, campaign stumbles, and political controversies swirl, the former Commander-in-Chief has found himself searching for a new direction—an opportunity to reclaim the spotlight and change the narrative. True to his reality-TV roots, Trump has approached this challenge not with policy or substance, but with the promise of a “big, big announcement.” In the world of Trump, sometimes the trailer is the main attraction.

A Teaser-in-Chief: Trump’s Big Announcement…About an Announcement

In a performance that could have easily graced the stage at Mar-a-Lago or, perhaps more appropriately, the set of The Apprentice, President Trump let slip:

“We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make, like as big as it gets. And I won’t tell you on what.”

One might expect a former president to display a sense of urgency or substance when delivering national news, but Trump’s approach is different—he tantalizes the public with hints and laughter, alluding to “a certain subject” that could be anything from world peace to discovering a new type of pasta. In essence, Trump’s announcement is that he will announce something at a not-yet-determined time. America waits, calendars open, but instructions are vague: “either Thursday or Friday or Monday before we leave.”

Such non-specificity hasn’t stopped the speculation, nor the jokes. If Franklin D. Roosevelt had handled national security this way, history textbooks would be much shorter. And if Trump’s track record with announcements is any indication—remember the “new healthcare plan” that was always four weeks away but never materialized?—then the suspense may outlast the announcement itself.

Renaming the World: From the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Arabian Gulf’

While the press and public awaited the next stunning headline from Palm Beach, another story began to emerge—one that is, if anything, an even stranger testament to the Trump era’s flair for the performative. According to reports, Trump planned to announce America would begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf, reflecting the preferences of America’s Gulf Arab allies and dismissing centuries of established geography as irrelevant.

It’s not Trump’s first foray into geographic rebranding—the “Gulf of Mexico” briefly reemerged as the “Gulf of America” during his presidency. Now, the apparently arbitrary power to rename distant bodies of water is part of the Trumpian playbook. Where does it stop? With the Indian Ocean reimagined as the “Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas Ocean,” or the Black Sea erased for its diversity of color? The humor is dark, but it hints at a serious issue: American exceptionalism doesn’t grant the right to redraw the map to suit political whims.

Trouble at Sea: U.S. Jets Vanish into the Red Sea

Amid all this, the U.S. military suffered a surprising and embarrassing setback: for the second time in just over a week, a U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell off an aircraft carrier and plunged into the Red Sea. Fortunately, the pilots managed to eject safely, but the losses—each jet worth roughly $70 million—raise questions about readiness, oversight, and, yes, competence.

As late-night comedians have pointed out, at this rate, America’s largest contribution to global security may be supplying expensive new homes for Red Sea pufferfish. Timely reviews and investigations are underway, but American taxpayers hope that Maverick (and his real-life counterparts) keep their planes in the sky rather than testing their submersible limits.

Tariffs, Trade, and the Barbie Dilemma

If geopolitics and military embarrassments weren’t enough, rising tariffs have found a new face: Barbie. The iconic Mattel doll, whose Dreamhouse and convertible symbolize high-gloss American childhoods, is now a casualty of Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports. Mattel is raising prices to offset increased costs, and Trump has suggested that children might need to be satisfied with “three dolls instead of thirty.” The symbolism is obvious, if a little absurd—the magic of the American marketplace, now rationed, one fashionista at a time.

Meanwhile, Trump administration alums promise future generations will enjoy “economic freedom” and a better life—even as they cut back on the frills that once defined the American girl’s toy shelf. The gap between reality and rhetoric is glaring. As one parent quipped, Barbie’s Dreamhouse has become Barbie’s nightmare—subletting with roommates and making do with a decade-old Toyota.

Waiting for the Next Act

The last several weeks perfectly encapsulate a certain strain of American political theatrics—one where announcements are made about future announcements, policy is set by renaming foreign seas, and major economic changes are illustrated by the price of a plastic doll. Trump, always keen to dominate the news cycle, continues to promise “earth-shattering, positive” developments, the details as elusive as ever.

In the meantime, real issues—economic uncertainty, military mishaps, international diplomacy—languish in the shadow of the next big tease. As history teaches us, substance matters more than spectacle, and competence is no substitute for bravado. Trump has always claimed to possess both; the coming weeks may finally put those claims to the test.

For now, America waits, TV remote in hand, for that “big, big announcement.” If the past is any guide, we’d best not hold our breath—but we definitely shouldn’t expect an extra Barbie in our stockings this Christmas.