Results Don’t Lie: Why My Judgment Changed
By Bob Maxwell, Founder & Publisher, Veterans World Magazine
I owe our readers an honest explanation.
When Donald Trump was reelected, Veterans World Magazine published a cover welcoming him back as Commander in Chief. I supported him because I wanted stronger leadership, a more affordable life for American families, and a country that kept its promises to those who serve.
Today, I can no longer defend that support.
Changing my judgment requires acknowledging my own earlier decision. I made it. I take responsibility for it. But supporting someone does not obligate me to keep defending their performance when the results fail to meet the promises.
And around here, we have a simple standard: Results Don’t Lie.
Look at the war with Iran. Americans deserve a clear explanation of what we are trying to accomplish, what success means, and how this conflict will end. Instead, I see a president moving between threats of renewed attacks and optimistic statements about negotiations while a lasting settlement remains out of reach. Talks are taking place, but talks alone do not establish that the strategy is working.
As an Air Force Veteran, I take that personally. When our country commits its military, the people carrying out those orders deserve clear objectives, adequate resources, and leadership accountable for the consequences. Their families deserve more than uncertainty.
Winning requires defining an achievable objective. Ending a war requires a serious strategy for a durable peace. Negotiation can be part of that strategy. What I cannot accept is an approach that leaves Americans struggling to understand the mission while our service members bear the risk.
Then there is the cost of everyday life.
We heard promises of relief at the gas pump. Yet an October 26 Reuters report, citing AAA data, found that average gasoline prices across Trump’s second term had edged above the average during Biden’s presidency. That comparison does not explain every movement in fuel prices, but it certainly challenges the promise of cheaper gasoline.
At the grocery store, the gap between promises and results is just as difficult to dismiss. Reuters reported in August that a basket of 26 grocery categories featured in Trump’s 2024 campaign display had risen 3.4% during the first 19 months of his second term. Some items had fallen, but most cost more.
No president controls every price. Global markets, supply disruptions, and business decisions matter. But a president who campaigns on lowering costs must answer for the results—and for policies that affect those costs.
Families cannot pay their bills with campaign slogans. Veterans living on fixed incomes cannot stretch their budgets with another declaration that everything is going wonderfully.
To readers who still support President Trump: I respect your right to reach a different conclusion. I ask that you understand mine. My responsibility as publisher is to tell you honestly where I stand and why.
I wanted him to succeed. I wanted those promises fulfilled. I no longer believe his performance deserves my defense.
Our magazine must be willing to question any president, challenge any party, and acknowledge when our own expectations were misplaced.
My support was never a blank check. It cannot become one now.
Results Don’t Lie. And we will not look away from them.
Like I stated on the cover for the Cover of Veterans World Magazine, I put him on, originally said, “Welcome back, Commander in Chief.” Now that my eyes are wide open and not clouded by words that mean nothing to me anymore, I want action, so I changed the words on the cover of the magazine to read: “What does the future hold now? ” With everything that’s been happening in his second term, I seriously question his integrity, ability, transparency, and honesty. I have never seen a person waver so much. He says one thing and then turns right around and changes his mind or says something else, just as if the initial words from him were never said. It’s just things that make you say, “hmmmm.” How can there be trust after all these types of actions? It’s like breaking a glass and then gluing it back together again. Yes, it may hold water, but it’s never going to be the same. Unfortunately, this is what we’re faced with now. It’s time to take responsibility for the words that come out of his mouth and own up to those words, whether they’re right or wrong. If you say them, own them. Don’t blame somebody else for your shortcomings. Now he’s blaming the Republican candidates for the loss, and what he doesn’t get is that it was not them, it was him. The people are sick and tired of false promises, words that mean nothing, and no results, because, as we all know now, and I constantly say, “Results Don’t Lie”.
Bob Maxwell
Founder & Publisher
Veterans World Magazine
