On Tuesday evening, the White House announced President Donald Trump had issued the first vetoes of his second term in office.

One of them was against the Finish Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, a bill that provides funding for a long-term project to bring safe drinking waters to 50,000 people in communities on Colorado’s Eastern Plains. The bipartisan bill had passed both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate unanimously.

In a statement, Trump claimed the veto was to prevent taxpayers from “funding expensive and unreliable policies” but the bill would have cost the federal government less than half a million dollars. We all know what this really was about. This was yet another example in a long list of Trump’s petty revenge against political opponents.

The Finish Arkansas Valley Conduit Act was sponsored by congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a longtime former Trump ally who broke from the herd as one of four Republicans who signed a discharge petition to force a House vote on releasing all the documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. This led to the eventual passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law on Nov. 19.

“I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics,” Boebert said, adding “This isn’t over.”

Colorado also has drawn Trump’s ire for its conviction of clerk Tina Peters, an election denier who was charged with a security breach for using someone else’s security badge to give unauthorized access to the Mesa County election system. She was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. Citing Peters’ lack of remorse and “immeasurable damage” she had caused to local elections, Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced Peters to nine years in prison on Oct. 3, 2024.

Trump attempted to pardon Peters, but the president only has the ability to pardon federal crimes. Peters was convicted by the state of Colorado and Gov. Jared Polis — the only person with the ability to pardon Peters — has expressed zero interest in doing so. Unsurprisingly, just hours after Trump’s veto of the FAVCA, Trump posted on Truth Social saying Polis and Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein (a Republican) should “rot in hell” over Peters’ incarceration.

This is yet another in a long list of petty acts performed by Trump while in office. Here’s a few of the worst examples:

Attempting to hide the USS John McCain

During Trump’s state visit to Japan in 2019, a request was made to the US Navy to move the warship USS John S. McCain “out of sight.” The ship had been named after the father and grandfather of the late Sen. John McCain, a Trump critic who had cast the deciding vote to prevent the repeal of the Affordable Care Act during Trump’s first term in office. Sailors on the ship, who typically wear caps bearing its name, were given the day off during Trump’s visit.

Banning a former intel chief from attending dog’s graduation ceremony

James Clapper, 84, former director of national intelligence under the Obama administration, sponsored the CIA training program for “Susan.” Susan was yellow Lab who completed the training to become a certified detection K9, a dog capable of locating concealed explosives. Clapper named her after his late wife Susan, who died in 2023. In advance of the dog’s graduation ceremony earlier this year at a CIA training facility in Herndon, Virginia, Clapper was informed the day before the event that his name had been removed from the guest list, per executive order of the president of the United States. Trump blames Clapper for testifying about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Firing Andrew McCabe two days before his pension

Andrew McCabe was a former deputy FBI director under Trump during Trump’s first term in office. McCabe had been elevated to the role of acting FBI director after Trump fired James Comey in May 2017. Back then, the FBI was an independent organization. Under McCabe’s leadership, a criminal inquiry was opened focusing on whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey. A separate counterintelligence probe sought to determine whether Trump was acting on behalf of the Russian government. Ten months later, less than two days before he was set to formally retire and earn a pension, McCabe was fired. McCabe sued the Department of Justice and the FBI over his firing, accusing the agencies of bowing to political pressure from Trump. His pension was later reinstated and his lawyer fees were paid in a settlement.

Timing a noisy flyover while Epstein victims spoke outside the US Capital Building

A nationally-televised news conference was held Sept. 3 where victims of Jeffrey Epstein urged Congress to release the Epstein sex trafficking files. During the conference, a military flyover featuring four F-35 Lighting II and four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, was held at low altitude over the US Capital Complex. The conference featured several Epstein accusers, some of them stepping forward for the first time to pressure Congress to make the Epstein files public. While the jets roared overhead, several event attendees looked skyward and shook their heads in disbelief. The noise of the jets drowned out the voices and interrupted several of the planned speakers. The White House claimed the rare flyover was held for Polish President Karol Nawrocki, but it was one hell of a coincidence.

The Biden autopen portrait and walk of fame plaques

This example stoops from pettiness to downright elementary school playground childishness. Trump added a Presidential Walk of Fame to the exterior of the White House in September. It featured portraits of each of the former presidents — except for one. Instead of a headshot of Joe Biden, Trump instead hung a photo of an autopen signing Biden’s name, a reference to Trump’s allegation that Biden was incapable of making his own decisions during his four year term as president. The plaques that accompany the Walk of Fame are equally vindictive and full of misinformation. Biden’s says he took office “as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen.” Obama’s plaque calls him “one of the most divisive political figures in American History.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted many of the plaques were written directly by Trump.

I don’t know about you, but I remember when the office of presidency had an air of dignity. I remember being proud of the way the U.S. president acted and spoke, regardless of the political party they represented. I remember when the big scandal of the day was Obama wearing a mustard-color suit. This petty, vindictive behavior of Trump is beneath the office and if this congress has any spine whatsoever, they will override Trump’s veto.