Judgment, Ethics and a New Writing Partner: Thoughts for the Day, September 16, 2026

A Russian oligarch's wedding gift raises questions about judgment—and a look behind the scenes at how ChatGPT is changing the way I write Thoughts for the Day.

Sometimes You Should Just Say No

Here’s a situation where I think the answer should have been pretty simple. No, thank you.

Before getting into the details, let me make something clear. I’m not accusing Donald Trump Jr. of committing a crime. I don’t know that the Russian oligarch who helped pay for his wedding celebration expected anything in return. And I have seen no evidence establishing a quid pro quo.

But that’s not the standard I’m applying.

Ethical judgment can require a higher standard than merely asking whether prosecutors can prove a crime.

Sometimes the question isn’t Is this illegal? It’s Should I be doing this in the first place?

And when you’re the son of the president of the United States and a politically connected Russian billionaire with close ties to Vladimir Putin offers to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on your wedding celebration, I think that’s exactly the question you should be asking.

Quite a Wedding Gift

Donald Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May. It was an elaborate three-day celebration spread across two private islands.

This week, ProPublica reported something about the celebration that hadn’t previously been disclosed. A Russian oligarch named Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the festivities.

According to ProPublica, Kremlev paid to rent one of the private islands, where guests stayed and one of the receptions was held. He also paid for a large fireworks display and other expenses.

After the story appeared, Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed Kremlev’s role. They described him as “our dear friend Umar” and said his contribution was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend.

Maybe that’s exactly what it was. That’s not really my problem with it.

Who Is Umar Kremlev?

This isn’t a college roommate picking up the bar tab.

Kremlev is a wealthy and politically connected Russian businessman who heads the International Boxing Association.

More importantly, he has significant ties to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s political establishment.

Putin awarded Kremlev Russia’s Order of Friendship shortly before the wedding. Kremlev was also in China as part of the Russian delegation accompanying Putin in the days leading up to Trump Jr.’s wedding. Ukraine has sanctioned Kremlev, citing his closeness to Putin and Russian security services.

Kremlev’s representatives say he and Trump Jr. are friends, that they don’t discuss politics and that there was no political motivation behind the wedding gift.

Trump Jr. and his wife have similarly rejected the suggestion that their friendship should be portrayed as political or sinister.

That may all be true.But here’s my question: Why put yourself in this position in the first place?

Donald Trump Jr. Isn’t Just Another Private Citizen.

Donald Trump Jr. doesn’t hold a position in the federal government. That’s an important distinction. But he’s also not simply another private citizen. He’s the president’s son.

He’s politically active on his father’s behalf. He has relationships throughout the Trump political organization and administration. And he’s involved in businesses and investments whose interests can intersect with government policy.

That doesn’t mean Donald Trump Jr. is responsible for his father’s foreign policy. It does mean his relationships with powerful foreign figures deserve scrutiny.

That’s one of the realities of being a member of the president’s immediate family.

I’ve Applied This Standard Before

I want to be consistent about something. I thought the appearance created by Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings while his father was vice president and later president was wrong.

I thought Hunter Biden showed poor judgment by entering into foreign business relationships that could create the appearance that his family name and proximity to political power had value.

The appearance mattered. And if I thought it mattered when the president’s name was Biden, I have to believe it matters when the president’s name is Trump.

This shouldn’t be complicated by party affiliation.

Children of presidents aren’t automatically government officials, and they shouldn’t have to give up their private lives simply because a parent occupies the White House.

But they should understand something that comes with being part of a president’s immediate family: People may want a relationship with you because of your relationship with the president. That creates a responsibility to exercise judgment about the money, gifts and business opportunities you accept.

The standard applies whether we’re talking about Hunter Biden, Donald Trump Jr. or the child of any future president: Don’t put yourself—or the president—in a position where Americans reasonably have to wonder whether a foreign interest is buying access or influence.

The Appearance Matters

Here’s where I think people sometimes misunderstand ethics. Something doesn’t have to be a bribe to be inappropriate. You don’t have to prove a quid pro quo before asking whether accepting something was a good idea. That’s especially true when we’re talking about someone reportedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars entertaining the president’s son, his bride and their guests.

Maybe Kremlev expected absolutely nothing in return. Perhaps he simply likes Donald Trump Jr. and wanted to give his friend an extraordinarily generous wedding present. But gifts create relationships. And enormous gifts create enormous questions.

Russia Makes This Different

There’s another reason this bothers me.

Russia isn’t just another country with which America occasionally disagrees.

Russia invaded Ukraine. The United States has spent years confronting Russian cyberattacks, espionage and attempts to influence American politics.

American presidents—Republican and Democratic—have had to make enormously consequential decisions involving Russia. And Vladimir Putin remains one of the most consequential foreign leaders the United States must deal with.

Would a reasonable person looking at this relationship wonder whether such an enormous gift could create influence, access or obligation?

Congress Is Asking Questions Too

This story isn’t going away immediately.

The ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has opened an inquiry into the relationship and requested documents and communications concerning Kremlev and the wedding expenses.

That inquiry doesn’t establish wrongdoing. But it demonstrates exactly why accepting the gift created a problem that could easily have been avoided.

Instead of discussing American policy toward Russia, members of Congress are now asking whether a Russian oligarch’s extraordinarily generous gift to the president’s son created a potential foreign entanglement.

Whatever the investigation ultimately finds, Donald Trump Jr. could have avoided the entire issue with four words: We can’t accept this.

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Is It Still My Blog If AI Helps Me Write It?

If you’ve noticed any difference in Thoughts for the Day since I returned from my summer break, there is a reason. I am using ChatGPT to assist in the writing of this blog.

During my summer break, I used the time to rethink the amount of time and effort I was spending on my blog. I wanted to spend more of my time conceptualizing what I was writing about and less time with the clerical functions of putting words to paper.

I looked at AI as a possible solution. I tested it out and decided to give it try.

Over the last several weeks, artificial intelligence has become an integral part of how I develop this blog. So far, I like how it is working, but I want your feedback.

The Ideas Are Still Mine

My process hasn’t changed as much as you might think. I still begin by reading.

Every day I work my way through newspapers, magazines, newsletters and Substack writers. When something catches my attention, I save it.

Sometimes it’s a major political story. Sometimes it’s economics, sports, leadership or something happening here in Michigan. Sometimes it’s simply a story that makes me stop and think. Then I ask myself the same question I’ve always asked: What do I think about this, and is there something here worth sharing?

That’s where AI has changed my process.

Instead of spending much of my writing time struggling to turn an idea into 800 or 1,000 reasonably coherent words, I can spend more time thinking about what I want those words to say.

I Provide the Direction and Desired Outcome

The best way I can describe my relationship with ChatGPT is this: I provide the direction and desired outcome. AI helps me figure out the best route to get there.

Take the article you just read.

I read multiple news articles from various sources about the Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin reportedly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on part of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration.

What interested me wasn’t simply another story involving the Trump family. The question I wanted to explore was broader: What ethical responsibility does a president’s immediate family have when accepting enormous gifts from politically connected foreign individuals?

That was my idea. I told ChatGPT what bothered me about the situation and asked it to help develop a first draft.

As I reviewed the first draft, I realized I needed to address Hunter Biden.

I had questioned the appearance created by Hunter Biden’s foreign business relationships. If I was going to criticize Donald Trump Jr., I wanted to make certain I was applying the same standard.

That led to the central idea of the article: Ethical judgment can require a higher standard than merely asking whether prosecutors can prove a crime.

That’s what I mean when I say AI has improved my writing process. It didn’t tell me what to believe. It helped me more clearly express what I already believed.

ChatGPT Challenges Me

This may be the part of using ChatGPT that has surprised me the most. It doesn’t always agree with the way I initially frame something.

• · If I make a factual statement that goes beyond what the available evidence establishes, it may suggest that I qualify it.

• · If I describe an allegation as though it were an established fact, it points out the difference.

• · If my argument would be stronger by acknowledging the other side, it tells me.

• · I’m using language that sounds more partisan than analytical, it helps me rewrite it.

I find that valuable.

“Thoughts for the Day” Should be Thought Provoking.

I have opinions and I’m not afraid to express them. But I don’t want Thoughts for the Day to be just me expressing my opinions I want to make it informative and thought provoking.

I’d much rather have someone finish an article and say: “I hadn’t thought about it that way.” AI is helping me that.

What AI Does for Me

I use ChatGPT in several ways.

• · It helps me research background information and identify facts that need verification.

• · It helps organize scattered thoughts into a logical argument.

• · It produces a first draft from the ideas and direction I provide.

• · It helps shorten something when I’ve become too wordy.

• · It identifies places where an argument needs more balance or evidence.

And perhaps most importantly, I can challenge it.

I can say, “That doesn’t sound like me.”. “You’re missing the point I’m trying to make.”. That sounds too political.”, or “I don’t like it. Try again.” And it does.

What AI Doesn’t Do

There is another side of this that I think is important. ChatGPT doesn’t decide what goes into Thoughts for the Day. It doesn’t decide what I believe. It doesn’t decide whether the final article accurately represents my views.

I read it. I change it. I question it. I add things. I delete things. Sometimes I reject entire sections.

The final product is all mine.

Is This Cheating?

I’ve actually wondered about that.

If someone else—or something else—helps produce the words, are they still my words? I’ve decided I’m comfortable with the answer.

Writers have always used tools.

• · We went from typewriters to word processors.

• · Spell-check corrected our spelling.

• · Grammar programs improved our sentences.

• · Google dramatically changed how we research.

• · Editors have always helped writers organize thoughts and improve prose.

AI is certainly a much more powerful tool than any of those. But I think the fundamental question remains the same: Who is doing the thinking?

I come to the process with the subject, the questions, the argument and usually the conclusion. AI helps me develop those ideas into a better piece of writing.

Something Else Has Changed

There has been another benefit I didn’t anticipate. I’m spending more of my time thinking and less of my time producing words.

For me, that’s a very good trade. Writing 1,000 words takes time. Organizing them takes time. Rewriting awkward paragraphs takes time.Finding the right transition takes time.

Those things are necessary, but they aren’t necessarily the most valuable part of writing. The most valuable part is deciding what you actually have to say.

AI has shifted more of my time toward that part of the process. I can focus on the big-picture concept, challenge my own assumptions, look for weaknesses in my argument and think more carefully about the message I’m trying to communicate.

The result, at least from my perspective, is that Thoughts for the Day has become more thought-provoking, better organized and somewhat less politically biased.

However, I’m not the best person to judge.

So I’m Asking You

Have you noticed a difference? Do you think the writing is better? Are the arguments clearer? Does the blog seem more balanced—or less? Does it still sound like me?

And perhaps the most interesting question: Does knowing that I use artificial intelligence as part of the writing process change how you feel about what you’re reading? Don’t worry about hurting my feelings.

What do you think? Please provide your response in the comment section of the blog.

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Quote of the Day: “The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.” — Gustave Flaubert

Orchid of the Day: Readers of Thoughts for the Day.

You read it, challenge me, disagree with me, encourage me and occasionally tell me I’m full of it. That’s exactly what I want.

A blog called Thoughts for the Day shouldn’t end the conversation. It should start one.

Onion of the Day: Using artificial intelligence as a substitute for thinking.

AI can research, organize, draft, edit and challenge. What it shouldn’t do is relieve us of the responsibility to think for ourselves. If we simply ask a computer what we should believe and accept the answer, we’ve missed the point of this extraordinary technology.

AI should make us better thinkers—not replace the need to think.

Question of the Day:Has my increased use of ChatGPT made Thoughts for the Day better, worse—or simply different?

Please provide your response in the comment section of the blog.

Lyrics of the Day: “You may say I’m a dreamer.”

If you know the song and artist, please leave your answer in the comments below.

Answer to Lyrics of the Day, September 16, 2026: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones

Video of the Day: Calls of the Game: Detroit stops New Orleans’ 2-point attempt to secure 31-30 win | Lions vs Saints