The Atlantic has taken the title of this newsletter to publish “A Warning” about the possibility of a second term for Donald Trump for its January/February 2024 edition. Twenty-four writers discuss what this might look like. The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg pondered what a tragedy and national disaster a second Trump term would bring to America. Curiously, he cited his colleague Tom Nichols’ declaration that Donald Trump had recently crossed a line of some sort that marks him officially a fascist. The truth is that Donald Trump has always been a fascist. It has been obvious for a long time.
Trump gets up on stage and claims that Joe Biden and the Democrats are the fascists + communists. All the while projecting that that is who he is. And it has taken 8 years for the media to finally start calling a spade a spade. The MSM has been asleep at the wheel calling his outright lies 'untruths' or stretching the truth. That is in the same vein as Kellyanne calling Trump World 'alternative facts'.
It's either black or white in this debate. There is no grey.
And to the people who support Trump - What the hell is the matter with you people? Are you ignorant, stupid, gullible or in love with a lying old fat piece of shit. Whatever it is - wake the hell up
Not even remotely true. Look at Trump's Turning Point and Veterans' Day Speeches. What do you do to "vermin", the name Hitler called Jews? Exterminate them. Pure Hitler.
Ha, well Trump supporters are routinely called much worse... but you are good with that right?
I mean look at what the Democrat establishment is writing. Calls for more riots and violence and Democracy destroying political power abuses when Trump wins.
By the way, the correct word is "fanaticism." (LOL) You know, like the J6, 2021, fascistic riot, instigated by your cohorts lies. Let's look for proof that Dems are fascistic. Help me with the research, please. When did a Democrat president and his minions instigate a seditious riot at the Capitol? When did a Democrat president advocate a fake elector's coup d’état? When did a Democrat president browbeat his vice-president ("You're to honest.") to overturn an election? When did over 140 congressional Democrats refuse to certify an election? I'll wait, because you must have some reason to continue supporting your cohorts, a party chock-full of fanatical seditionists, running for the presidency by running AGAINST the Constitution and the rule of law. Never mind. Bye 👋
Seems like there are other words we should use to define this. Hysterical. Hyperbolic.
Intellectually dishonest. And certainly language corrupted.
Jan 6 was a protest over election irregularities by people that thought the Democrats cheated. The Twitter Files prove that the Democrats cheated. Now take your pills and don't miss your next therapy appointment.
MAGA projection. Seems like you have come up with words that accurately describe the verbiage of a MAGA rally and Trump campaign speeches. Oh, and haven't seen the Twitter Files advanced as a defense for J6 seditious rioters. Wonder why? A few adjectives you missed: MAGA is fascistic, illiberal and profoundly dangerous to the American republic.
I can’t imagine how it will be exactly, the push back on trumps more and more obvious political and personal demise will be spectacularly obvious in a few months. Enough? I think it will get attention. The bigger problem for the Biden team are third party candidates made to siphon vote from the party of the big D. Candidates like Schmidt’s Phillips. Kennedy is another although he’s been quiet , lately. The actual R party seems very sluggish but will likely be rid of Trump. SCOTUS will be forced to rule on the luck 13th amendment. They have to uphold this no brainer amendment. That ruling if wring would be the tearing of the constitution. The entire institution hasn’t be bought and paid for yet.
And to the people who support Trump - What the hell is the matter with you people? Are you ignorant, stupid, gullible or in love with a lying old fat piece of shit. It's not Trump himself that's the biggest problem, but the fact that they don't see him as a lying old fat pos.
“Vice President Dick Cheney has called Donald Trump the single most dangerous American who has ever lived. He is an enemy of the American republic and a leader of an American extremist movement that is antithetical to Americanism.”
Wow! When the most despicable and vile person to ever exist after Kissinger, tells you the Trump is the “single most dangerous American to ever live,” then we should definitely take Cheney at his word. After all, he would know.
Prior to Trump, and even after Nixon (watergate), and Reagan (Iran/Contra), the world’s most destructive and dangerous fascist regime emerged; wielding unprecedented power never seen before in American History. The threatened the media if it printed the truth about the Iraqi intelligence. They spied on American’s. They passed the Patriot Act (unconstitutional), 2000 page document that was miraculously created and passed in two weeks. Clearly, it was sitting on a shelf just waiting for the right opportunity to eradicate American civil liberties.
They manufactured a war that cost trillions and led to the deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi’s; not to mention, the torture programs, the creation of Homeland Security, which is a colossal disaster, made up of mostly military contractors, continuing to milk the American taxpayer for penny they can extract. And a group of political appointees that have to navigate a minefield, just to figure out who’s actually in charge of what!
Yes, when Cheney speaks, we all should listen. After all, it takes evil to truly know what evil is capable of....:)
What did “the Left” have to do with Cheney’s statement? Nothing. But for people without principles or an understanding of this country’s history and founding, I guess any one who opposes Trump must be part of the dreaded “Left.” Newsflash: even some Republicans have principles.
You guys love to lose negative labels to brand those that have different political opinions. But the term "fascism" applies to the Biden Administration and Democrats significantly greater than it does the Trump platform.
Just look at his profile and other ridiculous responses from him. Don't waste your time. He doesn't belong in The Warning community. He's everything Steve has already lamented about as far as brainwashed MAGA.
When I was a small child bomb shelters were thought to be a necessity by some. I am getting the jackhammer ready to go deep in my basement if Trump returns to power. The grown-ups thought missles in Cuba was alarming then now I am the grown-up and missles don't scare me half as much as a second Trump presidency.
Steve, in this youtube where you talk about the citizens' 'submission', the process of giving up their agency, and the reasons why, gets underneath all this havoc going on. We need to understand how and why people give up their agency in order to take our lives back. I talked about cult-indoctrination tactics in the past here on the Warning. I appreciate your approach very much. Please keep educating about this in your powerful way and use this word 'submission'. Also, your youtube yesterday (Lindsey/ immigration) was deeply moving and humanizing. I appreciate the photo and comments about the children. Powerful work here! Thank you, Lisa
I'm curious what Steve and the others here think about the following concern I have about what I think is a probable scenario if Trump is elected. We know there will be protests after Trump's inauguration, given the extremist plans he promises to take in the first day or so of gaining power. He wants to invoke the insurrection act to send the military to attack protestors, but not because he doesn't want any protests. I think that he *wants* big protests with at least some violence in order to (1) justify martial law and an iron-fist response, (2) portray his enemies as violent and conflate the worst of the protestors' behavior with any dissenter of his rule, and (3) demonstrate that he is a "law and order" leader to gather support amongst Americans alarmed at FoxNews depictions of violent protests. I think the extremists running the Republican party crave an iron-fist ruler putting liberal protestors in their place in precisely the same way that Iran's IRGC puts down protests, in a never ending cycle of stoking protests and attacking protestors.
What will our military do, if Trump is elected (though that would be invalid since he doesn't qualify). I hope they are planning something as they have to defend the Constitution and keep Democracy.
Biden needs to team up with the military ahead of time and block an autocrat from usurping Democracy. We need out of the box solutions, not just give in. Trump doesn't qualify to lead a democracy regardless of whether he was voted in. I wonder if something in the Constitution does NOT allow electing an autocrat who doesn't believe in Democracy (also for the House Leader---Johnson doesn't qualify to be in Congress, why is he allowed in the building?).
Hypothetically: Wonder if Biden is considering NOT giving up Democracy on Inauguration Day if Trump wins the election (due to his not being able to take the oath since he doesn't agree with it is clear). Since handing over our Democracy to an autocrat would be AGAINST the Constitution. What is the alternative? Give in? Giving in with all we know would happen, or holding on to Democracy and the Constitution though their might be some fuss about this path. Is Biden thinking about this? Will we need to start a new country to keep Democracy?
When he came back from WWII, William Levitt spoke before Congress justifying his bigoted housing plan to make millions- No blacks allowed. What really stays with me is his quote to Congress. “ No man who owns his own house and lot can be a Communist.” Fill in a more contemporary word for Communist and that’s where we are now. Also know that Levitt spoke to a group who see value in squashing Blacks AND lower class people.
We are kept so busy with our stuff and clamoring for status that we are now complacent and too busy to invest in our democracy and environment. Who knows which one will get us first.
I know really liberal people who do not want to hear about this lest you ruin their glitzy dinner party or football get together. We are “Entertaining Ourselves to Death”Priorities, everyone!
I have read the message of Trumpism for months in substacks but am not hearing solutions.
I am now feeling like I’ve tuned into MSM. With what time I have left at 76 I am finding ways to reach younger people. Will I make a difference? I don’t know. But it sure beats being part of the already converted singing the same song over and over. I’m motivated by the words of that creepy little bigot speaking to Congress but am elevated by the words of Martin Luther King, Elie Wiesel, the real Bobby Kennedy and so many others who ask us to stand up for our real American values.
Every day we should start the day with sobering thoughts. Trump will be President. We will lose our liberty. Democracy in America will end. And so on. Every day start the day with a sobering thought. What can I do to prevent this from happening.
There is no room, ZERO room, in the country for apathy or indifference or any thought that all will be well because it mostly always has. The threats to individuals are very real. This is not business as usual. In this corner, this philosophy , beholden to the people at large and in the other corner, another philosophy tied inexorably to a ruling class. We've had that for years, sometimes more pronounced that others. This is very different. This is the end of ALL the ingredients of a system that has worked, no matter its foibles, for 250 years., called DEMOCRACY. The country has faced such dangers before but there was always one ocean or the other as a buffer. Not any more. This enemy is knocking at YOUR door and it may not be left to you to determine whether your door is opened or not. Take this threat as personal, unless you are societally invisible. One hopes that it will not become necessary to take up arms. It may only be necessary to take up the vote, EVERYONE, and use it as a cudgell. Do not act to dismantle or weaken the good side in the interest of finding a thought-to-be better answer. That can be exactly what defeats you. (I mean you, Steve). The answer is use all your might to push the current administration across the finish line well ahead of the "vermin" who would take everything that is dear to you away and replace it with an endless dictatorship run by a criminally insane and ruthless lunatic. Fight like hell. STOP HIM and those who would enable him. Don't leave it to others. YOU DO IT!
Bob, this is the best and most concise advice to Americans I've heard in a long time -advice that those in the most influential roles (including media and campaign strategy...) must heed -or our almost 250 year old experiment will be over and dictators around the globe will rub their greedy hands together with glee. We cannot allow this. Fight fascism; Fight for Freedom.
Trump for all his bluster is really a small person grossly insecure about what people think of him. He is all about his image with no substance behind it. He always has to be the focus of attention at all costs.
Giving away our top secrets is okay with him if he think he will appear to be important.
I think he took the documents to sell or to leverage a property deal ( Trump hotel in Moscow or Jared’s $2 billion, and Trumps right to hold all the US LIV tournaments).
Trump is for sale. Money or flattery gets you everything from him.
So many voters in 2016 & 2020 were adamant that anti-trumpers were overreacting alarmists. Well (strong exhale), the house was on fire then and fully engulfed now. Question is, will enough members of our community be quick enough, string enough and smart enough to put out the fire, and whatever remains simmering in the ashes. I believe we can.
I've often wondered how come the German people in the 1930s believed the lies that Hitler told. Now, seeing how many Americans believe the lies that Trump is telling I hope to find an explanation. If I fail, I hope someone else will find a good explanation.
Just this morning, Marc Short was interviewed by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC and shamefully he poo poo-ed the idea that tRump was planning to be a dictator. While Short provided testimony to the Special Counsel, he is at the end of the day another fall in line Republican. In effect, a useful idiot.
What will the Fascist leaders, for whom Trump is the lead salesman, do if Trump fails to get the position of president? They are many. Voting for Trump will put the blame on the voters - the Fascist will walk away unnoticed, to connive for another day.
Trump gets up on stage and claims that Joe Biden and the Democrats are the fascists + communists. All the while projecting that that is who he is. And it has taken 8 years for the media to finally start calling a spade a spade. The MSM has been asleep at the wheel calling his outright lies 'untruths' or stretching the truth. That is in the same vein as Kellyanne calling Trump World 'alternative facts'.
It's either black or white in this debate. There is no grey.
And to the people who support Trump - What the hell is the matter with you people? Are you ignorant, stupid, gullible or in love with a lying old fat piece of shit. Whatever it is - wake the hell up
The upcoming presidential election in 2024 will be something we haven’t seen before in that a democratic loss will result in the end of our republic.
LOL. Hyperbolic emotive fanatism given that the republic is being destroyed from within by your political cohort.
Not even remotely true. Look at Trump's Turning Point and Veterans' Day Speeches. What do you do to "vermin", the name Hitler called Jews? Exterminate them. Pure Hitler.
Ha, well Trump supporters are routinely called much worse... but you are good with that right?
I mean look at what the Democrat establishment is writing. Calls for more riots and violence and Democracy destroying political power abuses when Trump wins.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4340883-atlantic-issue-second-trump-term/
And there is a term for that. Hitlerism.
By the way, the correct word is "fanaticism." (LOL) You know, like the J6, 2021, fascistic riot, instigated by your cohorts lies. Let's look for proof that Dems are fascistic. Help me with the research, please. When did a Democrat president and his minions instigate a seditious riot at the Capitol? When did a Democrat president advocate a fake elector's coup d’état? When did a Democrat president browbeat his vice-president ("You're to honest.") to overturn an election? When did over 140 congressional Democrats refuse to certify an election? I'll wait, because you must have some reason to continue supporting your cohorts, a party chock-full of fanatical seditionists, running for the presidency by running AGAINST the Constitution and the rule of law. Never mind. Bye 👋
Seems like there are other words we should use to define this. Hysterical. Hyperbolic.
Intellectually dishonest. And certainly language corrupted.
Jan 6 was a protest over election irregularities by people that thought the Democrats cheated. The Twitter Files prove that the Democrats cheated. Now take your pills and don't miss your next therapy appointment.
MAGA projection. Seems like you have come up with words that accurately describe the verbiage of a MAGA rally and Trump campaign speeches. Oh, and haven't seen the Twitter Files advanced as a defense for J6 seditious rioters. Wonder why? A few adjectives you missed: MAGA is fascistic, illiberal and profoundly dangerous to the American republic.
Twitter Files proves that the establishment is abusing its power and we will need an election to clean it up.
MAGA = Making American Great Again. Sounds good to me comrade, why no you?
You have Trump living rent free in your head.
I can’t imagine how it will be exactly, the push back on trumps more and more obvious political and personal demise will be spectacularly obvious in a few months. Enough? I think it will get attention. The bigger problem for the Biden team are third party candidates made to siphon vote from the party of the big D. Candidates like Schmidt’s Phillips. Kennedy is another although he’s been quiet , lately. The actual R party seems very sluggish but will likely be rid of Trump. SCOTUS will be forced to rule on the luck 13th amendment. They have to uphold this no brainer amendment. That ruling if wring would be the tearing of the constitution. The entire institution hasn’t be bought and paid for yet.
And to the people who support Trump - What the hell is the matter with you people? Are you ignorant, stupid, gullible or in love with a lying old fat piece of shit. It's not Trump himself that's the biggest problem, but the fact that they don't see him as a lying old fat pos.
There is a cult-factor here, too. MAGA-CUILT. Millions of American are brainwashed.
“Vice President Dick Cheney has called Donald Trump the single most dangerous American who has ever lived. He is an enemy of the American republic and a leader of an American extremist movement that is antithetical to Americanism.”
Wow! When the most despicable and vile person to ever exist after Kissinger, tells you the Trump is the “single most dangerous American to ever live,” then we should definitely take Cheney at his word. After all, he would know.
Prior to Trump, and even after Nixon (watergate), and Reagan (Iran/Contra), the world’s most destructive and dangerous fascist regime emerged; wielding unprecedented power never seen before in American History. The threatened the media if it printed the truth about the Iraqi intelligence. They spied on American’s. They passed the Patriot Act (unconstitutional), 2000 page document that was miraculously created and passed in two weeks. Clearly, it was sitting on a shelf just waiting for the right opportunity to eradicate American civil liberties.
They manufactured a war that cost trillions and led to the deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi’s; not to mention, the torture programs, the creation of Homeland Security, which is a colossal disaster, made up of mostly military contractors, continuing to milk the American taxpayer for penny they can extract. And a group of political appointees that have to navigate a minefield, just to figure out who’s actually in charge of what!
Yes, when Cheney speaks, we all should listen. After all, it takes evil to truly know what evil is capable of....:)
So now the left loves Dick Cheney. The left is so I will love you when you "tell me my butt looks good in these jeans" when it does not.
What did “the Left” have to do with Cheney’s statement? Nothing. But for people without principles or an understanding of this country’s history and founding, I guess any one who opposes Trump must be part of the dreaded “Left.” Newsflash: even some Republicans have principles.
The saddest thing is that many Americans say the economy isn’t great so they will go with fascism. Let’s see how that goes.
You guys love to lose negative labels to brand those that have different political opinions. But the term "fascism" applies to the Biden Administration and Democrats significantly greater than it does the Trump platform.
Not if you comprehend the meaning of fascism.
Frank is a troll. Typical of trolls is their fact free-opinion forward drivel.
Just look at his profile and other ridiculous responses from him. Don't waste your time. He doesn't belong in The Warning community. He's everything Steve has already lamented about as far as brainwashed MAGA.
When I was a small child bomb shelters were thought to be a necessity by some. I am getting the jackhammer ready to go deep in my basement if Trump returns to power. The grown-ups thought missles in Cuba was alarming then now I am the grown-up and missles don't scare me half as much as a second Trump presidency.
Steve, in this youtube where you talk about the citizens' 'submission', the process of giving up their agency, and the reasons why, gets underneath all this havoc going on. We need to understand how and why people give up their agency in order to take our lives back. I talked about cult-indoctrination tactics in the past here on the Warning. I appreciate your approach very much. Please keep educating about this in your powerful way and use this word 'submission'. Also, your youtube yesterday (Lindsey/ immigration) was deeply moving and humanizing. I appreciate the photo and comments about the children. Powerful work here! Thank you, Lisa
I'm curious what Steve and the others here think about the following concern I have about what I think is a probable scenario if Trump is elected. We know there will be protests after Trump's inauguration, given the extremist plans he promises to take in the first day or so of gaining power. He wants to invoke the insurrection act to send the military to attack protestors, but not because he doesn't want any protests. I think that he *wants* big protests with at least some violence in order to (1) justify martial law and an iron-fist response, (2) portray his enemies as violent and conflate the worst of the protestors' behavior with any dissenter of his rule, and (3) demonstrate that he is a "law and order" leader to gather support amongst Americans alarmed at FoxNews depictions of violent protests. I think the extremists running the Republican party crave an iron-fist ruler putting liberal protestors in their place in precisely the same way that Iran's IRGC puts down protests, in a never ending cycle of stoking protests and attacking protestors.
He'll do what Putie tells him to do. He's too stupid to do something on his own.
What will our military do, if Trump is elected (though that would be invalid since he doesn't qualify). I hope they are planning something as they have to defend the Constitution and keep Democracy.
Biden needs to team up with the military ahead of time and block an autocrat from usurping Democracy. We need out of the box solutions, not just give in. Trump doesn't qualify to lead a democracy regardless of whether he was voted in. I wonder if something in the Constitution does NOT allow electing an autocrat who doesn't believe in Democracy (also for the House Leader---Johnson doesn't qualify to be in Congress, why is he allowed in the building?).
Hypothetically: Wonder if Biden is considering NOT giving up Democracy on Inauguration Day if Trump wins the election (due to his not being able to take the oath since he doesn't agree with it is clear). Since handing over our Democracy to an autocrat would be AGAINST the Constitution. What is the alternative? Give in? Giving in with all we know would happen, or holding on to Democracy and the Constitution though their might be some fuss about this path. Is Biden thinking about this? Will we need to start a new country to keep Democracy?
When he came back from WWII, William Levitt spoke before Congress justifying his bigoted housing plan to make millions- No blacks allowed. What really stays with me is his quote to Congress. “ No man who owns his own house and lot can be a Communist.” Fill in a more contemporary word for Communist and that’s where we are now. Also know that Levitt spoke to a group who see value in squashing Blacks AND lower class people.
We are kept so busy with our stuff and clamoring for status that we are now complacent and too busy to invest in our democracy and environment. Who knows which one will get us first.
I know really liberal people who do not want to hear about this lest you ruin their glitzy dinner party or football get together. We are “Entertaining Ourselves to Death”Priorities, everyone!
I have read the message of Trumpism for months in substacks but am not hearing solutions.
I am now feeling like I’ve tuned into MSM. With what time I have left at 76 I am finding ways to reach younger people. Will I make a difference? I don’t know. But it sure beats being part of the already converted singing the same song over and over. I’m motivated by the words of that creepy little bigot speaking to Congress but am elevated by the words of Martin Luther King, Elie Wiesel, the real Bobby Kennedy and so many others who ask us to stand up for our real American values.
Every day we should start the day with sobering thoughts. Trump will be President. We will lose our liberty. Democracy in America will end. And so on. Every day start the day with a sobering thought. What can I do to prevent this from happening.
There is no room, ZERO room, in the country for apathy or indifference or any thought that all will be well because it mostly always has. The threats to individuals are very real. This is not business as usual. In this corner, this philosophy , beholden to the people at large and in the other corner, another philosophy tied inexorably to a ruling class. We've had that for years, sometimes more pronounced that others. This is very different. This is the end of ALL the ingredients of a system that has worked, no matter its foibles, for 250 years., called DEMOCRACY. The country has faced such dangers before but there was always one ocean or the other as a buffer. Not any more. This enemy is knocking at YOUR door and it may not be left to you to determine whether your door is opened or not. Take this threat as personal, unless you are societally invisible. One hopes that it will not become necessary to take up arms. It may only be necessary to take up the vote, EVERYONE, and use it as a cudgell. Do not act to dismantle or weaken the good side in the interest of finding a thought-to-be better answer. That can be exactly what defeats you. (I mean you, Steve). The answer is use all your might to push the current administration across the finish line well ahead of the "vermin" who would take everything that is dear to you away and replace it with an endless dictatorship run by a criminally insane and ruthless lunatic. Fight like hell. STOP HIM and those who would enable him. Don't leave it to others. YOU DO IT!
Bob, this is the best and most concise advice to Americans I've heard in a long time -advice that those in the most influential roles (including media and campaign strategy...) must heed -or our almost 250 year old experiment will be over and dictators around the globe will rub their greedy hands together with glee. We cannot allow this. Fight fascism; Fight for Freedom.
Thanks, Lisa. I have sent my recommendations to the WH, 50/50 whether I will hear from them.
Trump for all his bluster is really a small person grossly insecure about what people think of him. He is all about his image with no substance behind it. He always has to be the focus of attention at all costs.
Giving away our top secrets is okay with him if he think he will appear to be important.
I think he took the documents to sell or to leverage a property deal ( Trump hotel in Moscow or Jared’s $2 billion, and Trumps right to hold all the US LIV tournaments).
Trump is for sale. Money or flattery gets you everything from him.
If president again, he will be Putin’s stooge.
So many voters in 2016 & 2020 were adamant that anti-trumpers were overreacting alarmists. Well (strong exhale), the house was on fire then and fully engulfed now. Question is, will enough members of our community be quick enough, string enough and smart enough to put out the fire, and whatever remains simmering in the ashes. I believe we can.
I've often wondered how come the German people in the 1930s believed the lies that Hitler told. Now, seeing how many Americans believe the lies that Trump is telling I hope to find an explanation. If I fail, I hope someone else will find a good explanation.
Just this morning, Marc Short was interviewed by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC and shamefully he poo poo-ed the idea that tRump was planning to be a dictator. While Short provided testimony to the Special Counsel, he is at the end of the day another fall in line Republican. In effect, a useful idiot.
Steve, I just read that you’re helping Dean Phillips...and starting a super pac for him...please tell me this is not TRUE...
Yes, this seems to be true and is just mind-boggling to many of us :-(
What will the Fascist leaders, for whom Trump is the lead salesman, do if Trump fails to get the position of president? They are many. Voting for Trump will put the blame on the voters - the Fascist will walk away unnoticed, to connive for another day.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
++++Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them++++
(Hamlet Soliloquy).
Wow! I appreciate the depth of your comments here -thanks.