Trump takes office in just 10 days, but we've already seen examples of his campaign promises failing to become reality. I look at Trump's comments on Ukraine, Elon's clips about DOGE and Don Jr.’s fraudulent trip to Greenland:
The Warning by Steve Schmidt Podcast
Orient to the currents that are shaping our times and the unseen forces driving politics that are rarely discussed on cable news
Orient to the currents that are shaping our times and the unseen forces driving politics that are rarely discussed on cable newsListen on
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Steve Schmidt
Greenland is not for sale. The same thing can’t be said of the American president.
Yup, sadly true
If you have a $100,000 cash you can pray with the Trumps this weekend. Pay to Pray.
The Washington Post published today a photo of House Republicans taken a few days ago in The Capitol. I did not see a female or a person of color in the picture. Just a bunch of stone faced white guys. All that was missing were the white hoods and sheets.
Wow. That's very sad. And scary too.
Many of the men and women who vote for these men have a goal of a male patriarchy. So they vote this way and this is what we get. Of all the voters, these fanatical people are the most appalling. They want domination over everyone and would torch the Constitution in a minute. They found useful idiots for their goal.
Johnathan Wilkinson, who is Canada's energy minister, pointed out that Trump is wrong when he says the U.S. needs nothing from Canada. He may replace Trudeau as P.M. as a new government is formed following Parliamentary elections. He said the U.S. imports crude oil, potash, and critical minerals from Canada. Wilkinson said Canada could retaliate against American tariffs on Canadian goods with export taxes, making resources our industries need more expensive.
"Trump repeated his pledge to put 'very serious' tariffs on all Canadian imports. 'We don’t need anything they have,' the president-elect told reporters about Canada.
"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-08/canada-energy-minister-warns-trump-against-an-oil-trade-war
Is Trump ignorant, stupid, a fool or all three? Apparently all three. He doesn't just lie glibly, he seems to foolishly believe whatever nonsense he is spouting in the moment.
We live near LAX and not in the fire areas. Nevertheless I break into tears with the fires, the wind and the president elect. It’s so sad.
Trump represents the terminal and toxic conclusion of gross ineptitude of the DNC to challenge assaults and failure to develop a master narrative of values and principles.
Fighting the horrible consequences of this neglect requires the acquisition of spines and speaking truth to power. We all need to take a page from Liz Cheney!
When will reporters stand up and replay Trump or Musks own words back to them to fact check them in real time. Someone has to have the guts to do this in a live press conference. All this gaslighting is maddening.
“There is nothing wrong with the American character.“
Really, Steve? These are the same Americans that voted for a president with zero character?
I saw the horrendous hellish fires. My first thought was -Oh god, it’s California,will Trump give them aid?
THIS should not be my first reaction-will our President give them aid? Shameful and terrifying.
Perhaps Biden can add as much aid as possible before next week…..
Well stated Steve. The truth can be frightening.
Did you notice that Trump was the ONLY one in the front rows of Presidents, First Ladies, VPs that did not place his hand over his heart when Jimmy Carter's FLAG-DRAPED coffin exited? Even Melania who was not born in the U.S. showed the proper respect.
I saw that as well. No mention by the scary news media.
Steve thanks. The election of 2024 fully opened my eyes to the news media. I always thought, or hoped, that they were the guardians of truth and they were the 4th branch of government dedicated to protecting democracy. It’s basically a show. It’s all about ratings, clicks, and access. Which in turn means more money for their company and for themselves. There’s no way to stop it. That’s the way it’s set up. It also dumbs you down. If you want to get smart read Steve Schmidt or tune in to John Oliver’s show that actually educates you on issues. I’m sure there are still Woodward and Bernsteins out there trying to make a difference, rooting out corruption and protecting democracy. I’m not sure what the answer is. But our democracy’s survival depends upon an educated and informed citizenry.
ABC and David Muir gave Trump the last word in the Harris/Trump debate 9 times out of 10 and no one said a word about it. That was when I started tuning into the media chasing the clown car and not reporting the story. It’s pathetic. I canceled my subscriptions to WaPo and NYT as of Jan 3.
Agree with your thoughts!
It would be a real service if you would have a print version available right on the same site as the link to your YouTube video. To see a print version now, there are all sorts of hoops to jump through. Very off-putting, so I've stopped watching videos.
Elizabeth, when you click onto the video title at the top of the video screen, it takes you to You-Tube. In the notes below the video is the world "transcript". Below that are the words "show transcript" highlighted in blue. Press it. You will then have your transcript to the right of the video. There are no hoops to jump through.
Once he is inaugurated, Trumps response to the CA wildfires will be very telling. If he withholds aid and/or makes demands while holding federal assistance hostage we will know that we are in for four years of mob boss rule. If the west coast states then start talking about secession, who can blame them.
Ugh, oh my God; my sternum hurts. Study Adolf’s rise 90-ish years ago, another insurrectionist returned to power.
It is just beginning and it is going to be epic. Nothing like 1.0, nothing. Feeling a quiet panic, have returned to snapping on TV in the middle of the night whenever I wake just to check in — to see what shoe has dropped or threatens to drop.
It’s going to be raining shoes very soon.
Adolf’s rise.
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/dictatorship-is-choreographed?r=3m1bs
I know some.
The more I learn, the more frightened I am.
Here we go with 2.0…
The country as it is may not be worth saving. According to The Atlantic, a growing movement of Americans want no part of our secular government and seek a conservative theocracy. The movement is said to have 40 million people. We might be trying to save something that an increasing number of citizens do not want saved.
It is a demand. Thou shalt kneel like I do or off with the head. NO DANCING! https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/christian-right-demands-dictatorship?r=3m1bs
George Stephanopoulos is the only reason I watch any ABC news program at all. All the others are just "readers". But having a "woke" hissy fit over David Muir's fire jacket is a page straight out of Trump's book of school yard insults. So what? That's what you're worried about? Who gives a shit? This country is in the toilet and Trump is salivating to flush it and you focus on David Muir's fire jacket? Come on --- We need that to be beneath you.
The attempted coup of 2021 is ongoing, it has been since its inception. They never stopped and there was never anything done about it. Getting past all of the finger pointing of blame and arriving at a solution is paramount now.
The idea that 2026 is the first opportunity to put a check on the coming insanity is to believe that both parties to the recent election adhere to our Constitution and societal norms of government. However, that is not the case. Our Constitution and societal norms of government or societal norms of anything mean nothing to all those attached to, and including the incoming administration. Come 2026 who is to say there will be an infrastructure to facilitate such a check?
There is only one kind of pushback these people understand, but the will to deploy these measures has eluded many. Or they’ve just been ignored by those to weak minded to formulate plans of action that will make a difference. These people must be made to believe that they will suffer consequences for actions that they plan to take. I do not hold that this was a normal election result arrived at by following the Constitution and the election rules and norms of the past.
The opposition to this must be a swift and deliberate sharp intervention. There is nothing these people won’t do, say or promise to continue to undermine the Constitution, this country and the American people. Not to mention our sovereign state neighbors and other nations. An aggressive make them offers they can’t refuse strategy and deliver upon their refusal is all they understand. There is plenty of low hanging fruit to be picked, sending messages of the severeness of the unacceptability to the incoming administration. The time for weakness & fecklessness is over, this must be neutered and spade.
As an aside I posit
In Trump v. Anderson the Colorado Supreme Court held that Trump participated in an insurrection against the Constitution. SCOTUS only ruled that Colorado could not remove him, that only congress could make such a finding and he could remain on the ballot. They never addressed the matter of the lower Courts ruling on insurrection. Therefore regardless of what happened on Jan 6th 2024, Trump and all of his decrees and orders are illegitimate.
We got here because more people decided that chasing the dollar and the lime light is more important than community. Putting money to public schools, Social Security, Public health are things that benefit us all and has to be a part of civilized society. We cannot just decide that parts of our society are not relevant and that is what got us here and only when we understand we are in this together will it begin to be corrected.
Following is an example of how utterly phony and duplicitous Mr. Christian and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is. Maybe he has been playing with his toy dinosaurs too much to realize how obvious his hypocrisy is. The man is contemptibly, disgustingly awful:
"House Speaker Mike Johnson urged EPA late last year to award a city in his district a grant focused on the environment and disadvantaged communities — funding from the Democrats’ climate law that Republicans have vowed to gut.
The Louisiana Republican, who was just reelected speaker despite pushback from his conservative flank, sent the letter to EPA on Nov. 15, 2024. In that letter, he supported an application from the city of Minden and Louisiana Tech University.
“I understand the funds will be used to support their ‘Empowering Communities with Innovative Solutions to Reduce Pollution, Build Climate Resilience and Improve Public Health Project,’” he wrote, according to a letter obtained by E&E News via a person who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the information."
https://www.eenews.net/articles/mike-johnson-quietly-sought-epa-environmental-justice-grant/
The full article contains much more interesting detail about this shit-head who happens to be Speaker. Jesus will send him to hell.
Not exactly smoke and mirrors if this reporting is as accurate and dangerous as it reads. And if it is, it is rather disturbing to consider waiting around until '26 or '28 to fix it at the ballot box. If there is still a ballot box to use to fix it.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191014/trump-elon-musk-treasury-purge
"Desperate times, desperate measures"
But what the fuck do I know?