He’s Coming for You

Make no mistake, he’s the one coming for you. These words are the projection of a man who has had Homeland Security lock children in cages, snatched protesters off the streets of Portland, Oregon. This is also the introduction of an aspiring dictator who is laying the foundation for an autocratic government. He had the recipe to transform a functioning democracy into a totalitarian state and lacked no ingredients. It was feared by many that if he were allowed to continue his role as president, there was the risk of being unable to remove him.

He had the recipe to transform a functioning democracy into a totalitarian state and lacked no ingredients. It was feared by many that if he were allowed to continue his role as president, there was the risk of being unable to remove him.

It took the dedicated but subtle effort of an untold number of federal officials of every degree or level of power just to provide damage control of his reckless antics. Most of these individuals will never be known due the secrecy required to defy or subvert his will. These efforts required a lot of sacrifice and in some cases cost individuals not just their job, but their entire career.

A prominent example is Alexander Vindman a now retired lieutenant colonel in United States army who acted as a key witness in the first impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. He testified about part of a phone conversation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr that transpired July 25, 2019. The call was considered by many to be improper and could be described as a form of extortion by others. This resulted in President Trump’s acquittal in the Senate, and retaliation against Vindman which made continuing his career untenable.

These events did not go unnoticed by the rest of the world.  President Enrique Pena Nieto offered no congratulation to Trump upon his victory, but articulated confidence in continued cooperation and mutual respect between their respective nations. Canada and the United Kingdom expressed similar responses but made a point to reference President Trump by name. President Hollande of France said that Mr. Trump’s victory “opens a period of uncertainty.” In Germany, Chancellor Angela Kerkel made reference to the United States as being an old and venerable democracy, and that the significance of United States’s leadership extends far beyond its borders. She also expressed that to Germany, the relationship with the USA is second only to the European Union. As a result, Trump’s electoral victory was a major factor in German Chancellor Angela Merkel to commit to running for another term as Chancellor despite her intention to retire from the position.

The warning signs of totalitarian leadership began before the election had taken place, but the first enactment of authoritarian policy was put in place before the end of the first month of his term. On January 27, 2017, a series of executive actions critically entitled the “Muslim Ban” was put into effect.

Executive Order 13769, Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645 are examples of government sanctioned and widely accepted bigotry.

This series of orders consisted of travel bans, lowering the threshold of refugee admission, and temporary to permanent denial of entry into the country by the those from primarily Muslim countries.  Some other tangible effects of these policies included the detention of over 700 travelers and the “provisional” revocation of approximately 60,000 visas.

The suppression of public criticism of Trump was another major theme during his administration. Censorship is a requisite attribute for a dictator of any true caliber. His inability to tolerate anything other than flattery wore thin even among his allies. His sensitivity to humor at his expense was most notable when he conferred with the Department of Justice and other agencies in the attempt to restrict shows such as “Saturday Night Live” from mocking him. Performing skits which make fun of the current president is a tradition goes back to the 1970’s. He also went as far as to contact management at Twitter (now X) to have insulting or critical tweets removed.

The threat of Donald Trump’s fans was palpable enough to subdue the large majority of the Republican party. They enabled his tyranny to the detriment of the nation. Initially their fear was rooted in the potential loss of their congressional seats. Ultimately it extended to their personal safety due to the violent nature of the Trump base (also referred to as the “Trump Cult”). Their threat has involved as few as one person actively attacking an FBI office in Ohio to thousands attacking the U.S. Capitol which has been widely considered an insurrection with more than 1,237 people charged.

His followers issue threats with little discrimination. Ranging from low budget YouTube political commentators to federal judges. These are not threats to take lightly. It would seem that most of the threats made are death threats or include death threats among other violent ones. There is not enough law enforcement to act against the danger the issuers pose to control the volume of death threats. The aforementioned insufficient law enforcement doesn’t account for the enforcement agents who are followers and perpetrators themselves.

Due to the radicalization of those who fall prey to Trump’s propaganda and conspiracy theories, people have harmed others. A notable case occurred on October 28^th, 2022. Paul Pelosi (82 at the time), husband of the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was attacked in his home by David DePape (then 42) on October 28th, 2022. DePape was seeking Nancy and demanded knowledge of her location. There was a struggle during which DePape struck Pelosi multiple times with a hammer. David DePape has been federally convicted and faces up to life in prison.

During Trump administration, there were many efforts to minimize or even thwart (my words) his more dangerous efforts. His cabinet was ceaselessly revolving due to resignations and terminations. Congress was utterly useless due to its nearly even division along party lines. The Republicans passed on their best chance to remove him from office. The courts were being stacked in his favor. It seemed there was no true way to control him.

The only true coordination was enacted by the constituents. Much like congress there was a relative evenness between the parties. Each party was devoted to their candidate, but the Democrats were more devoted to ensuring that Donald Trump did not achieve presidency a second time. The was an unspoken consensus among them that there would be no protest votes, and dissenters were frequently shot down on social media. It was made clear that progressive groups and individuals would receive any and all the blame the forecasted upon themselves if they continued to poison the well against Joe Biden, as was done with Hilary Clinton.

Fortunately, on the other side there were defectors. Republican groups such as the Lincoln Project worked avidly against his re-election. Their efforts brought to light many of the flaws that should have been obvious to the most devout of his followers. Through their commercials they amused both parties and drove Trump to distraction.

Their needless deaths occurred as a result of a comment made about utilizing disinfectant as a mechanism to “knock it [COVID-19] out.” As a result, people died due to ingesting or injecting their selves with bleach. His statements and conjectures were not yet tested by the medical community. One reporter stated that the people who view these briefings are looking for information and guidance rather than rumors.

However, to fair to the president, he consulted Dr. Berkley (on the spot) about the prospect of using disinfectant internally and advised people to talk with their doctors and in truth he never suggested anyone inject or ingest bleach as has been claimed. His mistake was lying about the suggestion. Having just viewed the recording of the brief, I can tell you that he never made any suggestion. However, he was blamed for the deaths of those who died due to the consumption bleach. His mistake was making the excuse that he was being sarcastic with the press, instead having his staff present the actual statement via recording, which may have exonerated him in the public eye.

His worst behavior has yet to be tried. The alleged theft of federal documents (some of which are classified), efforts to subvert the results of an election and incite a riot at the United States capital. The riot alone threatened the lives of our federal congressmen, the capital police, and the Vice President. Even the rioters themselves suffer the consequences of his selfish lies. This attempt to maintain the presidency has so far caused 12,000 of his followers to be charged, of which 460 have been sentenced.

Through these events he has only lost a small fraction of his supporters. Many of the imprisoned have not lost devotion. The family members of the those who have died due to his inaction during the pandemic blame China. They somehow forget his praise of the Chinese management of the virus. The present-day supporters remain willfully ignorant of the improvements since his departure from office. The infrastructure improvements and the employment opportunities which they bring will not felt until the next administration. The credit will be given to the next president who ever it is rather than recognize that it was Joe Biden who passed the legislation.

The people who support Donald Trump most are the same ones who are most vulnerable to his dangerous antics. The well-informed are better able to side-step his attacks against American liberty which works well as individuals, but as a society coordination and strategy are required to prevent national if not global catastrophe. Democrats are unjustifiably losing faith in President Biden and Trump has a significant following who unconditionally obey and believe his every word (more accurately lie). We are losing ground.

Conversions must be made. I no longer believe that educating or informing his followers of the truth through fact and empirical evidence is an ineffective approach to getting them to break ranks. I think they need to recognize the danger he poses to them.

By magnifying his visible contempt for the marginalized and poor communities, some may recognize that he doesn’t have their best interests at heart. His superficial nature and disdain for the non-elite was made public through his statements at the White House during the insurrection. He made the comment that they looked ‘cheap and poor.’ This was according to a source at the White House. He made this statement was made upon observing the Q-Shaman, Jake Angeli. Rather than feeling shame over the horror show he inspired at the Capitol he was upset about the ‘white trash’ that represented his cause.

Personally, I’m not sure who he thinks his supporters are. Did he expect Wall Street traders and corporate executives dressed in Armani to march to the capital with pitchforks and torches? I’m sure the 2% had a use for him, but they are as transactional as he is and wouldn’t put themselves out to support his reckless disregard for a nation that they live in too. They got what they wanted with his 2017 tax cuts, and I’m pretty sure they knew that was all he was good for. Unlike the politicians, they didn’t have a mass of fanatics to appease to maintain power and influence.

Either oblivious to his derision or just willing to overlook it. Followers who have been interviewed have stated that they don’t care that he uses their donations on his legal defense rather than reinforcing his campaign. The fact that he proclaims to be extremely wealthy while begging off those who are not seems to be lost on them. What should concern them is what will happen to them once he no longer has a use for them. As previously stated, he is a transactional man. When they can no longer afford to send money, or are otherwise useless, they will fall victim to his capricious whims. For Donald Trump loyalty (to him) is a valuable attribute in an ally or supporter, but loyalty to others is not a consideration. If all one has left to offer is loyalty, how long can a relationship with him last. He has turned against allies without power or influence for merely providing insufficient praise.

Kayleigh McEnany incurred his scorn for reporting his lead in the polls to be 25% ahead of Ron DeSantis rather than 34%. In this rare circumstance, Trump received heavy blowback from the conservative community. They attacked him on social media for attacking his loyal and most successful Press Secretary. Misquoting statistics was not justification for attacking someone shielded him from so many attacks directed at him.

McEnany not only worked for him directly, but her service to him continued after his administration ended as a contributor to Fox News. This is clear evidence of how no one is safe from his hypersensitivity and erratic temper. She did any and everything she could while in his service, at the expense of her reputation. She continues beyond her tenure. If she can be disposed of over such innocent trivialities, what is in store for those who have nothing to offer? Imagine being a supporter of his who has given half of your monthly income to his campaign/legal fees only to earn his ire by making an innocuous statement about something as simple as mentioning his unstraightened tie.

To view his hypocrisy at its peak, one has to look no further than his denial of pardons to the January 6^th insurrectionists. How better to demonstrate one’s loyalty to the people who make him great than to allow them all to go prison. He has since magnanimously promised to pardon all the insurrections if he regains office. I am sure those who have finished their sentence will be the most appreciative. This is how his loyalty is extended toward his followers.

The final question to all Trump supporters is this: after Trump eliminates the minority races, the LGBTQ, and any other marginalized group, who’s next? I’ll give you a hint: it won’t be the 2%. You may not be next, but he is coming for you.

— Citizen Mooney