Trump The AUTHORITARIAN

1. 83

   My Esotericposted 3 weeks ago

   During his campaign for the 2024 election Donald Trump made no bones about wanting to be a dictator - starting on Day One - This is one promise he has kept.
   
   Consider -
   
   While the United States remains a constitutional democracy, several developments under Trump’s leadership have prompted scholars, diplomats, and political analysts to highlight authoritarian-like behaviors—not as a complete transformation, but as concerning signals of democratic erosion. I would argue that at the 8 month point he is 67% of the way there (and given the appeals court ruling on 7/8/2025 saying judges cannot find executive lawyers in contempt anymore, courts, including the Supreme Court do not have a way to enforce their rulings then we may be up to 80%).
   
   * Democratic Backsliding Indicators: Research highlights that Trump accelerated the erosion of democratic norms by undermining public confidence in elections, encouraging political violence, vilifying the press, and framing critics as enemies of the state. This aligns with recognized warning signs of democratic regression.
   
   * Expert Warnings: Four retired U.S. ambassadors—veterans of postings in Russia, Ukraine, and other authoritarian contexts—warned of a growing “climate of fear” and erosion of checks and balances, reminiscent of early Putin-era tactics.
   
   * Authoritarian Populism: Analysts describe Trump’s style as “authoritarian populism”—a blend of populist rhetoric with authoritarian methods, including signaling “out-groups,” demanding unquestioning loyalty, and justifying extreme measures in the name of protecting “the people.”
   
   * Unitary Executive Expansion: Trump issued executive orders asserting sweeping control over independent agencies—a practical expansion of presidential power consistent with the “unitary executive theory”—raising separation-of-powers concerns.
   
   * "Firehose of Falsehoods" Tactics: Similar to Russian propaganda strategies, Trump has deployed repetitive, overwhelming messaging to confuse public discourse and undermine trust in traditional media.
   
   * Undermining Statistical Integrity: Recent incidents—like Trump dismissing employment data as “fake” and firing a key labor statistics official—have been called an "authoritarian attack" on factual governance for using political power to discredit objective oversight.
   
   * Emboldening Authoritarian Leaders: Global media reports note that Trump's approach—tolerant or conciliatory toward authoritarian leaders—strengthened illiberal regimes abroad. This includes his muted criticism of crackdowns in Turkey, Israel, etc., reinforcing global authoritarian trends. At the same time he attacks leaders of democracies, especially Ukraine.
   
   * Strategic Human-Rights Changes: The Trump administration significantly reduced critical language about abusive governments in State Department reports—minimizing references to human rights abuses in places like Russia—indicating a shift toward realpolitik at democracy’s expense.
   
   That is just a basic outline of why it is very easy to conclude Trump is acting like a dictator.
   
   The reason I said 67% earlier is that our founding fathers were EXTREMELY worried about somebody like Trump becoming president. They spent many hours and tons of ink discussing how easy it would be for a brilliant demagogue (their words) like Trump to sign the Siren Songs of populism in order to fool the masses. Consequently, they built in checks and balances to stymie a dictator should he or she get elected. They created the three CO-EQUAL branches of government, each with their own powers, responsibilities, limitations, and self-interests. It was designed so that no single branch can dominate the other.
   
   They also knew these protections would only work if the people in each branch chose to uphold them. In the absence of courage or integrity, even the best constitutional design can falter—which is why, in their writings, they stressed that the ultimate safeguard of liberty is an informed, engaged, and vigilant citizenry.
   
   Today, our founders fears are being realized - in spades! Trump is ignoring Congress and doing ANYTHING he wants with zero repercussions from the MAGA Republicans in Congress.
   
   The only thing now standing in the way of Trump and his dream of a Russian-style government are the COURTS.

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2. 83

   My Esotericposted 3 weeks ago

   This is why I upped the chance of seeing a true authoritarian state in America to 80% - the judiciary is crumbling because of the following ruling:
   
   Appeals court blocks contempt proceedings against Trump officials over deportations
   
   
   This ruling is dangerous because it effectively strips the judicial branch—at every level—of the power to enforce its own decisions.
   
   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/appea … r-AA1Kau1T
   
   The majority leaned on two shaky premises:
   
   Claim of Ambiguity – They said Judge Boasberg’s temporary restraining order (TRO) was unclear. But even government lawyers acknowledged in real time that they knew what it meant: don’t deport these individuals to El Salvador. If officials can later claim “confusion” to dodge consequences, any order—no matter how clear—becomes optional.
   
   Executive Power Shield – They argued that enforcing the TRO would intrude on the executive’s role in foreign affairs and law enforcement. But separation of powers does not mean one branch can openly defy another. It means each has limits—and enforcement of lawful court orders is squarely within the judiciary’s authority.
   
   Judge Cornelia Pillard’s dissent nailed the core problem: “Our system of courts cannot long endure if disappointed litigants defy court orders with impunity.” If this reasoning stands, it’s not just lower courts at risk. The same logic could be used to ignore an order from the Supreme Court itself, so long as the executive claims “uncertainty” or invokes foreign policy.
   
   This isn’t about one case—it’s about whether court rulings are binding or just polite suggestions the executive can brush aside.

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3. 60

   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   Trump's fascist deployment of National Guard troops in DC, despite plummeting crime rates, is nothing but a power grab to intimidate Americans and undermine democracy....
   
   Remember When posters on this forum told us that Kamala Harris would bring communism, fascism? LOL
   
   With Trump set to use crime as a fake justification to threaten DC today, media should make one thing clear: At this point his pattern of manufacturing pretexts for militarizing domestic law enforcement has become undeniable.

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4. 60

   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   "You knock the hell out of them. It's the only language they understand ... you spit and we hit. And they get hit real hard ... now they are allowed to do whatever they want" -- Trump on the police response to crime in DC
   
   Trump’s “spit and we hit” isn’t about fighting crime, it’s a mob boss mantra.
   
   It’s an authoritarian bluster and posturing geared towards brutality, injustice, and zero real solutions....
   
   "We will bring in the military if needed"
   
   WOW.

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      My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      He has said that before, it is is style and MAUGA loves it because that is the way they are.

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5. 60

   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   And NOW is the time for him to mobilize the National Guard in DC? Yet it wasn't on j6? My God....
   
   As scary a press conference as I have ever seen
   
   Completely divorced from reality or anything that has to do with criminal justice or reality or American democracy...

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      My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      I believe this is second test in declaring martial law nationwide since crime is worse elsewhere than it is in D.C..
      
      The first test was in Los Angeles. They are having a court hearing on it today. Boy, what fraud, waste, and abuse that was.

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6. 83

   My Esotericposted 2 weeks ago

   Trump is a very unhinged scary fellow, in addition to being dangerously mentally ill.
   
   This is no longer a scenario that is out of the question:
   
   1. Trump orders the National Guard to patrol DC en masse
   
   2. Trump federalizes them
   
   3. Trump orders them to establish check points on every street corner in D.C.to check IDs and look for weapons.
   
   4. Trump orders them to arrest anyone who they "feel" they have probable cause to arrest.
   
   5. The guard would turn these people over to federal agencies and not local police.
   
   6. All of this can happen "immediately" under Trump's authority - nobody can intervene!, at least initially.
   
   The only ones who can stop such a thing over time is Congress. But given the Republicans are in charge and they are subservient to Trump, it is not likely that they would.
   
   Unless the guard somehow violates a law in the arrest, the courts can not intervene and nobody can sue successfully.
   
   YES, the Constitution and other laws allow such a thing to happen and given it is Trump, I have no doubt he will at least think about it.
   
   Please don't tell me he would never do such at thing. He invaded LA without cause and probably illegally. He did this to DC on trump up facts; He detains and deports American citizens. The list goes on.

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      Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      How much of this is an assault against the black community and an act of vengeance and retribution against the female Black mayor?  Otherwise, such a move is hardly warranted.

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         My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

         I haven't heard that, but it is certainly not far-fetched. The one I have heard is he needed to take attention away from the Epstein scandal.

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            Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

            Knowing Trump, I have suspected this motive for some time. Now, I have a corroborator.
            
            https://www.salon.com/2025/08/12/trumps … nous-move/

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               Willowarborposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

               And there you have it..
               
               'Trump’s concerns about “law and order” are self-interested and wholly circumstantial. Trump, Graham wrote, “did not deploy the D.C. National Guard when an armed mob was sacking the U.S. Capitol in 2021 to try to help Trump hold on to power.
               
               The president’s hypocrisy with these two circumstances is explicit. He is more than willing to tolerate willful acts of destruction and violence from his own supporters. And he is ready to manufacture statistics and public emergencies that do not exist in reality to control a majority Democratic — and a majority Black — city he has never liked…"

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                  Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

                  I did not think that he would descend this low, but knowing Trump, I would not put it past him.

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   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   so he CAN deploy National Guard and control Police in DC?
   So everything he said about Jan 6 was a lie...shocker

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      My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      True for the National Guard, but no so much for the Police or those other federal agencies he has running around DC, at least in the long-term.
      
      He CAN do all this stuff in the short-term until the courts get involved. They can shut down all but the National Guard.
      
      And YES, he could have done it during the insurrection - he just chose not to. Why? Because it was his insurrection.

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8. 60

   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   "A federal judge ruled Monday that the administration appears to be illegally withholding funds previously approved by Congress for the National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit that supports democratic institutions and individual liberties across the globe.
   
   U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said the Trump administration has for months ”obstructed” tens of millions of dollars in funds intended for the group, forcing deep furloughs and defaults on grants — despite explicit language in federal law barring anyone but Congress from conditioning the disbursement of this funding..."
   
   Trump-backed judge rules administration’s withholding of funds illegal - POLITICO https://share.google/kVlGfBLpDywrdMWlI

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   Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

   White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump’s Historical Vision
   
   
   Top White House officials will scrutinize exhibitions, internal processes, collections and artist grants ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
   
   My God...
   
   "The White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with President Trump’s interpretation of American history."
   
   AUTHORITARIANISM
   
   https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/whi … n-78875c8a

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      tsmogposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

      Paywall . . .
      
      However, anti-DEI?

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         Willowarborposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

         "In a letter sent to Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, three top White House officials said they want to ensure the museums’ “unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story” and reflect the president’s executive order calling for “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
         
         “This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” the letter states.
         
         Following the review, the White House letter states that museums should make corrections that replace “divisive or ideologically driven” language with “unifying, historically accurate,” public facing materials. 
         
         But the details requested by the White House go beyond museum exhibitions and extend to organization charts, responses to visitor surveys, artists featured in galleries who have received a Smithsonian grant, a list of outside partners, and internal communications related to exhibit and artwork selection and approval. The museums are given 30 days to turn over requested materials for the initial request."
         
         Yes, I think it all hinges on their warped interpretation of DEI

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Can anyone tell me what the actual mission of the National Guard is in Washington DC?  I mean exactly what are they tasked to do? And is that in line with what the guard is allowed to do?

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Just a reminder...The worst single-day crime spree in modern Washington history, of course, took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump issued no order to the National Guard to intervene -- Mike Pence did -- and later pardoned the perpetrators.

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       Kathleen Cochranposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       "The worst single-day crime spree in modern Washington history, of course, took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump issued no order to the National Guard to intervene -- Mike Pence did -- and later pardoned the perpetrators."
       
       AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. This is the height of irony. And the saddest part is Trump won't even see it. The question will be: Will his followers?

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12. 60

    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Just incredible...
    
    Trump said  DC Metropolitan police will operate more aggressively under federal control for at least the next 30 days. Trump said cops will be allowed to do "whatever the hell they want."
    
    https://x.com/peoplefor/status/1954920732963533081

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    1. 71

       Kathleen Cochranposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       77 million voters did this. Is this what they had in mind?
       
       It is very easy to destroy. Not so easy to restore.
       
       Why any ally will ever trust US again is the question. And our enemies must be squealing in glee. We are destroying ourselves when they couldn't do it.

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Just some excerpts from a lengthy article in Fortune...
    
    Is MAGA going Marxist and Maoist? Trump’s assault on free-market capitalism
    
    As many CEOs understandably grew horrified last month at the prospect that New York City, the capital of capitalism, is on the brink of going socialist with the mayoral momentum of the inexperienced candidate Zohran Mamdani, they were ignoring the greater assault on free market capitalism that has already overtaken the nation in the Republican Party.
    
    Unlike any leader of any free-market economy around the world, President Trump has seized control of private enterprise’s strategic decision-making and investment policies while invading corporate board rooms so that he may dictate leadership staffing, punish corporate critics, and demand public compliance with his political agenda. This is far more dangerous to capitalism than a city-run grocery store.
    
    MAGA has gone Marxist and even, increasingly, Maoist
    
    As Greg Ip warned this week in The Wall Street Journal, “The US marches toward state capitalism with American characteristics … President Trump is imitating [the] Chinese Communist Party by extending political control ever deeper into the economy.”  Ip pointed out that in the past, crisis-driven government bailouts of the banking and automotive sectors, such as TARP, were acute, targeted assistance, with brief and bipartisan rescue aims. Similarly, government incentives to drive investments in chips manufacturing, oil exploration, space exploration, internet development, agricultural vitality, cancer detection, disease treatment, and clean energy were not ownership deals with preferred companies or corporate cronies. 
    
    Indeed, Ip’s warnings mirror our own, as we were the first to accurately, presciently warn—over a year ago—that many of Trump’s economic positions more closely resemble communism than capitalism, as part of what we called “the coming MAGA assault on capitalism.” It certainly looks like MAGA is going Marxist if not even Maoist, especially across Trump’s vicious personal targeting of individual business leaders; government crackdown on business freedom of expression; weaponization of government powers; apparent extortion of businesses; and insertion of government into an unprecedented, outsized role in private sector strategic investment, capital flows and business decision-making
    
    Both Marxism and Maoism claimed to champion “ordinary people” against corrupt or exploitative elites, while both targeted intellectuals, bureaucrats, and traditionalists, and purged institutions to enforce ideological purity, especially during Stalin’s “Great Terror” and Mao’s “Cultural Revolution.” Both centralized leadership to the point of creating a cult of personality, demanding intense loyalty and the glorification of the sole figure who could fix the country’s problems. Both prized loyalty over expertise, sidelining critics and dissenters in favor of a tightly controlled political narrative. Sound familiar?
    
    https://fortune.com/2025/08/12/maga-mar … socialism/

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14. 60

    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    What do folks think of Trump's newly appointed BLS commissioner?
    
    Heritage Foundation economist and Project 2025 contributor E.J. Antoni, is Trump’s pick to lead the BLS
    
    He has previously floated the idea of suspending monthly job reports....
    
    Nothing says "transparency"  like hiding the numbers, LOL

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       Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Trump is a walking, talking obscenity, incarnate. I surely hope that does not think that he can get away with hiding monthly job reports?

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15. 60

    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Lovely.... Government programming.
    Here is the kind of slop being considered to replace PBS..
    
    Trump  is now seeking to replace PBS with “Prager University,” a far-right propaganda organization that isn’t actually a university.
    
    One of their “kids videos” has Christopher Columbus (who has flaming a blue eyes LOL)  telling them that slavery was “no big deal” and “better than being killed.”
    
    Tell me more about "indoctrination"
    
    One of their bizarre videos..
    https://x.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1955652897800376620

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       IslandBitesposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Ugh!

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       Credence2posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Willow, I saw this. To think that I am going to lose PBS and NPR with its outstanding programming to be replaced with sheer right wing propaganda. “No big deal”? Indeed……
       
       It is all I can do to retain my cool, I cannot stand these people, their leader the cowardly lion and their loathsome agenda.
       
       We have to be rid of them, the sooner the better. BTW, how do they know if Columbus had blue eyes?
       
       Do democrats and otherwise reasonable people know what this portends for us all?
       
       The gloves are off
       
       Fight fire, with fire

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Trump on announced the list of this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees, the first since he took control of the institution, saying that he will host the December event
    
    DISGUSTING
    
    The honorees this year will be George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, KISS and Sylvester Stallone.
    
    Unlike past selections, in which honorees were selected by a committee, Trump said that he was “about 98% involved” in the selection and “turned down plenty.” “They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters,” he said today....
    
    The man wants his tiny grubby little hands in absolutely every aspect of the culture...oh yeah maga , tell me more about Marxism

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       peoplepower73posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Key Moves Raising Authoritarian Alarms
       Here are some of the most cited actions that critics argue reflect authoritarian tendencies:
       
       •     Federal Takeover of Local Law Enforcement
       Trump has seized control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to the capital, despite falling crime rates. This federalization of local policing is unprecedented and bypasses traditional checks on executive power.
       
       •     Politicization of Government Institutions
       Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over a jobs report he disliked and replaced him with a loyalist, raising concerns about the integrity of government data.
       
       •     Use of Military on U.S. Soil
       Deployments of the National Guard and Marines to cities like Los Angeles, without widespread unrest, have been interpreted as efforts to normalize military presence in civilian life.
       
       •     Targeting Political Opponents
       There’s a growing number of investigations into Trump’s political adversaries, which critics argue resemble tactics used by authoritarian regimes to silence dissent.
       
       •     Executive Overreach
       Trump has issued over 100 executive orders, some of which allegedly bypass congressional authority, such as withholding appropriated funds and attempting to end birthright citizenship.
       
       Academic Perspective: Authoritarian Populism
       
       Researchers at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute describe Trump’s style as “authoritarian populism” — a hybrid political approach that uses populist rhetoric while consolidating executive power, undermining democratic norms, and scapegoating marginalized groups.
       
       Strategic Implications
       
       From a psychological and strategic lens
       
       Trump’s tactics align with distraction and dominance strategies often used to manage public perception and suppress opposition. The deployment of federal forces, manipulation of data, and aggressive rhetoric serve to create a climate of fear and control, which can reduce cognitive dissonance among supporters by reinforcing a narrative of strength and order.

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17. 71

    Kathleen Cochranposted 2 weeks ago

    My Esoteric: You are warning people who won't believe you until they are being walked into the gas chambers.

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18. 83

    My Esotericposted 2 weeks ago

    As it turns out after wasting millions of dollars on fixing a problem that was already being solved and diverting federal resources from real problems like counter-terrorism, Putin war crimes, and fentanyl. Trump has managed to do MAYBE one arrest that wouldn't have occurred without them being there.  ONLY ONE.
    
    All those arrests Trump's sycophants here crow about fall WLL WITHIN the normal daily arrest rate of the DC Police.
    
    What the feds are doing are those AUTHORITARIAN things you see in Moscow and Tehran such as checkpoints and agents carrying machine guns and agents intimidating innocent people.
    
    Now, Trump and Bondi break the law by usurping authority they are not allowed to in the DC Police department itself. These two really need to be arrested themselves for unamerican activities.
    
    "DC sues Trump administration over police takeover, which chief says poses a ‘grave risk’ to residents"
    
    https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/14/politics … mmissioner

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    My Esotericposted 2 weeks ago

    Want to bet Trump is, or is trying to put these American citizens on deportation flights to send to third world countries? It would be just like him.
    
    "Federal agents gather in DC to enforce Trump-directed crackdown on homeless encampments"
    
    https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/politics … p-homeless

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       peoplepower73posted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       It reminds me of Nazi Germany with the Gestapo and cattle cars

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    In an epic moment, Fox News Marie Harf ridicules charging a guy who threw a sandwich at cops with felony, saying if Trump cared about protecting cops, he wouldn't have pardoned 1,500 Jan 6 thugs.
    
    They used tasers & flagpoles, not ham & cheese.....LOL
    
    DON'T TELL ME THIS ADMINISTRATION CARES ABOUT POLICE OFFICERS.
    
    https://x.com/ReallyAmerican1/status/19 … 6520571368

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       My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       What did they send? Something like 20 agents to arrest this sandwich (what was it, a PBJ?) throwing mass murderer?

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    Willowarborposted 2 weeks ago

    Funny how this didn’t warrant the National Guard being deployed
    IMMEDIATELY…
    
    
    
    BUT Federal troops on M Street because nothing’s more dangerous than a criminal lurking near a $19 latte.... Pure political theater, Stormtroopers marching down streets where the median home price is almost 2 million dollars....

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       My Esotericposted 2 weeks agoin reply to this

       Here is the really deplorable thing about that - there are about five right-of-right people on this forum that would disagree with you. While you and I see a RIOT, they see a walk in the park.

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          peoplepower73posted 13 days agoin reply to this

          New poll shows what Americans really think of Trump's leadership – and personality
          
          This poll was taken by the Pew Research Center It was taken after Trump reached the sixth month mark of his second term. Despite being inundated with countless controversies and scandals and steadily falling poll numbers, Trump has insisted that the period has established him as the greatest leader of all time, and claimed he is overwhelmingly loved by the American people.
          
          https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics … ocialshare

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             Willowarborposted 13 days agoin reply to this

             

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                My Esotericposted 12 days agoin reply to this

                Those numbers are VERY telling, especially that last one which means even his apologists don't think he is honest.

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                   wildernessposted 12 days agoin reply to this

                   His "apologists", like every other honest voter, find ALL politicians dishonest and liars.  Trump is just another one in that regard, although he DOES try and keep his promises.  Something few politicians have any intention of ever doing.

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             My Esotericposted 12 days agoin reply to this

             The "Stands Up for What He Believes" question got me thinking. First, I think it should have been phrased "Stands Up for What He Believes - TODAY".
             
             Anyway, I asked ChatGPT 4o to create a flip-flop index where 0 means he never flip-flops on a topic and 10 means he flip-flops often. It picked 10 categories and came up with an index of 8.6 which basically means Trump does not believe in anything for very long.

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    Willowarborposted 13 days ago

    This is a  sad reality of the fascist takeover of DC...
    DC restaurants saw a more than 25% drop in diners in the days following trump’s takeover of the city’s police department, according to a WUSA9 analysis of reservation numbers.
    
    What a shame for all the small businesses.
    
    
    If you care about the economy and capitalism you don't actually want to live in a police state with negative net migration. The economies are not booming in Belarus and Turkmenistan

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    Willowarborposted 13 days ago

    

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       My Esotericposted 12 days agoin reply to this

       That is not surprising, although I expect to see the apologists try to put a positive spin on such dismal trends.  Maybe something like Harris voters opinions have hardly dropped at all, lol.

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    tsmogposted 13 days ago

    Thanks for sharing PeoplePower73. Just in case someone wants to dig deeper than the MSN Article the Pew Research study follows. It is 4 pages in length with plenty of graphics supported by text.
    
    Trump’s Tariffs and ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Face More Opposition Than Support as His Job Rating Slips by  Pew Research (Release date Aug 14, 2025)
    Far more Americans say Trump is making the way the federal government works worse than better
    https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/20 … ing-slips/
    
    Time to fire up that coffee pot or pop open a soda or beer.

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    My Esotericposted 12 days ago

    Yet ANOTHER instance of Trump, the felon and AUTHORITARIAN, weaponizing DOIJ to attack his enemies.
    
    https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/politics … ustice-fbi

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    Willowarborposted 12 days ago

    Trump to sign executive order to “help eliminate” mail-in ballots and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections....
    
    Lol Because the policies are so wildly popular???  And the country is so "hot" ?  With "nearly no inflation".  Trump is quite obviously terrified of the upcoming midterm elections...

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       My Esotericposted 12 days agoin reply to this

       And it is only going to get worse.

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    My Esotericposted 12 days ago

    Trump's invasion of D.C. is certainly costing a ton of money, both state and federal. I am happy to see they have it to waste for absolutely no gain other than to satisfy a dictator's ego.
    
    This façade that it is to "crack down on crime" is totally bogus and self-serving. The fact is, regardless of how the apologists try to spin it, Crime IS Down since 2023 and is 7% below that in 2018.
    
    Crime "surged" in 2023 which was gleefully pointed out by the apologists. What they were afraid to tell you was that it simply returned to 2020 levels (actually about 5% more).
    
    Then, because of more emphasis from the new police chief, the city council and the mayor, it plunged somewhere in the 20% range. It continued to drop in 2025.
    
    And then Trump stuck his nose in, producing an avalanche of LIES to justify his invasion; LIES his apologists keep repeating today.
    
    Now, D.C. is like a military camp with states sending in their national guard to bolster the federal agents who are now NOT doing their jobs like fighting terrorism or drugs or Trump enemies..
    
    To what effect you may ask? NONE IS THE ANSWER. In 2024 and early 2025, the D.C. police made and average of 56 arrests a day.
    
    TODAY, with the surge it has fallen to around 30 a day.  WOW! What an improvement.
    
    This is just another example of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse from a senile, incompetent president.

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       My Esotericposted 11 days agoin reply to this

       I guess the apologists must have agreed with  me.

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    My Esotericposted 12 days ago

    This used to happen only in Russia or Iran, but now, In Trump's America, it is becoming all to common as well:
    
    "US Customs and Border Protection officers opened fire during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in San Bernadino, California, on Saturday, calling it an act of self-defense after a man “struck two CBP officers with his vehicle,” the Department of Homeland Security said.
    
    But the family inside the vehicle said they drove away out of fear for their safety after masked men emerged from unmarked cars and surrounded their truck with weapons drawn before smashing the truck’s windows.
    
    Martin, one of the three men in the vehicle, told CNN affiliate KABC he was working with his father-in-law and 18-year-old brother-in-law on Saturday morning when their vehicle was suddenly surrounded.
    
    The agents did not identify themselves and the family stayed inside the locked car, said Martin, who KABC only identified by his first name."
    
    Obvious self-defense against armed, masked criminals masquerading as police. In America, police identify themselves. In dictatorships, they don't.

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    Willowarborposted 12 days ago

    Mississippi  (in addition to South carolina, Ohio  ,Tennessee and West Virginia) is now sending national guard to Washington, D.C. too...
    
    An ass backward state with one of the worst crime rates in the US, is sending national guard troops to DC for purely political purposes....
    
    this is grotesque.  Trump and gang are ruining DC.   More Stormtroopers on the streets than anyone else...
    
    These states will add over 1, 000 more Guard members..
     
    This is authoritarianism.
    
    Wondering how it's going to go over with the population of these deep red States, with huge crime issues,  when they figure out their guard has been sent to a blue city LOL

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    Willowarborposted 11 days ago

    My God... What is wrong with him?
    
    Trump: "Vladimir Putin said something -- one of the most interesting things. He said 'your election was rigged because you have mail in voting.'..' And he said that to me because we talked about 2020. He said, 'you won that election by so much.'"
    
    Putin plays Trump like a fiddle...LOL
    
    
    
    
    https://x.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1956543938334175493

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    Willowarborposted 11 days ago

    Maga folks...is this true? 
    
    Yesterday , Trump declares: ‘We are now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting. All others have given it up because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED.”
    
    True or false?  Lie or cognitive blip?

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       My Esotericposted 11 days agoin reply to this

       Do you think you will actually get an answer? lol.

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          Willowarborposted 11 days agoin reply to this

          Nope!  They ignore every instance of his cognitive decline, ineptitude and outright lying.

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    Willowarborposted 10 days ago

    The majority of DC residents strongly oppose Trump's occupation of the District....yet several poor, crime ridden  red states are using their extremely limited resources to send THEIR National Guard to DC... Collectively totaling over 1,000 guardsmen....this is laughable.
    
    

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       My Esotericposted 10 days agoin reply to this

       At least some national guard troops are making extra money, from those states, they probably need it.

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    peterstreepposted 10 days ago

    Trump targets Smithsonian museums - President launches review to remove content he considers divisive
    
    This is a clear dictatorial move. Germany did the same thing in the 30's. To rewrite history and erase moments that are not welcome in the political climate.
    The moment a government starts to intervene with culture, museums and art you know it is a dictatorship.
    A free country gives its artists space and promotes science and history.
    A dictatorship wants to control it.
    This all happens step by step. Governmental control on everything!

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       peoplepower73posted 9 days agoin reply to this

       Yep. He wants to change the culture just like Hitler did. It's no matter to him, even though the constitution will not allow him to run for a third term, he wants to be king forever. The scary part is he may be able to pull it off.
       
       The Smithsonian will no longer be a museum of history. It will be a shrine to American Exceptionalism as defined by Trump.. The real American exceptionalism is in the words on the base of the stature of liberty.
       
       “Give me your tired, your poor,
       Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
       The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
       Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
       I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

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          Willowarborposted 9 days agoin reply to this

          Yep,  The American people did not elect Trump to become the curator of the Smithsonian...he was elected to lower costs ...which he’s failing at.
          
          What kind of museum exhibit will we get, if any, on slavery under this administration? Maybe something like this...
          
          “The Africans were given an all expense paid cruise across the Atlantic. And boy were they were excited to arrive in America! The nice white people gave them plenty of work, roofs over their heads and food to eat. Absolutely free!”! 
          
          Trump’s directive to “celebrate American exceptionalism” is code for rewriting history to fit his cult’s ideological cosplay.

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             peoplepower73posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             I think he will just issue an emergency executive order to just delete any reference that slavery every existed. Therefore, he can bypass congress and any members who had ancestors as slaves...easy peasy.

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                peterstreepposted 9 days agoin reply to this

                J.D. Vance will run for president with The Donald as vice president. Problem solved....!!!!

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             Credence2posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             Just the kind of “stuff” that is being shoveled for public consumption by Praeger University….

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          IslandBitesposted 9 days agoin reply to this

          even though the constitution will not allow him to run for a third term, he wants to be king forever. The scary part is he may be able to pull it off.
          
          He keeps 'joking' about it.
          
          ‘So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,’ Trump responded. ‘Say, three and a half years from now — so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections.’

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             peoplepower73posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             He knows that if he does not get elected again, he is dead meat. He is just like Netanyahu, who will keep his war going until he dies.

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             Credence2posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             “So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,’ Trump responded. ‘Say, three and a half years from now — so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections.’”
             
             Is that so? In a pigs eye……

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       Credence2posted 9 days agoin reply to this

       It is worse than that, Peter, this entire society is being remade based on a figment of Trump’s delirious imagination. All of this based on the ignorance of one dastardly man……

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          peterstreepposted 9 days agoin reply to this

          Yes, it's much worse.
          But the attack on institutions like the Smithsonian is one of the many actions Trump undertakes (and his team) to undermine freedom of expression, to undermine science, to undermine history, to undermine arts, the press. And finally democracy.
          It's always going step by step. And Trump shows and has stated in all kinds of ways that he wants to rule the US as a dictatorship, with all the power that leads to Donald Trump.

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             Credence2posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             Its coming and the greatest fear that I have is the potential outcome and the left’s ineptness in dealing with the threat.

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          IslandBitesposted 9 days agoin reply to this

          Yes. But it isnt Trump. He is despicable, disgusting, but a moron. A useful idiot. The people pulling the strings are the real danger.

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             tsmogposted 9 days agoin reply to this

             Amen!!

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             Credence2posted 9 days agoin reply to this

             Very observant, I forgot that Trump is not smart enough to design so sinister a plan, but is the mere poster boy for a far uglier right wing who choose to stay in the background.

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    Kathleen Cochranposted 9 days ago

    The VP must be ready, willing, and able to become president. No one can serve three terms. Problem solved (let's hope!)

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    IslandBitesposted 9 days ago

    Trump The AUTHORITARIAN
    
    Trump demands release of Colorado official sentenced in election data scheme
    
    President Donald Trump is demanding the release of a former Colorado county elections official who was sentenced to prison last year after being found guilty of charges connected to sneaking someone into her office to search for evidence to try to prove Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
    
    “FREE TINA PETERS, a brave and innocent Patriot who has been tortured by Crooked Colorado politicians,” Trump wrote on social media Thursday morning, referring to the former Mesa County clerk serving a nine-year prison sentence on charges that include several counts of attempting to influence a public servant and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation.
    
    On Thursday, Trump threatened unnamed consequences if Peters, 69, was not released from prison, and he furthered his own baseless claims of election fraud.
    
    “Let Tina Peters out of jail, RIGHT NOW. She did nothing wrong, except catching the Democrats cheat in the Election. She is an old woman, and very sick. If she is not released, I am going to take harsh measures!!!” Trump wrote on social media.
    
    It is unclear what action Trump could take. Because Peters was convicted in a state court, he has no clemency power in her case.
    
    In May, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Justice Department “to take all necessary action to help secure the release” of Peters.
    
    Prosecutors charged Peters in 2022 and accused her of helping to secretly copy Dominion Voting Systems hard drives by sneaking Conan Hayes, a former professional surfer and purported computer expert, into secure areas of her office in 2021 using someone else’s security badge.
    
    Within months, data from her office appeared online and was featured at a symposium held by Mike Lindell, the MyPillow chief executive who continues to trumpet false claims about elections and seeks to end the use of machines that count ballots.
    
    Peters is one of the few officials to face consequences for using their positions in local elections offices to try to promote false claims that took root after Trump’s defeat.

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    Willowarborposted 8 days ago

    Trump is now ordering Republicans to do whatever they can to “pick up 100 House seats” in 2026, including through massive gerrymandering, voter suppression, and overturning the Voting Rights Act...
    
    https://www.axios.com/2025/08/21/trump- … ail-voting

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    Willowarborposted 8 days ago

    John Bolton's home raided by the FBI... The revenge and  retribution tour continues.
    
    WHO'S NEXT

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       Credence2posted 8 days agoin reply to this

       Trump and his goons might be spying on you, you could be next.

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          Willowarborposted 8 days agoin reply to this

          Very true.  Bolton has been a VERY vocal critic.  I do believe the raid on his home is a warning to others... Keep your mouth shut or your next.  We will never be silenced though will we.

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             Credence2posted 8 days agoin reply to this

             We are not afraid, as for Trump, I am going after that disgrace of a man, both tooth and nail.
             
             Until he is either dead, in prison or voluntarily gets out of politics, this elephant in the room remains the focus of my ire.

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    Willowarborposted 8 days ago

    Confused on this one. Is this socialism or communism because it sure isn't capitalism LOL
    
    
    
    MAGA called free lunch communism, but free Intel stock is freedom?  And let's not forget 15% of Nvidia's revenue from China
    Trump declared that Nvidia can't sell advanced chips that China will use for their military... unless he gets a cut!
    
    Republicans are down for state ownership of private businesses now?
    
    Explain this encroaching Communism, MAGAs

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       Willowarborposted 7 days agoin reply to this

       Lol the really uncomfortable things that Trump does and says really good ignored don't they... The things that look like Marxism... You know the things Maga told us Harris would do to us lol

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    Willowarborposted 8 days ago

    Has there ever been a human being in human history as transparently and brazenly full of bullshit and as dishonest as Trump? I mean, it’s all right there, out in the open...
    
    From "highly CONFLICTED" to "Highly Respected" in just weeks — and all it took was for him to give away 10% of his company LOL
    
    
    THE MOST CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION IN HISTORY

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    Willowarborposted 8 days ago

    Oh he's on a roll... Tell me this is not dictatorship...
    
    
    
    BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN

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    Willowarborposted 7 days ago

    Only in MAGA world is the US government buying part of a private US company considered "capitalism" but giving healthcare to people who can't afford it is "socialism."

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    Willowarborposted 7 days ago

    Tell me more about capitalism...
    
    "The Trump administration on Friday ordered that all construction stop on Revolution Wind, a $4 billion wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that is already mostly built.
    
    Matthew Giacona, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, issued a letter on Friday to Orsted, the Danish company building the wind farm, ordering it to “halt all ongoing activities” because of unspecified issues.
    
    This. Is. Insane.  Trump is quickly making the US uninvestable.
    These are capricious & lawless anti-capitalistic policies.
    
    Why would the government have any say in a 100% private project on private land? Communism? Fascism or Marxism?

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    Willowarborposted 7 days ago

    Ohio National Guard troops are arriving in DC. FBI data indicates many Ohio cities have higher crime rates... What a freaking shit show
    
    AND
    
    Pentagon reportedly planning military deployment in Chicago...thousand of guard and active duty troops....
    
    This ain’t about street crime. He’s trying to make his autocratic fantasies come true....
    
    When are our military going to have the balls to stand up to this bullshit?
    
    Pentagon reportedly planning military deployment in Chicago; Pritzker accuses Trump of "attempting to manufacture a crisis" - CBS Chicago https://share.google/Fh9edSrbs9r3qTwvS

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    Willowarborposted 6 days ago

    And a sickening escalation in DC. whiskey Pete authorizes National Guard troops to carry weapons....

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    Willowarborposted 5 days ago

    From Governor Wes Moore. 
    
    "The deployment of the National Guard is not sustainable, particularly when it's costing over a million dollars a day. It's unconstitutional. [b]For a party that talks about state rights, it's amazing how they're having such a big government approach[b] And it's deeply disrespectful to the members of the National Guard to ask them to do a job that they're not trained for"'
    
    The Trump regime just added Baltimore to their list of blue cities with black mayors slated for military invasion...

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    Willowarborposted 5 days ago

    "Trump signed an  executive order to expand the military's role nationwide. The directive calls for the preparation of national guard units in each state to be ready to "assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances."

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    Willowarborposted 5 days ago

    Looks like another military occupation is imminent. 
    
    Gov. Pritzker: "So, in case there was any doubt as to the motivation behind Trump's military occupations, take note. 13 of the top 20 cities in homicide rates have Republican governors. None of these cities is Chicago. Eight of the top ten states with the highest homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states is Illinois
    
    Memphis, Tennessee. Hattiesburg, Mississippi have higher crime rates than Chicago. And yet Donald Trump is sending troops here and not there. Ask yourself why. If Donald Trump was actually serious about fighting crime in cities like Chicago, he, along with his congressional Republicans, would not be cutting over $800 million in public safety and crime prevention grants nationally, including cutting $158 million in funding to Illinois..."
    
    HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD RIGHT HERE...
    "This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try and intimidate his political rivals…There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention.”

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    Willowarborposted 5 days ago

    Presser in the oval office today was absolute bonkers...
    
    Trump on the people around President Biden...
    
    "It was the radical lunatics who surrounded this guy at this desk"
    
    "They are evil people and they are going to be brought down, they have to be brought down"
    
    Not hiding it anymore is he?

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    Willowarborposted 4 days ago

    note how Trump on a daily basis is trying to normalize the idea that he's a dictator...
    
    Cabinet meeting this morning where the sycophants go around the table kissing his ass...
    
    https://x.com/AaronBlake/status/1960384531397058920
    
    He's not just "normalizing" the idea of a dictator; he's running a constitutional fire sale. The sales pitch is simple: trade your checks and balances for a promise of order. It's a classic authoritarian bargain, now with daily specials..

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       My Esotericposted 3 days agoin reply to this

       It just boggles the mind that there are 70 million Americans who don't see this happening

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    Willowarborposted 3 days ago

    Why the hell are they picking up garbage????
    National Guard members activated for DC federal takeover seen picking-up trash | FOX 5 DC https://share.google/W4MCr3AYg7zEOkwgR

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