Demagoguery comes before fascism. In case you haven’t noticed, Donald Trump has the demagoguery down.
Trump loves him some fascists. He buddies up to the authoritarian leaders of Turkey, the Philippines, Russia, China, North Korea, and even gave the monarchs of Saudi Arabia a pass over murdering a journalist who was a U.S. resident.
He’s speculated that the United States will have a president for life someday, which sounds less like speculation and more like thinking out loud.
He believes elections that don’t produce the results he wants are fraudulent. He’s claimed that counting every vote is cheating.
He’s referred to the media as “fake news” and the “enemy of the people.” He’s attempted to punish journalists by stripping their White House passes. He’s said that it’s a shame people can write and publish whatever they want.
He believes he can change parts of the U.S. Constitution with an executive order.
He’s attacked the courts and said we need to do something about them. He’s accused them of being dangerous to the country.
He wants to prosecute his political enemies, pressuring the Justice Department to go after Hillary Clinton and James Comey. He’s stripped clearance from former officials who have criticized him. He’s fired people from the FBI and Justice Department who have investigated him and has called for their imprisonment.
He tells his followers not to believe everything they see and hear, and it’s working. They don’t believe facts. His sycophants debate his greatness while rarely ever talking policy, because, like their leader, they don’t know policy. When facts are pointed out to them, they say they’re lies. They attack the messenger while ignoring the message. He has a base that puts sycophancy above honesty and patriotism.
He has said he is the only one who can fix America’s problems, even stating at the Republican National Convention, “Only I can fix it.” He tells us that he’s our favorite president. During Thanksgiving, he said he was thankful for himself.
He has used the military for political propaganda, costing us millions.
Donald Trump is not a dictator, but he wants to be. We have a system of checks and balances and Trump is the test that they will work or not. There are three branches of government and one of those branches wants to go unchecked and another has been ignoring its job has spent the past two years protecting the first. Hopefully, the courts won’t protect Trump.
Voters have given the House to Democrats with a mandate. Protect us from Trump and hold him accountable. The majority of Americans don’t want to live under a dictatorship. Trump supporters dream of it.
Trump doesn’t just want to win on policy. He wants full authoritarian power without any checks and balances. He wants to rule, not govern. The warning signs are there. He’s telling us every day what he wants and what he wants to be. It’s not a mystery. When someone tells you who they are, believe them.
People say Donald Trump never really wanted to be president. That’s true. But, it doesn’t mean he never wanted to be the nation’s leader.
Watch me draw.
Email Clay Jones at [email protected]