Donald Trump Is Staging a Fascist Coup

Donald Trump is putting the elements in place to establish an authoritarian regime

Be afraid — be very afraid!

Donald Trump is preparing to enact every terrifying policy he promised while campaigning: mass deportation of millions of immigrants, ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and prosecuting his political opponents — “the enemy from within” — for treason. He wants to burn down our entire political apparatus. The Constitution be damned!

Donald Trump is appointing dangerous, incompetent, sycophants to key cabinet positions.

Kristi “I shot my puppy” Noem has been nominated for Homeland Security secretary. The woman who had no qualms about killing a defenseless animal will have no reservations in implementing whatever extreme tactics she deems necessary to evict immigrant families.

While campaigning, Trump boasted that he would end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours after becoming president. Clearly, the end of this conflict will benefit Trump’s buddy Putin at the expense of the Ukrainian people. Proposed Secretary of State Marco Rubio — ironically the most sane of Trump’s appointees — has long advocated for a “negotiated settlement,” rather than more support for President Zelenskyy’s war effort. 

Similarly, the end to the conflict in Gaza will favor the Israelis over the interests of the Palestinian people. Mike Huckabee — Trump’s nomination for Ambassador to Israel — has repeatedly stated that there is “no such thing as a Palestinian.” All those foolish college protesters who maligned Israel in their idiotic support for the terrorist group Hamas and the Arab Americans in Michigan who refused to support the Harris/Walz ticket due to their support for Israel have made a huge mistake. Any hope for a two-state solution is over.

Trump’s rants about the “enemies from within” are horrifying. He has called out Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney (who he said should have “guns trained on her face”), the so-called “Biden crime family”, and even the team at 60 Minutes. With Matt Gaetz as his mad-dog Attorney General, we can count on the worst possible scenario. Saying that this is hyperbole and trash talk is naivety. All outspoken Democrats, journalists, and perceived enemies are at risk.

Given that many Republicans despise Matt Gaetz for his vile behavior, his nomination came as a shock to many. Notably, Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress on November 13, before the release of a House ethics investigation on his alleged sexual misconduct with a minor and illicit drug use.

Even if Matt Gaetz is a shill that Trump nominated as a distraction from his other disturbing nominations, be assured that an equally dangerous — just less repulsive — candidate for Attorney General is waiting in the wings. Matt Gaetz will not disappear. Trump will keep him around for some nefarious purpose. 

The nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence is truly frightening. She is an opportunist of the worst sort, switching from being a Democratic candidate for president in 2020 to being a Trumpster. In her quest for power, she will do anything. Even more concerning is Gabbard’s affinity for Russia and her secret meeting with Bashar Assad, the dictator of Syria who gassed his own countrymen. If Gabbard achieves this position, none of our allies will share their intelligence information, since they know that it will go directly to Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s nomination of Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense is yet another tragic example of an unqualified sycophant in a position of power. Hegseth — who paid a settlement to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct — decries the “woke” generals who have weakened the military through their promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and laments the 1948 integration of the military that allowed Blacks and Latinos to serve along with white men. He is against women in combat roles and promotes the pardon of U.S. service members accused of war crimes.

To make matters worse, Trump wants to create a special panel — a “warrior board” —with the power to oust career generals who would defy his dangerous intentions. 

It should be noted that Trump’s one-time Chief of Staff, retired General John Kelly, said the views Trump holds are “the general definition of fascism.” Similarly, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired General Mark Milley, has said that Donald Trump is “fascist to the core.”

Trump has called for the U.S. military to be used against American citizens he considers to be his political adversaries aka “the enemy within.” 

It is not hard to imagine this grim scenario. Using his “warrior board,” Trump fires any general who would stand up to him. He sends his personal military — loyal to him only and not to the U.S. Constitution — out to take down any opposition. Attending a political protest could cost you your life. Thanks to his weaponized justice system with the likes of Matt Gaetz at the helm — or a similar crackpot like Jim Jordan — all political adversaries will have been arrested. Putin will be calling the shots via someone like Tulsi Gabbard in the position of Director of National Intelligence. The billionaire class led by Elon Musk will be manipulating the economy to secure their elite position. With the elimination of hardworking immigrants, the working poor will be forced — by the military — to harvest crops and shovel shit.

This is what the masses voted for. Lured by the promises of cheaper bacon, pressured by religious leaders to support politicians who oppose abortion, pissed off at the so-called educated coastal elites in an anti-intellectual climate that espouses censorship, and worked up into a frenzy of toxic masculinity aimed at a woman of color who was arguably the most qualified candidate since Obama, they anointed the man who said he wanted to be a dictator on day one.

With Trump in control of the executive branch, Congress, the shameful Supreme Court, and the U.S. military, it is up to every halfway decent Republican to save the nation. The only decent Republicans are Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — the only ones who stood up to Trump during his first term. House Speaker Mike Johnson is hopelessly committed to enacting Trump’s fascist agenda, which leaves only the U.S. Senate with the power to squash Trump’s fascist intentions. Will John Thune be the leader we so desperately need? Or will he acquiesce to Trump’s demands and send home the Senate so Trump can secure his dangerous appointees via recess appointments?

The future of our democracy hangs in the balance. Be afraid — be very afraid!

© Joyce O’Day 2024. All Rights Reserved.

AI was NOT used in the creation of this article.