Trump's skull cracker now risks hurtling him to conviction

This column previously noted that anytime Trump finds himself in trouble, his only tool, his auto-response, is to apply more Trump. It couldn't matter in the least that the American people just handed Trump the clearest repudiation of him personally in recent history. Trump will — Trump must — believe that if he only worked a little harder at being Trump, everyone would love him. Anyone who disagrees deserves to be punished.

Enter Stephen Miller as new Chief of Staff, now unquestionably the second most powerful man in America, now set to deliver more Trump, which means worse Trump — yes, worse than before. Stephen is said to be there to "crack skulls."

Not that this is new; critics attribute the extrajudicial boat killings to Miller's policy; he's certainly responsible for the horrors documented in the detention centers, and we certainly don't know half of it. Jesse Watters calls Miller "based," which sounds like a hip-hop reference equating to "chill" or "cool."

But it's not. It's worse than you imagined. Even some White House insiders were alarmed by Miller's selection, according to a report in the Washington Post on Friday. It is for good reason; they likely agree Miller is based.

In MAGA world — such as it is now — "based” means one who doesn't care about people's feelings and opinions, nor anyone's safety or protection. Think about Miller calling the martyred Alex Pretti a domestic terrorist as a mere light intro.

The term came to common use when an often-arrested former Proud Boy fascist called himself “Based Stickman." Because he clubbed protesters. A prominent Republican consultant said, “Miller as COS? Full Gestapo it is." That same Republican noted that Hispanics were "already headed for the exits."

Yes, Stephen Miller is based and loves Gestapo tactics, and has been since high school. Politically, it's wonderful that the nation sent Trump a clear message: "We reject all you've done, so much so that we turned Texas dark blue." Trump's predictable response? He chooses to further run himself into the ground. With respect to the public and republic's health, it's actually the worst development since 2024. We will get much more Trump, all in accord with based Stephen Miller's "values."

To give people just a feel for what is surely coming. Watters celebrated the announcement, feeling his depression lifting after the loss, knowing that Stephen Miller would do everything needed to regain "the white vote." No. They are not even trying to hide the racism anymore; they believe they lost only due to the Black vote. They see only one way to get the white vote back, and it's not by compassionate treatment for all.

Based people are based because they lack compassion.

All this is happening amidst others wondering how it was that Miller wasn't fired. Erick Erickson asked who would be held accountable. He wanted a wipeout, wondering how Howard Lutnick, Peter Navarro — the trade people — didn't deserve to be fired. He called for Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller's termination prior to Trump firing the woman (again), promoting the man. But Trump doesn't do accountability; he does more Trump, and nowhere is that clearer than Miller's promotion.

Having not even really publicly addressed the losses, Americans should fear that Trump's new approach isn't just instilling himself more, but, with only two years left in his career, he will seek only to punish voters, ready to unleash himself, through Miller, upon the country and the values of those who embarrassed him. We have seen how he lashes out in response to losses before.

It's coming again. There is only one reason to keep Stephen Miller around: he is perhaps the only White House employee more extreme than Trump, and he will do all he can to ensure the extremism comes unabated.

Speaking of abatement, there are some outside possibilities that could somewhat restrain the two in the White House. First, there is JD Vance, who, unlike Trump, is eyeing 2028 with an acute awareness of 2026 and the voters' message. He surely knows that more Trump is more trouble, however it manifests itself. Second, there is the GOP Congress, now knowing they have some agency in this, also eyeing 2028, but now freed from owing Trump a thing; indeed, many surely see Trump as an increasing liability.

Your doubts about either means of slowing Miller down, preventing him from getting his way (he is that powerful), are certainly well-founded. But just as Trump and Miller may feel freed to inflict the pain they always yearned to deliver to any opposition, the Vance and Congress almost have to come to life to spurn some opposition themselves or suffer political death. In the day after the loss, there was some cute talk about Trump trying to work with the Democrats in Congress; the new minority GOP may see themselves as somewhat irrelevant, taken for granted.

Miller isn't there to work with Congress.

There is a scenario where impeachment talk, impeachment with a conviction, may actually be taken seriously. Imagine a situation where it is discovered that Trump specifically ordered a damning piece of Epstein evidence withheld? Caught directly in a quid pro quo with Russia? Money from Saudi Arabia? All this happening while the ignored economy continues to spiral and the based chief of staff unleashes the fascism voters rejected. Troops in the street, deaths in detention centers, violence of the type only a Miller could love. Not just more Trump, way more fascism, way more open racism, far more violence.

What happens then? Is an impeachment conviction on the table? Possibly.

After all, outside perhaps 25% of the nation, Trump is skunked, for good, and the lamest, wing-shot duck to ever quack. No top GOP commentator has yet called for Trump's resignation, but they haven't been shy in blaming him, either. Tucker Carlson, Ann Coulter, Dave Smith, and the above Erickson all laid the loss at Trump's feet, and if they see more losses, may start using their voice to encourage a depressed, neutered GOP Congress to become less useless. It may be the only way they survive.

This column's latest report already discussed what seemed like an informal troika forming to implement some kind of putsch on Trump, one that includes Vance, Tucker, and Don Jr. (of all people), all with future aspirations, surely, all seeing Miller's appointment as a horrific development (though Vance gave the required lip-service support initially). All now convinced that if they had a case before, that case is close to an imperative.

Politically, this certainly is poison, Miller leading Trump further into the ground. Watters eventually learns that plenty of "white people" voted the GOP out and that people of color, having seen what happens when they roar, are going nowhere. Miller would rather fire women and POC, or fire upon those opposing him and Trump, than worry about the economy or affordability, one of Trump's biggest weaknesses. So, good.

But good hell, things are about to get even more dangerous. It is easy to envision cruelty garnering protest, protest leading to troops, troops leading to violence, all with Miller watching over, nodding, in charge, his boss building monuments. It is also the only scenario in which an impeachment proceeding could lead to a conviction; Republicans wanting a future, one they can actually face with their heads held high, they may have almost no choice. True, it is not likely, but it certainly is more possible than ever.

But Stephen Miller will increase Trumpism, and that's everyone's worst fear, even as it's a Democratic opportunity to extend their lead in 2028. But no one wants it this way. No one other than Trump and Miller.

Danger always had a comfy place in Trump's White House; now it's home base.