All posts tagged "rick wilson"

Trump told impeachment now the 'least of your problems': 'Nothing will save you, Donald'

Former Republican operative Rick Wilson had a message for President Donald Trump about who would target him next.

The co-founder of The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump organization, described in his Substack post on Wednesday how as Trump's approval rating plummets, gas prices surge, and the Iran war rages on, Trump is looking at no escape.

Instead, "Misery, humiliation, and shame await," Wilson argued.

"Nothing will save you now, Donald," Wilson wrote. "Not the war. Not the lies. Not today’s loyalists, tomorrow’s traitors. Not the terrified little men orbiting your shrinking political sun. Not the algorithms, not the oligarchs, not the endless stream of garbage Fox and Twitter propaganda pumped into the veins of a movement that’s finally, visibly, unmistakably breaking apart. You chose this."

Wilson called out Trump's biggest fear — impeachment. But even that shouldn't make him worry. There was another looming threat.

"You’re afraid of impeachment. Of course you are," Wilson wrote. "It’s the word that haunts you, the specter you can’t quite outrun.
But impeachment is the least of your problems. What you should fear, what should keep you pacing the halls of the Residence at three in the morning, is oversight. Relentless, grinding, methodical exposure."

The ex-GOP strategist suggested that more investigation could come from lawmakers. And as Republicans approach midterms and Democrats hope to take back the majority, Trump might have another problem on his hands.

"A Democratic House and Senate won’t just vote on articles of impeachment," Wilson wrote. "They’ll open the books. They’ll drag the secrets into the light. They’ll subpoena documents, bank records, and communications. They’ll put your allies, your bagmen, your enablers, and yes, your crapulous, scumbag low-tier crypto criminal family members, on the hot seat."

Trump's allies might also be called to testify before Congress.

"And it won’t just be you," Wilson wrote. "The tech-bro billionaire class that decided, in a fit of adolescent contrarianism and naked self-interest, to hitch their wagons to your movement? They’re next in line. Let’s see how Boy Elon does under the hot lights for 8 hours a day for two weeks."

Even Elon Musk, or others who have funded Trump, could have to face justice, Wilson explained.

"They’ve been very comfortable lavishing you with swag and praise, funding, amplifying, and cheering on the chaos, convinced that they were too rich, too smart, too insulated to ever face real consequences," Wilson added. "Congressional oversight is about to disabuse them of that notion. Subpoenas don’t care about your net worth. Hearings don’t care about your follower count. Under oath is a very different environment than a podcast or a tweet. They’re about to find out."

Ex-GOP operative flags Trump admin's subtle shift to appeal to MAGA base

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson on Monday identified how President Donald Trump has made a quiet change in his messaging approach amid the ongoing Iran war.

Wilson, the co-founder of anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, was speaking on a MS NOW panel with anchor Katy Tur and described how Trump has changed his talking points for his MAGA base. He also referenced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's criticism of media coverage and how he was frustrated by the way the press has covered the military strikes and Trump administration.

"What you saw Pete Hegseth asking for, he wanted reporters in that room to be stenographers, not reporters," Wilson said.

"I think part of this, Katy, and that propaganda inside of the MAGA universe is often directed at their own base, and they switched very quickly from being antiwar to pro-war," Wilson explained.

Trump changed direction and has been messaging to his base that the war has been going according to his plan, Wilson argued.

"And I think part of this is that Trump feels the need to reinforce his case, that 'this is the perfect war,'" Wilson added. "'It's all great. There's no problems in the gulf. It's all going to be fine. That this is a short-term pain for long-term gain.' I think part of this is an internal base messaging operation because they like it when the administration attacks the legacy media, as they call it."

Tur added that the administration has used this tactic before with MAGA followers.

"It's always when they're on the attack, they can look like the victims," Tur said. "It plays well with the base. 'Look at them. They don't support us. They're always out to get us. They're reporting on the dead American service members. They shouldn't be reporting on that. They should be reporting on all of the victory.'"

Ex-GOP operative exposes Trump's 'loathsome' new fundraising scheme

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson on Friday had a scathing response after President Donald Trump's new

attempt to fundraise for his MAGA coalition.

The co-founder of The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump organization, revealed in his Substack why Trump's use of a photo showing the dignified transfer of a fallen soldier killed in Kuwait was so troubling.

"They’re using a photo from the return of dead soldiers to Dover AFB," Wilson wrote. "In his dumb hat. To raise money. A million suns could not contain the heat of my hatred for this loathsome piece of human s---. I will be the first to piss on his miserable grave."

The president sent an email to his mailing list advertising the final few spots on his National Security Briefing council. The image attached to the email is from an appearance Trump made — wearing his baseball hat — at the transfer of the Iran war dead, with 13 US soldiers now killed in the conflict.

The email from Trump read, "VERY FEW SPOTS REMAINING! CLAIM YOUR SPOT. These final spots are reserved for my strongest supporters (YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!). This is no ordinary membership."

Wilson wasn't alone in criticizing Trump's fundraising effort.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump foe and vocal critic, Thursday evening also pointed out why the president's message was problematic.

His team denounced the use of the image as a tool for fundraising and wrote on X, "Donald Trump is fundraising off of dead soldiers. He is a deeply SICK and DISGUSTING MAN!"

Ex-GOP strategist highlights 'dangerous' tell in Trump's new Truth Social comments

A claim made by Donald Trump in a late-night Truth Social post is a telling moment in the war with Iran, a former GOP strategist has claimed.

The Lincoln Project founder, Rick Wilson, believes the president has overstepped and is dishing out false information with his claims on munitions supplies. Trump took to Truth Social earlier today (March 3) and made his thoughts on stockpiling munitions and the aid given to Ukraine clear.

He wrote, "The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better - As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought 'forever,' and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!).

"At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be. Much additional high-grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries."

Wilson has disagreed with the claim of strong munition supplies, instead suggesting Trump has no idea what the actual number is for the material backing the US military.

Wilson wrote, "Now let’s talk about the dangerous part: casually boasting about stockpile levels. There is a reason serious leaders don’t blurt out operational readiness claims on social media, as if they’re bragging about golf handicaps.

"Even if the numbers were accurate (and spoiler alert: he doesn’t know, and we’re burning through long-lead-time systems like a drunken sailor on shore leave), publicly telegraphing assessments of readiness, sufficiency, and shortfalls is the kind of thing professionals handle with classified briefings, not all-caps self-congratulation.

“'Wars can be fought forever.' No, they can’t. Wars chew through materiel, money, alliances, and political capital. Ask the Romans. Ask the British Empire. Ask the Nazis (the old ones, not the new ones). Ask the Soviets in Afghanistan. Ask anyone who served from 2003-2021 in Iraq or Afghanistan.

"The idea that modern, high-intensity warfare can be sustained indefinitely without economic, industrial, and human consequences is the strategic equivalent of saying your credit card has 'virtually unlimited' funds because the machine hasn’t declined you yet. Those $30,000 Shahed drones getting knocked down by $3,000,000 Patriots is a bad exchange rate."

'Hang on tight': Ex-insider says 'terrified' GOP poised to take 'much more dangerous' path

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson warned Friday that just because the SAVE Act has died, it doesn't mean that the MAGA coalition won't make a desperate attempt to interfere in upcoming midterms.

The Lincoln Project co-founder described in his Substack what could come next after President Donald Trump's legislation to mandate voter ID and ban mail-in ballots failed. And while Republicans couldn't pass "a fake bill designed to solve a fake problem," a group of pro-Trump activists have started circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered with the 2020 election and suggests that is why the president should "declare a 'national emergency' based on these rancid, debunked lies."

"But here’s the thing about the Trump ecosystem: when the law fails them, they turn to the decree, the executive order, the extraordinary and previously unknown executive power. When the Constitution gets in the way, they reach for the Sharpie," Wilson explained.

The move has signaled the Republican Party's concerns ahead of November. And although Trump will try to intimidate voters, he doesn't have the constitutional authority to control state-run elections.

"They are terrified of 2026," Wilson wrote. "They know that in a fair fight, where people can actually vote without being harassed or suppressed by federal decree, they are in deep trouble. So, they’re going for the 'break glass in case of impending electoral defeat' option. They are trying to build a legal and administrative infrastructure that allows them to ignore the voters entirely."

MAGA will attempt to take extreme measures because they "know their grip on power is slipping," Wilson argued.

"Hang on tight," Wilson wrote. "The people who couldn’t pass the SAVE Act are about to try something much more dangerous. They think they can cancel the Constitution with a 'National Emergency' sticker. They’re wrong. But they’re going to break a lot of things trying to prove they’re right."

Ex-GOP strategist warns one Trump move will lead to 'total collapse' of the government

A former GOP strategist is calling on members of the public to refuse the narrative rolled out by Donald Trump and his administration heads.

Rick Wilson warned the public in his recent Substack column that the mutual desire for political debate could be coming to an end because of the president's warped reality. He wrote, "When people stop believing in vaccines because a guy on Rumble told them they contain 5G chips, people die.

"When people believe that elections are stolen by Italian satellites and Hugo Chavez’s ghost, they storm the Capitol with zip ties and bear spray. When the government is viewed not as a flawed institution but as a literal demonic entity, the solution almost always devolves towards violence.

"We are seeing the death of the shared reality. Without a shared reality, you don’t have a country; you have a collection of warring tribes sharing a zip code and a mutual desire to see the other side extinguished."

Wilson has since called on the public to do their part in standing against disinformation despite the massive influx of claims and fake news peddled by the party in power.

He wrote, "If we don’t find a way to break the fever, it will lead to the total collapse of the institutional trust that makes a Republic based on laws and democracy possible. You can’t have a court system if half the country thinks the judges are part of a pedophile ring. You can’t have an economy if people think the currency is a tool of the Illuminati.

"I don’t have a magic wand. I can’t go to your Thanksgiving dinner and convince your cousin that the Earth isn’t flat and that George Soros isn’t under his bed.

"But we can refuse to play the game. We can call out the grifters by name. We can stop treating 'both sides' of a conspiracy theory as a valid debate. Sunlight, as they say, is the best disinfectant, even if the people you’re shining it on scream like vampires.

"We can also shut down the people on our side of the pro-democracy fight peddling the antipodean version of Trumpian conspiracy theories. Hillary Clinton did not win in 2016, and Kamala Harris didn’t win in 2024. Blueanon isn’t as bad as QAnon…but it’s not something to rely on."

'Rattled' Trump now super dangerous — and 'reaching for the accelerant': Ex-GOP insider

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson has anticipated that President Donald Trump will lash out further as his MAGA coalition weakens.

In his Substack Monday, The Lincoln Project co-founder pointed out that while Trump, who has always wanted to appear a "strongman," loses his base, he could become more desperate than ever to try and maintain his power.

"For the first time in a long time, the pro-democracy coalition in this country has the wind at its back," Wilson wrote. "And that’s exactly when things get dangerous."

"Because Donald Trump and the machine behind him do not lose quietly," Wilson went on. "He does not fade gracefully. He does not accept reality. When the walls close in, he reaches for the accelerant and sets a fire. We’ve seen it before. He may be older and sicker, but he still commands the levers of power, and as his political fortunes wane, he’ll demand one last conflagration."

And with his fear of losing control, Trump could increasingly push toward using extreme language, using the courts to prosecute his enemies, "procedural sabotage" with redistricting in red states and "voter disqualifications," plus potential conflicts abroad — or "manufactured external crises."

"Trump’s entire political identity rests on dominance," Wilson wrote. "He cannot psychologically process decline. If polling dips, it’s fraud. If courts block him, it’s corruption. If voters recoil, it’s a conspiracy."

And if Trump and his allies perceive that things aren't going their way, they will take further measures.

"They escalate. Expect it. Plan for it. Understand the process," Wilson wrote.

"First, the rhetoric will harden," Wilson added. "'Domestic terrorists.' 'Foreign infiltrators.' 'Deep state coup.' The language isn’t an accident; it’s preparation. When you convince your followers that opponents are existential threats, you justify extraordinary measures."

Wilson argued that it's up to people to fight back against Trump and "tie MAGA and GOP candidates to a failing President with a deeply poisonous agenda."

"Yes, the energy has shifted. Yes, the pro-democracy side is gaining ground. Yes, the administration looks rattled," Wilson explained.

"But a rattled strongman is not a defeated strongman," Wilson added. "The next phase won’t be a polite policy debate. It will be pressure. It will be intimidation. It will be narratives crafted to justify extraordinary steps. It will be efforts to redefine defeat as illegitimate."

Ex-GOP operative slams GOP senator for running again: 'Dazzlingly cynical' Trump enabler

Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson called a longtime GOP senator who announced her campaign for reelection Tuesday "the worst of the worst" and said she was deserving of defeat.

In his Substack, the co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project described how Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has continued to support President Donald Trump despite everything that has happened under Trump and how even her own staff was shocked when she was reelected in 2020 after the Lincoln Project and other activists attempted to unseat her.

"The normies who stuck with Trump after the first term, the COVID deaths, the electoral massacre, the endless chain of crimes and corruption, and now, the Epstein Coverup have a poster girl, and it’s Susan Collins," Wilson wrote.

"Susan Collins is the worst of the worst because she plays moral, normal, and centrist on the Sunday shows while empowering, enabling, and embracing Donald Trump every time she thinks she can get away with it," Wilson wrote.

Collins released an op-ed in Bangor Daily News on Tuesday announcing her campaign to seek reelection, and Wilson disagreed with her claims that she is "independent" and that she should remain on Capitol Hill.

"Her career has become a transactional loop where Mitch McConnell or John Thune dangles the keys to the Appropriations Committee goodie room, showering Maine with infrastructure pork and 'targeted investments,' and in exchange, Susan provides the pivotal 'aye' for the most destructive elements of the MAGA agenda," Wilson wrote.

"She isn’t 'bringing both sides together'; she’s selling her vote to the highest bidder in the Republican leadership, trading the fundamental rights of Maine women and the integrity of the federal judiciary for a few hundred million in earmarks," Wilson added. "Forget the aw shuck granny in tennis shoes riff; Collins is dazzlingly cynical, a contestant in D.C.’s version of 'Let’s Make a Deal' where the prize is a new bridge, and the cost is the very democracy she pretends to protect."

If elected in November, this would be Collins' sixth term in office as Republicans show growing concern over her seat, which Democrats have eyed as a way to take control of the Senate, according to The New York Times.

Ex-GOP insider says Trump plans to bring 'bulldozers' to Kennedy Center 'to hurt people'

Former Republican insider Rick Wilson has a grim outlook for the Kennedy Center.

In his Substack published Friday, the co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project made a stark prediction over how President Donald Trump would handle the performing arts institution — with a tear down.

"I regret to inform you that on July 5th or thereabouts, bulldozers will slam into the Kennedy Center and start destroying it," Wilson wrote.

"Not because Trump has a plan. Not because it needs to be razed," Wilson explained. "Just to hurt people. It’s the same plan as the East Wing; destroy something beloved and replace it with a trashy substitute, a corrupt echo of something better, all while reveling in the same pain he enjoyed as far back as his destruction of the historic facade Bonwit-Teller in Manhattan in 1982."

Trump has renamed the living memorial for President John F. Kennedy as "The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" without congressional approval. This week he announced plans to close it for two years, citing extensive renovations.

Wilson pointed out the flaws behind Trump's mindset around the location remodel, his aims to secure his legacy and how it would reflect the similar moves he made at the White House's East Wing.

"Trump believes the imaginary D.C. skyline of his dreams will be what remains of him when he’s gone. Like Hitler’s vision of Speer’s Berlin, or Stalin’s fantasy of Moscow, skylines crafted by dictators rarely come to pass, and even when they do, they’re remembered with a sense of shame and longing for what came before," Wilson wrote.

Trump's decision to takeover the Kennedy Center comes as a number of the venue's bookings were cancelled in protest of the Trump administration. A number of performers have decided to nix their partnerships with the location and cancel their Kennedy Center dates, including composer Philip Glass, Béla Fleck, Issa Rae and The Cookers. The Washington National Opera announced it would no longer perform there and hit musical "Hamilton" also decided not to bring its 2026 production run to the historic location.

Ex-GOP strategist warns of ‘cataclysmic’ midterms: ‘Nobody is happy in the MAGA world’

Former Republican operative Rick Wilson on Thursday warned that MAGA has been showing signs of anxiety over "cataclysmic" midterms as polls show dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump.

The Lincoln Project co-founder described on a Live Substack video how damning polling results and low satisfaction among voters have put Trump's MAGA coalition in a tight spot ahead of the midterm elections this fall. He also added that the decision to pull ICE agents out of Maine following the ICE killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis was a clear political move to try to secure the Republican Senate seat, which will be up for grabs come November and has been the cause of concern among GOP lawmakers.

"Nobody is happy in the MAGA world," Wilson said.

Trump has "an economy that is terrifying people," he said, referencing recent polling results that show growing concerns over affordability.

The Epstein files also haven't helped Trump and "Republicans who are nervous as hell" about the backlash among voters, Wilson explained.

Wilson signaled that ahead of the elections, Trump has to battle both the economy and fallout over the Epstein files, which have him named more than 3,000 times throughout the materials.

"He's screwing it up with his own base. He's screwing it up with Epstein," Wilson explained.

Despite mounting public interest and concern over justice for the survivors of the late financier and convicted sex offender, Trump has urged people to move on from the conversation. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He has said he had social ties with Epstein throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.