Jason Miciak

In one of his most astonishingly oblivious moments, President Donald Trump may have revealed more about himself — his honest, true beliefs regarding his “talents” and place in history — than at any point in his public life. During an interview with Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman for their forthcoming book, Trump proudly offered what he called an “expert historian’s” impression of his raw fortitude. As you might guess, Trump bragged he topped a list of history’s most powerful rulers.

Now, that cringe you already feel is more than warranted. Presidents and other leaders are rarely measured by raw power alone. Nixon was an extremely powerful president in many ways, and you know how that played out. But everyone understands that this particular president sees power for power’s sake as the gold standard — the measure of the job. Prepare for that cringe to evolve into rage upon learning of the leaders he “trumps,” so to speak. “Our” president believes he tops a list that includes Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler.

Sweet Jesus.

With the possible exception, and only to a degree, of Napoleon, every other ruler on that list accrued power by killing people in the sole furtherance of “more power,” and thus killed even more people as both a means of expanding and keeping it. Looked at another way, Trump excitedly showed Swan and Haberman a list he believes puts him atop history’s greatest monsters.

Well, that fits. And it is scary AF.

Because there is nothing wrong with seeking power if it’s in the pursuit of something worthy. Martin Luther King Jr. surely sought every ounce of authority that his gentle hands could hold, but made non-violence his most powerful ally to accrue, well, power. To the extent that the United States even approaches racial equality, at least in written law, we owe it in large part to MLK Jr., who sacrificed his life for it, and that’s pretty damned powerful, especially given his influence extended far beyond this nation’s boundaries. King’s words and message are remembered today at least as much as any American president’s — the most “powerful man in the world.” Gandhi is cut from the same cloth, to use an apt metaphor, and took on an entire empire and subcontinent.

The West defeated Soviet Communism without firing a direct shot, a pretty impressive power move. And yes, part of the “fall” owed itself to an American President in Ronald Reagan, whose main tactic was to militarily spend the U.S.S.R. into oblivion — the Soviets unable to keep up. But Reagan couldn’t have succeeded without the real power of a fairly humble but stubborn and infinitely brave Polish shipyard worker named Lech Wałęsa, and an even more humble Polish Pope in John Paul II, who both stood up to communism on moral grounds, smothering a communist empire unable to keep up.

There is also power over our day-to-day lives that we all but take for granted now. Alan Turing ushered in the idea of “computation,” but Steve Jobs gave the average person the desire to even have one at home, and that was just the first act; he then changed how the world does nearly anything, bringing about the smartphone. Ideally, Steve Jobs’ “power” will infinitely impact your life more than anything Donald Trump ever does… ideally, no guarantee. Elvis Presley forever altered the role music plays in our lives.

Power comes in many forms. Whoever came up with high definition television deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, but I digress.

Given we’re sure that Trump is talking about national leaders, we can circle back to that category and ably come up with many who managed to accrue far more power with far less brutal killing. George Washington founded this nation by fighting a king who wouldn’t peaceably deal with the colonies. Abraham Lincoln almost personally kept this nation together for four years, certainly killing a lot of people in a war that he would have given up everything to avoid except for continued slavery. And FDR not only kept this nation’s head above water during the worst worldwide depression since the Dark Ages, but he also invented modern economic liberalism in America, and then went on to rally a nation to defeat Hitler. That is a pretty powerful guy.

The story gets even Trumpier. He told Swan and Haberman that he got the list at a golf benefit with Gary Player, handed to him as a paper put together by a noted historian. But when Swan and Haberman investigated the matter further, the “report” had been put together by golfer Gary Player’s caddy. But the list's scholarly authority couldn’t matter less. It’s Trump’s reaction to having his name among those names that takes one’s breath away.

We weren’t in the room and thus can’t know how the conversation went, but wouldn’t it have been wonderful to hear Trump’s response to a follow-up: “Mr. President, why would you even want to be on this list? This is essentially a list of ‘worst people in human history.’”

Pity. Because it’s tough to predict how Trump would’ve talked himself around that one, probably something along the lines of, “But see? I’m more powerful than them, and I’m one of the most loved men in…”

It should go without saying that a president should enter that office committed to doing the best he or she can for the American people — do that, and the power takes care of itself. Lincoln saved the Union. FDR brought us Social Security and led us through World War II. Lyndon B. Johnson made us a greater society by bringing in Medicare and Medicaid and signing the Civil Rights Act (and yes, got a lot of Americans killed in Vietnam, duly noted). Ronald Reagan did open up a real dialogue with the U.S.S.R. that helped lead to communism’s downfall (I don’t need a primer on all the horrid things Reagan also did). George W. Bush — for all his innumerable faults — got this nation through the first month after 9/11 with bravery, resolve, and love toward American Muslims, not a single act of vigilantism. Barack Obama made universal healthcare an expected right, perhaps saving millions of lives. Pretty powerful.

If one really wants to get cynical, look to Mitch McConnell, who engineered the process by which we have a Supreme Court that managed to give Trump a free pass with respect to criminality, steal a woman’s right to control her body, and disenfranchise Black Americans in the South. Pretty powerful.

Donald Trump effected the first violent transfer of power in American history, and perhaps therein lies a clue to his “formidability.” Like Khan, Stalin, and Hitler, Donald Trump is out to get all he can personally get in his name as American president, whether it is semi-invading Venezuela, dropping billions in bombs in Iran (killing a school full of little girls), threatening war over Greenland, and this new “thing” with Cuba — and that’s just on the international scale. At home, Trump has organized masked stormtroopers marching around the country, rounding up brown people, changed the structure of Congress, put his name and face on money, and strongly considered suspending habeas corpus to do it, avoiding courts altogether. If there is a secret sauce to Trump’s power, it is that he is constrained only by balancing what he can get away with at no personal cost.

And, to be sure, if you have the most powerful military force ever amassed on the planet and the personal fealty of nearly every Republican in government to back domestic efforts, that affords someone an enormous amount of power. But if Trump has proven anything, it is that he seeks power to improve his fortunes, and only his fortunes. In that respect, he most certainly is right at home with Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Hitler, etc.

Last, to the extent one ever needed more concrete evidence as to the danger in mixing self-glorification within a uniquely undereducated man, the fact that Trump is proud to head up this list is Exhibit “A,” and all that would ever be needed to demonstrate that he lacks the emotional IQ to even understand the position he holds. The fact that it didn’t occur to Trump, “What if fifty years from now, someone reads a list about history’s most powerful leaders, and Donald Trump is alongside Stalin, Hitler, and Genghis Khan — is that bad branding?” should scare us all. Not that we weren’t already scared.

Nor are we surprised.

Check that. Some of us are indeed surprised, surprised only in the way Trump continues to find astonishingly original ways to evidence his true weakness. Leaders who seek power as the goal in and of itself are, by definition, some of the most dangerous figures in history. Leaders who dare to dream so powerfully of all that good that can be done if one only had the power are some of history’s most revered leaders, as they selflessly work to get it done. MLK Jr., Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, Isaac Newton, Carl Jung, St. Francis of Assisi, Shakespeare… The list of history’s most powerful people who never sought “power” itself, merely propounded ideas so powerful they still impact us today, is a list to which one should aspire.

It is doubtful that anyone, even the most hardened MAGA, is surprised by the slot into which Trump most comfortably slid himself. The only somewhat surprising — and worrying thing is his obliviousness as to what it says about him, near and long term.

Indeed, history will have a lot of powerful things to say about Donald J. Trump and, perhaps topping the list, will be that from day one, he sought evermore personal power as both goal and measure.

Pretty weak.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist, former editor at Occupy Democrats, political consultant, author, attorney, and single parent girldad, please follow on Bluesky and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

Many of us have spent years convincing ourselves that President Donald Trump was one scandal away, one slip of the tongue, one fall on Air Force One, one essential predicate from ouster based on a buffet of underlying reasons, any one of which would take down a normal president.

Fair warning, but here comes another prediction, and this one promises something different, something both new and tangible — actually, a few somethings.

Everyone lumped within a certain Gen-X demographic forever remains conversant in School House Rock and thus knows that 3 Is a Magic Number. But it will be more physics, along with some magic, as we watch three waves conjoin into the long-feared and impossible to predict rogue wave, the type that really does sink ships. Three waves of varying degrees, all meeting at the right time and place, and destined to do so during a long-predicted summer storm.

Your doubts and natural cynicism are noted and well-founded. But let your cool-factor abate momentarily because these three waves approach with elegant timing.

From the left, port side, horizon, comes the most obvious: an economy on the brink. And as much as we may wish that such pain was unnecessary, this column has long noted that a broken economy not only changes everything but has become tragically needed, especially when dealing with someone who assumes a clean getaway after shooting a person on Fifth Ave.

A second wave comes from aft and will catch Trump no matter how hard he steams ahead. His increasing age and frailty are now media staples; even the analysts at Fox News no longer try to hide the concerns. Ironically, Trump himself put his age front and center during his UFC fight "national event" on his 80th birthday.

Yes, yes, fine. You have every reason to clap back: "Thanks. Give us something new because those issues have been hanging around for a while now."

Fair enough. We move to issue three, creating the magic number and thus conditions, and the underlying basis for a nation about to go rogue, this one headed from the starboard right, the political right.

The red brigade in Congress has largely had it with Trump as he increasingly transforms into a liability and, even more importantly, they seem less afraid to talk about it. The irony is as delicious as pizza when noting that the man almost solely responsible for MAGA's rise is now weighing them down as an anchor.

The divergence of the hard right political force is real and intensifying. Whereas members in the Senate and Congress once needed Trump at least as much as he needed them, not only is that need gone, but turning into a headwind. Trump surely feels invulnerable, probably having "run" his last election, he dedicates the entirety of his effort toward enriching himself financially and engraving his greatness in our nation's monuments.

Note the reporting on this very site on Congress seeing Trump himself as having gone rogue. A quote from a senior GOP staffer in the Senate:

"People are p— the f— off that prices are too high and things are too expensive. I'm just not sure the president really cares or if he's really in tune with what's going on on Capitol Hill."

So naive it all but hopscotches to adorable. One wants to gently whisper as you would give an eight-year-old bad news, "Hey? He never cared about Capitol Hill or its dynamic; he cared about himself, and to the extent he needed you to further himself, he cared about how you did it."

Trump no longer needs them on Capitol Hill. He no longer needs their legislation, nor their protection. He figures he's untouchable. And it's not like he keeps his priorities a secret: ballrooms, UFC birthdays, insider trading, pardons for rich guys (Wonder why?), getting in and out of wars, he obviously spends precious little worry about his precious red Congress, less about affordability, more about all he can now afford.

They say that Trump has personally made two billion dollars since being elected, likely doubling his previous net worth. It would be hard to overstate just how little he cares about the fact that you can walk out of a grocery store carrying two small bags and one less $100 bill.

But it's just that sort of arrogance coupled with a self-satisfied attitude that will trip him up because — don't doubt, he is not invulnerable, seemingly all-powerful dictators have fallen before, and when it happens, it often happens, it can often come with blinding speed. Oh, and the problems usually start within, and among the loyalists the leader took for granted.

Those loyalists on Capitol Hill appear to be seething:

"Between the Pulte nominations and anti-weaponization fund, the White House has definitely gone rogue and instead pushed priorities without talking to Congressional leadership," ... bringing up that Trump hasn't even seemed to consult Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

"We're begging the White House to focus on issues to help Republicans in the midterms. But it feels like it's falling on deaf ears."

Right.

Not deaf so much as distracted. If newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk called, Trump would be all ears, discerning everything. The staffer did hit it right in noticing that the priorities have diverged. Yes, yes, Trump was always in it for himself, of course. But there was a time when he needed those in Congress far more, even those red-hatted wonders at rallies, all filling a need.

Now his needs have narrowed to legacy and looting. Anyone who thinks that the $1.776B slush fund wouldn't come with a finder's fee going into his pocket needs their education examined, and the portion that prohibits the IRS or DOJ from prosecuting or even investigating his tax issue is said to be worth $100 million in back taxes avoided.

Looting is working lovely.

And legacy? How about that ballroom? There is likely no issue that bothers the Republican caucus in Congress more than Trump's obsession with his ballroom.

Now, imagine being a purple Republican congress critter on the campaign trail facing a farmer who tills up this question: "What are you doing about a war in Iran that has pushed my fertilizer costs up 60%, diesel for my combine up 50%, groceries up in ways I can't count, and all I hear the president talking about is that the war will end next week and the ballroom?"

Damn.

Next person up mentions that they want to build a data center in what had been reserved parkland just outside the city, guaranteed to dirty the water, be noisy, and drive up electric rates 50%. The Congressman knows he has to defend an inauguration picture with Trump, Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg.

And that's when our Congressman/woman gets pretty angry about the record to defend, enough to start talking about it — out loud, and in public, just as we see above. And that's different, that's the wave that creates the crash over the bow.

Take all three factors, and it's enough to bring him down. But please hold off the bombs in the comments because I'm not talking about impeachment, I'm talking about possible resignation.

No doubt, Trump loves the trappings of being president: that cool helicopter, everyone calls him "Sir," he likes to bomb people, he likes the money, all that. But if and when the GOP starts to turn hard on him, which, set aside the cool-factor momentarily, if the GOP turns, suddenly the presidency is nowhere near as much fun. Picture a new Congress asking tough Epstein questions, with Republicans increasingly wanting to know why they're left to come up with excuses.

Trump — the man always in it for himself— sees real trouble on the horizon with fewer friends to batten down the hatches. Perhaps he uses a convenient medical issue as a graceful exit. "For the good of the country." How big of him, a martyr to the end. Red tears, "He always put the country first."

And that's what it really gets down to, right? Three things are coming together at the perfect time; the presidency isn't fun anymore. An economy nose-diving and all the fury that goes with it, advanced age he can no longer hide, cankles, bruising, a cognitive catastrophe as certainty, and his soldiers on Capitol Hill no longer following orders. Three things, each critical, and three is a magic number.

Magic enough to create a rogue wave of the type that sinks even the unsinkable.

Jason Miciak is a Raw Story Columnist former Editor at Occupy Democrats, a political consultant, attorney, author, and single parent girldad. Follow him on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com.

Speculating on the basis for President Donald Trump's political and personnel moves is done only at one's peril. The man's mind, always a complex mix of paranoia, confidence, and confusion, is never linear, always leveraged, all in his personal favor.

Despite that reality, it is gravely important to speculate on the reasons that Trump would take on virtually the entirety of the GOP Senate Caucus to install Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), doing so after pulling Pulte's original nomination to quell GOP outcry — in favor of the more experienced Jay Clayton.

Clayton was set to face a Senate hearing Wednesday, but Trump effectively cancelled that in favor of keeping Pulte in place as "acting DNI" — and did it in the middle of the night before the hearing.

The move may sound to some more like mundane Washington political play, but it is actually earth-shakingly unprecedented and done with such rushed recklessness as to represent something deeply nefarious — a Trump move of the type he's made before, but this one on a level that threatens nearly every move made against everything threatening Trump.

It belies Trump's fear of a possible future, while indicating a fierce willingness to fabricate facts needed to avoid the failure of collapse.

Now we're back to speculating as to what Pulte's real responsibility will entail, and doing so knowing the danger of getting lost in unnecessary specifics. The logical start is a focus on Trump's greatest fear looming on the horizon. The biggest — by far — is a wave election in which Democrats suddenly control Congress and all the inherent investigative power, picking apart the administration, act by act, deals for value-added deals, dollar for dollar, favor for favor.

And everyone already knows Trump's response to such an election: "Rigged!"

Right. Except it's tough to effectively scream rigged when states control the election process in a manner unique to each jurisdiction. If one is going to fight results added up nationally, one needs a national issue, perhaps international, and remember, Trump is the same guy who came up with a theory that Venezuela altered voting machines, and some say used Elon Musk's Starlink to "play" with the returns from precincts to state officials. Both the Venezuela and Starlink theories are untrue, but the truth never mattered less when Trump claims "rigged!"

What better way to concoct a national basis for doubting the results of a blue wave than a Director of National Intelligence, able to pick apart international attempts to alter our elections (Which do occur, largely with no success), and offer up a "basis" for the result, one that couldm— at the very least — hold up suits in court challenging the elections, or — even worse — give Trump the reason to declare the election null and void, refusing to recognize the results, even as the new members are seated and fully in control of Congress.

That the Constitution doesn't allow Trump to make such a move is a cute counterargument, worth less than a value meal at McDonald's.

Anyone thinking that such speculation is too "out there" is likely the type who doubted Trump would do anything to stop a loss in 2020. Shocking even the experts who DID predict something, Trump organized a brutal attack on the Capitol, an attempted coup that, had it happened in some poor Latin American country or former Soviet Republic, would be seen as an act of civil war within the nation — that it was so "bizarre" and foreign here in the U.S., it played more as an "inconvenience" as it failed.

One of this nation's most shameful days is now seen as a sign of strength on the hardened right — and they're ready again, awaiting only instruction.

Pulte has proven he'll play ball in whatever way Trump directs. The sum total of Pulte's work in this administration has been his aggressiveness at the FHFA, attacking Trump enemies like Letitia James, proving to Trump that Pulte is a guy “who will do what I need, no questions asked.”

To be sure, there'd be a tidal wave of "questions asked" when and if Pulte comes up with some "intelligence," throwing the entirety of 2026 results into chaos, which favors Trump and only Trump — the only "True North" in the Trump administration. The fact that such accusations would be all but laughably false couldn't matter less. Nothing about "Rigged" ever came with facts, only a need.

Of course, there is also the "smaller stuff," like the Epstein investigation, or serious reviews of Trump's financial moves. What better counter than to assert that "America's enemies" are planting information to weaken "the American president"?

But now we're back to speculating as to specifics, and that's not only nearly impossible but also nearly entirely irrelevant. Trump wants the wholly unqualified but unquestionably loyal MAGA man in charge of the nation's intelligence, and he's willing to do it over and above a near revolt by the Republican Senate Caucus.

That some reason compels this decision is as obvious as the risk. For some reason, Trump has determined that the benefit of having his man in that position outweighs the risk of a Senate revolt. Perhaps already portending a willingness to ignore Congressional chaos as little more than a nuisance, as he aggregates all power in the White House.

Watch this move — call Senators, create our own revolt. Something bad is brewing, and Trump keeps elevating the bad by the month. This one stands out, as innocuous as it may seem at first glance, with nation-shaking ramifications when examined.

It is that bad and worth your every effort.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist, past Editor at Occupy Democrats, political consultant, attorney, and single parent girldad. Please follow on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

As Donald Trump becomes increasingly untethered to the reality that every regime can fall, that his followers are not necessarily forever in support such that he need not ever worry about a thing — from Epstein to insider trading — he now confidently takes his vanity to new levels in bringing a new stage and spectacle to the White House.

"Showmanship," more testosterone, "cool," ever more "I don't care what people think" nonchalance, betting that his loves and needs match the nation's, Trump is — wholly unknowingly — risking his entire presidency over a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House, far better known for its beauty and inherent importance, revered as civic sacred, but on this night risks desecration and disgust.

A modern gladiator match looms, one in which you all but expect Trump to reserve the right to turn a thumb up or down over who survives, and yet it may be Trump who dies — symbolically, on this night. Really.

The UFC fight planned for Sunday is a bet of breathless proportions with almost no upside for Trump and a wholly overlooked downside that should take everyone to the edge of their seat. While nearly every reader here desperately wants to see Trump gone, it had better come with a strong commitment to overcoming what a "desperate" Trump might do. Still, this part, at least, is coming, inevitable now, ground broken.

Just to set the scene, the UFC brings the octagon for what will be a "pay per view" event, PAY per view, as an event supposedly celebrating America's 250th yet, like so much else, becomes fundamentally about him as set on his 80th birthday. And if the pay-per-view event is not enough to offend citizenry, there's also the fact that Paramount, the company streaming the fights, is in the midst of a regulatory battle to merge with Warner Brothers. As ever, the corruption is as in the open as the ring.

But that's just the stage. There is real risk in all this pursuit of profit, personal political risk to all involved.

First, it's worth noting that such risk comes without any chance Trump wins political capital on this; he's just showing off around the people whom he reveres as still somewhat cooler than him - show them their place. A president's environment, from helicopters to White Houses, can "out-cool" anyone, always.

But everyone who loves a night of watching fighters commit what would otherwise be first-degree deadly assault is already a Trump supporter, nearly by definition, someone looking for a dopamine hit, incapable of caring about the implications for the people and society that sanctions such in-your-face brutality, symbolic of the arrogant "beat-your-face" corruption they associate with "winning." And even some Trump supporters will be shocked by the level of violence. This is less boxing, more voyeuristic brutality; it's fighting until the opponent is left indefensible, physically incapable of going on.

Perhaps 10 percent of society loves such a potentially deadly spectacle, and yet perhaps the images are unique enough to land on 50% of screens worldwide. The risk is staggering. History is replete with examples of seemingly disproportionate moments that come to define a figure, stuff that really shouldn't matter in comparison to a life's work, yet dominate, as inextricable as unpredictable. Think George H.W. Bush throwing up in the Japanese Prime Minister's lap, something from which he never recovered, the Howard Dean primal scream, Romney's 47% comment, all rather stupid, some totally innocent and unplanned moments among many more important, all taking a person down, no hope of any comeback.

Now picture the night. Trump sits beside the ring, smug — loving himself primarily, having a ball on his b-day. Above him, for one night, a fighting cage becomes the center of the world, used by people fully capable of actually killing another person in the ring, though there's very little risk of actual death. But there is a real risk that a fighter takes a savage blow so as to be out cold, falling "dead" visually at least, something seen in movies nearly by the hour, but absolutely gut-wrenching for most seen in real life. It would not be abnormal to see a leg literally break in half, and the NFL even gets squirmy over such moments, losing a few fans every time. Blood bursting from a face, gladiators all, a part of them dying in the ring, and a few all but disturbed people loving the moment, Trump being one.

Even that extreme should be nothing. After all, Trump is obstructing an investigation into the world's most notorious child sex trafficker, and yet "moments" happen and, for reasons no one can accurately plan, never mind specifically explain, dominate from that point forward.

There is a significant risk of something far more mundane, yet just as dangerous. A fighter who is already uniquely unlikable wins a match and climbs up the cage, blood pouring from his face, and frighteningly screams in a horrifying way, pointing at people, genuinely disturbed, the camera pans to Trump, who's chuckling with buddies while applauding. A world whispers, "What the f*&% did I just see?"

And even if Trump survives such accidental moments, there is the absolutely planned moment when the viewer sees that lawn, so associated with pride, now taken down to carnival, and an extremely ugly carnival at that. Fighters may actually emerge for matches from the Oval Office - it's being strongly considered. Don't think for a second there isn't a reservoir of "offense taken" by formerly proud Americans, even some Trump voters, who now "see" what they've only before felt, "Okay, we've gone too far, I gotta get out."

Trump is already reeling under terrible economic anxiety, polling as low as 35% in approval ratings, getting chipped away by one or two percent a month. This is the type of thing that could remove five or six of those points overnight. Give it another month to absorb with a "last one out the door" effect, and he crumbles, perhaps into the low 20s, with Congress and the people having to move fast, elections still oncoming, and an economy already out of control.

Is this event now likely to do it? No, probably not, but again, historic moments hit almost by accident. This "moment," however, is nearly invited. There's no chance he emerges somehow better off. He recklessly makes this bet, believing that nearly all people are fundamentally just like him, and most people like what he likes, act as he acts, perhaps never more wrong. At best, at absolute best, it's a non-issue.

At worst, we really don't know. Yes, it could lead to his collapse. Good. But again, it risks what a truly desperate, addled man, with a history of absolute selfish panic - think January 6th, might do as he literally fights to define the rest of his life. We will take his collapse over the ongoing pain, but only when soberly staring at the fact that we'll be tested as a nation, a test we've failed for nearly ten years now, a test in which we're the ones taking punch after punch, beaten, and questions remain as to whether we'll be able to get up.

We must all understand that just because Trump has, over and over and over, absorbed Access Hollywood moments, the January 6th "fight" for the Capitol, crimes in plain sight, obstruction of the Epstein investigation, the pattern never means that he must forever get away with everything, that history remains wholly incapable of tripping him up, or even beating him down.

The bet is just breathless. The images are already trickling in. The event inevitable. No gain, everything to lose. There is little chance anyone can specifically predict what might do it, but as has been said here over and over, with a crumbling economy, the "turn" on Trump becomes increasingly predictable, his full survival unlikely, knocked out in the political ring, perhaps fighting for his life in horrific ways. But this moment is certainly one to be watched.

But don't watch too closely. Perhaps, this time, we throw up. He falls down.

Jason Miciak is a Raw Story Columnist, former editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, political consultant, attorney, single parent girldad. Follow on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

There is nothing like spending well over a decade of life satiating the Left's unending "id" only to then corner fast and navigate having to talk politics "nicely," a duty one undertakes when doing consulting for candidates that somehow have to retain every Democrat in a district, while also reaching out to that 15-20% that voted for Trump but ah... isn't happy.

There is great news to be had in that the 20% exists, and they've never been unhappier. The bad news is that, like many victims of traumatic abuse, even though they "see" the objective landscape, they've absorbed so much of their abuser's personality that the dynamic is now one more of "identity" than a set of beliefs, more feel than fact, less character than it is a culture.

Take a dare. Have a friend or co-worker approach you and say, "But they said 'America-First' and that they'd bring costs down... " And try not to respond by screaming some variation of "The fact that he campaigned alongside Elon Musk didn't tip you off at all? The fact that Trump's made his fortune ripping people off didn't... Did you recently hit your head, you stupid piece of... "

It is really, really, hard.

But before you pat yourself on the back for being so sophisticated as to have seen all this coming, I would like you to list the top three to four biggest K-pop songs ever, or name the best second baseman in baseball, take a shot at telling us why someone was robbed of a Nobel prize recently. Yes, national politics should and does transcend most niche cultural ecosystems, but not by a lot, and — again, we're only talking about 10 to 20 percent of the people out there. Oh, and our group has never attended a rally, doesn't scoff at red hats, or know Trump is making a boatload of money for himself. Sadly, never doubt, they do watch Fox News because, of course, they do.

My point is, a lot of these people are cops, coaches, nurses, farmers, the type that sits beside you at a football game and isn't the worst person on earth. They live around you and are not horrible or lost, no matter how much of your entire situational awareness overlaps with knowing just how horrible and lost their votes have been. This is not the hat-wearing crowd.

So where do you even begin? Well, first, throw Donald Trump aside entirely because he's irrelevant at this point; no, that's not said facetiously, nor with a hint of smugness. Yes, Trump can still oust a Massie or Cornyn in red state primaries, that's fine — that's the section of committed MAGA voters that we cannot reach. On a broader, more practical landscape, with moderates, we're long past individual issues, even individual names, one being Trump. We're now doing nothing more than traversing the red to blue voting spectrum, picking up survivors along the way.

One has to give them permission for "being taken advantage of and being lied to," not just because it's good politics and that saves them from being lectured to, but it also happens to be the truth. To someone without robust political experience and sophistication, especially if the media is all funneled appropriately, it was a lie and well-told.

So who lied? Again, don't just simply point to Donald Trump and Mike Johnson because then you're back to that voter's "identity" in some sense, and that's still a sore spot. It is much easier to simply note, "Same as it always was, the billionaires controlled it from the beginning. No one, and I mean no one, has ever had it better than the globe's billionaires." That will get a knowing nod. Even Fox News can't hide that reality.

You just established a beachhead. Without regard to literally anything else in the world, neither you nor the voter is a billionaire — an objective fact. Just as obvious, the billionaire has more overwhelming political power than ever. Moving forward on the "non-billionaire" platform, note that the price of gas has taken a significant slash out of our coach-nurse-cop's disposable income. That extra $25 to fill the gas tank is the difference between takeout and frozen in a lot of people's lives, something that matters, so turn and ask, "When was the last time a billionaire looked at a gas gauge, never mind prices?"

Eyes wide.

Now you're really moving because your moderate voter has a better chance of dancing to K-pop than actually envisioning life as a billionaire. "So, if a person sets aside 'what things cost' as a concern on any level, don't you see how something like a world shortage of oil might look as less of a concern for those in power? " (Resist it, resist it, it's right about there where you're going to feel a strong urge again to just start beating down on someone that just saved a life in the ER.)

Because a world without consequences to one's lifestyle is a vastly different world than that of you and me. It is the only world in which a red congresscritter like mine can literally write the AI Deregulation bill and vote to support Trump's tariffs, despite the fact that such votes destroy the folks back home. It makes billionaires happy, and when billionaires are happy, the very, very few people around them — like MAGA pols — are happy, too.

At some point, your voter is going to become acutely aware of a major problem, having once thought it was kinda cool that Elon was on their side for once, and grab for what they "know" to be true, "But you can't have boys playing girls' sports, I mean, come on... "

Trouble.

Self-evident as it seems to you that this is just a civil rights and medical issue for people whose lives are so much harder than your voters', you're still getting launched off that beachhead fast without some quick thinking because their world has likely never known a kid transitioning. In their world, a person can more easily float than have gender issues and "decide to be a boy," and this is not the time and place for you to be "teaching" or informing. These issues are meant to divide, and without a lot of education and enlightenment, isn't changing. It is stuff for which there's no time, not now, because only winning now saves that transitioning kid, and this ain't the conversation that will do it.

Turning fast, back to the beach. "Well, for whatever else we know, we know that you and that transitioning young adult both have a harder time filling up a tank of gas to even get to that practice in the first place, and if we spend all our time here arguing the merits of that, it only allows the precious few without cost consequences to simply mow us down." (Please remember, you're not talking to someone hateful — those in the "quarter" that aren't spoken to at all — you're with someone who only knows that something isn't right and they're pretty upset.)

Speaking of which.

For the love of God, just because you have to talk nice and take a moderate stance, don't for a second believe that it means you must play nice. Indeed, this is a time when candidates 'better bring it. Surveys show people saying they "want less politics, more answers." Fine. Except it's not, because while people tend to say such things, this time they actually want more politics because they most certainly do sense something is off, and even moderates are looking for a fight. Great — find the one against the billionaire. Math still works, we still outnumber them, but only when you have that teacher's vote.

You are well on your way, so say something funny and endearing. "Did you see that MAGA's campaign site? A "movement ready to grow" — what does that even mean? Did they get that out of Aladdin?" Get a chuckle, pat them on the back. "We actually do disagree on so many things, for sure. But it's pretty sad that we don't even have the luxury of fighting about that stuff, not when we're the ones just trying to survive."

Bang.

Because that guy really does hate you if you open up to all you believe, and the more you push this person into Fox News World, the more you will find yourself increasingly antagonistic to that cop, wanting to beat some sense into him, and, just trust me on this, it's a bad idea to fight cops. Just like with elections, you pick the wrong fight, and you will lose, and there will be consequences.

So stick to the consequences that you share, rather than those that divide. If nothing else, reach for "balance," say it's really time to balance things out, because "if you give either side unbridled raw power, you're going to see some craziness." Better — that'll get a nod because he knows he's going to see boys playing girls basketball if the stars align for the Left, meanwhile, both you know that something far more insane goes on when it's his side with all the power. You get new wars in the Middle East, data centers on playgrounds, and an who cares? attitude toward prices and salaries, and that's a world they do see, even though they voted for it.

Good luck, but please engage because this is the only way. It doesn't matter what country, what time in history, there comes a point where even the values of three-quarters of a nation become meaningless, and you're at the last chance to peacefully take power back. Never forget, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Germany was the most sophisticated, well-educated, stable country on earth, from music, to physics, to infrastructure, Germany dominated the globe, and at no point would even one-quarter of Germans have "voted" for the consequences to come. This election, maybe the next, these are the last grasps of all we have left of "voting" things back to sanity, and you need that coach's vote to do it. We will have an election in 2030, but so will Russia. This is real.

And yes, it is on you. And me. All of us. Being sophisticated and educated enough to "see" things for what they really are does no good if not applied to the neighborhood, city, or county in which we live. There is no way to get there from here without these conversations. I am sorry for that. It shouldn't be this way. We should be out defending that boy, screaming about ICE dragging people off streets, noting that MAGA just disenfranchised Blacks out of the South at one man's behest, all of it. We just can't.

That sucks. It does. But living in the real world, seeing how things really are, includes a duty to realize that you really do share one fundamental truth with that voter: neither of you is a billionaire god, small nations to ourselves, instead things hurt, something isn't right, and nothing is changing until most of us come together. Indeed, things are so wrong that you're willing to smile and backslap someone who voted for Trump. Not too hard.

But it is a fight.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory columnist, former Editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, political consultant, and single parent girldad. Follow on Bluesky, and contact jasonmiciak@gmail.com

It is hard to be on left-leaning social media and not hear the panic screams directed at Congressional Democrats for not "doing something" amidst the chaos and corruption bursting forth from the reactor breach within the administration. As for actually stopping or holding up the legislation powering through all three MAGA branches, one can somewhat sympathize with Democratic pols, given how little they can do under our form of government.

But Democrats can and must fire back when holding the floor in oversight, especially during committee hearings going out to screens everywhere. And on that issue, we see signs of life — and none too soon.

This administration's flaunting of its breathtaking corruption continues to poison the nation's foundation, and if Democrats lack the power to arrest right now, at least establish a record, something on which to build, a message, and thus the movement to stop it. History gets recorded moment to moment, and this administration bets that no one has a moment to spare to stop them.

Seen from afar, perhaps Trump and Co. have read it right; the country's incuriosity over the corruption is stupefying. One of this regime's only true successes is fully absorbing the maxim about the cover-up being bigger than the crime. The guy who could shoot somebody on Fifth Ave. and not lose a vote will have to just hire someone to do it because his time is dedicated to the floor of the NYSE, using inside information, indeed creating the information hour to hour, to profit off the latest developments.

No deep throat "follow the money." No — just follow the news.

Senator Professor Elizabeth Warren has had it and took Treasury Secretary and hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to the shed over Trump's day trading, noting that any private entity with such success and activity would have regulators knocking at the door with warrants. Instead, Bessent got Warren, wondering how the hell this happens right in front of us. Bessent had nothing because there's nothing to be had, only retorting that Congress should "get its house in order first," as if A.) It's his job to tell Congress what to do B.) Congress being almost as bad somehow gives Trump a license to commit crime in daylight, and C.) any self-respecting government couldn't do both.

Over in the House came the hopelessly inept and one of the uniquely dull members of the Cabinet, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who got his Okie handed to him by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA). Mullin apparently believes that DHS is a part-time position he can do primarily working out of his house, jetting back and forth to Washington twice weekly after making sure everything's okay in Oklahoma rather than, literally, "everywhere else."

It is right there. Trump making millions, Mullin jetting around in Kristi Noem's jet, doing whatever one does in bed 35,000 feet over the country, working on a COVID schedule rather than planning for the next pandemic. Whatever is to come of it is up to the country, whether we even care enough anymore, remains to be established; what's up to the Dems is making sure that it's at least known, addressed, and fought against.

So fight they do. (And, please, remember this particular moment, because when Hurricane "Macho" hits Houston with 145 mph winds this summer, bringing millions of people's lives to a standstill, requiring a herculean effort from, well, literally everywhere else, remember if Mullin seemed at all "engaged" about whether his Department remained secure, never mind the nation's security.)

Yes, when conditions crater all around, screaming at your Democrats to "do something" is as much a cry for help as it is an instruction, never mind insurrection. But we shouldn't take for granted these days, the ones that quickly constitute the history of this regime, that someone took the flag and demanded answers, accountability, something.

As for Trump, Bessent, Mullin, the entire lot of them. They must see a nation of suckers. There's nearly no other explanation as to how Trump can trade seven-figure NVIDIA stock in the same week he opens China to their chips. Instead of shooting someone on the street, Trump took the gun to the bank and simply walked out with a bag. Money doesn't create itself out of thin air; there are victims. Trump bought that stock from someone who thought it more likely to go down, given everything known at the time, the seller not knowing what Trump did, that he alone was about to improve NVIDIA's fortunes. Get invested, so to speak.

It's just all so awful. But we need so much more of this. The statute of limitations for most federal crimes is five years, and whether anyone will ever be fully held accountable depends greatly on where our priorities go as history unfolds from here, moment to moment — at least Democrats appeared to capture this one.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist and former Editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, political consultant, attorney, and single parent girldad. Follow on Bluesky and can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com.

Commenters to this website often lament that too many opinion columns predict Trump's imminent downfall over his latest scandal, yet it has yet to come. But, while some of us do believe there are still things that might tear him down, we know there are people who certainly can. You.

By the very act of coming to Raw Story, you've proven both a need and the ability to absorb the latest political news. That makes you an asset, and your country has never needed assets like you more, at least not in our lifetimes. We need you to volunteer to help with whatever effort it takes to get the current regime out of office, and direct your efforts at all levels of government, any age, profession, and from any political bent but dead red.

I take pride in never referencing myself in columns, but on this, it might be worth noting that I just took my own advice. Instead of merely writing to a national audience, hoping to strengthen a winning message, I also just offered to help my local Dem running for Congress, hoping to unseat a Republican in a "pink-purple" district. There has never been a better time and never one with fewer excuses.

Amidst all the bad news we've endured lately, there is some real good news on this front.

For one, it's literally never been easier. You can do invaluable work from your phone, laptop, whatever, in your home, or walk miles canvassing, donating money yourself, soliciting donations of money from others, writing letters to the editor, and attending local events. Time to do more than vote, more than just send money; it's time to pick a challenger and expend the effort to upend MAGA, or spend the next two generations living with the consequences. It is that bad, and you who regularly read and comment know it better than anyone.

In brutal honesty, this is a unique time, in a unique country, born of unique promise, a dynamic in which winning is the only line of defense, losers not only lose but have never lost more, and in ways we're only beginning to feel.

And thus, though this might hurt some of the stronger progressives here — including this guy — it's time to set aside all qualms we have with anything approaching purity. The only "pure" position of any use this cycle is unfiltered opposition to MAGA. When and if — because it's now an "if" — Dems regain a measure of power, we can fight hard as to the proper progressive priorities, from affordability and pro-business moderates, healthcare advocates, to climate change heroes, to defending all things DEI, regaining all lost ground on women's rights, on racial justice, and our LGBTQ community, to reaffirming leading the world in science, attacking monopolies, the list is endless. But holding fast to progressive purity hurts when up again MAGA impunity.

Now it may get rough; some might not like this. But I strongly suggest that if you find yourself still amidst primary season, as I do, pick the leader with the most money, name recognition, power — the one most likely to defeat a MAGA opponent. Hold your nose if they don't match your priorities in anything other than beating the MAGA on the ballot. It is that bad. We no longer have the luxury of picking anyone but the "best," and the only definition of "best" right now is the one most likely to win.

What good is prioritizing climate change or racial justice if your candidate never gets into office because your purple district doesn't align with your wonderful values? We will never get justice in any form, from bullets in protesters to billionaires billeting in the White House, not until MAGA is stopped. So, if you're sick of hearing about the next scandal taking Trump down, the one that never comes around, you're up. If you are not in a purple district or state, if you're in a district that is hopelessly lost (or even very safely won), find a competitive race and adopt it. Our tech makes it as if you're across the street from the campaign office, and believe me, they'll appreciate you.

"Winning" can only come about by balancing two means of attack. First, we must maximize the Democratic vote. We need Democrats voting in percentages unseen in generations. Second, we must reach the last 20 percent of this country that is moderate enough to vote either way, and relentlessly reach out with the only message they want to hear. They have been left behind economically.

For the first group, true blue, note that without them showing up to possibly vote for a moderate, uninterested in their enlightened progressive priorities, beating a MAGA with anyone at least ensures those priorities remain viable and not vitiated. For the second group, and it pains me to say this as much as it does for you to read it, set aside the deep progressive values for one race. Instead, merely mention that Trump left that moderate behind long ago.

These are the independents who elected Trump on the promise that he'd decrease prices on day one — yet polls make clear that no issue infuriates Americans more with Trump than inflation. It's their number one issue. Note to them, 1) It's getting worse, 2) He has no plan, and 3) Even if he had a plan, he lacks all competence to get it done.

He promised to stay out of foreign wars — America First — then started one, and we're not winning. At a billion a day, he immediately made your life more expensive, yes, gas prices, groceries, but don't forget the billions that could've gone to healthcare.

He promised to "drain the swamp," and yet he just released more alligators and snakes amidst a muddy mangrove moat than we thought could fit. He is literally paying himself to be president in stock trades, foreign deals, crypto. He promised to lower taxes, but instead we're all paying higher prices as a tax; only these tax dollars go to Elon, Ellison, Epsteiners, and the eponymous one himself, Trump.

For all of us making less than $100,000 a year, which is most of us, by far, our Trump tax has made living much, much more difficult. This is the Dems' winning message because, yes, Trump has MAGAs that will commit seppuku in his name, but we're not talking to them, don't need to. We're talking to those who thought Trump meant a better economy, and it certainly is for the Epstein class. The stock market is up. (For now, and due for a major fall), which does no good for the lives of your average young teacher, a nurse, a construction worker. They pay, he plays. Message that.

That is the formula. Go to the tried and true blue, and say, "If not you, who?" Right now, if you place pronoun priority ahead of healthcare, you'll do little more than clear up the pronoun for the obituary. (And yes, as a long-time LGBTQ advocate, a daughter with transitioning friends, it hurts to say it — but it's no less true.) If the strongest candidate doesn't prioritize your progressive ideals enough, consider the total wrecking crew awaiting a loss. To tepid Trump voters? Speak the only language they know. Their economy, their healthcare, their job opportunities. They don't care about trans rights; you're not going to convince them to care. Don't waste your time.

Good news. There's no better time. Trump is reeling. GOP Congress feels the heat in all directions, looking at losses because they cannot cross Trump. He has never grabbed for or held more raw governmental power, but that weakens him politically amidst all but his true believers (And there are fewer of them by the day). Yes, redistricting will likely hurt, but it's possible — with work, we'll have caught them off guard, diluting red districts a bit too much in the wrong election, infrared to ultra-violet. We won't know until we try.

It is worthless to say the current Democratic leadership has been basically useless. True as it is, for now, they're at least better than the alternative. In some situations, the most progressive may be the most marketable — by all means, dive in, primary out the useless. But in those situations where only baby blue dogs have a chance, use every minute of midnight blue in you to fight anything red. It's literally all we have.

Sick of reading columns about the latest Trump move sure to bring him down? Fine. Understandable. Wait no more and do it yourself, ourselves. There is no guarantee we'll win, but we know what's guaranteed with a loss: more corruption, more fascism, fewer rights, a nation so divided it's hard to argue we're one nation anymore.

I have read the comments and sympathize. And I've long said no scandal alone can bring him down, but an imploding economy might, especially if we push. I used to think that writing national pieces with inarguable arguments sufficed. No more. I just got involved in an out-of-the-way pink/purple district with the most powerful Dem in the primary — I know nothing about her priorities except she aims to defeat the MAGA opponent and has the greatest support.

Good enough.

Normally, that would be a civic sin. But this isn't normal. It's the only defensible thing. Instead of just keeping up to date on how Trump might be brought down (And don't stop), let's get to work doing it ourselves. Nothing is too small, and damn sure no effort too big.

It really is now or never. Let's try now. Because "never" is already too close, perhaps too late. We won't know without trying. We only know what happens if we don't. But please, please, please, don't let pride in purity supremacy make things worse. I've spent ten years as a Dem columnist and see it daily, people fighting over "I can out liberal you."

Actually, the only measure of such right now is the one who wins against MAGA - the one who moved the needle. If done right, we will have time to fight progressive priorities down the line. Done wrong, we'll never again see a line.

Commit to one degree more than what you've done before. No kings, true in '76, and just as true 250 years later in the spirit of '26. History is made by those who show up. So do. The world will be proud, and so will you.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, Past Associate Editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, single parent, girldad. Newly associated with a Dem campaign. Please follow on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

There has been a tremor in the political force. Can you feel it?

President Donald Trump is tempting his presidential fate, having gotten away with literally everything he's ever done in his political and personal life, even a civil judgment for sexual abuse and a violent attempted coup on the Capitol. But he is now throwing aside whatever degree of caution may have once held him back. In the course of just the last month, he's pushed even MAGA's tolerance to the absolute brink. Past history acknowledged, there's no rule that says he will forever get away with everything. He seems determined to put the system through the ultimate stress test.

Something's gotta give, and it might be us. But he's certainly putting himself at risk, too.

Let's don hazmat suits or Mandalorian armor and pick through recent headlines setting out Trump's most recent monetization of his power. Then we'll look at how it's playing among Republicans and the general electorate.

There is, of course, the unprecedented move to literally grab $1.776 billion from the United States Treasury and use it to "compensate" allies Trump claims were victims of DOJ prosecution (He's even daring to be cute, the "1776," true independence from the law). In theory, the fund is the result of Trump dismissing his lawsuit against the I.R.S. for leaking his family's tax information.

Except that's not how settlements work, and "victims" of possible DOJ overreach were always free to file their own claims to be adjudicated by a judge, not Trump's friends. The only thing demarcating these claims as special is that they were done violently in Trump's name. To the extent no law prevents such a settlement, it's surely because no one ever envisioned anyone, never mind a president, requesting one. Not to be rude, but it's also fair to note there is always the possibility that any settlement payments going out come with the expectation that a percentage gets donated to charity, and we all know how Trump handles those.

Prove me wrong.

Moving on, Trump recently disclosed that not only is he heavily invested in equities, but he is also very active in his trades, more active than most traders. He's also quite good at it. Uncannily good. After all, why bother studying future trends when you're the president and can create them?

Commentators cannot help but note the overlap between his stock purchases and presidential action taken on behalf of those companies. As but one example, in February, Trump bought between $1 million and $5 million worth of AI chipmaker Nvidia, and a week later, the company expanded its AI deal with Meta Platforms. Pro-tip: When Trump includes a company's stock ticker in a statement, it may indicate he has "skin" in the game. Trump bought up to $530,000 worth of Palantir in March and then in April tweeted: “Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has proven to have great war-fighting capabilities and equipment. Just ask our enemies!!!”

There is actually a program out there for this if you know where to look.

Nice work if you can get it. Send your resume to the Electoral College.

Something is going on with the ballroom. No one, not even Donald Trump, obsesses about opulence to the degree that Trump obsesses about his ballroom. Not a single day goes by that he doesn't mention the pressing need for what is supposed to be just a gigantic luxurious space to entertain guests.

Yet, the way Trump sounds, it's a wonder the country got this far without one. And on Tuesday, Trump made the strangest comment.

Right. Hang on. Mr. President? Sir?

Readers will be forgiven for collapsing into particularly dark paranoia about why this "ballroom's" most notable features involve anti-missile capacity and a clear line of sight for defensive snipers from the roof. Social media is drowning in posts noting that the clearest explanation is that Trump doesn't plan on leaving the White House, and good luck trying to dig him out, whether by powers enumerated within the Constitution or those emanated from an F-16. He seems to believe he's invulnerable, and for all we know, he's right. Regardless, something is clearly amiss. (By the time he mentions he's putting in the world's first underground golf course beneath DC, it will be too late.)

Whatever the ballroom's real purpose, the American public remains stupefied over how the conspicuous national absence became priority one. On those three to four occasions when the average American finds themselves in need of a ballroom, perhaps a daughter's wedding, we rent what we call "halls" from churches, Rotary, schools, or - gulp, golf clubs. Somehow, we manage.

There is, however, an upside, and we're back around to Trump tempting fate. Those of us opposed to Trump have never been more "on message" than when keeping our mouths shut, watching someone in a red hat pump gas into their truck. Ford doesn't call them F150s as shorthand for "Fill it for $150.00." Meanwhile, that MAGA's president is on the radio, noting that his one-billion-dollar ballroom probably comes with parking for tanks.

Trump also just gave himself a license to steal — literally. Admittedly, this might be a subpart of the $1.78 billion settlement, but it deserves its own mention. Trump just managed to pardon himself and his family for everything he's ever known to have done, plus a lot more we may never know he did, because his "settlement agreement," springing from his IRS file leak (It happened on his watch; he is ultimately to blame), includes this clause begging for impeachment. The United States is forever barred from:

Prosecuting or pursuing, any and all claims, counterclaims, causes of action, appeals, or requests for any relief... whether presently known or unknown... that have been or could have been asserted by Defendants against any of the Plaintiffs... which arise out of (1) any matters that were raised or could have been raised in the Case or the Pending Agency Claims; (2) Lawfare and/or Weaponization; or (3) any matters currently pending or that could be pending (including tax returns filed before the Effective Date)...

Remember, HE was the Plaintiff, and yet this reads like a defendant's release. Any president even asking about such a settlement should be immediately impeached because he's directly asserting that he cannot be investigated by the United States Department of Justice, the crime fighters, for any crimes (Lawfare or "Weaponization"), and clauses two and three are not confined to looking backward in time but can be read prospectively. Somewhere, Putin is whistling in appreciation; it's cleaner than throwing people out windows. But no less a message: "Don't touch me."

Spare the comments about MAGA allowing Trump to do anything, and this is just more of that. And yes, yes — Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy just got primaried out for voting "guilty" in Trump Impeachment II (Impeachments will likely look like the Star Wars series by the end of all this, especially if we get around to 2028 and Impeachment IV "A New Hope"). Additionally, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie just got thumped for daring to investigate Epstein against Trump's wishes. But those are GOP primary voters, the type still responding to Trump funding emails begging for cash. These people are not representative of the general electorate.

Our final exhibit involves pointing out that Trump campaigned on "America First," and yet has spent his most recent Oval Office time palling around with billionaires of all nationalities, seducing not only the Musks, the Bezos's, and Ellisons, but also the Saudis, the jet-setting, and thoughtfully gifting, Qataris, and, of course, the man that many call the "real" richest man on earth, Vladimir Putin. The only time Trump pays attention to American workers is on those occasions when he wants people to buy stock from the company at which they work. Poor people in the Kentucky hill country know that Trump only cares about them when someone from Kentucky demands that Epstein's pals be investigated, and then Trump cares a lot. (It is almost like Trump is trying to tell us something.)

He really is tempting fate this time, the ballroom as a modern Versailles, the slush fund for the private army, day trading from the Oval, the get out of jail free card, it's all making news, and nearly all of this happening amidst Trump's lowest polling ever, averaging 38.5% approval. One need not be a political savant to note that everything listed above will move the needle down, way down. And, that, dear friends, is where we may run face-first into a wall as solid as it is disturbing.

Because what's the only takeaway?

For whatever else Trump might be, he is the master of branding; he's acutely aware of his political trends to the same degree as market trends, which is evidently a lot. He knows none of this will help his political fortunes, only his fortunes. And that's a problem because we're almost forced to conclude that Trump believes he's hit his own tipping point, that literally nothing political matters from today forward. He can do anything. Polls don't matter. Politics doesn't matter. Crimes don't matter. His fears vanished. We find ourselves staring at the "post-presidential accountability period," or at least that's apparently how he sees it.

We know how we see it, have for a long time. Now everyone does. There has been a tremor in the political force, and all sides are at a tipping point. Americans cannot take much more, and Trump cannot take too much. We struggle to eat and gas up; he struggles to further maximize his luxury and safety. One side wins, loser loses; there is no middle ground for settlement — we've seen what Trump settlements look like.

Yes, he's gotten away with everything he's done before. But he's never done anything like this. And he's damn sure never done it at a point during which Americans are struggling as we are. Marie Antoinette made a similar bet in a similar dynamic, and we all know how that turned out. Granted, Versailles wasn't built with defensive sniper sightlines in mind, never mind anti-drone tech. And Trump won't let the cake out of the ballroom, especially if it's chocolate. But there is overlap here, and no, Mr. President, that's a history lesson, not a threat, noted in the spirit of '76, no kings. Not "86."

The only certainty is that this isn't sustainable. Something changed over the last month, a tremor in the political force. It is now or never. Either some galvanizing movement finally reins in Trump's reign, or the last vestiges of what we considered our constitutional republic get sold for scrap, no doubt used as ballroom redoubt.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, past associate editor of Occupy Democrats, an author, American attorney, and single parent girldad. Please follow on Bluesky. He can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

Things are about to get much worse for Donald Trump — normally good news for many, but on this one, we all may be joining him in grabbing for a lifeline. It is going to be an extremely dangerous summer.

Things will get increasingly expensive, pushing already serious tension further into the red. We're in a war that doesn't seem to have a tidy end in sight. Famously thin-skinned Donald Trump will be increasingly on edge as poll numbers plummet. A desperate election season looms, Democrats looking for any toehold, too ripe for protests in the streets. And all this is made much worse by the fact that the United States was supposed to be the center of attention this summer anyway. Just not like this.

Despite the fact that precious few of us want to celebrate where our nation stands right now, there is no getting around the fact that we actually stand 250 years old as of July 4th, and that somewhat mandates concentration and a party that many already plan to consequentially disrupt — ideally peacefully, but with serious risk that the option will be tossed aside, all while we're having the world over for a summer slam FIFA World Cup.

Well.

Any single one of the above facts would drive the nation to extremes of some kind under this president. With all vectors converging, the only thing off the table seems to be a peaceful, mature, and joyous sense of celebrated optimism about the next two years, never mind 200. To the extent any of this sounds like regular political column hyperbole, check on FIFA — probably filling Ativan prescriptions as we speak, along with tourist operators in World Cup cities, already seeing deflated ticket sales and room reservations.

It is not like any of this is under the radar; people are already responding. From a report in Newsweek:

Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, told Newsweek that demand tied to the World Cup had so fallen far short of expectations. While hotels had anticipated an additional 1.2 million international visitors during the competition, Dandapani said bookings at New York hotels were up by “a maximum of 10 percent year-on-year,” and that nearly half had “seen no business thus far.”

It is difficult for Americans to grasp the enormity of what the World Cup means to, well, the world. We have the Super Bowl. The globe sees the Cup as akin to several dozen Super Bowls with several billion fans. Despite the undeniably intoxicating allure, foreign citizens are staying away — content to watch from afar.

It is almost like they know something.

But just because fewer will actually be here, with fewer Americans traveling around here, it only means we will be on more screens everywhere. And just like the major embarrassment that washed over us as kids when our parents got angry in front of our friends, Americans on the receiving end of the world's shame will do what we often did as kids — lash out, a dynamic we could easily see from the Oval Office to Portland. Of course, that's when it's on, dangerous if the gloves come off.

Now, there is no doubt that there are many potentially problematic Americans who will retort, "Yes, but we already have a global threat in the Oval Office, he's already killing people in the Middle East and on our streets, something must be done because there is no longer any way through this just sitting back biding time, we cannot get there from here without some danger and inevitable pain." Seen in one light, it's hard to argue.

History teaches that there are points at which things must be made temporarily worse to bring about the means to make things better. Of course, there are also occasions in which such attempts merely acted as an accelerant to even darker, more dangerous times. Clearly, something must be done, some statement made, which requires serious analysis of the most effective, most sympathetic, and most mature response. We could surprise the world.

In a nod to the Founding Fathers, we need something akin to the Boston Tea Party, a global statement. No one died, no ship burned.

Think about the power of replacing fireworks with candles, marches instead of riots, Ghandi and King over Pinochet. We would get the most bang for the buck by setting aside any bang. Any doubts as to whether it would be enough need only look to the example set by the world leader most effectively living in Trump's head right now, Pope Leo, and the overwhelming power of decency and restraint, especially as applied to "our" president. He cannot stand it.

Fine. But one would be forgiven for seeing such a scenario as all but impossible, even were this summer to be a relatively normal "Trump Presidency Summer." Add all those vectors, and the result could almost inevitably be nuclear. Except for one element that needs very serious consideration.

We already know that President Donald Trump loves bombing and invading. We already know he believes that his biggest enemy is "the Left." We already know that he won't abide by elections going against him, and a blue wave seems imminent.

Already, deep in the recesses of our ultra-concerned minds, we know that Trump yearns to unleash true presidential power on America's streets, a civil-military invasion of all things Democratic. We already know that once done, should it come to pass, it is looking increasingly like it would take a real battle, a kinetic battle, to Constitutionally root out a man in a bunker, declaring national emergencies.

Such thoughts used to be unthinkable, and yet some in the world see it as inevitable. According to the Atlantic, China expects an inner battle in which the U.S. defeats itself:

In private conversations and public writings, China’s leaders and their advisers often describe America as “declining but dangerous”—a late-stage power prone to bursts of aggression in the hopes of arresting its slide.

Prone to bursts of aggression in the hopes of arresting its slide? Sound like anyone you know? The danger is there, but the right response could redirect the danger back on Trump - a man we know the world already refuses to support.

Hence, if you don't like where things stand now and believe action is necessary, strongly consider whether the wrong type of action could moot all future action, generational inaction, military rule, a fascist state in which Trump and his successor see elections like Putin sees elections, an adorably affirming exercise.

But action is necessary, and it will never be more impactful than it happening while the world watches and right at what will be a turning point in American history, a fork in the road, we all sense it.

On the way out, picture this. Argentina is playing Spain in a crucial July game in Chicago. One hundred thousand people are jammed into a stadium. Downtown is just jammed. Two billion around the world watch on. Consider two scenarios: protesters determined to strike a blow and make a statement, set Chicago on fire, people die, property destroyed, and troops deployed. Or, the parks around the stadium are jammed with 250,000 protesters, with fires lit on a single candle, holding vigil, drinking tea, a modern tea party, a statement in opposition to the urgent recklessness of our leaders.

Candles might overshine Trump, perhaps putting him personally in decline.

There is no escaping the converging vectors. Not for us. Not for Trump. Someone is going to lose this summer, or at least lose "worse." America could experience its own Kristallnacht - the danger is just breathless. Helpfully, there are countless examples of effective overwhelming protest, the American Pope Leo leading the way. This convergence creates a window, and what the world sees while looking in could bring Trump down.

No escaping it now, this will happen. The world will see what we will see, and we could see anything. In a summer of surprises, let's hope we see hope. After all, converging vectors could powerfully redirect. It could go either way, but won't go away. The world will record what happens here in real time; history's judgment awaits on the other side of summer.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large. He is former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, and single parent girldad. His latest novel will be out... this summer. Follow him on Bluesky and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com

Everyone is well aware of the Trump administration's well-earned "TACO" problem — the only catchy, and desperately needed, malicious Trump branding yet to seep into the general electorate. And if Trump has taught us anything, it is that branding matters. Fine. Here is some branding. How is life going now that we're all having to pay the "Trump Tax"?

No one likes taxes, but Americans take hatred of taxes to Hall of Fame levels — especially conservatives. But usually, we at least buy things with our taxes. We buy roads, schools, and aircraft carriers, all of it through taxes. What do we "buy" with the Trump tax? More pure, untethered, unbothered, near opulent, chaos and ineptitude. More. More. And more.

The Trump Tax is the price liberals pay for living under an administration that exists to hate liberals and destroy anything perceived as a liberal establishment — from the Department of War to the Kennedy-Trump Center. Real liberal hatred, and yes — they "voted for that."

But MAGAs never wanted to have to actually pay for it. Indeed, there was a point that MAGAs saw the cruelty and destruction as value-added. Trump "cut taxes" and made life cheaper. True or not, it's definitely not true now. In fact, the Trump tax is hitting middle America harder. Try driving 17 miles to Walmart or a movie.

A dollar fifty a gallon more on gas? A bag of Doritos at $5.99? A Red Robin cheeseburger at $16.50? Come on, that's quite the surcharge to get a newly named "War Department," especially when you also have yet to pay for the actual war Trump started. At least when Democrats tax things, people get a few tidbits, maybe a bridge, high-speed internet, or doctors' visits out of the deal.

Not Trump. With the Trump tax, you get half a Cabinet fired before midterms, Epstein, inflation, and less healthcare. Government under Trump has a "Hegseth-Patel" aura, and that gets expensive. True, there's a chicken-and-egg problem there, but we're branding now. Details matter little, only the end result matters. And the end result is the Trump tax.

Making the brand even stronger, Trump's "true north," his only truly reliable element, is "things only get worse." It is not like Trump is going to solve the Trump tax problem. Even the MAGAs probably don't expect that. The only light at the end of the Trump-tax tunnel is blue light, and every Democrat better invest in bulbs, because it's not just a winning message — it's what will bring Trump down.

This column has spent the last two months pointing out — hopefully in ways as colorful as meaningful — that scandal alone cannot bring Trump down, but a troubled economy can, even on its own. The chaos causing the problem is that bad.

Ask the guy who just filled the F150 to drive twenty-six miles to Home Depot and then paid $12.78 for a Number Two at Chick-fil-A, ask that guy what he thinks of the Trump tax. It sucks. Ask him, "Did you vote for that?"

Hand him a blue flashlight, ask if he can now "see a provider," and if the answer is no, ask if he can see the problem, not that an eye doctor is an option. Suddenly, that voter might find himself asking why Trump is so afraid of the Epstein files. (Not exactly a MENSA test.) Maybe he asks why Trump needs the IRS to pay him a few billion dollars in pure grift, or why he must have the never-to-be-damned enough ballroom. It all starts to matter a bit.

Branding can be kind of fun, but this is actually starting to matter a lot; because the real tax is only beginning to settle in. Most Americans don't fully appreciate the "costs" associated with the damage to America's international reputation, tariffs and treaties, the real economic damage wrought by the masochistic machete taken to public health, the lack of investment in science, roads, and rails, and no adults around to monitor A.I. as it monitors you. It all adds up and will take two generations to fix. If it's ever fixed. That price is real, but the total is subtle. Nothing about Trump, nor the needed Blue Wave, should be subtle. Best to focus on the Trump tax here and now.

And that's good because it is here, it is now, and even MENSA members can't get around it.

"No tax on tips." Here's a tip for "real America," how much higher is the tip at Olive Garden now? Please do factor in the gas to get there, it's only fair - the pasta wholesaler sure did. You used to get good fun out of "owning the libs." What do you get now? You get Pete Hegseth, and not at a discount, no — not at about a billion a day in Iran.

Democrats better get used to the Trump tax, too. It is far more intellectually satisfying to try to appeal to voters' sense of right and wrong, duty, Trump depravity, and yet this is about branding, and branding comes from the gut, not the mind. So hit them where the Trump tax hits, right in the gut.

In that sense, there is good news. Branding matters; no one knows it more than the master. And it's never been easier. The Trump tax buys a lot of things, none of which feed, educate, or medicate a family.

Run a Blue light special. Cut the Trump tax, and make our money work by having our government work. God knows, Trump just tried to brand himself as Jesus. This really can't be that hard.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, former Associate Editor at Occupy Democrats, an attorney, author, single-parent girldad. He can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com, or followed here on Bluesky.

You would probably be hard-pressed to find even a committed MAGA supporter coming to Peter Hegseth's defense at this point, which constitutes a major problem for the self-anointed "Secretary of War" — and rightly so, because he's becoming an actual problem for President Donald Trump.

And that never works out well, not for the official dumped nor the country.

All reports are that Hegseth needs help to remain in his job, and he sure didn't help himself in front of the Senate on Thursday. We've seen a poor testimonial performance result in an unceremonious ouster already in Kristi Noem's departure. This is a lot like that.

As reported on this website, Hegseth got more than a bit defensive under rather regular questioning from Senator Warran about him possibly profiting by being long on war right before, well, a war. The Secretary of War lashed out:

I'm not looking for money. I don't do it for money. I don't do it for profit. I don't do it for stocks. And that's part of the reason why I'm able to be effective in this job, because no one owns me.”

Right.

But why so angry then? People without an issue simply lean into the microphone and calmly say, "No, Senator Warren. I have not traded on defense stocks and will not," then await the next question.

But perhaps Hegseth has an issue. He most certainly has other issues, having already been rattled when he castigated critics as Pharisees, only to be confronted by Secretary Rosen:

ROSEN: 'Pharisees' is a problematic and historically weaponized term that casts Jewish communities as morally corrupt. You said it today. Words matter. How do you justify using this language?

HEGSETH: It's a pretty accurate term for folks who don't see the plank in their own eye. I stand by it.

Except, Mr. Secretary of War, you could easily have your wires crossed a bit here.

Hegseth, the guy with the crusading cross inked into his chest, is likely adding his voice to the increasingly anti-Semitic tone one finds on the Right these days, which would otherwise be normal for conservatives, were it not for the fact that perhaps the entire reason Trump ordered American troops into war in the first place owes itself to his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and American AIPAC's influence on Trump.

Whether Hegseth knows of the conflict of interests is actually neither here nor there; he will soon.

Rounding out the trifecta of Democratic women demanding answers was Sen. Gillibrand, rightly concerned about the bombing of a girls' school in Iran:

[Gillibrand] asked about the dramatic cuts in the Pentagon unit that seeks to prevent civilian deaths.

“Why did you cut by 90% the division that’s supposed to help you not target civilians?” Gillibrand asked sharply.

Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has an “ironclad commitment” to prevent civilian deaths.

Commit all you want, the fact that so many civilian deaths continue to happen, and Hegseth has a poor record of prioritizing such concerns, again makes Hegseth defensive and unable to really answer a question, perhaps because he's failing.

The Secretary has lost support even among GOP Congressional members, which means it is only a matter of time before the White House loses its support. Making matters worse for Hegseth personally, which doesn't equate to making things "better" for anyone else, is the fact that Hegseth may well have largely succeeded in his real mission already, making him less important to keep around.

No, not the mission to defeat Iran, but the mission to clear the Pentagon of commanding officers who are not white men, and waging proper "warfighting" against anything touching on DEI. That mission is largely done, making room for someone actually interested and qualified to come in and win the shooting war.

Much as we all enjoy seeing Hegseth feeling the heat, we know better than to believe an ouster improves anything. Again, Noem sets the standard, because DHS played out like the fish into the fryer, and she's hardly the only one. Except for this, there is hope.

Donald Trump finds himself in the middle of a war he declared, of which he's lost control, and that's causing him all kinds of problems. But running the Defense Department isn't ICE; good leadership doesn't equate to more and better MAGA. Perhaps in this job alone, it might just mean "someone better" at running and getting out of wars. Such a reality does provide a spark of hope, a tiny one.

But certainly enjoy seeing Hegseth fight for his particularly awful life. He has more than earned it.

Yes, of course, Trump finds it particularly hard to fire white men. This particular white man is making that battle infinitely easier. Perhaps Hegseth actually can win a battle for the American people.

This whole situation feels familiar, and Hegseth surely knows it.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large and is a former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, and single parent girldad. He can be reached at jasonmiciak@google.com, and followed on Bluesky.

This election season's message is painfully simple — Democrats must show up as the adults and run as the parent and grandparent ready to deal with what remains of this adolescent mess.

Perhaps it will feel familiar to many, a rush to arrive and survey the damage, knowing someone has to take over, organize, and clean. It will not be the fundamentally unequipped, the delinquents, the kids. Once again it will be us, the Dems.

To the extent this administration adheres to any one ethos, it's not about making anything great. It's much more "because we could!" accompanied with a vacant smile, dopamine-lit eyes, someone reflexively acting in self-interest in the moment, no thought about tomorrow, or others, living second to second, fully adolescent, still impressed only that he can do it, never wondering if he should.

That is the Trump administration and all movement MAGAs — think Pete Hegseth.

In the same way that adult family and friends have for ages shown up at the car accident, the police station, the doctor's office, and taken over, Democrats must move from here to November, and beyond, holding to one core value, both as principle and character trait: "time to hand it to grown-ups."

It is a job as thankless as it is obvious, and all too familiar.

Democrats cleaned up after the George W. Bush administration's coddling of Wall Street nearly drowned the world's economy in a sea of CDOs and swaps. In 2021, Dems took over like a well-run PTA to ensure the world's most-necessary vaccine got distributed and a society rebooted amidst an epidemic killing millions. Democrats must move forward again today, ready to simply deal with the daylight after this administration's dark run. The job will be semi-familiar, though never close to this level, and yet the path to office and power, the path to opportunity to limit and clean, has never been clearer.

The "issues" barely matter anymore.

One can look at literally almost any action this administration takes, whether it is the Iranian war, the now unconcealed racism and misogyny at the root of the anti-DEI rampage, the grift-gift, decimation of the healthcare system to cover tax cuts to billionaires, doesn't matter — it's all done with teen glee, caring only about today and themselves, not the consequences for us or even themselves. And it's time to call it what it is, the inevitable result of wrongly empowered kids, entirely free of adult predisposition, never mind supervision.

They made football and video game memes amidst war, fired general officers for being women or Black — lacking all shame. Like kids everywhere, they do it "because they can." Any Democrat wanting to make a difference in stopping this or eventually helping to clean it up had best come forward infused with utter earnestness and candor. "It is time to stop, grow up, and clean up." Projecting any politics is malpractice.

It sounds simple, and yet it is also so damned powerful. The true gravitas granted by being "an adult in the room" acts as nuclear kryptonite to these super-kids. See Megyn Kelly's reaction to simple "adulting," when she recently referenced Hall of Fame Adult Pete Buttigieg and many other Democrats, catastrophizing like the mean-girl cheerleader willing to burn the town to a pile before allowing a rival prom-queen, promising to vote Republican even if Trump dropped a nuke because:

"That's when I think Democrat, that's what I think. That's smug, arrogant. I'm better than you. I look down my nose on you. Even though you've done three tours of duty. ... That to me, I could never vote for, never."

Perfect Trumpism, never sounding more high school, never more afraid of a teacher, a parent, someone judging what just happened and saying, "No, we should not be openly attacking the world, threatening genocide, embracing racism, paying off billionaires, now knock it off and go home." And that's because Kelly does, in fact, know that adults would step in and be better than this — much better. There is no reaching Kelly with any message.

But she's hardly the norm. Real people, real grown-ups still exist and terrify the GOP.

Maturity must be the platform.

I am not currently advising any single candidate, but the message to all Democrats out there now is to drop all political pretense. Instead, message out with a candid, "I care, and I will help fix it." Look at Mayor Mamdani in New York City and his approach — young, yet an adult in charge. Rising Texan star, precocious James Talerico, has some of the same juice; it's about approach, not age. Senators Chris Murphy, Mark Kelly, and Amy Klobuchar (Speaking of Minnesotans) long carried this message while also being the type everyone relies on when things get bad.

That is the message from this point forward. Adult supervision, the games are over, grow up, accountability is coming, and then assuring the world, "We've got this now." That is everything needed for a world needing saving.

Sad that it's so simple, isn't it? But simple doesn't mean easy, indeed — in this case, it's the exact opposite.

But this is where we stand. It doesn't matter why it's third down and 15; it just is. Life plays out this way for grown-ups every day, from intra-family to international. Inevitably, as bad as things get, whether it be troops in Iran or a drunken fight at a prom, testosterone-powered and poisoned rides eventually end. A typical Hegseth "because we could, brah!" butts up against a global "no more." The party ends, daylight comes, sober assessments get made, plans formed, find a first down and move the ball — that's what adults do.

It is also the Democratic platform from now until grown-ups govern — as compelling as it is needed, as true as it is sad. The simpler, the more mature, the more powerful. Stand ready to take over for the kids playing the most dangerous games. They hate that we know better and really hate already knowing that resolutions require consequences and rules. It will be extremely hard. Kids hate getting caught.

But the world has literally never needed us more. Fortunately, they're not asking for superheroes, merely adults.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, former associate editor of Occupy Democrats, author, and attorney. Please follow on Bluesky, and he can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com, still seeking a few more beta readers for his latest soon to be released novel.

As we go about our spring, awaiting the latest drop of "The Pitt," putting money on the Final Four, or indefatiguiably scrolling dog videos on "X," it's all too easy to pretend that, as bad as things may be, they remain "managably bad," not so bad as to touch you personally, not "that bad," anyway.

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, please set that comforting thought aside, because things are aligned to get "bad" in a way that most certainly does impact you, badly. Summer is coming, and not just any summer.

This summer promises the confluence of several "once in a generation" moments, and it's best to prepare now. Prepare as one of the "better Americans" the world needs to see.

Things are bad even outside the current political climate. Prices continue to rise, rents are now well over one-third of income, job creation is a thing of the past, the stock market — long overly propped up by exuberant AI investment — is set to burst, and even as Oracle lays off 30,000 employees, AI hasn't yet even checked its coat at the job-loss dance.

And absolutely none of this is getting better while gas remains above $4-a-gallon — a price that may soon sound like a fire sale.

Of course, on top of all of this — and, indeed, exacerbating it plenty, the U.S. is at war, primarily going it alone, burning nearly century-old alliances in a fight the administration couldn't even fake justifying to citizens, too busy making video game memes, leading many to conclude the mission involves keeping Epstein off the front pages, and pleasing Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu, neither mutually exclusive, nor necessarily unrelated.

Indeed, we appear to be days away from American soldiers on the ground on Kharg Island, a formerly unknown piece of land that few knew functions as the fulcrum for global petro-transport, all threatening to toss global markets into further chaos.

The backdrop constitutes a nightmare of Elm Street order, and would under any administration, but the civilization-threatening dangers only increase exponentially given the nation is led by perhaps the single least adult, least competent, most self-interested, and corrupt administration in memory, perhaps history.

A normal president would have appointed a commission of business leaders and politicians working on how to best integrate AI into a workforce with government programs to create jobs, retrain workers, and develop supplemental income by taxing the billionaires, perhaps real talk about Universal Basic Income — it's time. But all of that presupposes adults in charge.

Instead, we have the "Save America Act," which simply makes it harder to vote, harder to respond to emergencies, harder to evict the people that ushered this in.

Summer is coming. Things happen in summer that don't during any other season; how many hot "firsts" in your life occurred during a summer night? Warmer days bring about more time outside, during later hours, often meaning more alcohol, less sleep. Darkness creates doubt, both on scene in the moment and then the impact in the light of day. This coming summer, riding the war, ICE, prices, Trump — all of it, would be notable on its own, long, hot, and very, very dangerous. But this is no ordinary summer.

Raising matters to Shakespearean tragic comedy level, America is celebrating its birthday this July — entering middle-aged, as countries go. And like many middle-aged birthdays, it comes with some reflection about where we stand, whether we even like ourselves, and where we go from here. Making it worse, rather than have a quiet party among family, we've invited the world to our bash, hosting the world's largest sporting event in FIFA's World Cup, where our best and worst will be on display.

The world will look to America, its host, and rather than see a grateful, generous, modest, and caring nation, the one that saved Europe and Asia post WWII, won the Cold War, and provides disaster relief, it will see Donald Trump — master of ceremonies at the UFC octagon built at the White House, face on a commemorative coin, overseeing a military parade the likes of which only a fascist could love, all taking place in and around what was formerly some of the most respected, hallowed ground on Earth. Masked stormtroopers we call "ICE agents" will be the "face" of America.

Expect more thoughtful Americans to do nearly anything to disassociate themselves with the "patriotic hate-kitsch." We loathe who we've become, can't stand masked ICE agents killing protesters, and kidnapping undocumented workers. We don't support our "Secretary of War" bombing schools to distract from headlines. We're tired of being governed by oligarchs forcing us to work two jobs to barely pay rent, furious that two bags of groceries cost three figures, sigh upon hearing of more lay-offs due to AI, and tired of hearing about ballrooms, presidential crypto-schemes, presidential planes, and cognitive screens "aced" by a fading man.

It will be hot and, with the world's cameras pointed at the United States, expect decent Americans to show up to say "I'm not with them!" and "there is more to America than the man in the White House and those in red hats." As a means of self-cleansing alone, we'll want to distinguish ourselves from faux American-exceptionalism, false pride. It must be done.

But expect the man in the White House to use the situation to his advantage to claim every ounce of power that no previous president wanted. Between millions of us protesting what we have become and the militancy within the oligarchy-in-formation, something will almost surely break.

And please don't discount the possibility that it might be the stock market that breaks first (or at least concurrently), and thus your retirement, your job, your job prospects, "Dow 30k" for those of you who remember irrational exuberance. The only reason that the stock market is even in the mid-40,000 is a massive investment in AI — which, may be the single most destructive economic tool humanity ever created, even assuming it harmlessly does exactly what we ask, and in doing so disappears anywhere from 25%-33% of actual jobs performed by people in need of a paycheck to then go shop at Walmart.

It is April now, and you'd be a fool to think that this summer won't be the longest, hottest, most torrid on record — and it's time to begin preparations.

First, don't stray far from home — who can afford it with gas at $5 anyway? But more importantly, we have a president who is dying to utilize the Insurrection Act, federalizing troops — think "ICE" only better trained. The single last place you want to be if Trump federalizes policing is 2,000 miles from home. Stay close, spend your money on your neighbors.

We have the road map to summer success already. "No Kings" builds momentum with each event, decentralized, democracy at its finest, everywhere - let's repeat, only right in the middle of the festivities, the 250th, the World Cup. One word of caution, though - daytime only, strict curfews. Be responsible. He is dying to invoke as much police power as possible; don't hand him unearned gifts — it's also safer for you.

Welcome the world — the good people of the United States WANT you here. We are proud of who we really are, so let us show you. Let's show you how we protest peacefully, respectfully, away from areas where innocents might otherwise get caught up and get hurt. Trump introduced an "alternative Super Bowl Halftime Show" — perhaps the decent people of the United States could put together an alternative to the octagon and military muscle, focus on the gifts this country has given to the world, the science, the disaster relief, the art, there is endless material.

But everyone had better start to prepare now, put your summer plans in place. It is going to be hot and uncomfortable on many levels. Have no doubt, Donald Trump will likely feel his administration falling apart by summer, making this a dangerous place. Do what you can to make your corner of this country safer, helping your neighbors, building up a real national community, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.

It is already getting hot and only getting hotter. Best to prepare. Lots of frozen drinks, care, humanity, and smiles, looking out for one another — find a way to help someone else. No ICE, no orange King. We are bigger than any one man or even one party. Let's send the world a message we can be proud of.

A lot of America is still pretty cool.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, a former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, author, and American Attorney. He can be followed on Bluesky, and reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com, and is seeking beta readers for a soon-to-be-released novel.