The Trump Threats That Should Actually Scare You
Plus: Democracy's simulated death.
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WILL SALETAN: Here Are the Trump Threats That Should Actually Scare You
ONE OF THE PERILS OF CALLING out Donald Trump’s fascist outbursts is that sometimes we get it wrong. He says something that appears scary, and we sound the alarm about it, only to find that we misunderstood him. These mistakes help Trump by allowing him and his supporters to bemoan so-called Trump Derangement Syndrome. And they distract us from other statements in which he really does threaten democracy.
That’s what happened this weekend, when many people, including much of the press, went ballistic over a comment Trump made about Christians on Friday.
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ROSA BROOKS: Democracy Will Suffer a Relatively Quiet Death. We Simulated It.
PICTURE THIS: It’s March 2025, and Donald Trump is back in the White House. Despite the burst of euphoria that followed Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Trump managed to eke out a narrow Electoral College victory.
The presidential transition was peaceful. Kamala Harris conceded defeat, Biden vacated the White House, and although there were protests around the country and sporadic clashes between protesters and counterprotesters, the nation hasn’t descended into chaos or civil war. On television, the talking heads are having a good laugh: All that talk about existential threats to democracy looks so silly in hindsight! The core institutions of American democracy are still there, same as ever.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Tuesday! I’m moving this week, so Overtime from here until Friday will be shorter than usual. (So will responses!)
🎵On the Jukebox… 🎵 The Verve - Blue
Why, as a Republican mayor… I support Kamala Harris over Trump. (Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona in The Ariz. Republic)
Psycho PAC… is out with a new ad spree.
Congrats, Team USA! The women’s gymnastics team brought home the 🥇.
“it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets.” Read the forward JD Vance wrote for Heritage Foundation chief Kevin Roberts’s new book (TNR).
Democrats did the right thing… Allan Lichtman has a change of faith.
A whole new ballgame… Vice President Harris erased Trump’s swing state lead (Bloomberg).
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