This piece nails the decay, but it’s even worse than it looks.
Reporters keep asking Trump if he plans to break the law, as if the answer matters. As if the rule of law is still a shared norm, not a dare. That kind of questioning isn’t journalism. It’s performance. And it plays right into the hands of populist demagoguery.
Trump doesn’t need to convince anyone. He just needs to keep saying it until the system shrugs.
“I would love to do it,” he says; and the press treats it like a joke, not a warning.
They sanewash his contempt for democracy, then act surprised when the guardrails collapse.
This isn’t distraction. It’s rehearsal.
Norms aren’t bending. They’ve evaporated.
And when 2028 rolls around, the same voices will normalize it…then rationalize it after it happens.
America was built on the idea that institutions could check ambition. But institutions don’t work when behavior is misunderstood.
Populist demagogues don’t break the system in one blow. They wear it down.
And the press, still clinging to old scripts, is helping them do it.
I will not be surprised when the unthinkable happens—again, again and yet again…and neither should you.
Human behavior isn’t just my subject, it’s my oxygen. I write it, live it, breathe it.
Thank you for calling it what it is. This isn’t politics. It’s erosion.
They are shitty journalists, choosing to cover such nonsense over and over again. And as always, they get him to spew his nonsense but don't push back, treating Trump like a normal man with all his marbles.
For about five years now Jeff Tiedrich has had a standing offer to any reporter who asks Trump "WTF is the matter with you?" (my paraphrase). My question is "WTF has this prize gone unaccepted for so long?" The so-called Fourth Estate might be in worse shape than the other three.
This demented, damaged, obscenity is The Lamest Duck ever! It's an example of Obeying in Advance if we accept what Bannon predicts. That's not to say there won't be the shit weasels and rat fuckers hard at work in '26 and '28.
Perhaps the GOP is willing for Trump to entertain his delusions about a third term because there’s no viable liar in line. Vance? Disliked more than Trump. Vought? Too squirrelly. Miller? Jew. Who?
The question posed by reporters should be: "Are you still determined to break your oath of office and violate the constitution by trying to run for a third term?"
It is all in how you ask the question. First, include facts IN the question so it becomes clear that Trump is making 'stuff' up when he denies those facts. Second, remind that he has done this before, so even if he says "no" it is clear he did do this already.
Never characterize it as "Trolling", rather as deliberately creating conflict in the nation he is pretending to be president of.
Same when talking about his 'troop deployments' in Blue cities:
"Are you still intent on waging actual war on regions that do not vote for you?"
"Understanding you are violating the constitution by waging war on states that did not vote for you, imposing martial law just to punish them for not submitting to your illegal actions, are you trying to start a full blown civil war?"
"What level of submission to your every whims and agreement with your every lie will you find acceptable before you stop attacking a given state or their cities in any way?"
Of course Trump will never tolerate that reporter around him after even one such question, but THAT is the job, not to hand him questions that let him act as though what he is doing is reasonable or legal in any way. And yes, your employer will of course feel obligated to fire you in order to appease Trump for fear of loss of money or facing bogus lawsuits.
We will know when even the rich feel Trump has gone too far, when they start encouraging their reporters to do their job again. But, since the rich are typically primarily focused on increasing their wealth, it will have to be when even they realize Trump is going to crater the economy and make them poor again, for they really apparently do not mind the scenario of being rich in an impoverished nation.
Unless Trump has been removed feet first, or (haha) by impeachment and removal, technically Bannon is correct about Trump's being president in 2028. But he can't be president in 2029.
Remember he doesn’t have to run for a 3rd term, if there are no elections! The only thing keeping him alive is that the devil doesn’t even want him. Look how long it took for Kissinger to die.
I don't know who's asking him these questions about third terms and such, but a good portion of the press who follow him around now are MAGA sycophants, not real journalists. Unless we know it was an NYT reporter or someone along those lines, we shouldn't quite despair that everyone has caved to such a remarkable degree. (Though most of the mainstream has shown itself as too wishy-washy, for sure.)
I think Trump keeps floating the third term fantasy because he's afraid of being seen as a lame duck. There's a whole list of Republicans who'd love to jump into the spotlight and claim the cloak of MAGA, but they're still too afraid of Trump. Even Josh Hawley (I live in MO) is trying to position himself by voicing popular items and then voting against them. And, Eric Schmitt has gone off the cliff into MAGAville.
Bannon loves to pretend he's Roy Cohn, but even he is delusional if he thinks Trump has the popularity to make a third term more than a pipe dream. And Grandpa Cankles' health is obviously not too great, either.
Whenever I hear the Trump 2028 talk, I think that it's preposterous. Stroke + Dementia = Sundowning Grandpa on his last cankled legs. If he's still around, will have even be able to speak a single, coherent word?
This piece nails the decay, but it’s even worse than it looks.
Reporters keep asking Trump if he plans to break the law, as if the answer matters. As if the rule of law is still a shared norm, not a dare. That kind of questioning isn’t journalism. It’s performance. And it plays right into the hands of populist demagoguery.
Trump doesn’t need to convince anyone. He just needs to keep saying it until the system shrugs.
“I would love to do it,” he says; and the press treats it like a joke, not a warning.
They sanewash his contempt for democracy, then act surprised when the guardrails collapse.
This isn’t distraction. It’s rehearsal.
Norms aren’t bending. They’ve evaporated.
And when 2028 rolls around, the same voices will normalize it…then rationalize it after it happens.
America was built on the idea that institutions could check ambition. But institutions don’t work when behavior is misunderstood.
Populist demagogues don’t break the system in one blow. They wear it down.
And the press, still clinging to old scripts, is helping them do it.
I will not be surprised when the unthinkable happens—again, again and yet again…and neither should you.
Human behavior isn’t just my subject, it’s my oxygen. I write it, live it, breathe it.
Thank you for calling it what it is. This isn’t politics. It’s erosion.
—Johan
They are shitty journalists, choosing to cover such nonsense over and over again. And as always, they get him to spew his nonsense but don't push back, treating Trump like a normal man with all his marbles.
For about five years now Jeff Tiedrich has had a standing offer to any reporter who asks Trump "WTF is the matter with you?" (my paraphrase). My question is "WTF has this prize gone unaccepted for so long?" The so-called Fourth Estate might be in worse shape than the other three.
Trump does a lot of talking to reporters when he can lean on a wall.
This demented, damaged, obscenity is The Lamest Duck ever! It's an example of Obeying in Advance if we accept what Bannon predicts. That's not to say there won't be the shit weasels and rat fuckers hard at work in '26 and '28.
Perhaps the GOP is willing for Trump to entertain his delusions about a third term because there’s no viable liar in line. Vance? Disliked more than Trump. Vought? Too squirrelly. Miller? Jew. Who?
The question posed by reporters should be: "Are you still determined to break your oath of office and violate the constitution by trying to run for a third term?"
It is all in how you ask the question. First, include facts IN the question so it becomes clear that Trump is making 'stuff' up when he denies those facts. Second, remind that he has done this before, so even if he says "no" it is clear he did do this already.
Never characterize it as "Trolling", rather as deliberately creating conflict in the nation he is pretending to be president of.
Same when talking about his 'troop deployments' in Blue cities:
"Are you still intent on waging actual war on regions that do not vote for you?"
"Understanding you are violating the constitution by waging war on states that did not vote for you, imposing martial law just to punish them for not submitting to your illegal actions, are you trying to start a full blown civil war?"
"What level of submission to your every whims and agreement with your every lie will you find acceptable before you stop attacking a given state or their cities in any way?"
Of course Trump will never tolerate that reporter around him after even one such question, but THAT is the job, not to hand him questions that let him act as though what he is doing is reasonable or legal in any way. And yes, your employer will of course feel obligated to fire you in order to appease Trump for fear of loss of money or facing bogus lawsuits.
We will know when even the rich feel Trump has gone too far, when they start encouraging their reporters to do their job again. But, since the rich are typically primarily focused on increasing their wealth, it will have to be when even they realize Trump is going to crater the economy and make them poor again, for they really apparently do not mind the scenario of being rich in an impoverished nation.
I would like a Republican to be asked if they feel pride when foreign dignitaries welcome the President with a band playing YMCA?/s
Unless Trump has been removed feet first, or (haha) by impeachment and removal, technically Bannon is correct about Trump's being president in 2028. But he can't be president in 2029.
Corporate media shouldn't be asking him. All they are doing is giving him free publicity, playing to his base & stroking his ego.
Remember he doesn’t have to run for a 3rd term, if there are no elections! The only thing keeping him alive is that the devil doesn’t even want him. Look how long it took for Kissinger to die.
I don't know who's asking him these questions about third terms and such, but a good portion of the press who follow him around now are MAGA sycophants, not real journalists. Unless we know it was an NYT reporter or someone along those lines, we shouldn't quite despair that everyone has caved to such a remarkable degree. (Though most of the mainstream has shown itself as too wishy-washy, for sure.)
I think Trump keeps floating the third term fantasy because he's afraid of being seen as a lame duck. There's a whole list of Republicans who'd love to jump into the spotlight and claim the cloak of MAGA, but they're still too afraid of Trump. Even Josh Hawley (I live in MO) is trying to position himself by voicing popular items and then voting against them. And, Eric Schmitt has gone off the cliff into MAGAville.
"Likely contenders JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, or even Kristi Noem..."
Heaven help us all.
But why not add George W to the list. And then poll any one of them against Clinton or Obama since they could run again, too.
Bannon loves to pretend he's Roy Cohn, but even he is delusional if he thinks Trump has the popularity to make a third term more than a pipe dream. And Grandpa Cankles' health is obviously not too great, either.
I always enjoy reading Stephen’s articles, and today I get to read two of them.
Whenever I hear the Trump 2028 talk, I think that it's preposterous. Stroke + Dementia = Sundowning Grandpa on his last cankled legs. If he's still around, will have even be able to speak a single, coherent word?