John,
This weekend, Trump threatened to deploy troops into Democratic-led cities like Baltimore and Chicago — as he already did in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, up to 1,700 National Guard members are being mobilized from mostly red states.
It’s time to ask: are we a dictatorship yet?
Of course, authoritarianism doesn’t happen overnight. It creeps in through intimidation, censorship, politicized prosecutions — and now, the prospect of troops in our streets.
John, right now feels less like we are witnessing democracy in action, and more like we are watching a slow-moving coup.
COURIER refuses to look away. We’re building the nation’s largest anti-MAGA, pro-democracy media network. Because, while the legacy media keeps folding under Trump’s pressure, we are doing everything in our power to ensure that fearless, factual journalism survives this moment.
On Inauguration Day, experts warned about “tripwires of tyranny” — red flags that signal when democracy is collapsing. In just seven months, we’ve crossed too many of them:
- Investigators being investigated: Trump’s DOJ targeting is prosecutors who held him accountable for January 6th.
- Public attention to birth rates: the Trump administration is pushing a $5,000 “baby bonus” and glorifying motherhood as state duty.
- Racist symbols restored: Confederate names and monuments are being brought back to military bases at Trump’s command.
- A powerless Congress: Congress is completely MAGA-captured, with the House and Senate reduced to Trump rubber stamps.
- Troop deployments in American cities: Trump already sent soldiers into Los Angeles and Washington, and is now threatening more.
Other warning signs are close behind: Trump’s lawsuits designed to intimidate journalists, the MAGA Congress cutting funding for public broadcasting, and — most chillingly — Trump’s attempts to undermine and influence the upcoming midterm elections through an executive order banning mail-in ballots and voting machines, along with his support for aggressive gerrymandering.
We might not be in a full dictatorship yet, but we’re clearly far down that road. And the only way to turn the tide is by defeating MAGA in the upcoming midterm elections. We can restore balance and hold Trump accountable, but only if we win.
That’s why COURIER exists: to counter authoritarian lies with facts that strengthen democracy. With your support, COURIER can continue to keep voters in battleground states informed with the truth they need to stand up to Trump and vote out MAGA in 2026.
In solidarity,
The COURIER Team