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In March 2023, standing on stage in front of an adoring crowd at CPAC, Donald Trump declared himself their warrior, their justice, and their retribution. I was working with the Lincoln Project and Resolute Square back in those days, so I was among the perpetually online who felt a visceral shudder of disgust and anxiety when I heard it.
We knew that he was serious, and we knew that, despite his loss in 2020 and his subsequent mini-break from the public spotlight (not to mention the stolen documents, the January 6 Committee hearings, and every other legal action that seemed to be taking him down), we could very likely be President again.
Retribution became a theme of his campaign, and my anxiety grew. We talked to pundits, strategists, & experts who all said a second term would be remarkably worse. He would surround himself with only the worst kinds of sycophants and grifters — people without any moral compass or sense of duty to their fellow Americans, only a profound need for self-promotion and pure love for Leader.
But the pro-Democracy media had been screaming about the dangers of Trump since the first day of his first term, and we somehow made it through. I’m sure to some Americans — probably a lot of us — the warnings rang hollow. We in the media were peddlers of doom and gloom.
But then Project 2025 came to light, and people like the incredible Andra Watkins began to sound the alarm about the very real threat of white Christian nationalism invading our politics, describing in prescient detail what a WCN takeover of our government would look like for all of us.
More people started to pay attention. The campaign continued. The infamous debate happened. By the time Kamala Harris replaced Biden in the race, a lot of Americans were dialed into the fact that Trump could win and that it would be catastrophic.
But, despite the warnings, the experts, and the promises made by Trump himself, not enough Americans took the warnings seriously.
I don’t need to tell you — the warnings were mostly wrong. In fact, Trump’s time in office so far has been much worse than we thought. The destruction of our institutions, the gutting of the agencies that keep America and the world running, the roving bands of anonymous armed thugs in our streets, the economic despair — all of it and more came more swiftly than anyone could have imagined.
He has been in office for less than 10 months as I write this, and we are in the midst of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Images of bread lines started populating social media feeds this weekend. Meanwhile, a gilded ballroom is being constructed where our East Wing used to stand.
So, why am I going back over all of this? Because something changed last week.
Mamdani in New York! Sherrill in New Jersey! Spanberger in Virginia! Even local races in Florida went blue! FLORIDA!...
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