Act Like a Violent Crime Boss If You Want to Become a U.S. President

Inciting and unleashing his MAGA cult against all real and perceived enemies has been a winning strategy for Donald Trump, so why stop now?

 

If the 2024 election was a summer blockbuster movie, the teaser would open with a narrator hissing over a black screen: “You’ve got a great democracy over there…if you can keep it.” The screen would then slowly reveal Donald Trump’s bloated, giant face smirking at the audience while eating a rubbery, well done steak with ketchup. 

If he wasn’t so germaphobic, he’d also be rubbing a cat, and the transformation into a mob boss - Michael Cohen’s description of his former employer - would be complete. 

For nearly a decade, Trump has embraced the thuggish behavior and “coded” language of a stereotypical Hollywood Mafia boss. He encouraged his crowd of MAGA followers to beat up protestors at his 2016 rallies. He even offered to pay their legal fees. He mocks and belittles all of his critics. He consistently envies the unmitigated power and brutality of authoritarian leaders, with a special fondness for Putin. As evidenced by his two impeachments and four criminal cases, he loathes rules, accountability, self-awareness and repentance.

But in America we grade on a curve for Republicans and conservatives. After all, we’ve repeatedly been told that the MAGA base allegedly has a lot of “economic anxiety” which is why they continue to root for a wealthy celebrity who was born with a silver spoon, lives in a resort, and whose greed is only matched by his racism. This “economic anxiety” also explains why many upper middle-class and wealthy MAGA supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6th after Trump and right-wing media incited them with lies and conspiracy theories. Their failed attempt to overturn our free election resulted in the deaths of numerous people, including police officers. But if at first you don’t succeed, try again! On The Sean Spicer Show, Trump admitted this week that if he loses the 2024 election he will try to “stop it a second time.” 

So, maybe it’s time America finally learned and adapted to the growing literal and serious threat of Trump and his violent cult. Or, we could simply unleash Trump and his Luca Brasi minions to further intimidate, threaten, and harm his critics. Let’s roll the dice and choose the latter option! Might as well make the death of democracy an epic, bloody adventure!

Earlier this week, Judge Merchan partially lifted Trump’s gag restrictions. (Merchan found Trump in contempt of court for 10 gag-order violations during the trial.) Now, Trump can comment on witnesses who testified against him as well as the jury that convicted him of all 34 felony counts in New York. What do you think is going to happen to these innocent people? These weren’t Trump friendly witnesses who “have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company” according to a blockbuster report from ProPublica that has already been forgotten.

Unlike his lackeys, these witnesses convinced the jury members to find Trump guilty on all counts. They’re most likely going to receive death threats, intimidation and harassment from his cult. Thankfully, Judge Merchan has still barred the former President from attacking court staff members, prosecutors, and “family members of any counsel, staff member, the Court of District Attorney,” which includes Judge Merchan’s daughter and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s wife - both of whom were targeted by Trump. 

Nobody is safe from Trump and his cult. Not even Special counsel Jack Smith and his team. ( (Check out “Trump asserts constitutional right to harass FBI agents” over at Public Notice for a deep dive.) In February, he detailed the numerous threats MAGA made against prosecutors, judges, and witnesses in the Mar-A-Lago documents case. Earlier this week, Judge Cannon, an inexperienced Trump appointee, wasn’t convinced upon hearing the government’s request that President Trump be gagged after inflaming his base with a dangerous lie that the Biden Administration wanted to kill him during the Mar-a-Lago raid in 2022. Instead of admitting any wrongdoing, Trump and his allies have repeatedly blamed “the deep state” and spread the dangerous conspiracy theory of a secretive, liberal cabal that is committed to stopping him.

Over at Mother Jones, Mark Follman has a solid article on how Trump is inciting violence before the election. He cites numerous examples of stochastic terrorism, which is a type of targeted violence often instigated by media and public rhetoric directed at a group or individual but using coded, veiled, or indirect language. Trump’s base has gone after journalists, media corporations, immigrants, law enforcement, elected officials, the spouses of public servants, protestors, poll workers, teachers, doctors, and even fellow Republicans. Basically, anyone who is the enemy of the great MAGA king becomes an automatic target that must be eliminated or silenced. As an example, The Heritage Foundation, the extremist conservative think tank behind Project 2025, is spending $100,000 to find and post the names of 100 government employees who might be hostile to a second Trump Administration.

Just imagine the ultra-violence if Trump becomes President again. Who will rein him in? If Jack Smith and law enforcement aren’t safe from harm, then what about the rest of us with multisyllabic names and darker melanin? 

I guess we all better learn to swim with the fishes.