Within days we will be living again under the Presidency of Donald J. Trump. For some of my friends, this is the welcome return of the MAGA King. For a few, it is a time to wait-n-see what happens next. For still others, it is the dark skies of Mordor looming over America. This post is for the last group.
How to survive another four years of Trump? First off, realize you’ve already lived through eight-plus years. Yes, history will record this period, including the Biden interregnum, as The Trump Era. He has dominated the news cycle, social media, and politics since he rode down the golden escalator at Trump Tower back in 2015. So you’re not at the midway point, you’ve already survived over two-thirds of his reign. Democracy didn’t Die in Darkness (per the Washington Post), although it certainly got a scare back on January 6th, 2021. However you looked at it back then, you and the Republic (a term I never tire in reminding people is our form of government, de facto and de jure) withstood even a once-in-a-century pandemic during his term. You can do this.
What about in practical terms? If you believed all the people telling you Trump=Hitler, you might have noticed many of them were lying to you. I’m not saying you were wrong, just that many of the people who swore that Trump represented the TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) didn’t really mean it, even though they said it. You don’t welcome Hitler into the White House for tea and cookies. You don’t publicly yuck it up at a funeral with Adolph. You don’t go to Berchtesgaden (I mean Mar-a-lago) and kiss the ring of the fuhrer, whether you’re a tech bro, a media talking-head, or Governor of the great state of Canada.
I believe even some of my friends who fervently stated the Hitler analogy didn’t really mean it, either, since voting or donating or social media posting or tweeting is hardly an adequate response to the enormity of an oncoming Reich. The only people who survived the Third Reich with their reputations intact were the ones who took up armed resistance. Even Pope Pius XII (You know, the one some try to smear as “Hitler’s Pope”) organized a secret attempt to kill Hitler. When you cite the greatest enormity of modern history as your analogy, you make extreme demands for action. Not tweets. I’m not calling anybody out to take up arms: just the opposite. Moderate your opposition and align it with fervent, principled work for the policies you do support. And give up the Hitler language.
Go on a social media diet. I don’t know anybody who says “the time I spend on (Facebook/TikTok/X) makes me smarter or a better person.” Do you? If things posted there inflame you, do like the punch line in the old doctor’s joke: Just stop doing it! I shake my head whenever an intelligent, well-meaning friend shares a post/tweet with something like, “you need to read this.” The next tweet with something useful will be the first. And please, don’t be that person who responds to a mega-star and their millions of followers with a back tweet. It’s like the neighbor to walks out their back door and starts screaming at the government: ineffective, weird, and a troubling commentary about the neighbor, not the government.
Review your news choices for bias. There are excellent sources of media analysis here and here, but even these don’t capture coverage bias (the bias represented by what the media source chooses to cover or ignore). I knew well-informed people who denied there was an immigration crisis until New York City screamed “uncle” and the Biden administration admitted to a “challenge.” I knew others who were shocked by Biden’s performance during the debate. You don’t watch media sources from diverse perspectives to change your mind; you do it to learn what the other side cares about and how they characterize the issues. Or you just make it all up in your head. If you don’t believe media coverage bias is an important issue for both sides, you are in deep trouble.
Resolve to ignore any article, post, or message with headlines straight from social-media speak. “Trump pwns the libs” is just as bad as “You won’t believe how Pelosi shocked the Prez.” Such headlines or leaders are the hallmark of click-bait, usually designed to get you excited enough to click through, but as nutritionally empty as a bag of Pizza Rolls (slogan: no animal, mineral or vegetable was harmed in the making of this food product). Long-time media sources that were once reputable (think Time, Newsweek, The New Republic) now join in the shock headlines of the social media influencers. If you only do this, you won’t believe how much better your life will be!
Choose your focus. The MAGA and Resistance movements agree on one thing: Donald Trump is the center of the universe. The sun and the planets, the policies and fate of the nation all revolve around . . . him. For the rest of us, he’s a character: entertaining, vulgar, proud, crude, strong, venal, you name it. If President Trump announces he’s going to lean on Denmark to annex Greenland on January 21st, what exactly does that mean to you? Perhaps it is your Buddhist monk protest moment, or perhaps you wait to see what that really means. I am not totally of the “take Trump seriously but not literally” camp. When he says things, he does so for a purpose. If he says something outrageous and nobody reacts, he may just proceed. But not everything he says demands your attention. Because President Trump loves knowing he is living rent-free in your head, and he will play to that. It’s your choice entirely if you play along.
Avoid TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). Some in the MAGA movement or on the right label anyone or anything not agreeing with Trump as TDS. I am far more selective: I reserve it for those who feel the need to go to any length to criticize him, regardless of reality or simple politics. Let me explain. If Trump says his inauguration crowd is the biggest in human history, you don’t need to go on a social-media jihad using AI-supported photogrammetry to disprove it. You don’t need to assert that Trump isn’t rich because he isn’t the richest person in the world, the continent, America, New York City, or probably even Florida. He’s so rich he keeps incurring additional judgments in the millions of dollars just to keep defaming the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct! You don’t need to claim he is only rich because his dad was, when Trump’s current wealth is oodles more than that of his father. You don’t need to constantly add “first convicted felon” to every mention of his Presidency. A thought experiment on that last one. If Trump’s legal situation were applied to say, George Soros, you might be pointing out that until the appeals process is exhausted, his status is not final. If it was applied to Hunter Biden, you might point out the unique political nature of the prosecution (Joe Biden did!). If it was just some local businessman in the Bronx, you would probably read about it and say, “they took State misdemeanors, added an undisclosed federal charge, and bundled them into a felony? Wha-a-a-a-a-t?” In any case, it’s irrelevant, however it comes out.
Consider the art of the deal. No, not Trump’s book, but the concept. I’ve said all along, Donald Trump is a man of few fixed principals. One of them is he sees himself as a “wheeler-dealer” as my Mother used to say. You offer him a way to be more famous, or rich, or successful, and he might change sides on any issue. Democrats missed this opportunity during his first term, and if you are politically active, consider suggesting to your Representatives, Senators, Governors, whomever, that they try to cut deals. I was only half-joking when I said that Progressives should propose a major increase in the Affordable Care Act under the title TrumpCare. Think he wouldn’t consider it?
Review Paschal’s Wager. Blaise Paschal put forward an argument, called Paschal’s Wager, for belief in God. It is considered by many to be the first historically-confirmed decision matrix. I will give you a Trumpified version of it here: Either Trump is a Hitlerian Dictator, or not. Either you call him one, or you don’t. This forms four quadrants with different outcomes. If Trump is a dictator and you call him out, you get credit for being right. However, he will have you killed, and if all you did was call him out, those who remember you will wonder why you did so little. Outcome: that’s a small upside and large downside. If Trump is a dictator and you don’t call him out, you will suffer personal anguish at failing to do so. Outcome: all downside. If Trump is not a dictator and you call him one, you look foolish and incur the possibility of future “boy cries wolf” problems. Outcome: all downside. If Trump is not a dictator and you don’t engage in calling him one? Normalcy. Outcome: All upside. And greater peace of mind. Mind you, if you assign different probabilities to the two sets of alternatives, what you should choose changes. But if they’re all equal probabilities, which gives you the best life?
Now I know there are still some of my most progressive friends who, if they are still reading, actually take umbrage with my making light of such a serious situation. They feel they alone are correct and that Trump is an Existential Threat. If Trump really is a dictator, then he is the first dictator in modern history to voluntarily give up power. I know he tried to foil the process, but it was a miserable and weak attempt, and then he yielded. And now he is the first dictator to return to office democratically, too (Juan Perón was ousted in a coup, so his return is different). I’m not sure what kind of dictator that is.
Love him, hate him, or just getting the popcorn and watching, he will soon be the President. In conclusion, I reach back to my youth and the immortal words of Alfred E. Neuman, “What, Me Worry?”
Totally foolish and indeed stupid argument. Yes, Trump is the first convicted felon to become President. That is a fact, and we cannot ignore it. And yes, he will be the president. Two equally true facts.
You are setting up straw people who think he is Hitler in a blue suit and red tie. Most people who did not vote for him did not think that way, and you make too much of that tired argument. On the other hand German AfD members are being invited to the inauguration, and they are pretty close to being Nazis. Go figure….
Trump is an old man (like Biden) stuck in the 1980s (unlike Biden), who thinks he is the smartest person in the room; he is not a dictator, but is authoritarian by nature (just look at his continued threats against journalists, the imaginary deep state, and many others–I take these threats seriously since no normal candidate should be making them), is surrounding himself with adoring oligarchs who hope to get personalist favors from his administration (yes, like Juan Peron), and he is inheriting a pretty good economy, which he will likely ruin.
Perhaps the normal US guardrails, not those of his cabinet, will keep things on a semi-even keel. That is an an open question.
He is a chaos monkey and “What, Me Worry,” and looking on from a distance will get us nowhere. Onehope is that he will revert to his usual true, lazy and incurious nature, unless of course he gets us into a war with Panama and Denmark!
In sum, you are dissing your progressive friends and not taking Trump and his minions seriously, which is a mistake. These characters may have learned from his first attempt and may be better at screwing things up for the American public in the service of the wealthy.
First, I trust your “two things can be true” argument is simply a technical statement, and you’re not forgetting that in our system of law, the accused is not guilty until ALL their appeals are adjudicated. I will happily bet you a bottle of wine that when all is said and done, Trump’s lone felony conviction(s) will be overturned on appeal. Deal?
Second, a simple internet search on headlines/stories from 28 October 2024, the day after the MSG rally, will demonstrate the breadth of claims about American Nazism. The Times, the Post, NPR, ABC, PBS, and more. All that after numerous celebrities and media talking heads made explicit reference to Trump as Hitler. Even more made your argument that Trump is an authoritarian, again, the first ever to voluntarily give up his place.
Third, I take Trump very seriously. If he does not deliver on his promises, the nascent coalition he patched together will desert him. I am among the 88% of American adults who think the system has been broken for decades (today’s NYT), and we need drastic changes at the federal level. Those were not available from the Democratic ticket; Trump may not deliver, but “may not” is better than “not available.”
Fourth, I invite you to listen to the Douthat-Andresen interview in the Times. It gives a first person account of the tech bros change to pro-Trump, and it is NOT because they seek personalist favors. There is something else there, for those who want to look.
Finally, Trump is bringing on people at the highest level who are personally loyal to him, first and foremost. Remind me what the story of his first admin was: the Resistance thwarting the illegitimate President. Why wouldn’t he emphasize loyalty? Will it work? I don’t know. I hope so. But I do know there is a much greater probability of success for America if the opposition plays a constructive role, when possible.
Or they can put on the pink hats, scream, and call him names. I hope not, but that’s just me, being stupid & foolish! 😉
Neither of the first two statements (Trump will be President and he is a convicted felon) are technical. They are true. In our legal system, if found guilty, the accused is guilty. Yes, there may be appeals, but until a successful appeal, that guilt stands. I am not convinced it will be overturned on appeal. The Supreme Court refused to intervene, given that Trump faced no fine, probation, or prison time. I think he will lose any appeal. Indeed, if Trump were anybody else, i.e., an ordinary shlub, he would likely lose his job or even go to jail (which is what a NY Times study found out about people also convicted of falsifying business records in NY state: about a third got prison time (see https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/nyregion/donald-trump-merchan-sentencing-jail.html).
For Trump, the conviction will make no real difference other than the stigma. As a BU law professor said:
Being convicted of a felony happens all the time, with much more severe implications for others. The implications of not being able to get Section 8 housing if you have a conviction are really significant. So are the ramifications in terms of employment. As I said earlier, there’s a huge stigma attached to being a convicted felon. It just sets up barrier after barrier and makes your life significantly harder, often in a really unfair way. (see https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/trump-convicted-felon-what-does-that-mean/)
On Trump being compared to Hitler, the MSG extravaganza was just too close in spirit to the one that Lindbergh and the American Bund had. I’m sorry but the media could not resist. I do not think Trump is a new Hitler.
However, on Trump being authoritarian, I never said that he had the total control of the US, so he was forced to leave office after what I consider a failed coup on Jan 6 and the subsequent bullshit attempts to change or coerce the vote, which were all shot down in the courts. I would certainly not change my view that he has an authoritarian personality—after all a normal person would not threaten to put his political opponents in jail. (for this and his weird supporters see https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/us/politics/trump-officials-retribution.html). He has repeated this mantra over and over, as have some of his acolytes like Kash Patel, who has publicly written about the enemies list that he will pursue, if made FBI Director. If people say stuff like this often enough, I tend to believe them.
I read the Douthat-Andreesen interview, and I would not dismiss the idea of personalist favors. That was not in the interview, but we can see this with many Silicon Valley billionaires sucking up to Trump. What was in the interview was incredible complaining that his own employees had the temerity to not think he and his billionaire tech masters were not the greatest leaders on the planet. He also said some bizarre things about government assistance to poor people and then let’s not forget the whining about crypto.
On Trump’s bringing on loyalists, that would not necessarily worry me, since all Presidents bring on people who will go along with their agenda. My issue is competence or basic understanding of what their jobs should be. Also, I would like loyalty to the Constitution, not personal loyalty just to Trump. Hegseth? Patel? RFK, Jr (a vaccine denier to head HHS)? Pam Bondi (who will be attorney general) who refused to simply say that Biden won in 2020, because that is not what Trump thinks or wants his minions to acknowledge? From Bondi’s point of view, only Republicans but not Democrats can win an election.
You speak of the Resistance thwarting the “illegitimate” president, when you mean Congress, the Courts, etc., i.e., the American system. After all, it was Mitch McConnell who specifically stated that he wanted to use the Senate (when he was Republican majority leader) to undermine everything Obama tried to do.
On that NYT poll from today, I will wait and see what tomorrow, next week, next month, next year brings in polling. That is not definitive. After all, there have been recent polls where people say their economic situation has miraculously improved, unlike just a few months ago before the election, and, by the way, while Biden is still President (until tomorrow). Go figure.
Please stop with the snark about pink hats. We will possibly, if the Democrats get off their defensive crouch, a real opposition, which in the past meant working on issues where possible and opposing them whenever necessary. We call that politics. We can also call him names, since Trump viciously insults everyone who doesn’t applaud him.
One final note, Trump did win the electoral college but less than 50% of the popular vote. His mandate is thinner than he thinks.
As far as the bottle of wine goes, figure out how to send it to me!
Joel,
Can you name two or three policies that President Trump implemented in his first administration that were so horrible that people shouldn’t have voted for him this time around?
From my point of view his: starting the Abraham Accords, defeating the ISIS Caliphate in Iraq/Syria left over by President Obama, trying to normalize relations/lesson tension with Kim Jon Un of N Korea, setting up a withdrawal from Afghanistan (even if its implementation was botched), trying to force NATO nations to live up to their agreements regarding funding, etc, etc are worthy of giving him another 4 years.
In terms of oligarchs, as many or more backed VP Harris (Soros, Gates, et Al). I would counter with the idea that these people do not need the money or hassle that come with the government positions they are stepping into. I applaud them for being selfless and willing to work for what they see as the good of the country, instead of just sitting back knowing they have so much money they don’t have to worry about anything. If your argument revolves can prove that their intentions are for personal gain, like Speaker Pelosi, I would like to see the evidence.
You characterize President Trump as “lazy.” Anyone who saw his campaign schedule knows that is inaccurate in the extreme.
You mention the Afd coming to the inauguration, so? Did the Trump team invite them? I honestly hadn’t heard that. If you could provide clarification on that, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I don’t think President Trump can be held responsible for everyone who attends the inauguration?
If your argument revolves around President Trump’s character, I can say that I would rather have to deal with his personality and good policies rather than VP Harris and her policies (open borders, men in women’s spaces/sports, anti energy/fossil fuels policies etc).
I would also say that most of my liberal friends and relatives have lost a lot of credibility over the years with claims like: “if your argument revolves move the Israel US embassy to Jerusalem you’ll start a war in the Middle East,” “Net neutrality will destroy the internet,” “Trump said “there were good people on both sides” in reference to neo Nazis in Charlottesville,” “the Hunter Biden laptop is fake,” “Trump is in league with the Russians,” everyone working for the government is mandated to get Covid shots or they can’t work, because its critical for public health…but it’s not so critical that we’ll require people on welfare or other public assistance to be required to have it, “global warming,”sorry, it’s now “climate change is an existential crisis that threatens the planet,” but apparently not enough to implement the cleanest and safest form of energy, nuclear.
Anyway, if you’ve gotten to this point, thanks for reading. I also get the impression we’ll only agree that no matter who is in charge we pray for the best for America.
God bless
First things first. Yes, there were some successful foreign policy issues that he worked on. The Abraham Accords, yes the defeat of the ISIS caliphate with our partners, a work that was started before him (he did not invent this), but he accomplished nothing with North Korea in reality, and I would say he also botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan by negotiating with the Taliban but not/not including the govt of Afghanistan in those negotiations. And he did not have the guts to withdraw during his term. Yes, more countries are up to their 2% GDP for their militaries (though they have given much more than the US to Ukraine). Of course, he withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran to show how tough he was, and the result is that Iran probably has since then produced enough radioactive fuel for four bombs. Is that a good result? (And yes, I know that Iran is now weakened with Hamas and Hezbollah in disarray due to Israeli actions, which Biden supported, sometimes less than willingly). For an amusing and negative take on Trump’s foreign policy inclinations, see https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/three-ways-of-looking-at-donald-trumps and Drezner’s https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/donald-trumps-very-weird-theory-of/comments. But, I would argue as have most political commentators, that foreign policy was not the overriding element in the election and usually is not.
There were things that Trump could not accomplish, because of court cases, etc. But Jan 6 should have disqualified him, as well as his attempts to force governors, etc., to change the popular vote. If you think that is normal, ok. I do not. Also, in a more general sense, his actions often served no purpose other than cruelty to weaker people/groups.
Well, the oligarchs’ bending the knee to Trump (giving millions to his inauguration, which they did not do with Democrats), suddenly talking about ending DEI, the sudden pressing need for masculine energy (whatever that means to them), and getting their workforce to shape up and shut up (meanwhile as they have become wealthier), is not just to become richer, but to make their companies more powerful and assuage their own self-esteem. You may not agree with him, but Paul Krugman was literally just trying to figure this out, since these guys have what we used to call “fuck you money.” See https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-pathetic-billionaires-club. Is Krugman on to something? I don’t know, but it explains to me why these billionaires literally suck up to Trump. I am not talking about billionaires working in the cabinet, but currying Trump’s favor.
Another example of this is CBS is apparently considering settling an idiotic legal suit with Trump, which they could easily win on 1st Amendment terms, because they fear problems with Trump’s new administration: “Paramount, owner of CBS, its namesake studio and several cable channels, has a major piece of business in front of the new administration: its planned merger with Skydance Media. It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval, people familiar with the situation said. Incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr gave Paramount executives a warning to that effect at a reception late last year following the taping of the Kennedy Center honors in Washington, according to people familiar with the exchange, and he has echoed the message in public remarks.” (See https://www.wsj.com/business/media/cbs-owner-discusses-settling-trump-suit-with-merger-review-on-tap-a5916925 ) In other words, give money to Trump for the bs legal suit, so a merger can go through. I call this anticipatory corruption.
I was not exact enough when I said Trump was lazy. He is intellectually lazy and incoherent. I do think from all I read that he was also lazy and often bored in the White House; campaign rallies (which seem to be your measure) with its adulation energized him, since he is a narcissist.
Your comment about Harris confounds some leftists pushing for the few/few men in women’s sports with really important issues. Trump did little about open borders and actually got a serious bipartisan congressional border bill killed by threatening Congressional Republicans (remember Sen Lankford?), because he wanted to run against “soft” Democrats. Trump wanted the issue, not a real solution. On immigration, border crossings are at a near low, lower than under Trump.
Also, energy production is the highest it has ever been under Biden. As Reuters noted, “Almost no matter the metric, the U.S. oil and gas industry has flourished under President Joe Biden, even though his administration has pushed hard to transition the U.S. economy toward a carbon-free future to fight climate change”. (See https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-BIDEN/OIL/lgpdngrgkpo/) Claiming we are behind in energy is the kind of stuff that MAGA people say. For example, Speaker Johnson recently recounted how Joe Biden had no idea he had “signed” an executive order dealing with LNG exports. That turns out not to be true. Biden’s executive order paused the approval of new permits for LNG projects until DOE completed an environmental and economic review of the LNG business. It did not/not pause ongoing LNG exports to Europe, which is what Johnson claims it did. The US had $43 billion in LNG exports to Europe last year. Also, If you read the news, most oil drillers do not want to drill more because the price they get will be too low.
We still have net neutrality, and if it changes, the internet could really change. Do you want the internet run by people like Musk?
On the AfD at the inauguration, they were invited, but exactly by whom, I cannot find out. No news source actually says by whom. My guess is by Musk, since he is fond of them. (See, among other items available, https://www.reuters.com/world/german-far-right-leader-attend-trump-inauguration-2025-01-16/ )
I am sorry you find some liberals annoying. I personally am not a fan of nuclear energy (having been years ago in Kiev where there were still signs about dosimeters due to the Chernobyl meltdown), but some liberals like Matt Yglesias are (see, for example, https://www.slowboring.com/p/the-nuclear-policy-america-needs).
Finally on Trumps’ Charlottesville comments, he originally said: “I think there is blame on both sides,” the president told reporters that day in August 2017. “You had some very bad people in that group,” Trump said, referring to the white nationalist groups rallying against removal of a Confederate statue. “But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” (See https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-blame-sides-charlottesville-now-anniversary-puts-spot/story?id=57141612 ). He later backtracked some (see https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/full-text-trump-comments-white-supremacists-alt-left-transcript-241662 ). I take him at this word in the original statement. If you don’t, OK.
As for whether Trump was in league with the Russians, I would say the Russians were in league with Trump. See the Mueller Report.
Regarding climate change, tell that to people in Los Angeles, who live in an urban environment that has been decimated by a changing climate or to people who built nice houses (now planking) on the sands in the Outer Banks, which we used to visit.
I think we have beaten this poor horse almost to death. Let’s leave the poor nag alone.