Punch and Purge

So much happened in the first weeks of The Don’s presiedncy that I considered taking an anti-vertigo drug to restore my equilibrium. To use a boxing analogy: I’ve been wobbling through a standing eight-count. As former world champion Mike Tyson said: “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” 

 The Don has come out swinging. He is like the boxer who charges into the ring and starts pummeling his opponent, no dancing around looking for openings- just outright bludgeoning. Like Tyson, he wants to create disorientation and terror in his opponent, which just happens to be a large swath of the American people; he’s hoping to stagger us all into a national standing eight count.

If we listened to The Don during his campaign, we shouldn’t be surprised by this deluge of face punches, but to repeat Tyson, it all feels a lot different once you get punched in the face. But enough American people voted for him, and here we are. 

I have three words for anyone who voted for this thug wannabe dictator, who is now upset and jolted by his actions: it’s your fault. I don’t want to hear your bullshit outrage. I don’t want to hear “I never thought he would do the crazy stuff he said. It was just The Don blowing off steam.”.

Millions of Americans who are not MAGA devotees voted for a man who tried to overthrow the government! Millions of you voted for a convicted felon. Millions of you voted for a man that disdains women, and was civilly found guilty of sexual assault. Millions of you voted for a racist who wants to roll back civil rights for many. Millions of you voted for a man who will try to undo all the climate policies put in place by the Biden administration, and deregulate and give free reign to oil and coal companies to further denigrate our environment. Tell that to the people in Los Angeles who have lost everything to wildfires.

To the millions of Democrats who decided to stay home: it’s your fault. I understand your disenchantment with the dysfunction of our government, but you knew the score. You saw what he did in his first term. You knew he would be more emboldened this time because of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision; you knew he would pick loyalists in positions of power who would do his bidding; you knew he would hurt a lot of people; you knew that staying home was a vote for The Don. You are complicit in the nightmare our country will face, particularly those on the margins, like immigrants, minority groups, and members of the LGBTQ community. You knew that The Don’s allegiance to the rich, like Elon Musk, would lead to greater imbalance and inequality. You know that The Don has complete disregard for the law and will test its boundaries. Now we have a dangerous malignant narcissist running our country again! Wasn’t the first time enough?
I guess this little thing called democracy just isn’t on your top ten things to worry about. Well, now it’s crunch-time, and we are going to watch as this man and his sycophantic cronies do their best to undo it. 

And guess what? Those of you who voted for him because of the price of eggs are now paying significantly more for them, in this case, due to so many chickens dying or being killed because of bird flu. And if there is an epidemic of bird flu, we are in serious trouble: all we have to do is look at The Don’s inept and dangerous response to Covid. But wait. Rumor has it that The Don is bringing his bleach theory to avian flu and will be ordering all poultry farms in America to mix bleach in with their chicken feed to save the chickens. Rumor also has it that The Don is considering threatening poultry farmers with imprisonment if their chickens keep dying, causing a rise in egg prices. He could be heard screaming: “The fucking chickens, the fucking chickens are going to ruin my presidency just like Covid did. I will not stand for that.” But most likely, he doesn’t give a shit about the price of eggs for average Americans, because they are just suckers and losers for being poor.

As I said in my last piece, there is an awful irony to the man swearing to defend the constitution, while intending to bend it to his will. His proclamation to end birthright citizenship goes to the heart of this. The 14th amendment is very clear on this: it “guarantees citizenship and equal rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States”. Few think that he will win this battle, when and if it gets to the Supreme Court; but then again, few thought he would gain full immunity to pretty much do whatever he wants while he is president. 

By pardoning all of the January 6th felons, and labeling them heroes, he is making a mockery and attempting to rewrite the history books. He is making a mockery of the justice system by releasing violent criminals into the community who feel emboldened and protected by The Don. It’s frightening to think of some of them unleashed without any concern for the consequences of their actions. Instead of his duty to protect, he is putting Americans in harm’s way.

By the way, did you notice the Don didn’t place his hand on the bible when he was sworn in? Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but even at his swearing in ceremony, he made a mockery of it all. Hey, but at least it was honest. When people accuse him of not keeping his promises to uphold the constitution he will say “If you noticed my hand wasn’t on the bible, so all bets are off”.

The Don and his cronies, using the 2025 playbook, are pursuing their agenda to dismantle civil rights.

His attack on the trans community is heinous. His declaration that there are only two sexes disavows the humanity of so many who have struggled to live their lives authentically. The Don’s proclamation is not only to dehumanize trans folks, but completely to erase them.

The Don’s executive order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” rescinds a 1965 order President Johnson used to desegregate federal contracting. The Johnson order “reinforced the requirement that federal contractors not discriminate in employment and take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity based on race, color, religion, and national origin.” Reversing an order meant to deter racism and pro-segregation policies was described by the Trump administration as “protecting civil rights and expanding individual opportunity.” This is The Don at his most disorienting, claiming he is protecting civil rights, free speech, and democracy while dismantling them. The Federal government has gone from the protector of civil rights to the dismantler of it. This has White Supremacy written all over it.

The Trump administration also issued an order that fires all staff within the federal government tasked with addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. Employees at federal agencies were sent an email giving them 10 days to reveal to the government any activities of people they work with who might be involved in D.E.I programs that are less obvious. Government employees were warned they would face “adverse consequences” if they failed to promptly report any hidden DEI programs. Trump also initiating sweeping investigations into D.E.I. in the private sector, instructing federal agencies to identify up to nine investigative targets among major institutions, including colleges and universities “with endowments over $1 billion,” a category that includes all the Ivies. Another executive order seeks to prevent schools from recognizing transgender identities or teaching about concepts such as structural racism, “white privilege” and “unconscious bias,” by threatening their federal funding. The great purge has begun!

All the above reflect The Don’s belief that “The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before.” As they say, one person’s dream is another’s nightmare.

Before I end, I would like to give a shot out to The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, who used her pulpit to ask The Don to have “mercy” on those “scared” about his return to the White House and the effect his policies may have on them, such as LGBTQ children and undocumented immigrants.

The Don must have really been squirming during her sermon. It didn’ take long for his rage to surface on Truth Social. “She brought her church into the world of politics in a very ungracious way, she was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart…apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”

Rumor has it that The Don was so angry that he wanted to post: I was anointed by God to lead this nation back to him. She will rue the day she said those things. My God is not a God of mercy, but revenge.