• pelespirit@sh.itjust.worksM
    1563·
    23 小时前

    You need to provide an archived link of trump saying this. Anyone can help, you all have an hour. Sorry, but I have to take it down if no one provides the link. Rule 6

  • Furbag@pawb.social
    3·
    7 小时前

    This isn’t corruption, it’s autocracy.

    I don’t want to hear shit from anybody about how patriotic they are while this guy walks free.

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmings.world
    5·
    2 小时前

    He has no intention of leaving after 2028. He’s not building that ballroom for some Democrat, or anyone else. That’s his.

    We need to have a major open national discussion about how we would handle such a situation, so that they know that he can’t just pull a Maduro, and just ignore the results of elections, and remain in the Royal Palace.

    He needs to know that if he attempts to stay, there will be a march on the White House, and everyone inside will be executed, and the building burned to the ground. If we have to go that far, we’re re-starting from scratch.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
    15·
    15 小时前

    Trump never lies about what he wants to do. He always lies about his accomplishments.

    He’s not lying. That’s exactly what he wants to do.

  • Destide@feddit.ukEnglish
    20·
    18 小时前

    He’s joking guys like the joke about Venezuela! Or the Joke about ICE. He uses jokes or light hearted comments to soften the impact of terrible actions to gauge public reaction? No it’s just jokes guys!

    • TipRing@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      11 小时前

      That’s what I was thinking, unless he gets impeached or kicks the bucket he’ll hold office until January 2029.

  • DandomRude@lemmy.worldEnglish
    77·
    22 小时前

    For these three reasons alone, I consider it highly likely that this regime will now abandon even the pretense of democracy and establish a true autocracy:

    1. ICE has a larger budget than all U.S. federal agencies combined. This budget is equivalent to the military spending of a medium-sized country. It is clearly a secret police force.
    2. Given the serious crimes they have already committed, all members of the cabinet would likely face criminal prosecution under a new administration—even within the completely dysfunctional U.S. legal system. They will not let it come to that.
    3. Coups d’état have no criminal consequences in the U.S., at least for conservatives, as evidenced by the fact that no one actually responsible was prosecuted during the last coup attempt—even the foot soldiers are all back on the loose.
    • AWistfulNihilist@lemmy.world
      4·
      9 小时前

      This is a crossing the Rubicon moment for Trump. The entire maga apparatus understands that at least the pretense of consequences await them if another group takes over, that includes people who have been fired or left. It happened to them the last time. They know this time the other side is getting voted in on consequences, and they know the other side knows they have a year or two post election to do it, or else they already risk getting wiped out in the midterms just like the situation that republicans find themselves in now.

      It’s life or death right now for a lot of members of this admin, and they are gonna act like that. Good luck us.

    • pivot_root@lemmy.world
      41·
      21 小时前

      Given the serious crimes they have already committed, all members of the cabinet would likely face criminal prosecution under a new administration—even within the completely dysfunctional U.S. legal system.

      I’m not holding my breath. It would be great if I’m wrong, but my bingo card has the next admin proclaiming “now is the time for healing and unity, not vengeance” instead of actually enforcing the consequences that are supposed to come with actions.

      • GraniteM@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 小时前

        And if they do that, then it’ll be a lesson to the next fucker that the move is to go farther and commit more crimes, because consequences don’t exist, so you might as well set yourself up as President For Life and make plans to pass your regime off to your favorite child.

      • Mantzy81@aussie.zoneEnglish
        9·
        17 小时前

        They do have a history of giving clemency to those who try to destroy the will of the people so this would be a predictable outcome.

        Instead of the chop chop required.

        • Apocalypteroid@anarchist.nexusEnglish
          72·
          16 小时前

          If you think the next administration is going to be anything better than the same hand in a different glove then you’re deluding yourself. The only way out of this for the US is a revolution. These people will not give up power, they will need to be removed.

    • starik@lemmy.zip
      111·
      22 小时前

      ICE doesn’t have enough competent men willing and able to pull off a coup.

      • djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        2·
        9 小时前

        competent, no, but well armed? yes.

        never forget that quantity has a quality of its own, and ICE has been recruiting.

      • DandomRude@lemmy.worldEnglish
        121·
        22 小时前

        They’re just the backup, after all. Do you really think the military would put up a fight? Or even the police?

        • starik@lemmy.zip
          132·
          21 小时前

          I do think local police would intervene if ICE were deployed to disrupt polling stations. Even national elections in the US are run locally, and the police are members of the same community as the poll workers. ICE agents are outsiders. But I don’t think it will come to that.

          ICE, from the leadership on down to the agents, have shown themselves to be relatively cowardly. They hide their faces, and try to hide their presence in areas of operation as long as possible. After murdering a couple people on camera and getting major pushback, they changed leadership and have tried to keep a lower profile.

          The agents themselves are the dregs of society. They are not intelligent, competent, or brave, and they don’t take good care of themselves. Most wouldn’t be fit for the military or a police force. These are not soldiers with a shared mission and the capability and determination to carry it out. They are insecure misanthropic boys. I don’t think they’d fair well if they tried to prevent normal people from voting, but I also don’t think we’ll ever find out.

          • DandomRude@lemmy.worldEnglish
            92·
            21 小时前

            I don’t think one can expect even the slightest resistance from the police in a crisis, since their leadership is largely made up of the same people who elected these crooks to the White House.

            I believe the circumstances surrounding the military’s current war against Iran - a war that violates both international law and U.S. law, during which they are committing the most serious war crimes - clearly indicate that no resistance is to be expected from them either. Furthermore, all generals critical of the regime have already been removed.

            In Short: Both the police and the military are led predominantly by MAGA officials who would benefit from the establishment of a dictatorship. I therefore do not think they would offer resistance in a crisis - they could do so right now given the obvious crimes the regime commits on a daily basis, but they just do not.

            I think it will simply turn out however the oligarchs who actually control the U.S. decide. If they want a dictatorship modeled on the Russian one, that’s exactly what will happen.

            • starik@lemmy.zip
              9·
              21 小时前

              One thing to consider: They’ve had control of the DOJ for over a year and still haven’t successfully prosecuted any of Trump’s political enemies. And not for lack of trying. For lack of spine and/or competence. Compare to Putin’s Russia, where he can have your plane blown out of the sky if he doesn’t like you.

              • DandomRude@lemmy.worldEnglish
                6·
                21 小时前

                Yes, that’s true: the methods of oppression in the U.S. are still relatively subtle at the moment. However, that doesn’t change the fact that in the U.S., too, a tiny elite exploits the country while standing above the law - a point proven by the very fact that the current president is, in fact, president rather than serving a life sentence in prison.

                What I’m getting at is this: It would be easier for this elite to switch to the Russian model. I consider it likely that they intend to do so, since the current regime demonstrates on a daily basis that the most serious crimes in the US always go unpunished - so why even maintain the facade when it’s already abundantly clear that the law simply doesn’t apply to the powerful elite?

                • starik@lemmy.zip
                  3·
                  20 小时前

                  It may be that the Trump administration could get away with just about any crime at this point. But to get away with something, you still have to do it first. Stealing elections is complicated, and surely takes some level of skill, organization, and work ethic to pull off. I just don’t think they have what it takes, and time is not on their side.

                  Presumably, Trump would be spearheading this effort. Look at how much time he spends thinking about the ballroom. Does he seem focused on the project of seizing the reigns of power permanently?

              • socsa@piefed.socialEnglish
                1·
                15 小时前

                I think something people aren’t quite realizing with the whole “weaponization fund” is that it’s subtlety removing the jury from the criminal justice equation, which has so far been one of the primary reasons Trump has not been able to get any convictions against his enemies. It’s subtle because it’s doing it in the other direction first, but it send a very clear message that juries might no longer have the final say in determining guilt or innocence moving forward.

                • starik@lemmy.zip
                  1·
                  11 小时前

                  The president’s power to pardon federal crimes is already more akin to removing the jury from the criminal justice equation. He’s always had the ability to declare someone innocent. I don’t see how the weaponization fund advances him toward having the power to declare guilt.

                  That fund is just a way for Trump to give federal funds to anyone he wants. Knowing him, he’ll probably give most of it to himself, possibly indirectly; “You buy $750,000 of Trump Coin, I give you a million dollars.”

            • Jiral@lemmy.org
              2·
              20 小时前

              That’s the beauty of it. Trump (and his benefactors) learned in his first term that he needs to get rid of the “deep state”, ie functioning, rule and law based, institutions, at his next attempt. The buraucracy gave too much resistance to his push for ignoring laws, ignoring elections. That is why this time his administrstion started dismantling any state institution they could the minute he came to power again. Instutions he needs functioning somewhat have been the target of rapid replacement of people. The main criterion: That the next guy does not care about law and procedures and is loyal to the leader especially when it comes to a complete overthrow of the constitution, at least functionally. That is not hyperbole btw, it’s what is actually happening right now. You can guess to the next step or why this is done.

            • starik@lemmy.zip
              2·
              21 小时前

              We’ll know pretty soon. They’ll have to organize it before this November, or risk losing a lot of their current power.

    • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
      2·
      18 小时前

      Nah, to I much American identity is tied to being a democracy. It’ll go the way of Russia and all the “democratic people’s republics”, with elections and even an opposition, but the opposition will be harassed and prevented from functioning, or the vote will be manipulated, or whatever.