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This transition—from brownshirts to billionaires—encapsulates what has gone wrong. It is a clear signal that the #UnitedStates is broken.

All organisms & entities require defense systems to survive. The same is true for a #democracy. Yet the #US political system has elevated to its highest position the most potent threat to its existence since the traitorous rebels of the Confederacy.

On Jan 20, 2025, the #convicted #felon who takes the presidential oath of office to “preserve, protect, & defend the Constitution of the United States” will be a demagogic autocrat-wannabe who violated that oath during his first presidential term.

#Trump defied that vow by falsely declaring victory in 2020 before the votes were tallied, by concocting secret schemes to thwart the popular will & remain in the WH, & by initially doing nothing when his marauders assaulted the Capitol, hoping he could exploit this horrifying act of #DomesticTerrorism as part of his plot to extend his reign.

The recently released final report of special counsel Jack Smith depicts a harrowing scene from that day [see pic]…

Put aside all the skullduggery & deceit #Trump engaged in to illegitimately retain the presidency: His decision to take no action as a mob stormed the Capitol to halt the congressional certification of the election was an unconscionable abandonment of his constitutional duties & a profound betrayal of the nation.

When informed that his VP, Mike Pence, who had refused #Trump’s entreaties to thwart the certification, was in danger from the rioters, Trump replied, “So what?”

This may be old news. But it defines the gravity of this moment. The #authoritarian-minded Trump who nearly blew up the most powerful democracy in modern history is again being handed the keys to the republic. It’s as if the American political system has a death wish. It could not neutralize this threat from within.

…#Trump’s 2024 election effort was more a #disinformation crusade than a conventional political campaign—a natural outgrowth of his peddling of the #BigLie about the prior presidential election. The falsehoods served him well & protected him from the accurate charge that he imperiled #democracy.

…So the #authoritarian virus that Trump represents has reinfected the political body. This time it’s worse. He has made clear his autocratic intent, with much of it spelled out in #Project2025.

There can be no mistaking that #Trump harbors tyrannical impulses & that he desires to consolidate power so he can visit revenge upon his foes & detractors (real & imagined) & provide safe space for his robber-baron allies & grifting cronies. Despite this—or due to this—he is being legitimized by the richest & the most influential Americans.

The symbolism is thunderously loud. Instead of QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley—the spear-carrying, face-painted, bare-chested Trumpster who wore a horned fur hat when he led #Jan6 rioters into the Capitol & who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his participation in the assault — #ElonMusk, #JeffBezos, & #MarkZuckerberg will this time be the iconic figures at the Capitol.

Their presence will shower nearly a trillion dollars’ worth of legitimacy upon #Trump — a demonstration that he has triumphed over decency & the rule of #law & is now fully accepted & feared by the well-heeled & the powerful, by #corporate America, by the #establishment. We are witnessing a melding of #oligarchy & #Trumpism. (In the days before the ceremony, there was a host of parties throughout DC, mounted by #tech #aristocrats to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.)

#Trump has indeed triggered fright among #business leaders. His passion for #retribution—his willingness to abuse government to reward pals & injure those who cross him—has caused many a knee to bend. (#Apple CEO #TimCook, who has never contributed to a presidential #inauguration, joined other #tech titans in cutting Trump’s inauguration committee a $1 million check.) None of these bigshots want to end up on the wrong side of a tariff, a regulation, or a prosecution.

They can see the obvious: With #Congress controlled by #Republicans who either fear or worship #Trump, there will be few guardrails, if any. Trump aims to have the entire executive branch serve his needs & interests. And there is not much to stop him. Especially after #SCOTUS, buttressed by 3 appointees from his first stint as president, expanded presidential #immunity to cover what otherwise would be #criminal behavior.

Accommodation—that’s what an #authoritarian craves & needs. From #business leaders, from the #media, from influentials, & from voters. #Trump’s army at the Capitol 4 years ago were radicals & fringe right-wingers. Now his squad comprises #moguls & the #BigTech barons he & his followers once excoriated. A white flag of surrender should be flapping next to Old Glory. They are broadcasting a dangerous signal—resistance is futile—when a healthy #democracy demands the opposite.