There Is No Room for Celebration

Trump is not backing down, only adjusting his angle

Don’t start cheering, nothing good has happened. | Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

I’ve seen some chatter online and in the news that suggests Trump might be bowing to pressure on his idiotic trade war.

He’s making deals with China and the UK, reducing tariffs and taking trips to try and court investments and business arrangements on behalf of the United States.

On the surface, it might look to some people like Orange Julius Caesar might have realized his mistake and could begin to slow down a little bit. Some folks are expressing hope that this could head disaster off at the pass, put a halt on future supply chain disruptions, and boost the economy.

It’s not going to, but I understand why people are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. It’s important to keep hope alive, and I’m not knocking them for that.

However. The trade war is only part of the picture Trump’s actions have been painting, and I’m getting worried that those people are not quite seeing the full screen. There is more to the economy — and to life in general — than tariffs and trade deals.

To be clear about what I mean, please understand: Trump is not backing down when it comes to installing authoritarian rule in the United States.

Just gonna go ahead and rip that band-aid off right now.

Yes, he’s trying to make deals. Yes, he’s lowering tariffs. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but none of this means that relief is on the horizon. It doesn’t mean your store shelves will remain stocked, or that cooler heads in the administration have prevailed.

It doesn’t mean he’s slowing down on his fascist agenda in any way, shape, or form.

The fact that some people are expressing relief is only a reminder that, as far as governance goes, the bar for Trump is buried under Hell’s root cellar.

We’re all desperate for some good news at this point, but this ain’t it.

Rather, the trade war and international relations — while extremely impactful on our lives and wellbeing — is more of a distraction than a focus. We all need to eat, and we all need money in our capitalist system, but we also need to keep our eyes on the other shit that Trump is up to.

Because while America’s eyes are on the empty ports and the increasing costs of living, liberty is being picked out of their pockets.

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The walls are closing in. | Photo by Abhishek Koli on Unsplash

While some people are expressing hope that the markets will stabilize and life will go back to normal, Trump’s administration is making moves that should make us all very nervous.

There’s the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant escape ICE — which seems to be false, as all she did was prevent ICE from arresting the man from her courtroom while it was in session, which is her job — and the pending court case.

This is a struggle that will be important in winning the battle between Trump’s authority and the rule of law. If ICE can just pick people up out of courtrooms, then people will stop attending court. I shouldn’t have to explain why that’s a bad thing.

There is the fact that the Trump administration is expanding and acquiring new buildings to assist in migrant detention as part of his mass deportation scheme. This was brought under the spotlight by the arrest of Newark’s mayor as he attempted to visit one such building.

There is the fact that Green Card holders across the United States are being picked up and detained by ICE, despite having legal permenant residency. Tourists and temporary visitors, too, are being arrested and held rather than simply being sent home.

There’s a reason I am no longer travelling over the border despite having American loved ones whom I miss very much.

There is the fact that Stephen Miller, a White House advisor to Trump and Deputy White House Chief of Staff, is openly talking about trying to suspend habeas corpus — which should run a chill down the spine of any human being capable of feeling fear.

That would obliterate any legal protections you have, even as an American citizen. Due process, and the right to challenge the court and demand fair trial, would be gone.

Without habeas corpus, they can arrest you and hold you indefinitely. Your right to a speedy and fair trial by a jury of your peers would be stripped away. You can be disappeared into a prison cell, for any reason they want, and never go before a judge.

And it will only get worse from here if he isn’t stopped.

Oh — there’s also the blatant and unwavering corruption on display. I’m sure we all know about the ‘flying palace’ that the royal family of Qatar is planning to give to Trump during his Middle East tour. It’s supposedly going to replace Air Force One.

Trump said he’d have to be an idiot to refuse a free jet.

So, that’s a good illustration of how far the U.S. Presidency has fallen since he was inaugurated.

I hope Trump’s gutted FAA works just as well for him as it does for the rest of America’s citizens. | Photo by Ramy Kabalan on Unsplash

There’s more we could talk about, but I just wanted to hit the highlights.

The bottom line is that we shouldn’t get complacent. Trump might look like he’s cowing a little under the pressure of international trade, but that should not be taken as a sign that he can be ignored or that he’s weakening across the board.

The Trump administration is still hard at work, actively dismantling the protections and laws that keep America’s ailing democracy from collapsing entirely.

In December of 2023, I wrote an article about Trump’s fascist tendencies. At the time I wanted to emphasize that Trump’s ‘joke’ about dictatorship was not funny, and the fact that his supporters were cheering instead of laughing was a terrible sign.

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been vindicated by the steps he’s taken since his second election.

At the end of that essay, I likened Donald Trump and his MAGA movement to a tornado. I’ve quoted this passage before, but I’ll do it again because I want people to remember it:

Watching him parade around the country to drum up support is like watching a tornado make its way toward your house. It’s a slow-moving disaster, and there’s no way to predict how much damage it's going to do.

But we can be absolutely certain that if he wins, if that tornado makes it to your front door, what he leaves behind him will be unrecognizable.

Let’s hope that the people of the United States are wise enough to batten down the hatches and protect themselves from the storm. I would rather not see a once-proud nation reduced to rubble in the wake of one man’s dictatorial ambitions.

In the meantime, let’s stop pretending that Trump’s rhetoric is a joke. His supporters aren’t laughing, and we shouldn’t be either. We need to take this seriously, and we need to snap out of this collective trance before it’s too late.

It’s just like that old quote, commonly attributed to Sinclair Lewis:

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” — Fascist Dictatorship is Not a Laughing Matter, by Sam W.

“What he leaves behind him will be unrecognizable.”

With every step he takes, he underlines that statement in bold red ink.

The path that the United States is on does not have a happy ending. The one saving grace is that he is simply moving too quickly and trying to do too many things at once — people will suffer, but there will be pushback.

It’s that rubber band analogy again. You can only pull it back so far before it snaps.

The people’s tolerance for authoritarianism is relatively high, but not infinite. If you want to use the frog in a pot metaphor, it’s important to remember that the water temperature rises slowly.

He’s too impatient. He looked at the slow, incremental rise of the past decades and cranked it to max instead. He wants instant results, but that’s not how the world works.

Given how polarized and divided the U.S. currently is, I’m not convinced the country is going to survive what comes of it. Many people won’t. The lines on a map almost certainly won’t. I’ll be very surprised if, at the end of Trump’s years in office, the United States still exists. Perhaps it will in name, but it won’t be the same as it looked before.

Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so. But either way, it’s plain to see that there is no room to celebrate right now.

There is only room to prepare.

Solidarity wins.

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