READ: Do you realize it yet, America? The joke’s on us.
When Trump says something outrageous, his aides call it a joke. But the punchline is always the same — he means it.
Since I served in his first administration, I’ve watched Donald Trump telegraph his darkest ambitions by pretending to joke about them. “Maybe we’ll give that a shot someday,” he says of lifetime rule in the presidency with a wink. “Lock her up,” he chants about a political enemy.
Every time, his allies rush to reassure the public that he’s only kidding. He’s a provocateur, a performer, they say. I always found it fascinating that a man clinically incapable of irony was apparently so rich in hyperbole. Yet people buy the line that the Commander-in-Chief doesn’t mean what he says.
Then they’re proven wrong. Trump often defies his defenders by showing that he’s serious about the most outlandish ideas that escape his addled brain.
In Trump’s America, the “jokes” are increasingly becoming the reality. He makes controversial statements not to test a punchline but to test reactions. A trial balloon. If it doesn’t pop, he turns it into policy. For years, Trump embarrassed his defenders when he did this because they’d said he wasn’t serious.
Now they’re often in on the joke. The President said he knew nothing of “Project 2025,” with Republicans disavowing the plan but snickering in private. Then the radical blueprint became the guiding agenda of Trump’s second administration. This wink-nod game has broadened to such hilarious topics as arresting American mayors and governors, the designation of opposition groups as terrorist organizations, and the deployment of the 82nd Airborne into U.S. cities.
This really struck me yesterday standing outside the courthouse for James Comey’s arraignment. We were assured during the 2024 campaign — promised, fervently — by Trump’s allies that he didn’t actually mean what he said about “retribution” in a second term. No, no, they said. He doesn’t mean it literally. He’s not going to abuse his power to jail his critics. “Success” will be his revenge. That’s what he means!
Sure.
Tell that to the Comey family. But of course those excuse-makers weren’t at the courthouse yesterday to apologize. Because they knew what Trump was really saying, they condoned it quietly, and they covered for him until he got re-elected.
Personally, the only thing I find funny is how stupid people are to buy these assurances anymore.
What started as a failed businessman’s populist vaudeville routine — one which premiered improbably in the White House — has turned into something far more sinister. It’s now a script for authoritarian rule, disguised as entertainment. Donald Trump’s glassy-eyed mob is delighted by each spectacle meant to “own the libs,” while the rest of us watch the fate of our Republic sink with each and every heaving chuckle of his audience’s bad-breath laughter.
Trump’s unintentional genius and his shield is that he couches his most extreme instincts as humor. He says the quiet part loud, and then his staff says the loud part was a joke. But authoritarianism hides in plain sight behind this sleight of hand.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” about locking up his political opponents? This has been a long-running comedy routine since 2016. He makes the crowds chant it. Then his aides circle back and say it’s just fodder for rallies. “He doesn’t wish to pursue charges,” Kellyanne Conway once promised us. A long list of Trump critics now being investigated by Trump would say otherwise, myself included.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” he wanted to buy Greenland or swap Puerto Rico for it? I do. I was one of the administration officials who helped expose the absurd proposal that he started to talk about in 2018. His defenders swatted it down, even convincing European allies it was an “April Fool’s joke.” Then he returned to office and made it one of his first foreign policy planks, upending relations with our allies.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” that the FCC should look into comedians making fun of him? After an SNL parody about him aired in 2019, he tweeted: “Should FCC look into this?” Aides denied he was serious, and in recent months, Republicans assured us Trump wasn’t using the FCC to bully the networks. Well, tell that to Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Trump admitted it’s precisely what he’s been doing.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” about slowing down testing during the pandemic? “Slow the testing down, please,” he said to his aides, claiming it was making America “look bad” to have so many positive cases. The White House scrambled to claim he wasn’t serious, with aides saying the comment was made “in jest” and “tongue in cheek.” Then Trump cut through the spin: “I don’t kid,” he told reporters. And of course, his mismanagement resulted in thousands dying unnecessarily.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” about not accepting the election results? “I have to see,” he told Fox News’ Chris Wallace in 2020 about whether he’d concede if he lost. His top aides and Hill Republicans insisted Trump wasn’t serious and would start a peaceful transfer of power. The Capitol Police officers beaten up that day would like a word about why the so-called joke ended in bloodshed.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” about sending the military into U.S. cities? When protests erupted after George Floyd’s murder, Trump taunted protesters by saying he’d “deploy the United States military if necessary.” Aides reported it was bluster and the White House said it was “absolutely not true” that Trump was considering invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops. Recent months have shown us — all too well — that this has been his plan.
Remember when Donald Trump “joked” about remaining in the presidency beyond his term? After China’s President Xi Jinping abolished term limits, Trump praised him: “He’s now president for life… maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday.” Aides said he was just “trolling” the press. As Trump allies start joking about “Trump 2028,” I’ll let you decide whether to be fooled.
The danger of Trump’s “jokes” isn’t that they’re funny. It’s that they cause total moral numbness. They create permission structures for abuse. Every time the public laughs off an outrageous new comment, it widens the space for something more extreme. What used to be unsayable somehow becomes debatable. By the time people realize he’s serious, it’s too late, and someone like James Comey is forced to walk into a federal courthouse facing obviously trumped-up charges.
Do you realize it yet, America? The joke’s on us.
P.S. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON TREASON
Here’s what’s coming up.
Fri, Oct 10 (5:15p ET) - Stacey Abrams tells us what a real resistance looks like - She’s been on a roll. Georgia politician, lawyer, and Democratic leader Stacey Abrams has given a lot of thought about what needs to happen next. Come find out what that is. You can join here.
In case you missed it…
Full coverage of the Comey arraignment - Here was our coverage yesterday of the arraignment, protests, and what comes next (h/t
, , .) My appearance afterwards on CNN is below.This week’s Subscriber-only Q&A - Here’s the recording of our Weekly Wednesday Coffee.
House Democrat holds Trump’s feet to the fire - Here was my conversation yesterday with Congressman Robert Garcia about the continued developments in the presidential scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein and the troop deployments in California and Oregon.
Brilliant Miles, I guess the takeaway is that “every joke is a confession!” And sadly, too many rubes are falling for it.
Furthermore, it’s almost impossible to reach the MAGA people, they’ve dived head first into the abyss.
Moreover, I would posit that Mark Twain was right when he said, “it’s easier to fool a man, than to ever convince him he’s been fooled!”
Bottom line: I have no doubt that Trump will attempt to cheat in the midterms, they’re already doing it, so it is critical we reach out to as many people as possible and register them to vote.
And if someone is registered, make sure their paperwork is in order. I wouldn’t put anything past these people; they are as ruthless as they are relentless, and I don’t mean it in a good way. IMHO…:)
Thank you for very clearly showing what has been right in front of us for years. It makes my stomach sink. It appears the majority of Republicans want all of these things to happen and it is mind boggling. I also believe Americans will rally to keep our freedoms and democracy alive.