READ: Trump defends foreign, neo-nazi protesters but bombs U.S. protesters.
Trump’s refugee plan offers asylum to white extremists; meanwhile, he attacks U.S. protesters online with virtual human excrement.
Donald Trump made his views on the First Amendment clearer than ever this past week in the most vulgar side-by-side I think I’ve ever seen in American politics.
Within days of the New York Times revealing a White House plan to offer U.S. refugee protection to Europeans who are vocal anti-immigrant protesters, Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself piloting a fighter jet and dropping human excrement on peaceful American protesters at NO KINGS rallies.
In plain English, he embraced free speech for neo-Nazis who agree with him but feces for Americans who oppose him.
If you missed the Times story, the takeaway is that Trump’s team is finalizing a plan that would slash refugee admissions to their lowest level in modern history by kicking hundreds of thousands of people from black and brown countries off the list, while giving preference to white Europeans and English speakers, including, “those targeted for peaceful expression of views online such as opposition to mass migration.”
In effect, this would shut the door on desperate families fleeing war, while opening it to European extremists who made their names chanting anti-immigrant slurs and Nazi-era slogans in recent years. This is the most dramatic politicization of the refugee program I’ve ever seen, and it’s the type of thing that we told the White House in the first administration was wholly inappropriate and inconsistent with the law.
Meanwhile, I could write volumes on how vile Trump’s video of a poop attack on protesters was. Surely it belongs in the pantheon of most disgusting messages issued by a world leader about his or her own people. Ever. But even that isn’t the most shocking piece of it all. The big picture is what’s really disturbing.
Trump’s imaginary, fighter-jet feces attack is the clearest distillation of his view of free speech. If you disagree with him, he’ll dump on your right to do so — investigating you, prosecuting you, adding you to the terrorist watchlist, spying on you, denying you entry into America, firing you, blacklisting you, suing you, or revoking your broadcast license. But if you agree with him? If you share in his vulgar views meant to villainize opponents, then he’ll give you safe haven in the United States of America forever. A benevolent dictator, indeed.
Think of this as the double helix of his authoritarian DNA. He has a set of rules for those who praise him and another set for those who must be purged. And he’s reshaping U.S. policy to make sure that those actions are systematized and repeatable.
Every autocrat redefines free speech in these sort of us-versus-them terms. Ali Velshi made this point on MSNBC yesterday, noting that early Americans were called “traitors” for speaking out against the King (video below). Soon after, autocrats give special privilege to those aligned with their views — just like Trump’s proposed refugee “revenge” policy, which would turn the Statue of Liberty on its head by trading the saying, “Give me your tired, your poor” for something like, “Give me your racists and your reactionaries, your aggrieved little Stalins, yearning to dominate.”
The tragedy of this moment is that millions of Americans still don’t see the pattern.
The question is no longer whether Donald Trump believes in free speech. He does not. It’s whose speech he believes in. He’ll valiantly protect anyone who agrees with him and violently punish those who don’t. Just remember, a leader who gleefully drops bombs on his own people — even AI-generated ones — will not hesitate to drop the real thing on them. That day may be closer than you think.
Here was my conversation with the great and about the NO KINGS protests, below.
P.S. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON TREASON
Here’s what’s coming up.
TOMORROW / Tues, Oct 21 @ 3pET - Trump’s “War on Terror” with journalist Ken Klippenstein - I genuinely can’t wait for this conversation. Ken has been relentless in drawing attention to Trump’s counterterrorism order, NSPM-7, which could prove to be the most significant executive order of the administration. You can join here.
Weds, Oct 22 - Subscribers Only - Weekly Wednesday Coffee @ 12noonET - If you’ve been missing these, I feel bad for you. Because we’ve had some amazing questions and back-and-forth. Join me and other subscribers for a private cup of Joe. You can join here.
Each day, across my socials, I work to counter some of the lies and hate I see. Normally I would say "Sadly, many won't see the truth." Now, I find myself saying "Disgustingly, so many are blind to the truth," and often in much stronger terms.
The bomber video is repulsive. There are no other words for it.
In the president's oath of office, it is sworn/affirmed that the person taking the office will "to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Clearly, Trump's affirmation meant nothing - we have seen that evolving over the past nine months.
It has gone beyond that, though. The president is supposed to serve all the people of this nation, no matter their political persuasion, no matter their race, religion, gender choice. Yet, he "hates" Democrats, and his hatred of people who are not white and Christian is clear.
His work to dismantle the First Amendment is beyond obvious. Some friends didn't march on Saturday because they are afraid of backlash at their place of business, hence giving up their right to the First Amendment due to fear - just what Trump wants.
If there is one thing that the No Kings rallies made clear, somewhere between 5.5 million and 8 million American patriots have had more than enough. My hope is this will continue to grow, and to be reflected at the ballot box. No matter how much gerrymandering is done, we must hope that millions of Republicans come to their senses and that Independents will lean Democrat.
I'll turn this into a Substack post later today. I don't post more than notes a lot because I don't feel there is much to add to the conversations beyond commenting but I hope it will get opened and read.
I thank you, Miles, for this post, and the push.
I am a proud patriot and stand for the country
Other crew members in that bomber are shitting their pants at the incompetence of the pilot.