The tell-tale signs that Trump is losing control

The President of the United States is cornered. And he knows it. But his mind isn’t sharp enough to control the story anymore. We’re watching him fumble, grasping at straws, spinning lies, trying to hold together a version of reality that’s collapsing faster than he can manage.

On February 3rd, inside the Oval Office, he sat behind the Resolute Desk once again. A fresh red hat was carefully placed in front of him, stamped with the regime’s newest subliminal slogan. Behind him stood a row of enablers, all holding identical hats. Every one read: “AMERICA IS BACK.”

If you want to understand just how far we’ve fallen, look at that scene. A failing president, flanked by loyalists, trying to sell the country a lie, printed on a hat.

When it came time for questions, a reporter asked about the upcoming House Oversight depositions of Hillary and Bill Clinton, testimony about the Epstein files, where Trump’s name appears thousands of times. And what did the President say in response?

“I think it’s a shame, to be honest. I always liked him. Her? Yeah, she’s a very capable woman. She was better in debating than some of the other people. I will tell you that. She was smarter. Smart woman. I hate to see it, in many ways.”

Then came the NBC interview with Tom Llamas, which aired last night. Trump went even further:

“It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton. I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton.”

When Llamas pressed him, what exactly do you like about Clinton?, Trump didn’t miss a beat.

“I liked his behavior toward me. I thought he got me. He understood me.”

And that says it all. This is the same man who shouted “Lock her up!” to roaring crowds. The same man who fueled a conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton trafficking children in the basement of a DC pizza shop. Now he’s calling her capable. Praising their intellect. Complimenting their debate skills. Telling the world how much he still likes them.

This is not a man in control. This is a man doing damage control, signaling, desperately, publicly, to the Clintons: Please don’t say anything. I’ll say you’re wonderful if you just keep my secrets safe.

And once you see it for what it is, panic, you start to see the rest more clearly, too. It’s why he spent another full day on social media, threatening our allies, praising dictators, begging Congress for more control over elections, and posting wild threats about military action against the United Kingdom. Not because he’s strong, but because he’s scared. He sees what’s coming. And maybe for the first time, he knows he can’t stop it.

And it’s not just the Epstein files. He knows the economy is falling apart, too. The numbers don’t lie. The headlines keep getting worse, and the layoffs are piling up. People are hurting. And the midterms are getting closer every day. He’s running out of time. And more people are starting to see the truth. This country is waking up to the damage he’s done. And he’s losing his grip. No hat, no slogan, and no last-minute stunt is going to save him.

History shows us what happens when authoritarian leaders start to lose control. They don’t back down, they double down. They get louder and more dangerous. The moment they feel the walls closing in, they stop pretending and start fighting dirty. That’s what we’re seeing now in these latest social media shares. But we are also seeing him flounder and not know how to handle the Clintons because they aren’t playing scared. They’re walking straight into the spotlight, testifying under oath, and demanding it be on camera for the whole world to see. And he doesn’t know how to deal with that, because the usual threats and nicknames aren’t working this time. So instead, he’s complimenting them. Praising them. Hoping flattery will buy their silence. It’s desperate. And it’s obvious.

A cornered man lashes out, makes threats, and tries to look powerful from behind a screen. That’s exactly what Trump did this morning on Truth Social. He praised an authoritarian strongman. This time it was Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary. Trump called him “a true friend,” “a winner,” “a fighter.” But here’s the truth: Viktor Orbán isn’t a success story. He’s a warning sign. Orbán has significantly undermined press freedom and consolidated media ownership among allies. He crushed human rights groups and made it dangerous to speak out. That’s the man Trump wants to be. When he praises Orbán, he’s not admiring policy. He’s admiring power. He’s showing us exactly what kind of country he is working towards for us and what kind of leader he wants to be.

This is what they all do when things start falling apart at home. When dictators start losing support inside their own country, they look outside, not to allies who might hold them accountable, but to other strongmen who make them feel powerful. In the 1930s, Hitler clung to Mussolini to make his violence look legitimate. Trump is doing the same.

And while he’s trying desperately to hold onto power, everyday Americans know what is happening, and now the numbers are confirming what we’re all seeing and feeling. And it’s not good. It’s not good news for Trump’s economy, and it’s not good for us.

The Dow dropped 593 points today. The S&P 500 fell 1.23%. The Nasdaq is down 1.59% and is now in the red for the year. Bitcoin plunged more than 10% in a single day, dropping below $63,000, its lowest level since October 2024, and wiping out every gain since Trump returned to power. Gold slid more than 2%. Silver plunged 14%, extending a historic sell-off that’s seen it lose nearly 40% from last week’s record high. The market is panicking. And not because of some random correction. It’s because people are finally waking up to the truth: the Trump economy is just a stack of hype, lies, and speculation, with nothing real underneath.

Everywhere you go, people are talking about how expensive things keep getting. How they’re cutting back and stressed, holding on by a thread. And now we have the numbers to prove what is really happening. And instead of facing any of it, Trump continues to gaslight us. He acts like everything’s fine. Like, if you’re struggling, it’s your fault. And that the economy has never been better. And while people are hurting, he’s spending God knows how much money tearing up historic parts of the White House, wasting public resources on vanity projects while doing nothing to actually solve a single real problem.

And the job market is falling apart, too. January brought more than 108,000 layoffs, the worst January for job cuts since 2009. ADP says private-sector hiring only added 22,000 jobs last month. It was the slowest month in three. First-time jobless claims spiked by 22,000 in just one week, bringing the total to 231,000. And we still don’t have the full picture because the government shutdown delayed the official jobs report.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking for small business owners who have to cut jobs just to survive and keep their remaining employees paid. It’s devastating for the people being let go, wondering how they’re going to feed their families or pay their rent. All of this pain is unnecessary. It’s man-made. And I mean that literally, Trump made this. And I’m deeply concerned. I remember 2009. I remember the fear. And the pain so many went through. It was awful. I can’t even put into words how much heaviness I carry about our country going through something like that again.

This isn’t new. In almost every fascist regime over the last hundred years, the economy was used as a weapon. In Nazi Germany, Hitler crushed labor unions and forced people into government-controlled work programs. In Chile, Pinochet brought in “shock therapy” economics that tore through the working class and handed power to a small military elite. And in Putin’s Russia, the strategy was simple: make a few loyal oligarchs rich, destroy anything public or independent, and keep regular people just scared enough not to fight back. Trump’s version is uniquely American, but it follows the same formula. Make life harder. Make people desperate, because desperate people can’t resist. They are too busy just trying to survive.

And when people can’t pay their bills, they start looking for answers. But now those answers are getting harder to find. The Washington Post just laid off a third of its newsroom, that’s over 300 journalists gone. That’s not just cost-cutting. That’s not just cost-cutting, it’s one less newsroom holding power accountable

We’ve seen this before. In every authoritarian regime, the truth is the first thing to go. Hitler had Goebbels. Putin jails reporters. Erdogan took over every major paper in Turkey. The methods are different, but the goal is always the same: silence dissent, flood the media with propaganda, and make the truth unavailable.

So what do we do? We get even more strategic with how we spend our money. I’m laser-focused on supporting fellow independent media. With the continued collapse of corporate media, it’s on us to speak with our wallets if we want the truth to keep reaching people. If you’re able, please consider supporting a handful of your favorite creators, writers, or platforms that are committed to truth and accountability.

I’ve also been really intentional about where I shop, choosing local whenever I can, and refusing to support companies that have donated to or enabled the Trump regime. I’ve completely rethought how we spend and how much we spend. Because that seems to be the only thing Trump and the people around him actually care about. I’m not perfect in any of this. I’m just one household. But I know even small shifts, done together, can send a message. That’s how we show up in this moment.

History isn’t just a warning; these days it’s a mirror. The question isn’t whether this is like other regimes. The question is whether we respond like other generations did. Whether we rise up or look away. Whether we name the danger or wait until it’s too late. That choice is ours.

The past couple of weeks have been incredibly hard for so many of us. I’m tired. I know you are too. But I want you to remember, we are not alone. Everything we do, from supporting independent voices to protesting in the streets to simply sharing the truth online, is part of the fight. Every choice we make to resist is part of the pressure. And the pressure is working. The walls are closing in. And we are not letting up. That’s why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather

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This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.