Welcome to the Divided States of Dread
Where fear is the fuel, and chaos is the plan.
People keep asking why this version of Trump feels so much worse than the last one. Why does everything feel more unstable? More dangerous. The answer is simple.
He planned it this way.
Before he even returned to office, he asked the Supreme Court if he could break the law while in power and never face the consequences.
Not after the fact.
Not once he left the Oval.
Never.
He wanted immunity. Total and permanent.
And now, because they gave it to him, there is nothing stopping him.
No reason to hold back.
No fear of accountability.
No concern for who gets hurt.
When you give unlimited power to someone with no moral bottom, this is what you get.
A presidency built on revenge.
A legal system twisted to protect one man instead of 330 million people.
A country where cruelty is the message.
This isn’t just a physical threat.
It’s emotional.
It’s psychological.
It’s waking up every day not knowing what to expect.
Not knowing who he’ll target next.
Not knowing what made-up crisis he’ll create to distract from his own.
Because that’s what this is now.
It’s not leadership.
It’s punishment.
It’s theater.
It’s control.
And it’s accelerating.
I used to think there was a line.
That at some point, even he would stop and say, “This is too far.”
But that line is gone.
Like removing the U.S. from UNESCO, again.
He loves to figuratively destroy our shared culture, and now he’s doing it literally.
This isn’t policy. It’s personal.
He does not care about American history or the American people, and it’s time we stop fooling ourselves that there is any decency in this man.
It’s also time to push his supporters back into their basements, along with their hate and their encouragement of his crimes against us all.
He is rewriting truth into something he can use.
That AI video wasn’t about Obama.
It was about distraction.
It was about pulling attention away from what really matters.
Like the Epstein files that may name him.
Like an economy teetering on the edge.
Like the stripping of government aid from those who need it most.
Because if you're scared, you're quiet.
And if you're quiet, he wins.
Let’s talk about the comedians.
He went after Jimmy Kimmel.
Said he was “next to fall.”
Called him part of the “late-night failure.”
Not because Kimmel lied.
Not because he caused harm.
But because he told the truth.
Because he made people laugh at Trump.
Because he exposed him for what he is.
Trump hates that.
He hates being laughed at.
He hates when people don't fear him.
So he’s going after voices that still speak freely.
Voices that reach people he can’t.
Voices that say what others are too afraid to say.
Late-night comedians aren’t just entertainers anymore.
They’ve become a platform for public truth.
And Trump knows it.
So he’s trying to shut them down, one by one.
This is what testing by an Authoritarian looks like.
He’s not throwing everything at us all at once.
He’s inching forward.
Measuring the silence.
Tracking who pushes back and who stays quiet.
He’s feeding lies to his base,
Framing anyone who disagrees as an enemy.
Painting scientists, judges, teachers, journalists,
Even veterans, as threats to “real” America.
And next, it will be neighbors.
Friends.
Family.
He will encourage people to report one another.
To turn in anyone who doesn’t conform.
To treat dissent like treason.
This is the blueprint.
This is how fear becomes law.
Don’t let the Supreme Court fool you into thinking they will save us.
They issued one soft, neutral-sounding ruling.
Quiet.
Measured.
Designed to say, “See? We’re still fair.”
But it was bait.
A setup.
Because the rulings that followed weren’t soft.
They were wrecking balls.
Rulings that handed him more power.
Rulings that shredded the guardrails of democracy.
Rulings that help him dismantle what truly made this country strong.
The Court isn’t checking him.
They’re covering for him.
They are just getting started.
I keep hearing people ask, “When do we leave?”
When do we flee?
And I wish that question felt dramatic.
But it doesn’t.
It feels practical.
I’m not leaving.
This is my home.
I’m staying and fighting for it.
But I have three daughters.
And if it came down to their safety,
I’d get them out in a heartbeat.
No hesitation.
Because I’ve learned from my own family’s story.
The ones who survived the last time fascism rose were the ones who left early.
The ones who saw the signs and didn’t look away.
The ones who waited and hoped it would stop, didn’t make it.
It’s easy to lie to ourselves.
To think it won’t get that bad.
To believe someone else will step in.
To hope it all just works itself out.
But freedom doesn’t defend itself.
And history doesn’t give second chances.
If you’re making backup plans, make real ones.
Don’t assume you’ll be welcomed somewhere else.
Don’t assume another country will take you in.
Think about where you could go.
What your rights would be.
What your path would look like.
And if you’re someone he’s already targeted,
LGBTQIA+,
A journalist,
An outspoken critic,
A scientist,
You need to start thinking ahead.
Because if this isn’t stopped soon, that window will slam shut sooner rather than later.
This isn’t about left or right.
This isn’t about who you voted for.
This is about collapse.
About rot.
About turning a nation against itself so completely
We forget who the real enemy is.
And while he burns through his second term, we are the ones trying to hold on to the shredded mess he leaves in the wake of his destruction. We are the ones not giving up on the promise of better days. We are the ones mustering our way through obligations of regular life, knowing we should be out in the streets protesting instead.
We might be tired, but we are not too tired to recognize fascism knocking on our door.
We might be broken, but we are not too broken to stop fighting back.
While a nationwide day of protest, and I mean bigger than we’ve ever seen, is unlikely right now, we need to remember that we don’t need all of America to take a stand.
We just need enough of America to speak out.
Enough to name what’s happening.
Enough to say, “Not this time.”
Enough to refuse to play along.
Because this movement isn’t built on strength.
It’s built on fear.
And fear dies when truth speaks.
So keep speaking.
Keep writing.
Keep showing up.
If you’re afraid, you’re not weak.
You’re awake.
And that’s how we stop this.
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We may be living in the Divided States of Dread. But I still believe we don't have to stay this way. I still have hope for America, and you should, too.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
—Heather