Trump is Using the WHCD to Consolidate Power

Early in the Trump Administration, I pointed out that authoritarians always use a crisis to consolidate power. At that time, I referenced the economy. And if you wish, here is the link to that piece.

So first, let me address the “it was a false flag crowd.” And “the don’t become a blue Anon crowd.” There are valid reasons to smell a rat with this event. And yes, I have some experience with the Secret Service. As a field reporter, I remember the hoops to cover Bernie Sanders rallies in 2016, getting denied by the Trump campaign, and never getting an answer from the Clinton campaign. We even joked that the Trump campaign was more professional. They even gave us the YouTube channel where the live stream was happening. We covered it outside, that was another adventure, and did quote from the rally in that piece.

Getting into the venue with Sanders was an adventure. The paper receipt was checked against a list, our media ID, and our driver’s license. We were cleared from the media riser as the Secret Service ran their dogs, and they disassembled equipment, including a RODE microphone. Sanders was just a protectee, not a national security event, with almost the whole line of succession in the same room. So when these early reports emerged, my index of suspicion grew.

Before you say, but…here is Malcolm Nance breaking down the security failures from an intelligence perspective.

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And as usual, there is more. Because it is not just us yanks smelling a rat. Here you go:

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So let’s just say we all can agree that security was, to be kind, very lax. And whether this was a false flag, like oh Vladimir Putin is suspected of doing in the late 1990s, or just bad security, does not matter. It is how this is getting used. But be careful not to scold people who smell a rat. And just in case you need more evidence of how unusual this was, here you go:

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This is Caroline Levitt blaming Democrats for the events. This is where this started. The Sunday show hosts joined the White House in challenging Democrats who are very critical of Trump’s policies. As if that is dangerous speech. It is not. And yes, Trump is an Authoritarian, borderline fascist. The actions from the White House prove it. As well as the increasing control of mainstream media.

Never mind, this is a selection of the words the president used:

These are just examples of the language he has used for years. Calling reporters “piggy” is on brand as well. Oh, and in case you want an odd choice of words before this event, here is Levitt speaking of shots that will be fired before the dinner:

So that just adds to the strangeness. And how much on-brand the reaction has been when you deal with an authoritarian. Here is Marjorie Taylor Greene on how she expects this to be used. And yes, she is correct, this is exactly what they are doing:

So is the indictment of James Comey for 86–47, which, for the record, does not mean kill the president. 86 means we ran out of ingredients, or banning a customer from a restaurant, never does kill enter the equation. And yes, I did work in food service while in college. And yes, we used that code internally. That has not changed, so if you are kind, it means banning the president from the presidency. That is protected speech.

But if your goal is to chill speech you do not like, this is exactly what you do. And House Republicans are joining this chorus:

“Hey, look, you know, when the former FBI director writes in the sand, 86–47, which means, kill the 47th president, that’s concerning. So, see what the intent is? You know something, Blake? There’s something called dangerous speak. Dangerous speak means it’s worse than hate speak,” Meuser told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.”

“It means it invokes in others the desire to carry out violent acts. And what James Comey put out, yeah, that could certainly be interpreted to mean to carry out violent acts,” he added.

So this is about power, passing laws they want-I include the SAVE Act- and maybe take control of elections. Trump has said twice that he would like to cancel the midterms. And this is also textbook, because at this point it is obvious Republicans are going to get a shellacking in November.

For the record, he is not joking. If there is one thing he fears is becoming a loser, and let’s face it, this is exactly what will happen in November. He is already a lame duck. Losing control of Congress will be far worse because there will be rails back in place. Because authoritarians who are also confirmed narcissists see this as rejection. And if there is something a narcissist cannot handle is rejection.

So it does not matter if this was a false flag or a security failure. It is how this is getting used. And it is a textbook on closing societies. Mind you, Putin used explosives, and that wave of apartment building explosions was used to justify the second Chechen war, and for Putin to consolidate power. And that wave had a lot of innocents killed. So let’s say the attempt at Butler was also a false flag; having somebody killed is not out of the question in these cases. And increasingly MAGA is asking questions. I think we can all agree that, at the very least, the Secret Service has had way too many failures under this president. That alone should get your attention. Because there have been many attempts on the lives of presidents over the years. And for god’s sake, during the Clinton presidency, a small plane landed in the White House, near the president’s bedroom, and nobody demanded a ballroom either. That ballroom, it is not a matter of security. It is about ego, and a signal this man does not intend to leave office either. So is the Arch, so is putting his photo on passports.

And let me close with this. Even the suspect mentioned the lax security in his manifesto. The guy had no reason to recognize this because he had no relevant life experience. So even he was surprised at how little security there was. That should raise your level of concern. Because security experts or reporters who had contact with the Secret Service telling you this was odd is one thing. This guy had no relevant life experience.