It’s been 19 days. Less than three weeks ago, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, the de facto leader of the free world. But it seems like it’s been several months already. Maybe a year.
Ladra is exhausted. Numb. Scared. Angry. Dumbfounded. All at the same time. People are calling it emotional whiplash.
It’s weird that it keeps getting worse, even though you think it can’t get worse.
It couldn’t get worse than calling it the Gulf of America. Then it couldn’t get worse than approving immigration raids at schools and churches and hospitals. Then it couldn’t get worse when he rescind the 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Then it couldn’t get worse than the dumbest trade war in U.S. history, maybe world history. Then it couldn’t get worse than calling Canada a potential 51st state of the union. Then it couldn’t get worse than abolishing the Department of Education. Then it couldn’t get worse than proposing we “own” Gaza and redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” as if it were some real estate deal.
Then, Thursday, Russell Vought, co-author of Project 2025 — remember when Trump said he knew nothing about it? — was confirmed as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, which often goes under the radar but can be key in implementing Project 2025, er, the president’s agenda. As has become the norm, it was a totally partisan vote.
“Confirming the most radical nominee, who has the most extreme agenda, to the most important agency in Washington,” is what Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it in a floor speech. “Triple-header of disaster for hardworking Americans.”
It shouldn’t be surprising anymore and to some degree, it’s not. People have Trump fatigue. Our news alerts have never come in so fast and furious. Mental health experts are urging us to shut off notifications.
“Trump officials eye daily migrant detainee flights to Guantanamo Bay.”
“Illinois locked in legal battles with Trump administration over immigration policy.”
“Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Cout for investigating Israel.”
“Trump’s tariffs will raise the roof on home prices.”
“How Elon Musk boosted false USAID conspiracy theories to shut down global aid.”
“Miami-Dade teacher with DACA faces deportation after being detained by Ice.”
That’s just a small sampling over a 24-hour period.
The last one is about a middle school science teacher in Miami-Dade, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, otherwise known as a DREAMer (someone brought to the country as a child), who had gone to a regularly scheduled immigration hearing, which is the process to legalize one’s status. This is someone who was raised here, educated here and certified here to teach our children. In other words, not a criminal.
Miami-Dade Public Schools, preparing for the impending raids, saying that student information is protected and that immigration officials can only enter a school campus if they have a judicial warrant.
This rapid fire of changes and information is a strategy, folks. They call it “flood the zone” and it is meant to overwhelm the media and public opinion so they can sneak shit in.
Did anybody catch the fact that Trump signed an executive order Tuesday pulling out of the United Nations Human Rights Council? Probably not. But it makes sense. He’s violating human rights right here in America, so why be a hypocrite?
Did you know that hours after her confirmation, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi created a “weaponization working group” to review all the cases against Trump? Let’s call it a political retaliation group because that’s what it is.
And while we were busy reeling at the crazy confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, nobody paid attention to the fact that employees at the new Elon Musk DOGE department were told to stop using a team communication platform called Slack at work until they can transition to a different platform that is “not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.” They don’t want anyone to know what they’re up to.
That’s the whole philosophy behind this “flood the zone” rapid fire strategy: Get people so confused and exhausted that they can’t really see the big picture. But we have to resist. We must stay vigilant.
Drink more coffee. Take your vitamins. Do whatever you have to do to stay on top of the Trump administration and its efforts to dismantle our democracy.
It’s only been 19 days. We have 1,442 days to go. At least.
President Trump intentionally sows chaos fatigue, a ‘flood the zone’ strategy added by Ladra on
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