This transition—from brownshirts to billionaires—encapsulates what has gone wrong. It is a clear signal that the #UnitedStates is broken.

All organisms & entities require defense systems to survive. The same is true for a #democracy. Yet the #US political system has elevated to its highest position the most potent threat to its existence since the traitorous rebels of the Confederacy.

The recently released final report of special counsel Jack Smith depicts a harrowing scene from that day [see pic]…

Put aside all the skullduggery & deceit #Trump engaged in to illegitimately retain the presidency: His decision to take no action as a mob stormed the Capitol to halt the congressional certification of the election was an unconscionable abandonment of his constitutional duties & a profound betrayal of the nation.

When informed that his VP, Mike Pence, who had refused #Trump’s entreaties to thwart the certification, was in danger from the rioters, Trump replied, “So what?”

This may be old news. But it defines the gravity of this moment. The #authoritarian-minded Trump who nearly blew up the most powerful democracy in modern history is again being handed the keys to the republic. It’s as if the American political system has a death wish. It could not neutralize this threat from within.

…#Trump’s 2024 election effort was more a #disinformation crusade than a conventional political campaign—a natural outgrowth of his peddling of the #BigLie about the prior presidential election. The falsehoods served him well & protected him from the accurate charge that he imperiled #democracy.

…So the #authoritarian virus that Trump represents has reinfected the political body. This time it’s worse. He has made clear his autocratic intent, with much of it spelled out in #Project2025.

There can be no mistaking that #Trump harbors tyrannical impulses & that he desires to consolidate power so he can visit revenge upon his foes & detractors (real & imagined) & provide safe space for his robber-baron allies & grifting cronies. Despite this—or due to this—he is being legitimized by the richest & the most influential Americans.

#kleptocracy #aristocracy #bourgeoisie

The symbolism is thunderously loud. Instead of QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley—the spear-carrying, face-painted, bare-chested Trumpster who wore a horned fur hat when he led #Jan6 rioters into the Capitol & who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his participation in the assault — #ElonMusk, #JeffBezos, & #MarkZuckerberg will this time be the iconic figures at the Capitol.

#kleptocracy #aristocracy #bourgeoisie

Their presence will shower nearly a trillion dollars’ worth of legitimacy upon #Trump — a demonstration that he has triumphed over decency & the rule of #law & is now fully accepted & feared by the well-heeled & the powerful, by #corporate America, by the #establishment. We are witnessing a melding of #oligarchy & #Trumpism. (In the days before the ceremony, there was a host of parties throughout DC, mounted by #tech #aristocrats to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.)

#kleptocracy #bourgeoisie

With most #Republican senators—maybe all—currently bowing before #Trump regarding his appointment of #unqualified loyalists & inexperienced #MAGA #extremists to the most important positions in government, a message has been conveyed: Trump is unfettered, federal agencies will do his bidding without a harrumph from the #GOP-led #Congress, & do not irk him. Moreover, as one might do with a mob boss, make sure to pay him protection money.

#MafiaState