Transcript below if you’d like to read along while it plays.
”I used to wonder how it was possible that Trump could have won in 2016 and then again in 2024, given how emotionally toxic, morally vacant, and psychologically mangled he is. I don't wonder anymore. I think he won for that exact reason. He wasn't a candidate. He was a mirror.
If you were a:
- racist, you found your guy.
- misogynist, you found your guy.
- money was your only religion, you found your guy.
- heart was armored shut, you found your guy.
- mocked disabled people, you found your guy.
- hated intelligent people, you found your guy.
- rapist, you found your guy.
- enjoyed golden showers with Russian sex workers, you found your guy.
- done absolutely nothing to confront your emotional wreckage, you found your guy.
- serial cheater, you found your guy.
- perpetual bankrupt, you found your guy.
- stiffed on his workers, you found your guy.
- con man, you found your guy.
- mocked people's appearances, you found your guy.
- longed for a toxic daddy, you found your guy.
- disassociated and disembodied, you found your guy.
- unconscionable in every economic dealing, you found your guy.
- lied as naturally as breathing, you found your guy.
- never eaten a green vegetable, you found your guy.
- white supremacist, you found your guy.
- ego contained a hole so large not even the presidency could fill it, you found your guy.
- sociopath who cared not one molecule about other humans, you found your guy.
If he only had two of these traits, he never would have won. He won because he had hundreds of them and millions of people recognized themselves in at least one. This has never been about Trump. It has always been about the people who finally had their worst instincts validated. Trump didn't create cruelty. He licensed it. He handed out permission slips for hate. He is merely a symptom of far deeper disease, collective toxicity.
If there is one sentence that explains Trump's power, it is this: He says the things I'm thinking. That's the part that should chill the spine. He knew that tens of millions of Americans were thinking such unconscionable things about their fellow citizens. Who knew how many white men felt so threatened by women and challenged by minorities that they were ready to torch democracy to feel big again? Who knew that after decades of apparent progress on race and gender, so many people were living in seething resentment, waiting for a demagogue to legitimize their worst selves and convert their bitterness into political power. Perhaps we were living in a fool's paradise. We aren't anymore.
If you made it to the end of that, you're not the problem. You're the conscious. The world doesn't fracture in one loud moment. It bends. It softens. It excuses. It adjusts. And one day you wake up and realize the air is different. So if your chest feels heavy, if your stomach drops when you scroll, if you feel the ground under everything that you believed in is shifting, you're not broken. You're awake. And in times like these, staying awake is an act of courage. Thank you for staying. Have the day you deserve.”
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Trumpism is a moral and structural choice rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and the weaponization of grievance
What Was Revealed and What Wasn’t…
Even now…even now…with the Epstein files resurfacing, with documented proximity to abuse, coercion, and sexual violence, support for Trump and his administration has not meaningfully fractured. It hasn’t festered. It hasn’t disrupted. It hasn’t forced a reckoning.
What I have seen is something else in people pretending to backpedal in public spaces, posturing as if they’ve “learned” something new, while never once naming the real reason they supported him in the first place. Because the truth is harder to say out loud on a visceral level, hatred felt right to them. His rhetoric didn’t confuse them; it affirmed them.
I’ve also watched people rehearse the language of accountability just well enough to “blend in” to avoid hard conversations while continuing to support the administration and its consequences behind closed doors. Some do it out of cowardice; others perform it strategically.
What connects all of this is the same mechanism of using people of color as shields. As proof. As tokens. As evidence that they’ve “changed” or “made a mistake,” while never relinquishing the beliefs that made Trump feel like home to them in the first place. They don’t want the backlash. They don’t want the social cost. But they do want the world he promised. There are no exceptions here. Not the quiet ones. Not the polite ones. Not the ones who smile at you while voting against your right to live safely.
Racism, prejudice, and dehumanization held this deeply, this reflexively will continue to cost us everything.
That’s how he won.
He understood that some people experience equality as oppression; and if you can wield that especially with media influence you’ve got them. Trump knew there were people who he could market off hatred of others & if that hatred did not exist no matter what it is or who they hate then his opportunity would cease to exist.
It isn’t undocumented workers setting wages; it’s corporations. It isn’t migrants eroding labor protections; it’s executives and lawmakers who benefit from cheap, exploitable labor while pitting working people against each other. The anger is real, but the target is wrong… intentionally wrong.
Supporting Trump doesn’t offer safety. It offers conditional acceptance the kind that lasts only as long as you’re useful, silent, or willing to turn on someone else who looks like you but has less power. The moment conditions change, that acceptance evaporates. And by then, the machinery you helped normalize won’t stop to spare you.
When I name white supremacy here, I am not describing an individual personality flaw or a feeling of personal hatred. I am naming a structure a hierarchy that organizes power by proximity to whiteness, masculinity, dominance, and compliance. White supremacy does not require everyone within it to be white, nor does it operate solely through explicit slurs or overt violence. It functions by offering different people different rewards like “protection”, proximity, status, or conditional belonging often in exchange for silence, alignment, or the willingness to turn against someone with less power. This is how it recruits beyond race, how it pits marginalized groups against one another; and how it survives even when it is publicly disavowed.
This video said what needed to be said. I couldn’t have said it better myself but I can say this, what we are living through is not a misunderstanding. It is not ignorance. It is not a lack of information.
It is a moral choice; repeated daily and the refusal to own that choice is what will continue to rot everything it touches.
About the Creator
Cadma
A sweetie pie with fire in her eyes
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Dollar Falls After Trump Comments
Introduction: A Sudden Shift in Currency Markets The U.S. dollar slid sharply this week after President Donald Trump’s public comments about the currency’s decline, sending ripples through global financial markets. Traders interpreted his remarks as a sign that the administration may be comfortable with a weaker dollar, prompting a fresh wave of dollar selling and boosting other major currencies such as the euro, yen and British pound. The currency move has underscored growing concerns over U.S. economic policy and investor confidence.
By Salaar Jamali6 days ago in The Swamp
Mexico Moves to Combat Pollution Following Guardian Investigations
Mexico’s government has announced a series of new environmental measures after investigative reporting by The Guardian exposed the scale of industrial pollution affecting communities across the country. The revelations have intensified public pressure on federal and state authorities to strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and address long-standing concerns over air and water contamination linked to factories, mining operations, and waste disposal sites. The investigations documented how toxic emissions and untreated wastewater from industrial facilities have polluted rivers, soil, and neighborhoods, often in areas where residents lack access to clean drinking water and adequate healthcare. Environmental groups say the findings confirmed what many communities have been reporting for years: that pollution controls were weakly enforced and that economic development was often prioritized over public health. Government Response In response, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) announced a coordinated plan involving stricter inspections, higher fines for violations, and the closure of facilities that repeatedly fail to comply with environmental standards. Officials also pledged to publish more transparent data on emissions and contamination levels, allowing the public to track industrial polluters more easily. Environment Minister María Luisa Albores said the government could no longer ignore the health risks revealed by the investigations. “These reports show the human cost of environmental negligence,” she said in a statement. “Our responsibility is to protect citizens and ensure that industries respect the law.” The federal government also confirmed that it would review permits granted to high-risk industries, including cement plants, steel manufacturers, and chemical processing facilities, particularly those operating near residential areas. Communities Demand Accountability Residents in affected regions welcomed the announcement but expressed skepticism that meaningful change would occur. In towns along heavily polluted rivers, families have reported increased cases of respiratory illness, skin conditions, and gastrointestinal problems. “For years we have complained, but no one listened,” said a community organizer from central Mexico whose town lies downstream from multiple factories. “Now that the world is paying attention, the government is acting. But we need permanent solutions, not temporary promises.” Grassroots organizations have called for independent monitoring and public participation in environmental decision-making. They argue that without community oversight, enforcement efforts risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative. Industrial Sector Pushback Industry groups cautioned that aggressive regulation could damage economic growth and employment. Mexico relies heavily on manufacturing and exports, particularly under trade agreements with the United States and Canada. Business leaders warned that sudden closures or penalties could disrupt supply chains and threaten jobs. “We support environmental responsibility, but regulations must be balanced with economic reality,” said a spokesperson for a national manufacturing association. “Companies need time and technical support to meet higher standards.” However, environmental economists counter that pollution imposes long-term costs that far exceed short-term compliance expenses. “Health care costs, lost productivity, and environmental degradation are hidden subsidies for polluters,” said one policy analyst. “Strong regulation ultimately benefits society and the economy.” Guardian’s Findings The Guardian’s investigations highlighted several cases in which factories allegedly discharged hazardous waste into waterways without proper treatment. In some regions, regulatory agencies were shown to have conducted few inspections over many years, despite repeated complaints from residents. One report detailed how pollution in an industrial corridor had contaminated groundwater relied upon by thousands of families. Another focused on air pollution in urban areas where particulate matter regularly exceeded national safety limits. The newspaper’s reporting relied on satellite imagery, government records, and interviews with affected communities, drawing international attention to Mexico’s environmental enforcement gaps. Legal and Political Implications Mexico’s congress has begun discussing reforms to strengthen environmental oversight and increase penalties for violators. Proposed measures include expanding the authority of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and creating special courts for environmental crimes. Opposition lawmakers have accused the government of reacting only after international embarrassment, while ruling party officials say the response demonstrates commitment to reform. “This is not about blame; it is about action,” said one senior legislator. “The evidence is clear that our current system needs improvement.” Legal experts note that successful prosecutions will depend on political will and the independence of regulators. “Environmental law exists, but enforcement has historically been uneven,” said a professor of environmental policy. “What happens next will show whether this is a turning point or a short-lived response to media pressure.” International Context Mexico’s actions come amid growing global concern over industrial pollution and climate change. International trade partners and investors increasingly require proof of environmental responsibility, and failure to comply can lead to sanctions or reputational damage. Environmental advocates say the Guardian investigations have placed Mexico under an international spotlight, making reform unavoidable. “This is not just a national issue anymore,” said one activist. “The world is watching how Mexico handles corporate pollution.” Looking Ahead The government has pledged to publish progress reports every six months and involve civil society organizations in oversight efforts. Pilot programs are being launched to clean up polluted rivers and restore contaminated land in heavily affected zones. Still, challenges remain. Corruption, limited resources, and political pressure from powerful industries could undermine reforms. Communities say they will continue to document violations and push for accountability. Conclusion Mexico’s decision to confront industrial pollution following the Guardian investigations marks a significant moment in the country’s environmental policy. The revelations have forced authorities to acknowledge systemic failures and promise stronger enforcement. Whether these promises translate into lasting change will depend on sustained political commitment and transparent oversight. For residents living with contaminated water and air, the stakes are personal and urgent. As one community leader put it, “This is not about politics. It is about our right to live without poison.”
By Fiaz Ahmed a day ago in The Swamp
Instructions Included Challenge Winners
For the Instructions Included challenge, we asked writers to tell a story through instructions and to trust the form to carry what could not be said outright. Across the top entries, that trust paid off in many different ways.
By Vocal Curation Team6 days ago in Resources
Comments (2)
I mean yeah you’ve said basically what happening in America right now to many people immediately just to this man’s defense and are willing to fall on their swords for him to a terrifying degree. Thank you for putting this into such a well worded article I always enjoy reading your stuff 😊 and keep up the good work I know it’s tough to write this kinda stuff
He is truly disgusting and all those who support him are equally disgusting as well!