And then . . .

. . . there are days like today. Days where the fascists move with force to instigate a conflict to justify sending in the troops and declaring martial law. We're at an inflection point in American history.

Every now and then . . .

During this ongoing fascist takeover of the United States, there's bad news every single day. And then, there are the good days.

Two Fucking Morons Get into a Big, Beautiful War of Words

Today was a good day.

My favorite?

Not especially surprising to anyone except MAGA, but while Elon Musk is a Nazi-adjacent shitshow of a racist, thin-skinned, ignorant sociopath, I loved that.

MAGA are monsters

Jesus H. Christ, this is fucked up.

Children zip-tied at San Antonio immigration court in new crackdown
© Courtesy Of Priscilla Olivarez, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

This is America in 2025.

Why would anyone ever think this was necessary or appropriate? Fucking Nazis. I don't care who you are or whether or not you were "just following orders," when this is over, you'd better be fucking prosecuted. 

(My original title was "We are monsters" but I sure as hell didn't do this. This is all on MAGA voters and those who didn't vote. You were warned. You own this.)

Focus, you morons

There's been a lot of news coverage lately, excluding today's news that Former President Joe Biden has prostate cancer, about Joe Biden being old. Jake Tapper came out with a new book where he talks about how Biden's staff told him that they were considering that Biden use a wheelchair if he had won a second term. There was also news about Biden not recognizing George Clooney and other "stunning" revelations about a guy who is NO LONGER PRESIDENT.

Meanwhile, the current President is an outright fascist who apparently understands NOTHING about how the government, America, or its people work and who has exhibited advanced dementia for months now. The same guy that put a bunch of rich con men and grifters into positions of power and who constantly violates civil rights, the law and the Constitution. The corrupt, stupid guy who's steering us right into an  economic depression.

Hey media dipshits! Who gives a flying fuck about Joe Biden being old? What difference does it make now? Historians can deal with that. Maybe you should worry more about the ongoing fascist takeover of the United States and the loss of American democracy?? Maybe??

Sheesh.

Appreciating the beauty around you

Since I'm once again commuting to DC five days a week, I thought you might like to see how cool the DC Metro actually is. It's not "beautiful", as such, but it's a striking style of brutalist architecture with lots of shapes, textures and contrasts. While the station walls and surfaces are in sore need of cleaning, all things considered, it's a litter-free, reliable system.

Below is the Red Line platform facing one of the stairs down to the Orange/Blue/Silver Line at Metro Center. The second image is that downstairs platform with a departing train.

I may not want to be seeing this every day, but I'm happy that my commute does have some interesting sights.

More evidence of megalomania and dementia

The fake Christian, Convicted Felon Trump, didn't create the AI image below, but reposted it on his stupid and corrupt social media platform, a few days after he declared that he wanted to be Pope.

This is real pic.twitter.com/Zc3P5p076i

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 3, 2025

He reposted this abomination less than two weeks after Pope Francis was killed by meeting JD Vance and days after Trump slept through the Pope's funeral in his inappropriate blue suit and tie. Of course, Trump never jokes about himself, so you can be 100% sure he means it.

Now, I'm not religious in any way, but . . .

This Is Pretty Fucked Up Right Here Kyle Broflovski GIFfrom This Is Pretty Fucked Up Right Here GIFs

YOU are not safe

If you were on the fence about this Administration, and really, why the hell would you be, this should be the triggering event.

In yet another disgusting display in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said he wants to send U.S. citizens to El Salvador’s notoriously violent prison where he's currently sending immigrants without due process and against court orders.

During his Monday meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Trump was caught on camera saying that "homegrowns are next" to be sent to CECOT, the Salvadoran prison where people are housed in inhumane conditions, including without mattresses, pillows, proper nutrition, time outside, and access to family or lawyers.

"The homegrowns. You gotta build about five more places. It's not big enough," Trump told Bukele, apparently referring to U.S. citizens who he wants to send to CECOT.

This is Trump saying he wants to jail AMERICAN CITIZENS in El Salvadoran prisons.

We've already seen them pick up legal immigrants, green card holders, and others who had a legal right to be in the U.S. and ship them to a prison in another state or, worse, to El Salvador, where there's little hope they'll ever come back. The Nazis have done all of this without providing due process, as required under the Constitution, claiming the innocent are guilty without even the barest investigation and never coming before a judge. One poor father from my state was picked up by accident -- their own admission -- and they refuse to bring him back, ignoring a Supreme Court order.

If MAGA can do it to them, they can do it to you, or your family, or your friends. Really, you should be livid that they're doing it to anyone in America, but if you can't see past your own fucking self-interest, then you should understand that they can do it to you as well.

This part right here -- this is where the goddamned poem comes in.

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

SPEAK OUT! The time to protest and resist is NOW.

Calvin and Hobbes

I recently finished re-reading all the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. I was in college in 1985 when the strip premiered in newspapers, but in law school when I discovered the strip after the first compilation, Calvin and Hobbes, was released in 1987. I bought each new compilation until its creator, Bill Watterson, retired the strip in 1995.

In my opinion, Calvin and Hobbes was the greatest daily comic strip in history. The strip had a melancholy feel similar to Peanuts and it's well-developed cast of kids, but focused on two characters, a six-year-old boy, Calvin, and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, and their interactions with the mundane world around them. It spoke to many things I experienced growing up and was filled with humor, wisdom, and an astute, philosophical view on the world around us. The genius, creativity and integrity of Bill Watterson is clearly evident throughout.

It's been years since I read them, so the stories almost seemed new. What I enjoyed this time was seeing how the comic was fully realized from the first strip. The side-characters are there from the beginning and consistent with their portrayals throughout the ten years of stories -- Mom and Dad (never named), Moe the bully, Susie Derkins, Calvin's smarter, kinder classmate and neighbor, his teacher, Miss Wormwood, Rosalyn, his long-suffering babysitter, and more. Stories involving Calvin's imagination, like Spaceman Spiff, frequent dinosaur attacks, armies of snowmen, the Transmogrifier, time-travel, Calvin Ball, Stupendous Man and other alter-egos, were all brilliantly realized. 

And of course, there's Hobbes, Calvin's wiser and kinder stuffed tiger, only alive in Calvin's imagination, his best friend, sometimes competitor, and constant companion. Calvin and Hobbes was also remarkably consistent, never seeing any drop in quality over its 10 year long existence. And when Watterson had had enough, he stopped. No merchandising, no animated specials, no reboot. For 30 years now, he's let his work speak for itself.

Calvin and Hobbes was the best. I don't expect any pushback on this.

Happy International Atheists Day!

My life became so much better after I dropped irrational religious beliefs.

Government Service Update

Well, after three weeks back in the office, the good news is that I still have my job. As a mostly untargeted agency, things have been very mixed, but, so far, not catastrophic.

First, let's try to identify some good things relating to the return to the office. 

Prior to the pandemic, I commuted to work for 29 years. Slipping back into that routine has been easy. I'm walking more every day. I get to see friends at work face to face. Um, yeah, that's pretty much it.

Now let's identify some of the bad things relating to the return to office.

The biggest is that my commute takes 70-90 minutes each way, depending on traffic and the Metro. That's around three hours a day that I used to spend sleeping, working, seeing my family, and getting things done around the house. Now, I'm spending those three hours riding back and forth to work. It's a terrible waste of time and damn near the most inefficient way to live one's life.

Another bad thing is that since federal workers can't telework, I can't time-shift my work or work after hours. I work my nine to five and head home, losing quite a bit of extra work time. Also, I'm not around to take my Mom to doctor's appointments or other engagements during the day.

Yet another downside is the deluge of daily directives coming out of the White House and OPM, attacking federal workers. During the first ten days back in the office, the other managers and I spent at least a full two of those ten days working on new directives, trying to get guidance which is rarely available, discussing reactions and interpretations, and meeting to share information and formulate plans. Again, not efficient and utterly maddening.

My agency has so far been spared the worst, as we haven't been subject to mass layoffs. We have lost some good people, but the fascists are not yet trying to shut the agency down. The head of my agency seems to be doing their best to protect employees, but they're a true believer and will do whatever the cult master dictates. This week we had a clearly illegal attack on senior management, and we don't know how that is going to turn out. Our head has reacted to this by falling in line.

What's demoralizing are the constant insults aimed at federal workers -- the death by a thousand cuts. For example, we are an independent agency, created by Congress and protected by Supreme Court precedent. Trump declared all independent agencies under his direct control, so by direction of our agency head, the word "independent" has been struck from all identifying documentation. Also, I work in a very nice satellite building, and GSA cancelled our lease two years ahead of our planned move. We now have five weeks to move 700 staff to another building, that hasn't been selected. That will, of course, waste even more work time.(The cruelty is the point).

I've been a federal worker for 34 years. As America falls to fascism, these are the worst days I've experienced. It will only continue to get worse.

(And again, to put this into context, this is in NO WAY near the level of horror this administration is inflicting on the people who live and work in America. These Nazis are now DISAPPEARING people. We need to fight back NOW.)

A Simple Plan

Dear Democratic Representatives and Senators.

You are the OPPOSITION Party, the only thing standing between America and dictatorship.

START ACTING LIKE IT.

Stop trying to be bipartisan. Stop drifting to the Center. Stop trying to cooperate with MAGA. Start doing your fucking jobs and stop voting for MAGA nominees and legislation. Everything you do to help them, hurts America. There is no calvary coming to rescue us. YOU ARE THE ONLY CALVARY WE'VE GOT.

Start acting like America is on the brink because we fucking are. It's bad enough we have to fight MAGA, don't make us have to fight you too. Be more like AOC, Bernie, Jasmine Crockett, and Chris Murphy. You have examples in your midst. Follow them.

After Hitler became Chancellor and the Nazis started consolidating power, they outlawed and liquidated the other political parties, including those who had tried to cooperate and appease them. You want to know why history doesn't remember the names of those politicians? Because the Nazis had them murdered.

Sheesh, Motherfuckers. FIGHT!

That is all.

Telework

This was my last week of telework, aka working from home. Our agency, at the direction of the Felon in Chief, has banned it. Tomorrow, I return to full time in the office.

During the pandemic, my small Agency went to full time telework for about two years and then moved to a hybrid model, with a requirement of once a week in office. My shop went in on Wednesdays.

The five years of telework were the best days of my career. Without the ninety minute commute to downtown DC, I was able to sleep later and still get to work on time. Without the ninety minute commute home, I was able to spend more time with my family and get projects done around the house. Most days, I went back online after 10PM to work more and prepare for the following day. It was quiet and relaxing.

All those benefits are gone, because we're led by an old, dementia-addled, tin-pot dictator who can't imagine not seeing his minions lined up in offices, away from their homes and families. Because he and his band of traitors want dedicated, professional public servants to quit the government to make it easier for the oligarchs to privatize government services for their own profit. 

The conservative "argument" against telework is that you can't tell if people are actually working. This is, of course, bullshit. You're a pretty poor manager if you can't determine whether or not people are finishing their work. You can have Teams or Zoom meetings to talk face to face and judge progress. The idea that teleworking employees aren't doing their jobs is shown false by years of practical examples of people getting things done. During the last five years, my small team went through the busiest time in our history, and had no issues. We crushed it because a good work/life balance is healthier and improves morale.

The Administration is trying to downsize the government footprint by cancelling building leases under the lie of cost savings. What's more cost-saving than hundreds of thousands of workers working from home, providing free office space? This impacts me directly, as we've just been notified that our lease was cancelled and we have to fit hundreds of staff in a smaller building without enough offices. It's going to cause chaos and inefficiency. Continued telework would be ideal to reduce the footprint, but they want people to quit. The cruelty is the point.

My life is about to get substantially more inconvenient and less efficient. 

I'm trying to keep perspective as at least I still have a job. The real issue is with the firing of thousands of dedicated, professional, smart and experienced civil servants. Not only are their lives already more frightening and difficult, but their firing will have consequences for the economy, the job market, public health and safety, and government assistance for millions of Americans. Some MAGA are finally starting to realize that.

When government is being deliberately broken, all of us will suffer.

So long telework, you were awesome.

Why the Nazis?

I get that white supremacy is all the same, stupid, xenophobic bullshit, and at the end of the day whether you're a Nazi, or a Confederate, or a Proud Boy, it's all basically just the inability and lack of maturity to deal with people who are different.

But why do people today, in the 21st century, feel compelled to mimic the iconography, slogans, salutes, and style of the Nazis, who got their asses kicked by the entire world 80 years ago? I guess I could just as easily ask why they do the same thing with the Confederacy, which got its ass kicked 160 years ago?

I imagine it's because racists lack imagination, creativity and any artistic ability, since those things tend to come when you're open to other ideas, people and culture.

But geez, at least create your own identity, you stupid, inbred, racist pieces of shit.

In case you need to see this bit from That Mitchell and Webb Look, it no longer just applies to the Nazis and their ilk. It now applies to a large group of Americans as well.

A few Truths

Truth, the first.

Elon Musk is not an auditor, or an economist, or an accountant, or anyone qualified to look into complicated payment systems and financial records in order to identify "fraud and waste".

None of the people he brought with him are any of those things either. They are hackers and software engineers.

So stop defending his criminal invasion of America's information with the "He's performing an audit" bullshit. Real audits take time and expertise.

Musk and his Minions are looting these federal agencies, stealing data, and tampering with their systems.

Truth, the second.

Federal worker salaries and benefits make up about 8% of the federal budget. DOGE and Trump could fire every single one and not make a dent in the annual deficit and the debt. (Of course, they're not actually doing it for efficiency or to save money but to consolidate their power).

If you really want to reduce the deficit, you need to do one of three things.

1) Cut Social Security/Medicaid/Medicare. This would devastate tens of millions of Americans who depend on these entitlements to survive. This would be highly immoral, so of course that's why MAGA wants to do it.

2) Cut the military budget. Transitioning away from being the biggest military on the planet by many times would not only save us money, but would likely reduce tensions all around the world. Unfortunately, this is a pipe dream.

3) Tax the rich. This is the clear answer. It's easy, there are no downsides, and it would happen fast. The rich would still be fine and we'd have money not only to pay down the debt, but to fund programs that would help all Americans. Having billionaires is immoral in a world where people starve and have no home.

So let's stop pretending that what DOGE is doing will help with the deficit. It's a lie, like everything else Trump and President Musk are doing.

Ted Talk

Dear MAGA,

Here's the deal. 

If you don't like being called fascists, stop doing fascist things.

If you don't like being called Nazis, stop doing Nazi things.

Just kidding! I know you secretly like being called fascists and Nazis, because why else would anyone ever do the things you do and support the things you support?

You're welcome.

More corporate cowards obeying in advance

Okay, Google, you're done. 

According to CNBC, Google’s popular calendars no longer tell users the story of Black History Month (February) or Women’s History Month (March), among other historical dates. Other observances, such as Jewish American Heritage Month (May), Pride Month (June), and Indigenous Peoples Month (November), are no longer noted on Google Calendar, either. Neither is Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27).

Google has also changed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on their maps.

This is because the "President" is a whiny diaper baby who attacks everything that doesn't jibe with his delusional hatred. Of course, Google, of all things, has the resources to resist, but won't.

I am immediately deleting Google Maps from my phone and won't be using Google. (Ugh. Bing? I guess it has to be).

Google owners are cowardly, craven corporate assholes, bowing down to a would-be dictator.

Here are some companies that (so far) haven't bent the knee.

Costco 

Meijer 

Kroger 

Giant Grocery 

Ben & Jerry’s 

Ulta 

Macy’s 

Old Navy 

Nordstrom’s 

TJ Maxx 

GoTo Foods (includes Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mcalister’s, Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Cinnabon, and more…)

Dollar Tree 

Walgreens 

Wegmans
e.l.f 

Pinterest 

JP Morgan Chase 

Microsoft 

United Airlines 

Southwest Airlines

American Airlines 

Delta Airlines 

Apple

Let's hope this list grows.

The Struggle for Democracy

I had been planning a blog post on the various efforts President Musk and his lackey Trump are making to get dedicated, professional civil servants to quit, but events are moving so quickly that it's difficult to keep up. This is all part of their "flooding the zone with shit" strategy.

They tried the "buy-out" which was transparently a scam, illegal, unprofessional, unauthorized by Congress, and obviously came from people who aren't in the government and unfamiliar with how the government works. Luckily, most people just ignored it. Unfortunately, as a manager I have had to participate in no less than an entire work day of meetings over the past week to figure out exactly what is being offered and how it impacts my staff and my agency. 

The 6 day turnaround given to staff to resign under threat of possible firing later was clearly to sow fear and chaos. Since that original email, they've followed up with contradictory and confusing memos which have not made any of this more clear. This is, again, part of the strategy to confuse and demoralize.

In addition, Musk and his minions have taken over at least three federal agencies, locked out staff, and stolen private, confidential information from EVERY AMERICAN. Congress has not authorized ANY OF THIS, but Republicans don't care. In my 34 years of government experience, Congress has always been protective of the agencies they oversee and they fight any encroachment by the Executive Branch. Now that the Executive Branch is their would-be dictator Trump, MAGA in Congress don't care how much power it costs them.

THIS IS AN ONGOING COUP AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.

In addition, Trump's cabinet choices, widely derided as uniquely unqualified when he made them, seem to be flying towards confirmation due to almost universal support by Senate MAGA. They've approved or are about to approve a drunk cheater as Secretary of Defense, an alcoholic, science-denying nutjob as head of Health and Human Services, and an obviously compromised Russian mole as Director of National Intelligence. Vlad Putin must be ecstatic right now as this band of corrupt, stupid, traitors are quickly taking over the US government.

Unless lawsuits are effective at slowing this down or MAGA in Congress grow a conscience and a spine, we're screwed. The United States has been effectively conquered in two weeks.

The Leopards Award - #2

Our next award winner is Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho, a MAGA Activist.

Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho, known for his political activism and his criticism of the Cuban regime, faces an increasingly complicated situation. He is currently in the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detained at the Broward Transition Center, Florida. However, his case has taken an unexpected turn, not only due to rumors of a possible transfer to the Guantanamo Naval Base, but also due to reports of alleged scams that have darkened his reputation.

I'm sure it was all just a mistake and once he gets in touch with Trump, Trump will personally make sure he's released. Till then, he has my thoughts and prayers.

Blog Stuff

I do intend to post more fun stuff (non-political) in the days ahead. Unfortunately, because of the shitshow America is being subjected to by MAGA and Project 2025, there's a lot to scream about. 

Screaming doesn't help, but it makes me feel a little bit better.

The Night of the Long Knives

It's time for another history lesson, details from The United States Holocaust Memorial Museums' Holocaust Encyclopedia. I'm freestyling most of this, so click on the link if you want more refined details.

After Hitler became German Chancellor in late 1933, the Nazis had to reckon with the growing political power of their own paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung, aka the SA. The SA acted as the Nazi's shock troops during the 1920s and early 30s, creating anarchy and violence to terrorize the country. At the time Hitler became Chancellor, SA membership was 30 times the size of the German regular army, mandated by the Treaty of Versailles to no more than 100,000 troops.

The leader of the SA was Ernst Röhm, one of Hitler's only friends, one of the original Nazis, and fiercely loyal to Hitler. But as radicals in the SA felt the Nazis weren't doing enough to consolidate power against Hitler's industrial allies and the regular army, they agitated for continued revolution. It then occurred to the Nazis that the SA was an actual threat to their power. Since Hitler needed the army and the industrialists if he was going to make Germany a military power, and egged on by lies spread by Nazi leaders Himmler and Heydrich, it was decided that a purge of SA Leadership was needed to eliminate the threat.

The purge became known as The Night of the Long Knives.

Mostly committed by Heinrich Himmler's SS, the purge began on the night of June 30, 1934 and lasted until July 2. At the end of those days and nights of violence, between 100-200 targeted Germans were murdered, including Röhm and the other SA leaders around the country. Also killed were a number of non-Nazis, including Hitler's predecessor as Chancellor, Reichswehr General Kurt von Schleicher and his wife, a number of local politicians who had crossed the Nazis, and Willi Schmid, the music critic of a Munich newspaper, whose name was confused with one of the Gestapo's intended targets. In all, over 1,100 others were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

Afterwards, the Nazi-controlled Reichstag made the entire operation legal, and regular Germans celebrated the deaths as necessary to German security, believing Nazi propaganda about the event. The Night of the Long Knives cemented Nazi rule and made Hitler the unchallenged dictator of Germany until he was relieved of that title in 1945.

Hey, did you hear that Trump just pardoned more than 1,500 insurrectionists who had been jailed for their violent attack on Congress on January 6, 2021? And did you hear that Trump has been dismissing security details protecting some of his enemies, including John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, (both once loyal Trumpers) and Dr. Anthony Fauci?

Hmm. Don't know what made me think of that. Funny how the mind works.

Snitches don't get stitches

Hey, this is totally normal in a non-fascist country!

Below is part of the email that all federal agencies were forced to send to their employees earlier this week.

We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days.

There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information.  However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.

It's totally normal for federal employees to be threatened to snitch on their co-workers, especially for the grievous crime of, hmm, let's see. Oh, yeah, hiring qualified people to add different viewpoints and life experiences to your agency. What a crime!

I was just kidding above. This is NOT normal and is definitely SUPER-fascist. Yay!

It would be a shame if thousands of people spammed that email address.

The Leopards Award - #1

And . . . our first recipient of the Leopards Award during the Trump Administration is . . . 

The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union!

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which supported President Donald Trump's election in 2016, 2020, and 2024, yesterday criticized his blanket pardon for people charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The FOP, the country's largest police union, is troubled by the president's clemency for Trump supporters who assaulted police officers while expressing their outrage at a supposedly stolen election.

...

they added that they are "deeply discouraged by the recent pardons and commutations granted by both the Biden and Trump Administrations to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers."

The both-sidesing here is due to Biden's clemency for Leonard Peltier, who spent 50 years in jail for the alleged murder of two FBI agents. (Alleged because there's a lot of evidence that he was railroaded.) Biden's act is not the same as Trump pardoning 1,500+ violent insurrectionists who attacked Capitol Police just four years ago.

In any event, congratulations, FOP! You Fucked Around by supporting Trump and are now Finding Out!

Question Answered

I think that among most Americans who have a layman's knowledge of World War II, there was always a confusion over how Germany, a relatively progressive country, fell under the complete control of a bunch of violent, racist, yahoos and specifically how the Nazis managed to get so many normal, decent, every-day people to commit to all the violence, terror, death and genocide. I certainly didn't fully understand it.

I do now.

Law and Order

The "party of law and order" just pardoned and released over 1,500 violent offenders who had been convicted in a court of law under the regular, established legal procedures of the United States. Two thirds of those pled guilty. Many of those convicted were deeply involved in domestic terror groups, like the Proud Boys. Five people died within 36 hours of the attack.

Reminder, this is them:

Party of law and order indeed.

Many of these people will undoubtedly engage in domestic terrorism on Trump's behalf over the next four years.

The Final Day

Well, today is the final day. 

Possibly of American democracy, but definitely for good things coming from our government for at least four years. I think many people are quickly going to find out how many benefits come from having a functional, well-run government. Many innocents are going to start suffering this week.

Personally, everything is up in the air for me until new Agency management takes charge, so it may be some time before I learn what my job holds. Then again, it's easy to destroy, so maybe I'll find out soon.

A couple of predictions. 

Because Biden leaves office with low inflation, higher wages, increased manufacturing jobs, low unemployment, a record breaking stock market, and job increases during EVERY SINGLE MONTH OF HIS PRESIDENCY, the economy is humming. Trump will take credit for this. 

However, despite inheriting a great economy, Trump will eventually crash it. How quickly depends on whether or not he follows his campaign promise to enact tariffs on everyone who pisses off his fragile ego. What we can absolutely predict is that billionaires will get fewer regulations, more government contracts, and even more tax breaks, while 99% of Americans will have to fight to keep the meager social safety net intact.

If the peace in Gaza holds, Trump will take 100% of the credit, even though the Biden Administration has been working diplomatically for over a year. If the agreement falls apart, Trump will blame Biden and Hamas. In no universe will Trump blame Israel, even if it's Israel's (Netanyahu's) fault.

Trump will push Canada, Mexico, Denmark and Panama to follow his whims and cede territory or whatever other nonsense he demands. They will NOT obey. I really doubt he'll use the military against our allies, but who the hell knows. He and his followers are crazy.

Public health is about to take a huge hit, both from promoting woo woo ideas and prohibiting actual pro-health and life-saving practices like vaccines and flouridation.

Well, I've gone on long enough. Seriously, I could fill pages with the shit that's about to rain down. The bottom line is that bad things are about to happen, there are no adults in charge, and the guardrails are gone.

It's going to be a long, depressing, volatile four years and America may not survive.

One word of optimism. Trump's "mandate" is no such thing; he won by the smallest percentage of a President in decades. Plus, he's a whiny, stupid, man-baby and not some super-villain. He self-sabotages all the time.

There are many smart, resourced people who are preparing to fight Trump, his billionaire backers, and MAGA with everything they've got. We're not alone in this fight and it's not over just yet.

Stay safe.