Will Trump As Fascist Be Self-Fulfilling?

With violent acts that have apparently political purposes becoming an almost daily occurrence, the year 2025 now resembles the chaotic year of 2020. Things have gotten so bad that we almost expect to hear about another mass killing every day. And in the five intervening years, the gap between left and right in this country has only increased with an alarming intensity. The question for both sides is, what is the endgame? Where is all of this chaos taking us? And how can we arrive at a solution with the two sides so far apart?

In looking at the left and their motivations, we need to recognize that creating chaos and cashing in the opportunities that develop is how they roll. One of those opportunities is starting to look like a foregone conclusion. That is, to force President Trump’s hand in responding to the left-inspired violence or tacit support of criminals with Draconian acts of his own. We’ve already seen some of this with the ordered bombings of narco-terrorists’ ships containing massive supplies of fentanyl. Eventually, there will be sufficient Trumpian responses to justify even further, to the committed leftists, the moniker of “fascist dictator” who really is out to “destroy our democracy.” The left and their allies seem determined to keep the chaos coming, along with added pressure on Trump to respond in kind. Don’t believe it? Well, just look at the left’s rhetoric about ICE and their agents. There is a reason these folks are wearing masks – they are doing a dangerous job made worse by those who accuse them of being a modern-day Gestapo, arresting innocent people. Never mind that the truth of the matter is that, by and large, ICE agents are good people just trying to do their jobs. And, thanks to Joe Biden and his wide-open borders, ICE faces an almost impossible task in rounding up masses of illegal immigrants, especially from “blue” areas, for deportation.

The ongoing budget battles and the current and recent government shutdowns illustrate a government that has stopped working for the people. The two sides, Democrats in particular, view their opposition more as an enemy that must be defeated than a “loyal opposition” with whom compromises are possible. The Democrats’ utter refusal to recognize common sense and, for once, agree with it, displays their contempt not only for Trump, but for the entire original concept of the U.S. government. How are Republicans to work reasonably with such an implacable foe?

For those who will claim “the end is near,” I would agree that when Jesus told us to be watchful of the signs, He meant it. When He predicted brother would turn against brother, sons against mothers and fathers, and so on, we can see that political differences within families are doing just that these days. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the battle lines for a new civil war have been drawn, and that before long there will be demands for everyone to choose one side or the other – no one will be allowed to stay in the middle or on the sidelines. While Charlie Kirk’s assassination has been our side’s battle cry, the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his Trump hate-fest of a show has been theirs. When the sides differ that much on what constitutes a “heroic victim” or even a “martyr,” you know that something is terribly wrong in our country.

My podcast friend Jesse Kelly has made the following a mantra: “The left will use our values against us.” That is true; however, what allows this to happen is the backdrop of “tolerance” that has been taught as the highest value in our society. Tolerance has been used against us in the accusations of how intolerant we are toward the LGBTQ agenda, the George Floyd riots, the Draconian responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so on. Yet it is the left who are, by and large, intolerant of godly values and the goodness of our government when it operates in the way it was intended. It was not for nothing that John Adams stated that our form of government was meant for a moral and just people, and would not work for any other. We are seeing the breakdown of our government before our eyes, and it’s not because the form of government has let us down. It’s more to do with the millions of our citizens (and non-citizens also) who have been led astray about how our government is supposed to work and the resulting division and chaos this has created. Trump is the admittedly blunt instrument whose job it is to apply a strong corrective. However, it’s been all too easy for about half our population to believe his intentions are dictatorial and self-serving. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground to resolve the massive divide these days. We can only pray that such resolution can somehow be found.