It is a cold day in Washington. A crowd is gathering on the National Mall for the swearing-in of the 47th president of the United States. At noon on 20 January 2025, Donald Trump places his hand on a Bible, takes the oath of office and delivers an inaugural address with a simple theme: retribution.
This is the nightmare scenario for millions of Americans – and one that they are increasingly being forced to take seriously. Opinion polls show Trump running away with the Republican presidential nomination and narrowly leading Democrat Joe Biden in a hypothetical match-up. Political pundits can offer plenty of caveats but almost all agree that the race for the White House next year will be very close.
The fact that there is a more than remote chance of the twice impeached, quadruply indicted former US president returning to the Oval Office is ringing alarm bells. “I think it would be the end of our country as we know it,” Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, said on the ABC talkshow The View this week. “And I don’t say that lightly.”
I could imagine protests where he orders violence and then things quickly spiral out of control. I don't know if the country would survive.
After 01/06, I'm willing to meet violence at the table. I am not big, macho or tough. Neither I am harmless, unarmed or unpracticed. Contrary to popular belief, the conservatives do not have a monopoly on arms.
Only thing I got going for me is bravery. I'm just dumb enough to act even though I'm scared shitless. If that sounds like tough talk, it ain't, I'll be shaking in my boots yet still be capable of acting. Been there, done that, know that much about myself.
At some point a man has to draw a line in the sand and say, "This shit stops today." After 01/06, that line has grown much, much thinner for me. I will not grasp my pearls should these animals try to defeat my goddamned democracy again. America is my country. It is my wife's country. America is my children's country.
These assholes think they can take arms to the streets with impunity? They are free to test that assumption. I'll not draw first blood, but I have my eyes open.
I will be at the local polls, taking the day off, and if I see armed men, I will stand as well. And they can interpret my intentions as they choose.
Anyway, here's a fun exercise: Chug a load of caffeine/kratom/whatever, get wired up till you're shaky. Take the gun you're best at, mine's my AR-15, run until you can't breathe, put steel on target. (Didn't do the shaky thing today, but damned if I didn't do better with iron sights vs. the red dot. Weird.)
Not promoting violence, just sayin', it's interesting to see what you're actually capable of vs. talking smack.
If he did, I would imagine it would create a lot of small pockets of violence around the country, causing a lot of chaos and damage. If he did that while Biden is still president, it's possible we might see Martial Law declared and the National Guard mobilized within the US to restore order.
The country would survive, but a lot of people would be hurt and killed.