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⛈ Blueprint for power

Authoritarian regimes rarely seize total power in broad daylight. They wait for darkness.

History shows us that full-blown dictatorships usually don’t emerge gradually—they leap forward in moments of crisis.

• This could be a terrorist attack, a war, a riot, a shocking act of violence, or something else.

These events—whether real, exaggerated, or manufactured—become the excuse for sweeping emergency powers: mass arrests, media blackouts, suspended civil liberties.

• And once those powers are granted, they are very hard to get back.

A GERMAN WARNING: This is exactly what happened in Germany in 1933—almost a hundred years ago.

• For years, Hitler had been gaining ground amid the chaos of post–World War I Germany.

Then, in January 1933, desperate to stabilize the country, Germany’s establishment handed him power—appointing him Chancellor (basically second in command) in an effort to appease the Nazis.

• A month later, the Reichstag—the German parliament building—became engulfed in flames.

Hitler seized the moment, calling it a “God-given signal.” He blamed communists (one of his mortal enemies), called it an attack on the nation, and demanded emergency powers.

• The next day, the Reichstag Fire Decree suspended civil liberties, enabled mass arrests, and gutted freedom of the press.

Within weeks, political opposition was dismantled.

Within months, Hitler ruled by decree.

• To this day, historians don’t know who set the fire. It may have been a lone arsonist. It may have been the Nazis themselves.

But it didn’t matter. The crisis became the pretext, and the rest was a brutal, world-changing descent into dictatorship.

BIG PICTURE: This isn’t just history—it’s a blueprint. That pattern has repeated across the world.

• In Chile, 1973: Augusto Pinochet took power in a U.S.-backed coup and used “restoring order” as a license for torture, repression, and 17 years of dictatorship—in one of the most shameful episodes in American history (that’s rarely taught in schools).

• In Russia, 1999: A wave of apartment bombings gave Vladimir Putin the excuse to launch a war and seize power.

• In Türkiye, 2016: A failed coup attempt gave Recep Erdoğan the green light to jail thousands, purge the courts, and rewrite the constitution.

When fear spikes and the public demands safety, authoritarians act fast. They exploit the crisis. They consolidate control.

And they don’t give it back.

To be fair—America is not Germany. But Trump is not a normal president, and history is not just the past—it’s a warning.

🔥 7 potential “Reichstag Fires”

History tells us that authoritarian takeovers often need a spark.

What follows are seven kinds of events—none of them far-fetched—that could give Trump the opportunity he needs to claim sweeping emergency powers, silence critics, and potentially end American democracy as we know it.

1. Large-scale terror attack on U.S. soil

A domestic or foreign terrorist attack—especially one involving a Muslim suspect, an immigrant, or a leftist group—would offer the perfect pretext for Trump to declare a state of emergency.

• He could reinstate something like the Muslim ban, shut down the border, and bypass due process.

He could go further: detain protesters as “domestic extremists,” surveil journalists and activists, and justify it all under the banner of national security.

• After 9/11, even spineless liberals accepted indefinite detention and warrantless surveillance.

Such an attack would have to be truly catastrophic at this point, either with an extremely high death toll or the destruction of a symbolic landmark.

• Remember: the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history occurred on Trump’s watch the first time—and that resulted in next to nothing changing.

Trump, of course, is more unhinged this time around with fewer guardrails.

2. Violent mass protests—or made to look that way

If large-scale protests erupt against Trump’s policies—especially after an international event or a high-profile deportation—any hint of violence could be used as justification for martial law in major cities. 

• Even peaceful protesters could be smeared as “rioters” or “insurrectionists”—just as we were in 2020.

Trump has already called for the shooting of looters and deployed unmarked federal agents to snatch protesters off the streets. 

Given another chance, and the right excuse, he wouldn’t hesitate to escalate that crackdown—and label the resistance itself a national security threat.

3. An assassination attempt—even a failed one

A violent attack on Trump or one of his high-profile allies would instantly be used to declare war on dissent.

• Whether or not the attacker had political motives, Trump could use the moment to portray the left as dangerous and unhinged, unleashing the full force of the federal government on political enemies, media figures, and activist networks.

The Department of Justice could be rebranded as a tool of revenge. Entire movements could be criminalized. In the fog of national mourning or panic, civil liberties would vanish quickly.

• There’s no doubt J.D. Vance—who’s infinitely smarter and more dangerous than Trump—wouldn’t hesitate to do this if he somehow became president.

4. Escalation at the border or manufactured “invasion”

All Trump needs is one violent incident involving migrants—real or staged—to claim the country is under siege.

• He’s already promised to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and suspend due process for immigrants.

But a border “crisis” could allow him to bypass Congress entirely, deploy the military inside the country, and override state governments under the excuse of protecting national sovereignty.

5. A crisis abroad that demands loyalty at home

The destruction of a sacred site like Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque (which is a goal of Jewish nationalists in Israel), an Israeli-Iranian war, or a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would send shockwaves through the global order.

• Trump could wrap himself in the flag, frame the conflict as a civilizational battle, and demand unity—or else.

Muslim Americans, Chinese Americans, or antiwar protesters could be targeted en masse, as Japanese Americans were imprisoned in World War II and socialists were imprisoned in World War I.

• Media critical of the war effort could be silenced in the name of national security.

Even elections could be delayed “until the emergency passes.” Wartime presidents often get a blank check. Trump would cash it.

6. A new pandemic or major COVID resurgence

We’ve already seen how Trump responds to a public health crisis: with lies, authoritarian instincts, and open hostility to democratic norms.

• In 2020, he floated delaying the presidential election due to COVID and attacked vote-by-mail as fraudulent.

A new pandemic—or even a severe COVID resurgence—could give Trump a fresh excuse to suspend in-person voting, shut down protests, override local governments, and expand executive powers under the guise of “public safety.”

7. A contested or delegitimized election—even if he’s not on the ballot

Trump may be constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, but that doesn't mean he’ll step aside quietly—or let his movement lose power.

• If the next election is close, chaotic, or doesn’t go MAGA’s way, Trump could claim it was rigged—just like in 2020—and encourage loyalists in Congress, the courts, or the streets to reject the results.

He could push to keep himself in power by changing term limits—or elevate a loyalist successor and rig the system in their favor.

• Trumpism doesn’t depend on one man running again. It depends on never giving up power, no matter what the voters say.

BIG PICTURE: None of these scenarios are inevitable. But they are all entirely possible.

And in a country this divided, this exhausted, and this vulnerable—what matters is not whether Trump creates the crisis, but whether we allow him to use it.

🔒 5 ways to protect yourself

If you’re reading this, you’re not helpless. You’re awake.

• The goal of this Deep Dive isn’t to scare you into paralysis. It’s to prepare you for what may come—and help you act now, while there’s still time.

Authoritarian takeovers are never just national. They become personal: they show up in your workplace, in your digital life, in your neighborhood, and in your inbox.

• So preparing yourself isn’t just about voting or watching the news—it’s about building resilience in every part of your life.

Here are five ways you can prepare yourself right now.

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