this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2026
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During the campaign, it was kind of hard to picture the specifics of how Trump might pull such a thing off. Alas, it’s getting less hypothetical by the week.

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[–] leraje@piefed.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 hour ago

I find posts/headlines like these genuinely bizarre. "Now be plainly said"? "hard to picture the specifics"? "Less hypothetical by the week"? I'm not American, I don't live there but even I can see - and have always been able to see - that its been on his agenda since day 1, that he doesn't care - and never did care - about how it looks or how it works, that its never, ever been hypothetical.

I don't make any claim to a superior level of intelligence, I'm not intimately familiar with the inner workings of the US political system but surely this has been utterly obvious to literally everyone since 2016. How many times does this man need to subvert political processes - which has also been happening since 2016 - before US citizens realise that democracy there is gone as a political system? All the various points along the last 10 years I've heard US citizens say "well, OK, thats bad, but at least he can't do this thing" - and then he does it and they say "wow yeah, thats terrible but at least he's not done the other thing." repeat unto infinity.

He doesn't care about head-shaking sombre articles from left-leaning media, he doesn't care about No Kings marches. He doesn't care that judges rule against him, he doesn't care about violating your constitution. What he cares about is beefing up the military, turning the area around the Whitehouse into a heavily armoured, protected zone and creating distraction after distraction after distraction for US left wing political podcasters to froth about in Instagram Reels. Whilst you're all laughing at his propensity to shit his pants and fall asleep and make rambling speeches, he's preparing his likely combat zones and mass detention centres/camps.

[–] deliciEsteva@piefed.world 2 points 1 hour ago

wouldn't even be his first...

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah well. We talked about it for ages, but now we have it straight from the horse's mouth. I just hope it sends the appropriate signals to the people whose job it is to complain and ultimately prevent unconstitutional behavior.

You know hope, this tiny helpless thing that just does not want to go away?

[–] definitely_AI@feddit.online 12 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

You know what guys? At this point, I am beginning to think that this Trump fellow is up to no good. It is getting less hypothetical by the week.

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 39 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

This is exactly the situation that the 14th Amendment was created to prevent. Yet our worthless government refused to disqualify Trump from the 2024 election and let him be sworn in despite the fact that all of that was clearly illegal.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The Supreme Court letting him run in direct opposition to the 14th amendment was a moment. There’s absolutely no way to interpret that as ok

[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 4 points 2 hours ago

The Chief Justice actually swore him in.

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

They were worried it might cause unrest. Because that clearly hasn't happened anyhow.

[–] plateee@piefed.social 16 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

What I haven't seen anyone weigh in on is the scenario where red states suspend their elections, and blue don't.

I have a hard time believing New York or Illinois would go along with emergency powers halting the election, but I could 100% see Texas or Florida doing so (especially if in those red states there are good indicators of seats flipping blue).

So if even one red state calls off their election, what then? At least for midterms there isn't a multi-state ballot - but what about the next election? Can a president be elected if some states refuse to have an election?

This shit is so stupid and terrifying and fucking awful.

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 6 points 5 hours ago

Yes, the number is electoral votes available just goes down. I suppose you could have only one state voting and have it decide the Presidential election? But you wouldn't have much of a Congress. Every rep is elected every two years, so the house would be emptied of every non-voting state. The senate would loose 1/3 of its members. Without full elections, we really don't have a government.

Of course they could have elections but leave the President off the ballot, but I think that would be harder to sell. Even if you somehow felt Trump could have a third, unconditional term, he still has to be elected to that term. How you could have an election but not for President I can't even imagine.

[–] definitely_AI@feddit.online 6 points 5 hours ago
[–] Substance_P@lemmy.world 22 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

On Trumps Draft National Emergency Order to take over US elections - (the National Emergencies Act (NEA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to claim authority over voting procedures.) let's just say, any attempt to federalize elections would be considered unconstitutional and illegal.

States have control over how they are done as written in the constitution. Also, if SCROTUS allows it, the "We" are no longer a Constitutional Republic.

If Trump is allowed to move forward with this obvious unconstitutional grab for power, allowed by the Dems on a plater with little public outrage, a failed supreme court intervention resulting in no push-back by any checks and balances, then the US Constitution is a lot weaker than americans would have you believe.

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

The constitution is what gives them all their authority. If they don't hold it up, the government has abdicated.

[–] jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Organized force and the subsequent compliance of the masses is what gives authority. The rest is theatrics to give the illusion of legitimacy and popular support. This works quite well...until it doesn't.

The question becomes: What will the police and military do, when push comes to shove? What will citizens do, and what will the response be?

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The police will protect wealth. The military will follow orders if they are made plausibly legal. Which is why a third term really doesn't hold up. There is no plausible way that is legal.

[–] jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 hour ago

You are assuming the military will intervene to defend the US constitution? They might be a bit busy, by the looks of it..

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 9 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

SCOTUS failing to stop federalization of elections is literally the last possible Rubicon.

[–] sidelove@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

Exactly. Everyone was afraid of what would happen when Trump was elected because of what he would do. That is what he would do. Pulling that off means the experiment is over, America will never come back from it.

[–] U7826391786239@piefed.zip 12 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

i'm afraid by the time most people realize how fucked we are it'll be too late

what happens with the midterm will determine everything moving forward

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

It's not a matter of realization but action. "The guy with the enormous constellation of public and private allies plans to do The Big Illegal Thing" doesn't tell us how we're supposed to respond.

There's a certain "well, people should just do something!!!" attitude that is divorced from reality. Everyone wants everyone else to "do something!!!" for them. Vanishingly few people know what is to be done.

[–] deliciEsteva@piefed.world 2 points 1 hour ago

I guess most people still operate on the default democratic process, hoping and expecting checks and balances to finally take effect. The real problem is NOT the people. The real problem is that the republican party and therefore the whole legislative branch (as well as SCOTUS) has been hijacked and corrupted, to the point where they just let him do whatever he wants. The system only works when the people in their respective position to represent the will of the people actually do so. It is not the people's responsibility to come up with solutions. It's the representatives responsibility and DUTY to which they have all SWORN to protect, enforce and abide by the constitutionally laid out ground rules. But now, they just follow Trump and make sure nobody steps out of line.

The next constitutional update should include some personal responsibility and liability for those who refuse to honour their oath. The way I see it, this is something like treason.

[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 19 points 9 hours ago

Sounds about right, just like Elons PAC aiding trump to win using fraud

[–] U7826391786239@piefed.zip 13 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

a few more peaceful protests will fix that right up

[–] definitely_AI@feddit.online 5 points 5 hours ago

I consider them fire drills.

[–] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 hours ago

It’s been so predictable watching Americans sit on their asses for an entire year, openly talking about how this is going to happen and doing fuck all about it. Absolute cowards. Sleepwalking into fascism because they’re too comfortable to throw a punch.