Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson has anticipated that President Donald Trump will lash out further as his MAGA coalition weakens.
In his Substack Monday, The Lincoln Project co-founder pointed out that while Trump, who has always wanted to appear a “strongman,” loses his base, he could become more desperate than ever to try and maintain his power.
“For the first time in a long time, the pro-democracy coalition in this country has the wind at its back,” Wilson wrote. “And that’s exactly when things get dangerous.”
“Because Donald Trump and the machine behind him do not lose quietly,” Wilson went on. “He does not fade gracefully. He does not accept reality. When the walls close in, he reaches for the accelerant and sets a fire. We’ve seen it before. He may be older and sicker, but he still commands the levers of power, and as his political fortunes wane, he’ll demand one last conflagration.”
And with his fear of losing control, Trump could increasingly push toward using extreme language, using the courts to prosecute his enemies, “procedural sabotage” with redistricting in red states and “voter disqualifications,” plus potential conflicts abroad — or “manufactured external crises.”
“Trump’s entire political identity rests on dominance,” Wilson wrote. “He cannot psychologically process decline. If polling dips, it’s fraud. If courts block him, it’s corruption. If voters recoil, it’s a conspiracy.”
And if Trump and his allies perceive that things aren’t going their way, they will take further measures.
“They escalate. Expect it. Plan for it. Understand the process,” Wilson wrote.
“First, the rhetoric will harden,” Wilson added. “‘Domestic terrorists.’ ‘Foreign infiltrators.’ ‘Deep state coup.’ The language isn’t an accident; it’s preparation. When you convince your followers that opponents are existential threats, you justify extraordinary measures.”
Wilson argued that it’s up to people to fight back against Trump and “tie MAGA and GOP candidates to a failing President with a deeply poisonous agenda.”
“Yes, the energy has shifted. Yes, the pro-democracy side is gaining ground. Yes, the administration looks rattled,” Wilson explained.
“But a rattled strongman is not a defeated strongman,” Wilson added. “The next phase won’t be a polite policy debate. It will be pressure. It will be intimidation. It will be narratives crafted to justify extraordinary steps. It will be efforts to redefine defeat as illegitimate.”
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