Trump 2.0: Please Read Before You Sit This Election Out
Same goes for any third-party voters, longtime Republicans and those on fence about which candidate to choose.
As divided as we are as a country, we can at least come together to support the communities impacted by devastating natural disasters without bringing politics and blatant mis- and disinformation into the fray, right?
Ha!
What we saw from Donald Trump following Hurricane Helene proved that there is no limit to the lengths he will go to advance his agenda and attack his enemies.
It’s not surprising, but it is infuriating.
What happened
Hurricane Helene made landfill in Florida as a Category 4 Hurricane, impacting seven southeastern states (Fla., Ga., Ala., N.C., S.C., Va. and Tenn.) and resulting in more than 230 deaths, making it the deadliest hurricane in the U.S. since Katrina. One hundred of those deaths occurred in North Carolina, a state that was absolutely decimated by the storm — especially in areas like Asheville that were believed to be “safe havens” from extreme weather.
Trump made a host of claims about the disaster relief efforts in North Carolina in the immediate aftermath of Helene that were easily be disproven; statements from the ridiculous (aid was purposely withheld from those living in Republican areas and Biden using FEMA funds to get migrants to illegally vote for Democrats) to the hateful, baseless and dangerous (Kamala spent all her FEMA money — “billions and billions” — on illegal migrants).
Trump’s claims about North Carolina’s disaster-relief efforts were unequivocally false — as many, many, many sources and Republicans have pointed out. Republicans governors and state and local emergency management personnel have also praised FEMA’s response and even complained that Trump’s false claims made it more difficult for emergency personnel to provide relief, and created confusion and mistrust among people who desperately needed aid. For the first time in its history, FEMA even needed to create a rumor response resource due to the disinformation Trump was spreading, and aid workers had to pause operations in several instances because of threats.
I’ve never been one to subscribe to the theory that everything Trump does is pure projection, that every horrible accusation he makes about his opponents and enemies is something he himself is guilty of. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the growing body of evidence about this Trump projection strategy. Take Helene, for instance. Biden didn’t use FEMA disaster funds on migrants, but you know who did? Trump diverted nearly $10 million in FEMA funds “for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use for detention programs in 2018.”
From classified document mishandling (remember Hilary’s emails) to using inflammatory rhetoric, there is no shortage of evidence out there on Trump’s proclivity for projection — and he knows exactly what he’s doing. There is a very good reason for all the lies he spreads and its manipulation technique is rooted in weakness in human psychology.
Potential nonvoters
When I started this newsletter, the primary objective was to update the people in my life on the rebuilding progress my wife and I were making on our home following Hurricane Ida’s unexpected visit back in 2021.
The village of friends, family and neighbors — several of whom are stauch Trump supporters — that held our family up and kept us afloat by providing labor, love and badly needed financial support was too large to put on a text thread, so I started River People Rebuild.
In the three years I’ve been writing this newsletter, I purposely tried to steer clear of politics. But it feels absurd to write about anything other than the election right now.
By no means does this substack have a large platform, but I do have hundreds of highly engaged readers. Readers who put up with my sporadic posting and who click every time I put something out. Readers who send in thoughtful emails and moving comments. Readers who care.
If I have a chance — even an extremely remote one - to convince just one person who planned to sit this one out and not vote or who is a lifelong Republican hesitant to vote for Trump to rethink their plan and vote for Kamala Harris, then I’d be disappointed with myself if I didn’t write this.
If you’re thinking about not voting in this election, I’m sure you have reasons that are valid to you. The last thing you need — especially if you have been open about your thoughts and have loud, annoying friends who have opinions about your stance — is some random guy trying to convince you to not only vote but to vote a certain way.
Just hear me out. I’m not going to give you the stuffy, pretentious lecture about your “civic duty.” I just want to reiterate what I’m sure you’ve been hearing over and over: Your vote matters, and your vote is needed more than ever.
By all indications, this is an extremely tight race, and as we witnessed in 2020, states are won by razor-thin margins.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility to say that if you don’t vote in this election, you may not have an opportunity to vote in a free election any time in the foreseeable future.
The first time I heard a far Leftwing pundit warning people about the end of democracy if Trump is elected, I thought it was catastrophizing for clicks. Liberals on the far Left doing their version of the fearmongering the Right does so well.
It’s not. Trump’s own chief of staff said the former president met the definition of a fascist, and virtually everyone who has ever worked for the Trump administration has warned the public about the dangers a second term presidency present — including his own VICE PRESIDENT. That has never happened before.
Before you commit to not voting this time around, please take this information to heart. Even Trump’s own vice president WILL NOT endorse him and his ex-chief of staff, a respected general who dedicated his life to serving this country and who Trump himself raved about, is calling his former boss a fascist.
Trump and his inner-circle are already claiming there’s widespread fraud and setting the stage for The Big Lie 2.0, something that will make what happened with the 2020 election (and the 60 some lawsuits that his own hand-picked judges said had no merit) seem like a joyful transfer of power more peaceful than a Dead show. Based on his history of projection, the fraud claims mean his team is planning to try and cheat. But here’s the reality, for a country as large as the United States, wholesale voter fraud — the kind that changes outcomes — is nearly impossible.
And speaking of 2020, the only reason Trump isn’t in jail for his role in January 6th — an attempt to overthrow the government that he was at a minimum responsible for inciting but more likely directly involved in planning — if our current DOJ wasn’t so afraid of playing favorites.
The list goes on and on and on.
Sometimes all it takes to spur somebody in action, to inspire someone who wasn’t voting to change their mind is to see all of the reasons not to elect Trump laid out in one single place. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich does an excellent job of offering concise one-sentence descriptions of the damage Trump has already inflicted right here.
Look, it ultimately comes down to this: Do you really want to spend the next four years with a president who is quick to blame others, but who never, ever accepts responsibility for problems he created, who can’t handle even the most minor criticism without looking for revenge?
As Chris Rock famously said (paraphrasing): The president’s job is to take shit from citizens.
Trump single-handedly normalized a level of hatred, anger and mistrust that has done irreparable damage to our collective mental health as a nation. Tomorrow we have a chance to put a stop to the assault on our sanity and start the rebuilding process.
For Reagan and Haley Republicans
Ok, I’m not going to subject you to the novel I wrote for nonvoters here.
If you’re a lifelong Republican who can’t stand Trump as a person and who is only considering a vote for him because you believe the economy might fare better during a second Trump presidency than a Harris one, I would just ask you to look at all the reports out there that spell out exactly why Harris’s policies would make for a stronger economy.
Sure, but all those reports must be coming from liberal left, how can you trust that? Here’s The Wall Street Journal explaining how Trump’s economic policies would be far more inflationary — the very thing he said only he could control — than a Harris presidency.
And if you want more granular detail, I highly recommend you check out this plea to Haley voters.
The Case for Harris
Look, I know the majority of this post (plea?) has been about why you shouldn’t vote for Trump, but there are so many reasons why you should vote for Harris. If you haven’t done so, check out her policies. You might be surprised by what you find.
There is so much momentum for Harris right now for a reason.
does an excellent job presenting aggregated information and making the case for Harris in a recent post. Here’s what she offered:Below are many links backing up my argument for why you should vote Harris/Walz:
Project 2025 Threatens Full Privatization of Medicare—A Death Sentence for Millions. - Common Dreams
Pro-Palestinian ‘Uncommitted’ Group Comes Out Firmly Against Trump. - NY Times
Netanyahu is rooting for Trump: Here's why you shouldn't. - Jerusalem Post
That “Little Secret” Between Trump and Johnson? Here’s What It Could Mean. - The Nation
Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally Was Even Worse Than You Think - Huffington Post
All the Musicians Supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election. - Billboard
More than 400 economists and policy advisers endorse Kamala Harris and warn about the consequences of Trump policies. - CNBC.
More than 700 military and national security leaders warn of the dangers of Donald Trump, and sign a letter endorsing Kamala Harris. - NY Times
National Security Leaders for America endorses Kamala Harris.
Once Top Advisers to Trump, They Now Call Him ‘Liar,’ ‘Fascist’ and ‘Unfit’ - NY Times
Never-Trump Republicans on why they are supporting Kamala Harris. - Washington Post
Here's where Harris and Trump stand on three big health care issues. - NPR
A Texas Woman Died After the Hospital Said It Would be a “Crime” to Intervene in Her Miscarriage. - ProPublica
Advocates Applaud Harris' Plan for Medicare to Cover Home Health Aides. - Common Dreams
If you are still reading this post by some miracle, all I ask is that you take everything I’ve just written and all the information I’ve linked to that was written by much, much smarter people — especially David Frum’s impassioned essay here — and follow your conscience.
And if you know of ANYONE who might need to hear ANY of this, please share.
Great article Jared and I agree 💯 🙏❤️
🙏🏼🩷