This Is What Losing Feels Like

Trump’s America doesn’t run on hope or optimism; it runs on vengeance, vanity, and victimhood. Judges are jailed, facts are fake, and freedom is just a slogan on a red hat. Time to end this nonsense!

Guest article by Michael Cohen

January 20, 2025. The sky was overcast, as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath, dreading what was about to come. Donald J. Trump took the oath of office for a second time, hand on a Bible he’s probably never read, flanked by loyalists who know exactly what they signed up for: a front-row seat to the American demolition derby he calls governance.

The country—or some of us—were hopeful. Not optimistic; optimism implies a rational basis for believing things will improve. No, we were merely hopeful. Hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he’d surprise us. That the weight of history would settle into his bones like a ghost of Lincoln past and he’d rise to the occasion. That his inauguration speech might hit a note of unity, honor, or—God forbid—compassion.

But no. That January day, we were instead treated to a speech better suited for a Truth Social rant, brimming with vindictiveness, self-pity, and performative patriotism. There were no calls for healing; only calls to arms. The enemy? Anyone who dared to tell the truth about the last eight years, about the January 6th insurrection, or about the simple fact that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Fast forward to today—May 27, 2025—and let’s take a hard look at where "hope" got us.

Just last week, Trump addressed the graduating class at West Point, America’s premier military academy. A moment that should’ve been about duty, sacrifice, and service to the Constitution. Instead? It turned into a bizarre soliloquy about the size of yachts, the costs of divorce, and how difficult it is to find a “loyal” woman when you’re a “successful” man. Hence, the trophy wife. One cadet reportedly whispered to another, “Is this a bit?” It wasn’t.

We’ve seen the so-called Commander-in-Chief hurl insults at our allies while cozying up to dictators. We've watched him undermine the intelligence community—again—this time by suggesting Ukraine provoked Russia with “bad vibes.” In a press conference, he called NATO “a social club for broke countries” and floated the idea of charging allies “interest” for American military protection. Yes, interest. Like it's a mob loan. He has embarrassed heads of state who come to America to discuss foreign policy and alliances. Instead, they get propaganda videos of gravesites.

And the disinformation? It's metastasized. At rallies, Trump continues to regurgitate lies about the 2020 election being “the crime of the century.” His administration peddles propaganda that paints climate change as a Chinese hoax, even as wildfires and tornadoes rage across the country. He’s turned the Department of Education into a MAGA indoctrination machine, helmed by Linda McMahon—yes, the WWE exec—who believes schoolchildren should “learn to compete, not complain.” Translation: no books about slavery, but plenty of wrestling metaphors. I mean, who needs facts when you know how to clothesline or pile-drive an opponent into the ground?

In one of the most disturbing moments of this new reign, Trump recently referred to journalists as “Enemies of the State.” Not truth. Not progress. Not transparency. As in: Do what I say, or face consequences. And let’s not forget the chilling arrest last week of Judge Elena Campos of the Ninth Circuit—hauled off by federal marshals after issuing a ruling that blocked the administration’s latest executive order targeting asylum seekers. The official charge? “Obstruction of national interest,” under the newly passed “Judicial Accountability and Patriotism Act”—a grotesque piece of legislation designed to muzzle dissent from the bench. Her real crime? Upholding the Constitution.

Hopeful? We were fools to be hopeful. Hope is what people cling to when they still believe the rules apply, when they think there’s someone left in power who gives a shit. But hope, in this dystopian rerun of American carnage, is like expecting a gold watch from a Ponzi scheme—you should’ve known better.

And optimism? That was never even on the table. Optimism assumes good faith. It requires evidence that things are trending upward. But what we have instead is an administration bent on revenge, enabled by cowards in Congress and cheered on by an electorate drunk on grievance and disinformation.

So where does that leave us?

It leaves us with a choice: get angry or get active. Or, preferably, both.

This isn’t the time to wait around for a Jack Smith 2.0 or pray for a rogue hero to save the day. This isn’t a Marvel movie. This is real life. The institutions we thought would protect us? They’re being gutted, repopulated with loyalists, or turned into corporate subsidiaries of Trump, Inc. The guardrails are gone. The car is speeding downhill, and the man behind the wheel thinks the brakes are a hoax.

We need to call out the injustices we see every single day. When Supreme Court Justices like Alito and Thomas go rogue, we don’t wring our hands; we organize. When migrant families are rounded up and shipped to "processing centers" with no legal oversight, we speak out. When journalists are attacked, we amplify their stories louder than the lies trying to silence them.

Because here's the truth: we can't afford to wait for “normal” to return. Normal is dead. That’s right… DEAD. Trump didn’t just break the system; he set fire to it, danced in the ashes, and called it a barbecue.

Hope is no longer enough. Hope lets us sleep at night. But we need to wake up.

So let’s get loud. Let’s get organized. And above all else, let’s get moving. Because optimism is a bedtime story, and this—this is the nightmare we’ve got to fight our way out of.

Welcome, my friends, to America, 2025.

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THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PERSONAL NOTE:
ARE YOU WITH ME? I CAN’T DO THIS ALONE!

If you’re reading this, it means you care. You care about truth. About justice. About saving our democracy from the grip of grifters, liars, and power-hungry con men. But let’s be real; I can’t carry this weight on my own.

I’m asking—no, urging—you, my loyal Substack readers, to help grow this platform into a force they can’t ignore. We’re not building a newsletter; we’re building a movement. One loud enough, sharp enough, and relentless enough to push back against the lies and hold the corrupt to account.

Now more than ever, independent journalism needs you. Your support keeps this alive—not corporate sponsors, not shady billionaires with agendas. You.

And yes, as a personal thank you, the first 240 Founding Members will receive a rare, signed, numbered Substack edition of my New York Times bestseller, Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the U.S. Department of Justice Against His Critics. A collector’s item—and a statement.

But this is bigger than a book. It’s about standing up while others stay silent. It’s about building a community that calls out the bullshit and fights like hell for what’s right.

So here’s what you can do:

1. Become a supporter.

2. Share this Substack with family and friends.

3. Bring your people into the fight.

Do your part. Stand up. Speak out. The time is now—and together, we will be heard.