I want to begin today by saying THANK YOU. Six months ago today, I came to Substack to share my thoughts on the state of American politics and the geopolitical implications of Trump 2.0. At that point, I had a large X following, a TikTok account and a YouTube account with a few thousand followers. Substack presented an opportunity for me to engage in long-form commentary on issues I was passionate about.
As I made clear at the time, I am not a journalist or a professional writer, just a 65-year-old guy who had long since graduated from the university of life with a passion for writing and an even bigger love for the preservation of democracy and social justice. As a content creator with five years of experience creating political content and short films. I brought with me the respected Truth Matters brand as my companion, hoping it would inspire thoughts to be shared in a new space for me.
Six months on, and I have almost 75,000 subscribers to the Truth Matters publication. It isn’t easy to articulate how much I appreciate how many people have joined me on this journey of delivering truth supported by fact-checked, detailed analysis of events as they happen. What I can tell you is that your support has given me the ability to make what I believe to be a meaningful contribution to the political conversation in a moment of peril for us all.
I began documenting my thoughts more as a journal I could reflect upon than to influence the conversation. Maybe it’s a long shot to believe my work can move the dial, but rest assured, it certainly won’t be for the want of trying. I’m more than aware that I am rarely the bearer of good news content, but I believe in delivering the unvarnished truth without fear or favour to either side of the aisle. My objective is to tell it as I see it, to break things down into easily understood segments that readers can digest and retain moving forward.
What we must remember is that we arrived in this moment because a little over 30% of eligible voters voted for someone who deceived many of them as to what the actual impact of their vote would be. This is clearly reflected now in numerous red states where Republican lawmakers at town halls up and down the country are faced with hostile constituents who are expressing their anger at having been deceived by Trump. Farming communities are feeling abandoned as farm bankruptcies soar, small businesses are collapsing, and rural hospitals are closing their doors. Micro and small business owners will now also feel Trump’s hand in their back pocket with the abolition of the de minimis as of this coming Friday. Nobody is escaping his extortion policy, all to fill the pockets of the uber-rich.
It’s essential we do NOT forget that the Biden administration did achieve significant progress, despite inheriting an economic and healthcare wasteland left behind by Trump the first time around. I made a short film to remind you not only of those achievements, but of genuine hope for the future if Democrats are brave enough to be bold in their leadership choices.
If you look at the handful of special elections that have taken place across the country since the election, Democrats are seeing seeing swings of up to 15% away from Republican candidates. The foundations for political revolution are forming up and down the country. I believe that never has there been a better opportunity for a new breed of ‘people first Democrats’ to deliver a transformative centre-left political revolution that could drag America back from the edge of the greed pit.
This is not a pipe dream. I have heard influential right-wing voices expressing a fear that the population is being pushed to the brink of saying ‘enough is enough’ and that they fear a backlash that could result in what they are calling ‘a socialist revolution’. Now, let’s be clear, their idea of a socialist is anything to the left of Mussolini, but it’s the sentiment I want you to focus on. Unfortunately, the US population has been so indoctrinated by both parties for decades to accept that healthcare should not be a right, that affordable healthcare is an aspiration, as is paid family leave and a national living wage. The political class has played American voters for decades, in service of their own corporate interests.
Don’t misunderstand, there is no comparison between the aims of the political parties. Never did I have it on my bingo card that a Republican administration would decide to take stakes in American corporations, yet it appears to be a new aspirational goal of Trump’s economic team. Democrats thankfully do have a conscience and recognise they have to provide the hope of a better tomorrow. However, tragically, the ambition and aspirations of the establishment-based leadership don’t exactly inspire me. They demonstrate a lack of vision for what will be a challenging future ahead with the impending impact of AI.
At a time when trust in politicians is at an all-time low, it’s time for Democrats to be bold and sell a new vision for a left-of-centre politics which can deliver transformative change. My biggest fear is that at a time when the American people are crying out for a new type of politics, Democrats will provide a big fat nothing burger and more of the same, just minus the hate and discrimination.
There is no question that those pulling the strings in Trump’s administration are very concerned that they will not be able to retain power under the current system, and that is why we are seeing this massive push to normalise the US military being deployed on the streets. Remember the outrage and the National Guard deployment in LA. Then Washington, D.C., and now the occupation of Chicago hardly raises an eyebrow because ‘It’s what Trump does’. It’s all part of the plan to create the illusion that American streets can only be made safe with a strongman in the Oval Office prepared to integrate the military into everyday life in cities across the nation. Be in not doubt this is the start of forced military occupation. This is before we start talking about the extensive campaign to ban mail in voting and gain access to voting machines under the guise of election integrity.
What you are already seeing with the deployment of National Guards from red states to Washington, DC, is that a number of these guardsmen and women are Trump loyalists and, as such, the population of cities like DC are their enemy, because MAGA ideology dictates their mindset. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that they are effectively the Trump militia who have been armed and sent into enemy territory. It is a Kent State reboot waiting to happen, and trust me, it will. All it takes is a bad decision from a frightened young soldier and America will be facing a whole new ball game. But Trump doesn’t care.
As reported in the Military Times By Leo Shane III,
National Guard troops have been stationed in Washington, D.C. for a week, but when they’ll get paid for the unusual assignment is still unclear.
The report also notes that Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to to White House and Pentagon officials, in which he noted:
The National Guard involved in the effort are missing out on “salaries, housing allowances and medical coverage” from their civilian jobs while performing their military duties. He argued that officials must ensure that none of the individuals involved face financial hardship because of the mobilization.
This comes on top of reports that for many, their accommodation needs are also not being met. Unfortunately Trump couldn’t care less.
Come election time, expect polling places to be protected by armed military and for minority communities to face intimidation and being purged from voter rolls because Palantir will provide Trump with a detailed and politically profiled electoral map. He will know where to focus on roll purges and where to target voter suppression. This is not me being a fearmonger; it is simply my assessment of how this will play out. Be in no doubt, this is no longer about Trump; he’s disposable now that he’s established an ideological political bridgehead. This is about to become nothing to do with democratic elections, but rather about retaining power at all costs.
It is the most audacious plan to hold onto power in American history. Public opinion will play no part in what is to come because they don’t care what the public thinks. It will be the first actual test of the theory that governments govern by consent. Given that if they lose power, Republicans will be cast out into the political wilderness for the foreseeable future, they will stop at nothing to hold on, and that should worry every American. They know that they have reshaped the government in a way that any incoming Democrat administration will be able to turn the whole country upside down to eliminate them as a threat. That’s why they are so dangerous.
The problem I see right now is that Democrats appear to be just sitting back waiting for Trump to set himself on fire and for the economy to collapse so that they can step in and pick over the bones and that should scream five alarm fire. Without new leadership and direction, America will return to politics as usual in Washington, delivering just enough change to keep the population docile. I can’t believe that this is what the American people are looking for as an answer to the tyranny they are now living under. They deserve much better.
I’ve said before, I don’t think there is a political solution to where we are in this moment, because Trump, with the approval of the Supreme Court, is in absolute control, not only of the country but also the narrative, and that is why voices like mine are essential in this battle to retake control. It’s why paid subscribers to Truth Matters play an indispensable role in ensuring my work is made available free to everyone, because the truth should never be forced behind a paywall.
In 2020, I created this Ad on Election Day, when the US was finally liberated from Trump’s first attempt to seize power. It was one of over 20 Ads I created for the campaign, because visual messaging is critically important and will be so in the battle ahead. Paid subscriptions are helping me build a warchest to deliver a new Ad campaign for 2026 and beyond. By becoming a paid subscriber, you become a stakeholder not only in my writing but also in mission-critical Ads that reach a much wider audience. I don’t know about you but I want to get this feeling again in 2028 if we are allowed to get there.
These are unquestionably challenging times, and none of us knows where or when this nightmare will end, but one thing we can be sure of is that if we do nothing, it will never end. I do have confidence that Trump will fail. Indeed, I suspect he will die before the end of his term. However, that will change little, because JD Vance is much more suited to the Heritage Foundation’s ambitions for America. He will be more disciplined and focussed. In my view, he is far more dangerous than Trump. We must be able to capitalise on any failure and attempt to regain the narrative.
I believe, as I’m sure you do, that it is essential to see the full release of the Epstein files, not because I think it will destroy Trump, although that would be a preferable consequence. It is essential to deliver justice for all the victims whose lives have been destroyed by Epstein’s heinous crimes against children. Unfortunately, if Trump is found guilty of any criminal acts, Republicans will throw him under the bus, and we still get JD Vance. There is no happy ending, only the humiliation and possible prosecution of Trump, which incidentally I’d be happy to take.
Visual messaging COUNTS.
Look how popular Gavin Newsom’ political satire has become.
Of course words, discussions, articles, political commentaries are very important but keeping in mind the poor literacy and comprehension of complex issues an average American has, the pro-democracy messaging should be simple, addressing the daily needs of people in the language they immediately understand. Keeping it Simple and using concrete examples!
Bad news or not, at least it’s not lies. As someone of your generation I was raised with trusted news sources and anchors such as Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Having to “fact check” EVERYTHING is exhausting. Thank you for what you do!