The clown in chief has declared war on the media and America's future.

The American circus experiment is hurtling down the road to nowhere, delivering a high-wire act with no safety net

This is part three of what will become a four-part series. You can find part one here and part two here.

These days, I seem to live in a perpetual state of confusion, not about what the Trump messaging machine is putting out on any given day. I’ve come to terms with that. I’m far more confused about how Americans consume that information. It seems to me that just as money has driven corporate media, so too can it drive the emerging independent news space. One thing you can be assured of is that NONE, and I genuinely mean NONE, of my content, be it writing here on Substack, video content on YouTube and TikTok or commentary on my X account, is, or will ever be, driven by how much money I can make from what I have to say. I find the very thought of that abhorrent in this moment.

There is much derision reserved for corporate media these days, and justifiably so in many cases. They are living proof that journalistic integrity is being suffocated by media corporations fearful of fiscally crippling retribution from the President of the United States. Let that sink in for a moment. When did we reach the point where a media company is willing to sacrifice a top-rated political commentator and entertainer to secure a company merger?

It’s essential to recognise that editorial boards have a long history of occasionally restricting journalists in what they can cover; this is nothing new. What is new is the level to which the President of the United States is using the levers of government to effectively exert editorial control from the Oval Office. Corporate media leaders have a fiscal responsibility to ensure their organisations survive this cultural purge from an administration dedicated to absolute control of the media narrative. This leads some to conclude that to survive, they must be prepared to abandon their responsibility to report the truth to their audience. In my view, it is an unconscionable position to take, but for some, it is deemed necessary for survival.

As a result of this corporate media capitulation, we see justifiable attacks on it for not holding Trump’s feet to the fire, stating that corporate media is dead and independent media is the future. Nobody would agree more than I that independent media need to step up in this moment. But basic economics dictate that this can’t be done for free, which sadly seems to be the expectation. Good journalism costs money, and Trump has proved this week that publicly supported media can be decapitated with the stroke of a pen, even if it means abandoning emergency alerts and local public information critical to the welfare of communities.

So what does independent news look like? For me, MeidasTouch Network is the gold standard. They understand the truth imperative, but above all, they are providing a home for journalists and anchors who have been sacrificial lambs at their previous organisations. There is no question they are resonating with an American audience; they have taken on the big boys of right-wing podcasting and beat them at their own game. This is proof that all is not lost. If you are looking to invest in the future of independent, pro-democracy news, click here to support the Meidas Network.

I hate to say it, but once again, it all comes down to money. Political commentary and news can be a very lucrative space. For me, integrity is the whole ball game. The reason journalist can do their job is because of the infrastructure built around them that enables them to do their job with access to critical resources they need each day. That infrastructure is expensive and essential to ensure the truth is told.

Good journalists are the unsung heroes of social and political justice. They certainly inspire me to work harder and become a better literary communicator. No journalist worth their salt is fearful of debate or criticism. However, what upsets me is those who attempt to undermine their work by trying to insinuate that they are irrelevant in the new world of citizen journalism and independent news. It is simply untrue, and I wanted to place that on the record for all the journalists who spend hours fine-tuning their craft to bring us the truth. Of course, there are bad actors and propagandists in this space; they have always existed, but they don’t define the profession.

When I started this journey, I made it very clear, and I repeat today: I am not a journalist; I have not earned the right to wear that badge. It would be disrespectful to the profession to claim otherwise. I’m a passionate writer who believes I can communicate with an audience on their level, making complex political narratives accessible and understandable. I believe that politics is the beating heart of society, and it is neglected because politics is now considered tribal, which has introduced a toxicity that is tearing society apart, causing people to disengage.

If we are to deliver essential commentary in a broken world, we must do so from a foundation of truth. For me, writing is a vocation, not a profit centre. I had a conversation with the love of my life over the weekend, who asked me with a puzzled look, 'Why do people pay you to read your work if they can read it for free?’ Good question, I thought. What has inspired me most about Substack is the willingness of readers to recognise that hard work deserves to be rewarded and that the contribution of paid subscribers helps keep my work free for everyone, because the truth should never hide behind a paywall. It’s very hard for me to articulate the gratitude I feel towards those who spend their hard-earned cash to say, ‘We believe in you. ’ It has become the fuel that drives me every day to be a better writer, a better communicator and a respected source for fact-based commentary.

Never has there been a time in modern history when crystal clear communication of the facts has been more critical. We are living in times where a lie can travel the globe before the truth has even had a chance to get its pants on. As I write this, Trump has thrown a fire blanket over the Epstein case to find some breathing space to create a narrative beyond the latest ludicrous Obama conspiracy theory.

This provides me with a great segue into truth over fantasy. One of the key claims of Trump is that he created the world’s greatest economy. He really should change his name to Walt Disney, because Walt told much better fairy tales. Republicans have consistently done a remarkable job of portraying themselves as the party of sound fiscal management. It is simply a lie that they have told time and time again on the assumption that if you say it often enough, it becomes the truth for your audience, and it has worked.

As reported by The Harvard Kennedy School:

‘… the US economy has since World War II consistently done better under Democratic presidents than under Republican presidents.’

Not to mention that 9 out of the last 10 recessions were presided over by a Republican President. The report goes on to note":

Since World War II, Democrats have seen job creation average 1.7 % per year when in office, versus 1.0 % under the GOP. US GDP has averaged a rate of growth of 4.23% per annum during Democratic administrations, versus 2.36 % under Republicans, a remarkable difference of 1.87 percentage points. This is postwar data, covering 19 presidential terms—from Truman through Biden. If one goes back further, to the Great Depression, to include Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt, the difference in growth rates is even larger.

The truth is that tax cuts for the rich don’t work, and tax cuts for the rich while you’re at war REALLY don’t work. It’s essential to establish these facts, even when examining Trump vs. Obama, which is a significant measure of the fantasy politics we have been subjected to since Trump first entered the White House in 2017.

Looking closely at the difference in performance between Obama and Trump, it is beyond bizarre to me that Trump could convince anyone with a brain that he outperformed Obama; it’s simply not the case, as shown in a report by Don Beyer, Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee. It is worth noting, as included in the report:

When Barack Obama became president in 2009, the economy was experiencing what former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called “the worst financial crisis in global history, including the Great Depression.” In the last quarter of 2008, real GDP plummeted 8.4 % and the economy haemorrhaged more than 1.9 million jobs.

The report is well worth a read so that you can familiarise yourself with the truth rather than Trump’s lies. The fact is that Democrats have a stellar reputation for fixing the economic carnage left behind by Republican administrations, just in time for them to rinse and repeat. This is the consistent tale of failed monetary policy by Republicans since World War II.

Fast forward to 2025, and we find ourselves in a whole new ball game. In Trump’s first term, he was new to the task at hand, and within his cabinet, he had at least some people to save him from his worst instincts. That’s now a thing of the past. The Heritage Foundation used the first term as a dress rehearsal for a longstanding policy agenda. In that first term, they managed to implement 64% of their policy agenda, but it went largely under the radar. This time around, they were fully prepared to a level that the Democrats didn’t wake up to until months before the election. They were no doubt focusing their attention on how they were going to sell an 82-year-old candidate with stage four prostate cancer to the American people. It sends a cold chill down my spine just thinking about the level of deception that was going on at that time.

We have now seen six months of precisely what they had planned, and the resulting inability of Democrats even to slow their march to theocratic autocracy. I have already discussed what I see as the only solutions available to bring Trump to an abrupt halt, but I fear America will merely amble along, believing it will all turn out in the wash. For the record, I can absolutely assure you IT WILL NOT.

So, we find ourselves having to examine the broader impact of the tsunami of executive orders that were designed to lead into Project Esther, which I will cover in some detail tomorrow. What you need to remember is that this is not policy on the fly; it is a meticulously planned agenda divided into four key pieces.

1. The use of executive orders to deliver shock and awe to every norm government had ever known. A coordinated executive Blitzkrieg on the very foundations of government, specifically designed to probe and exploit weaknesses in any and all accountability agencies. Gut the federal workforce and leave government in a state of trauma, as was their stated aim. This was phase one, ‘The Arrest of Power.’ Culling of the federal workforce and a stress test of the judicial branch.

2. The crafting of one large legislative package that would cement what was presented as Trump’s agenda, secure a rise to the debt ceiling and repay the oligarchs who bought Trump the White House. Be in no doubt, much of this legislation had been formulated long before Trump was reelected. It was simply fine-tuned to meet the moment. The key to the structure of this package was the ability to insert hidden measures that could be activated as the plan proceeded.

3. A recission bill to repurpose already appropriated funding, call it a bonus slush fund.

4. Project Esther, which injects white Christian Nationalism at the heart of government. It’s not for nothing that, under executive order, Churches will be able to advocate for candidates from the pulpits of churches as the barrier between church and state is removed.

I had intended this to be a three-part series, but it will clearly take another post to complete my assessment, because I need the time to join the dots between the real day-to-day impact of where we are today, while looking closely at how Project Esther will be now be dovetailed into Project 2025, to realise their ultimate reimagining for a White Christian Nation vision of America.