Hi everyone, this post is unusually long but I hope you will read it all the way through. I just had abdominal surgery and as I recovered I had more time to read the news coverage and watch mainstream media and listen to Joe Rogan and many others on the right, the left and in the middle which helped me get a sense of what the media is covering and not covering over 130 days into this administration. The media is very focused on what Trump is doing every day. But Americans are not learning about the scary underlying motivation for this shocking decimation of our government that we are living through. Why is Trump doing this? Who are his funding partners and allies? What do they get out of the end of our democracy?
Let’s be clear. We are living through an unprecedented attack on us, the American people, from our own president and executive branch. It’s an attack on our government, our education system, our rights and freedoms to choose and be in charge of our own personal health and bodily decisions, the success of our business world, and freedom of expression in the arts and media.
The attack is coming at us not only from Trump and his cadre of loyalists in government but from outside forces that want to get rid of our democracy. That is what I want to expose here. I hope you will read the post in full and share it with your networks. If you think I got anything wrong let me know at Sheila@markinreport.com and cite your sources. I want to hear from you.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
We know that Trump was elected by the American people to fix two big things:
1) Immigration
2) The Economy
We also know that Americans were fearful of a world changing too fast and a country becoming a multi ethnic, multi-cultural mixture very rapidly.
Americans elected, as many countries do, what they thought was a strong man to protect them and fix these problems. The Dems offered a joyful, untested Black and Asian woman instead. When Biden stepped aside (as he needed to do but did too late for the Dems to introduce other good potential presidential hopefuls to the country) Trump got the benefit of being the de facto incumbent. Harris then got demolished when formerly Democratic voters (some 5 million former Biden voters) stayed home instead of going to the polls to vote for her. Trump also won thanks to social media influencers and the information war our country is experiencing that promotes disinformation and cynicism. Influencers were paid a lot of money ($500,000) to weave in opinions that would move young Hispanic and Black men to vote for Trump as the alpha male to feel better about themselves in a world that was not paying enough attention to their post pandemic pain. The Harris campaign truly failed to connect with the former Obama coalition of younger Black, Hispanic, White and low propensity voters.
Now that Trump is in office, he and his administration have been overly cruel and untethered when it comes to immigration, crime was already going down after the pandemic (Trump will try to take credit for that), and Trump is stress testing the economy, flirting with recession and/or stagflation with his chaotic tariffs and unhinged, ever changing decisions including his bogus punishment of Harvard for allegedly being antisemitic, dismantling of our leadership in scientific innovation, dismantling our soft global power by allowing DOGE to wreck USAID and VOA, and attacks on law firms that don’t bow to him. He is also engaging in overt flagrant corruption.
Most Americans did not believe that they were electing someone to throw our country’s government, norms and the rule of law into the trash bin of history and replace it with a dictatorship- and that was not what Trump told us he was up to “except on day one”. Like Trump, most autocratic dictators get elected these days and they rule with an iron hand over a fake democracy that is rigged to keep them in power like Viktor Orban. Republicans were in on this and still are which is why they stay silent in the face of Trump’s coup. Trump’s administration continually gaslight Americans and tell them everything is fine and they should not trust what they are seeing with their own eyes which keeps many Fox and conservative media watching Americans in denial.
This administration’s chaotic dismantling is likely to catch up to Trump and the MAGAs this summer as the tariffs (even if they are reduced) make America pay more for almost everything, the tax cut for the wealthiest results in serious damage to Medicaid (grandma’s nursing home, the SNAP program etc), Social Security, the VA, FAA and weather service predictions of danger become more and more dysfunctional because these government agencies don’t have adequate funding or staffing thanks to cuts by DOGE that did absolutely nothing to lower the deficit. And HHS, run by RFK Jr misleads Americans in ways that will impair their health and the health of their families.
As our country sinks, Trump will blame Biden as long as he can and then he will blame DOGE and Elon Musk. He will con Americans as long as they let him.
But it seems that the American people are catching on. They are expressing growing anger, worry and concern in poll after poll and townhall meeting after townhall meeting in red districts.
WHAT CURRENT POLLS SAY
On the ECONOMY:
A 59% majority of the public now says President Donald Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, up from 51% in March and on par with the worst numbers Joe Biden saw during his presidency.
Americans remain broadly unhappy with the nation’s economy, the survey finds, and there’s little enthusiasm for the White House’s sweeping new trade policies. With the impact of new tariffs still largely to come, 6 in 10 already say that Trump’s policies have increased the cost of living in their community, with just 12% saying his agenda has helped to bring prices down. [CNN]
Americans now get it that tariffs are hurting the economy and they haven’t really hit yet. Just wait.
In January 48% of Americans favored them. Now 58% oppose them and only 42% favor them. [CNN YouGov Poll]. And Trump owns the tariff issue. At first, in March, 38% blamed Biden for the bad economy. Today 54% say Trump is to blame.
On IMMIGRATION
Immigration was the cornerstone of Trump’s 2024 campaign and an issue Trump previously polled highly on. But recent polls have shown Trump’s approval rating on immigration underwater.
A decline in approval now—especially as immigration remains a central focus—signals potential vulnerability in his messaging and may reflect shifting public attitudes or dissatisfaction with how he and his allies are handling the issue.[Newsweek]
WHAT THE TOWNHALLS AND PROTESTS TELL US
Americans, including many Trump supporting Americans, are not happy with this administration so far even if some are still willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt right now.
Republican lawmakers who are brave enough to hold townhalls are being confronted with angry constituents expressing upset that their Republican representatives are still supporting the Trump/MAGA effort to limit Medicaid, FEMA, close or limit access to our national parks and allow Musk to mine our private data. They didn’t like the tariffs and now they don’t like the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that will continue the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans and do so by taking money from the poorest and most needy Americans. These moves are not sitting well.
Here is an example of a very recent townhall with Jodi Ernst that exposes the anger Americans have about Republicans going along with Trump and the oligarchy.
In this clip Ernst talks about Medicaid and how only people who are not qualified will be removed. But she is being misleading here. Republicans are planning to restrict the numbers of people who will be eligible for this government benefit by rejiggering the requirements so that they can claim only ineligible people are getting kicked off. Currently, they claim illegals are getting this benefit. Not so. If someone is illegal they are not qualified to get Medicaid and are rejected in the application process with an exception for emergency services.
Although the Republicans are claiming there are no cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security in this so called Big Beautiful (BS) Bill, the truth is there are. BBB in its current form cuts more than $600 billion from Medicaid, and according to some estimates will see over 10 million people lose access to insurance.
In the Jodi Ernst townhall you hear someone from the audience yell out “People will die”. Ernst’s reaction? “We are all going to die.” Wow. That was shockingly nihilistic of her. Whatever happened to the idea that our elected officials are supposed to help us live our best lives? But what popped out of Ernst’s mouth pretty much sums up the secret way most if not all Republicans think about poor or sick or not wealthy people. They might as well hurry up and die because they are draining money from the richest, more entitled Americans who should get their tax breaks so they can buy another yacht.
OK, BUT WHY THE HECK IS TRUMP TRASHING EVERYTHING?! WHO WANTED THIS?
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SEVEN MOUNTAINS AND HOW THEY FIGURE IN HERE
The “Seven Mountains” is a term within some Christian circles referring to seven key areas of societal influence that Christians are encouraged to impact with their faith. These areas are: Family, Religion, Education, Government, Media, Arts and Entertainment, and Business.
The concept of the Seven Mountains is rooted in the idea that by influencing these key areas, Christians can reshape society in accordance with their values. Some proponents believe this is a biblical mandate, referencing passages in Genesis and Revelation.
- Family: Influence within the family, including marriage, parenting, and home education.
- Education: Influence in schools, universities, and the overall educational system.
- Government: Influence in the political arena, including elections, policy-making, and law enforcement.
- Media: Influence in the news, media outlets, and public discourse.
- Arts and Entertainment: Influence in the creative industries, including music, film, and theatre.
- Business: Influence in the economy, including the workplace, entrepreneurship, and corporate practices.
- Religion: The churches, religious organizations, and the overall spiritual landscape of a society.
The movement is believed by its followers to have begun in 1975 with a purported message from God delivered to evangelicals Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright, and Francis Schaeffer ordering them to invade the “seven spheres” of society identified as family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. The idea was not seriously considered until 2000 during a meeting between Cunningham and Lance Wallnau. The movement came to prominence after the 2013 publication of Wallnau’s and Bill Johnson‘s Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate.[7][8]
The movement was generally supportive of the presidency of Donald Trump, with member Paula White becoming Trump’s spiritual advisor. In 2020, Charlie Kirk said, “finally we have a president that understands the seven mountains of cultural influence” during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.[7]
Some scholars have stated that “most if not all of the [Seven Mountain Mandate] leaders can be found within the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement.”[9]
By using strategic spiritual warfare, adherents attempt to gain control of the seven mountains.
Followers believe that by fulfilling the Seven Mountain Mandate, they can establish the kingdom of God on earth and bring about the end times.[7][5]
NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT PETER THIEL
Peter Thiel is the billionaire tech bro who founded PayPal. He wants to get rid of our democracy for other reasons and has a close connection with JD Vance and others in power with the MAGA Republicans.
Watch these clips of Peter Thiel espousing his goals when it comes to our country: https://www.instagram.com/reel
From a Time Magazine interview of Thiel’s biographer:
What do you find scary about his economic and political philosophy?
It’s bordering on fascism. Thiel taught this class at Stanford and then turned it into a book called Zero to One. He talks about how companies are better run than governments because they have a single decision maker—a dictator, basically. He is hostile to the idea of democracy.
When it comes to other tech entrepreneurs:
Many of the things that he [Thiel] believes are reflected in the actions and behavior of many of his peers. Yes, they may have some disagreements. Many of his peers may vote for Democrats. But the idea that companies should basically be able to do whatever they want, that democracy isn’t the most important value, these things are reflected in the decisions and actions that many Silicon Valley companies are making, even Silicon Valley companies that are run by ostensibly liberal progressives.
WHO IS CURTIS YARVIN AND WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIM?
Curtis Yarvin is a blogger who called himself Mencius Moldbug and wrote a manifesto about how government needed to be dismantled.
He proposed “the liquidation of democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law,” and the eventual transfer of power to a C.E.O.-in-chief (someone like Steve Jobs or Marc Andreessen, he suggested), who would transform the government into “a heavily-armed, ultra-profitable corporation.” This new regime would sell off public schools, destroy universities, abolish the press, and imprison “decivilized populations.” It would also fire civil servants en masse (a policy Moldbug later called RAGE—Retire All Government Employees) and discontinue international relations, including “security guarantees, foreign aid, and mass immigration.”
Sound familiar?
Yarvin has influenced Peter Thiel and JD Vance and others in the tech world and now in MAGA world with his ideas about the need for a dictator instead of a president to run this country. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/curtis-yarvin-profile
UNITARY EXECUTIVE
When you hear the right wing talk about the idea of a “unitary executive.” they say they want someone who can cut through the red tape and get stuff done. But don’t be fooled. The “unitary executive” is code for dictator. Rightwing forces welcome a dictator to rule this country because they think that guy would get to call all the shots in their favor without having to worry about laws or safety regulations or convincing people in congress– which often is a messy business.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
I think what we are seeing a number of self-serving anti-democracy forces including Musk/DOGE, NAR, Russell Vaught (Project 2025/ OMB), super rich, crypto bros, Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin JD Vance and numerous tech bros who used Trump like the Trojan Horse to get inside the gates of power. Now they are executing what you could call a phase one “blow it all up” direct assault on our country. Raze it first. Then rebuild. Break it first. Then reconstruct. Everything you could categorize as one of the 7 mountains is being attacked, purged and decimated on purpose so it can be taken over and rebuilt to align with
- 1) a Christian ideology that has lost sight of true Christianity, and
- 2) the Peter Thiel/Curtis Yarvin rightwing goal of making this country into a dictatorship to help the ultra rich and the tech sector
In short, the goal is to replace our 250 year old democracy with an autocracy modeled after Viktor Orban’s Hungary, namely, a fake democracy run by a dictator-in-chief in which the right wing never loses elections, the oligarchy and tech world thrives (or so they think), and everyday Americans get poorer, sicker, less supported by government, less well informed, and have fewer rights and that gets worse and worse over time.
Underlying this viewpoint is an idea that should scare every American- it’s the idea that some people are more worthwhile and special than others. If you are in that elite group you get what you want, but if you are not, you are on your own. It’s ok if you die. You are a drag on our country. That idea was what you heard Jody Ernst unwittingly reveal in her townhall. That thinking is part of the bedrock ideology of this Republican Party.
Democracy is the idea that all of us are created equal and have equal value as people trying to live our best lives and that our government is elected by We the People to help us achieve better lives.
Trump doesn’t have to be a believer of any of these doctrines or ideologies to personally benefit from this attack on everything progressive and liberal and democratic. This burn it all down phase perfectly aligns with his wish to become the first American dictator/ authoritarian leader. When you blow everything up and remove all the watch dogs and the knowledge workers it leaves nothing but TRUMP as the rule of law, the person in charge of the decisions about literally and absolutely EVERYTHING: what government can do, who gets sued and investigated by government, who can be permitted to come to the US, who gets a pardon from him, who gets to have a show at the Lincoln Center, who gets investigated, who gets to become an oligarch in America.
If the Dems had won the House and/or Senate in 2024, Trump would not be getting away with all of the stuff he is getting away with. He would be getting investigated right now and would have faced massive push back from Congress for his tariffs, his crypto scams, his extortion of foreign governments for his own personal benefit and more. The only reason Trump is running wild and free is because the MAGA Congress lets him.
If the Dems get the House back and, better yet, also the Senate in 2026, Trump’s ability to crush our democracy will be challenged and reined in. It would be a first step towards breaking the vicious right wing extremist curse that has befallen our country.
TO DO LIST IF YOU CARE ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY
To summarize, if it wasn’t clear before it is now–we are being taken over by an autocracy, an oligarchy, a dictatorship. Pick your favorite word. The people running our government are literally a ship of fools who were hand picked to be loyal and stupid so that Trump would be in control. Trump himself is all about vengeance, obliteration, domination, dictatorship and personal gain through corruption. He will not change. We will have to put up with 3 and a half more years of his garbage. Our engagement will make the crucial difference in whether we end up with a new, upgraded form of democracy or a fake democracy that will destroy any chance to reclaim the American dream. If we hope to have a democracy in the future, we have to get back the House as a first step towards reclaiming our republic.
What can you do?
What will you say when your children and grandchildren ask what you did to keep our democracy? Take charge. Be part of history. Participate.
- Talk with everyone- Uber drivers, neighbors, people at church everyone everywhere- and tell them what is happening. Invite them to help us reclaim our democracy. Become a change agent for good. Engage with to Trump voters and ask if they still like what they are seeing. I have been doing that and some of them are deeply disappointed and wish they could take back their vote. Encourage them and don’t say I told you so.
- Show up and protest: townhalls, protest marches.
- Support House of Representative candidates who are Democrats or Independents so the control of the House will flip in 2026. Same with Senators.
- Keep in touch with your representatives- tell them when you like what they do and when you don’t.
- As we get closer to the midterms get more active: canvass for good candidates, help people understand how to vote, cure ballots, become a judge of election. We will either make it or not as a country if we can pull together to elect anyone but a Republican in 2026.