To stop Trump and his equally bloodthirsty henchmen from turning the country into a tyranny Biden could (but won't) do what Trump would do in his place. By Hal M.Brown

Democracy loving Americans, don't deceive yourselves with delusions and denial, Trump and his goons are out for your blood. 

Note that I wasn't the only one to think of monkeys when I envisioned the group of people who will be advising Trump (click here).

 The cartoon refers to this:

Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility

If Trump intends to, as it so far appears he does plan to do, run his goverment with a group of henchmen (and hench women) as a ruthless dictatorship as soon as possible by making sure Congress goes into recess and making appointments then there's nothing the Democrats or even Republicans can do to stop him except complain.

Once he puts his people in place we will see a vicious juggernaut to upend democracy and make America into a fascist state where only people loyal to Trump will have positions in federal agencies. Congress will become like The Federal Assembly of Russia if Trump decides he even needs a Congress. Congress be damned. He can decide to rule by decree. 

The only way he can be stopped is for Biden to do something now right out of a dictator's playbook. Of course he won't do it, but years from now democracy loving people may look back and wish he had.

If Trump turns the country into a dictatorship he will have to ignore the Constitution. He may have put his hand on some historic Bible and uttered an oath on Jan. 20th but this would have been just for show. 

Every president has taken this oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The oath is worded and administered in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:”

Under the Constitution, the old president continues to hold full power through 11:59:59, and then power shifts at noon.  Article II, Section 1 requires that the new president, before executing any duties, take a prescribed oath or affirmation. 

Trump can mouth the words. He' doesn't have to mean them. He won't mean them. 

According to law on Jan. 20th, his day one, he will have the power of the president. That is, if he is actually sworn in to be president. The only way for this not to happen is for President Biden, or possibly President Harris, to have used the power of the presidency that Trump may wish he had used before he left office when Biden was sworn in. I am sure Trump wonders what would have happened if he refused to leave office by using the Insurrection Act. 

Biden possibly could, but won't, say that for the good of the country he isn't leaving office. 

He possibly could, but won't, declare the election null and void because Trump cheated by claiming he was running to be a democratic president loyal to the Constitution, but has shown he plans to be a dictator loyal only to himself.

Biden possibly could, but won't, declare a national emergency of some sort, I don't know what it might be, and suspend the transfer of power. He could effectively become dictator himself. He could order Trump arrested for sedition (or something) and placed in custody where he'd be deprived of the ability to communicate with the outside world. No matter what the Supreme Court ruled about this being illegal he could ignore them. After all, this is what Trump would do, or have attempted to do, in his place.

Of course none of this will happen. I am not even sure any of it is possible. Biden will dutifully attend the inauguration even though Trump didn't attend his. He will put on his show of supporting the peaceful transfer of power as if he is handing over the presidency to someone who intends to be a president and not a bloodthirsty dictator bent on revenge against anyone who opposed him in the past and to bleed dry anyone who dares to oppose him in the present and future. 

Before World War II, World War I was known as The Great War or, with grim retrospection, The War to End All Wars. If Biden attempted a coup the Civil War could end up being called the First Civil War because we might have a second one. Right now I say it is better to live under a tyranny than have a war which turned Americans against Americans. Ask me again in four years if I feel the same way.

We have to live as best we can with what those who bought into Trump's lies have wrought. These are the people who laughed off his saying he'd be a dictator only on day one as just a snide remark which he didn't mean. We now know there is evidence that voters who relied on family and trusted friends instead of traditional media for information voted for Trump rather than for Harris (article).

Now that he's won Trump it has become clear through his Cabinet and other top level nominees that he has always wanted to be a dictator not necessarily for four year but for as long as he damn well wants to.

There is no legal mechanism that can stop this. The only possibilty to stop him would be the hitcherto unthinkable military coup.

Trump enjoys being the center of attention, he enjoys people kowtowing to him, he enjoys women fawning over him, he enjoys playing golf, he can't wait to enjoy flying on Air Force One again, but most of all he enjoys making people suffer and fear him. This is what will earn him the title of bloodthirsty tyrant. 

As Trump implements his version of Project 2025 some members of the public may not even see what is happening. Some will learn about it because they are one of the estimate 50,000 civil service employees fired because they don't pass a loyalty test, others may see goon squads kicking their neighbor's door down, those who live in states like Oklahoma may hear from their children that they had to watch a video announcing a new religious studies department. 

Those who depend of MSNBC for news and opinion may turn on their TV one morning and see a "no signal" message on their screen.

Trump could end up on lists like 

The 10 Cruelest And Most Bloodthirsty Rulers Of All Time

This list begins with Vlad the Impaler:

"Vlad III Dracula, most commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, was the ruthless ruler of Wallachia (in present-day Romania) during the 15th century. And yes, he is the inspiration for the vampire stories we’re so fond today—that’s how bloodthirsty he was. While he was fond of mass murdering, disemboweling, and boiling his enemies alive, his preferred method of torture was impaling his victims (hence the nickname). Stories about his cruelty were spread by friends and rivals alike, so it’s pretty safe to say he earned his reputation."

The list includes Ivan IV of Russia (aka Ivan the Terrible), Hitler, and Stalin. Of course there are longer lists like this one of the 25 deadliest dictators. I chose the shorter list since it has bloodthirsty in the title.

For more about what I think Trump has planned for his presidency read my blog: Trump can make "it" happen here? "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (LINK)"

Previous list of blogs here.

Primary Hal Brown's Blog website (if you are reading this anywhere else any addtions or corrections will be at this address)

Recommended reading related to this blog if you subscribe to The New York Times.

Masha Gessen begins their essay with:

For those bewildered by why so many Americans apparently voted against the values of liberal democracy, Balint Magyar has a useful formulation. “Liberal democracy,” he says, “offers moral constraints without problem-solving” — a lot of rules, not a lot of change — while “populism offers problem-solving without moral constraints.” Magyar, a scholar of autocracy, isn’t interested in calling Donald Trump a fascist. He sees the president-elect’s appeal in terms of something more primal: “Trump promises that you don’t have to think about other people.”

Here's how they conclude:

As for the specifics, we know less than we may think we know. Had Trump been elected to a second term in 2020, Magyar says he would have expected him to try to repeal the 22nd Amendment, which established a two-term limit for presidents. I think he may still try to do it, clearing the way to run again at the age of 82. Much has been written about Project 2025 as a sort of legislative blueprint for the second Trump presidency. The historian Rick Perlstein, in a series of articles in The American Prospect, has argued that some of this coverage is misleading. Project 2025 is a vast, complicated document full of contradictory recommendations apparently made by people with different beliefs and agendas. Consistent with Magyar’s theory of autocracy, the document is more a reflection of the clan of people who empower Trump and are empowered by him than an ideological document. It is not a blueprint for coherent legislative change, but it is a blueprint still: a blueprint for trampling the system of government as it is currently constituted, a blueprint of destruction.