Summary
White House aides are anxious ahead of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement on Tuesday, expecting new “reciprocal tariffs” but lacking clear details.
Even key figures like VP J.D. Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles remain uncertain. An insider told Politico, “No one knows what the f–k is going on.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and adviser Kevin Hassett said tariffs would target 10–15 countries, but Trump contradicted them, claiming all countries would face tariffs.
The confusion and internal contradictions have sparked fears of economic fallout and political backlash.
I have a unique perspective on that, and I’ll tell you it’s absolutely no different in the army or military than it is in the government with DOGE walking into agencies it SHOULD have no jurisdiction over and ordering them to stand down, then destroying them from within.
Right now the propaganda machine is rolling at %100 convincing the Right that what they’re doing is in defense of the constitution, against the Left’s evils. You have enough stooges in place as leaders, and out enough people who still have a spine, and the rest will (and have) fall in line.
Deporting college students without Due Process? Or protesters, or immigrants? Unconstitutional. Using DOGE to destroy legislative controlled agencies? Unconstitutional. Using DOGE to destroy legislatively mandated executive agencies? Unconstitutional. Attacking the media and their 1A? Unconstitutional. Being crowned god-king by the SCOTUS? Yeah, unconstitutional.
The difference is that the army drills that into the soldiers mind, public servants might be told to do it in passing as part of their onboarding, it’s never made as clear as in the army.
I am telling you, that it doesn’t matter. When you replace the leaders who had a spine with stooges, and then beat down anyone else at the bottom who had a spine, and then start firing or refusing to pay people who aren’t falling in line, everyone else will follow along with whatever you want them to.
Look at the media right now, as a perfect example. Look at universities right now. People are afraid to speak out, because speaking out is being beaten out of them. It will and it has reached the military, too.
It’s naive to think that the military will stand up to it. The Trump administration already fired the leaders who could stand up to them, and then killed ‘DEI’ efforts to ensure that leaders know that they’re there only as long as they’re useful to the guys at the top.
Edit: HTF do you think murdering, executing, and committing genocide was normalized for the people and militaries in Nazi Germany and Israel right now? It’s happening here, and pretty soon convincing the military that Canada, Mexico, or Europe are enemies won’t be difficult. “They’re colluding to commit economic warfare against us! MAGA! Protect America from these bully Europeans!”
Edit 2: I’m afraid of speaking my opinions at work, or to say anything about my beliefs. I know good and well that there are ‘loyalty tests’ coming up, and I’m having to keep my head down now so that I don’t get labeled ‘not loyal enough’ now. And Lemmy here? In the future me exercising my 1A here could end up with me being fired or worse, sent to a gulag somewhere removing toxic waste from the soil after the US nukes itself. (The Handmaiden’s Tale reference.)