Gradually, Then Suddenly

12, Jan 2026

How to think about “The Suddenly Phase” we find ourselves in

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I have been trying to organize my thoughts about everything happening, both domestically and internationally. What we are witnessing now is exactly what we should have been prepared for since 2016. For years, there has been ample evidence pointing to this outcome, if only more people had been paying attention.

The problem now is not so much understanding what is happening, although we still need to help some people catch up. The problem is how to navigate the constant onslaught of news, all of which feels urgent, all of which feels as though it demands immediate attention. That is because it does. Every piece of it matters.

This is not accidental. Much of it is intentional. The goal is to demoralize us, exhaust us, overwhelm us, and stoke fear. They want us disorganized. They want it to be nearly impossible to fully process the relentless stream of horrors. And perhaps most perversely, they are energized by our reactions. The Trump Regime thrives on chaos.

Since January 1st, so much has happened that it is difficult to keep it all straight. Part of the problem is that Democrats currently have no power.

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In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway’s Mike Campbell is asked how he went bankrupt. He replies, “Gradually, then suddenly.” That is where we are now. We have entered the “suddenly” phase.

In America, since 2015 or 2016, events have unfolded gradually and then all at once. The first Trump administration was horrific. The years that followed were also devastating in different ways. But it feels as though on January 1, 2026, we fell off a cliff. There was no longer any pretense that the guardrails still existed. They had not merely failed. They had been obliterated.

There have been illegal strikes on boats in the Caribbean, killing civilians. On January 3rd, Donald ordered a strike on Venezuela with the explicit goal of removing and kidnapping President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. In the process, roughly one hundred people were killed. All of this violated international law. In the aftermath, we learned that Maduro, arraigned in a New York City courtroom, was being charged as a narco-terrorist.

Whether those allegations are true is beside the point. It is not the role of the United States to remove the head of state of another country. Maduro is not a legitimate president. Like Donald, he lost an election and decided otherwise. The difference is that Maduro remained in office, while Donald eventually slunk away. None of this excuses Maduro’s actions. It does, however, make clear that it is not the prerogative of a foreign power to kidnap and prosecute him. If it were, perhaps someone could intervene here in America.

The hypocrisy is staggering. This assault occurred against the backdrop of Donald pardoning Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras. Hernández was a convicted drug trafficker who laundered millions of dollars, funneled enormous quantities of drugs into the United States, and was sentenced to forty-five years in prison. Donald, who claims to be horrified by the impact of foreign drugs on Americans, chose to pardon him.

Donald has made it clear that he intends to “run” Venezuela for years. He refers to himself as the acting president of Venezuela, which he is not. He has even suggested he would like to be called “El Presidente,” a detail that would be merely embarrassing if it were not also revealing.

In a meeting with oil executives, Exxon CEO Darren Woods raised concerns about the dangers of operating in Venezuela under Trump’s so-called plan. Woods, who has experience navigating Venezuela’s instability, attempted to raise legitimate concerns. By the end of the meeting, he felt compelled to flatter Donald. Even so, Donald reportedly remains furious and may retaliate by cutting Exxon out entirely. Revenge has become a governing principle.

Meanwhile, there is massive unrest in Iran. Protesters are being met with state-sponsored violence. People are being killed. Donald is openly considering military strikes there as well, ostensibly out of concern for Iranian protesters. At the same time, he is actively encouraging violence against Americans who are peacefully protesting ICE.

Last week, an American citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. In the immediate aftermath, Donald, J.D. Vance, Kristi Noem, and others in the regime blamed the victim. They labeled Goode a paid agitator and a domestic terrorist. They claimed she used her car as a weapon against the agent, a claim contradicted by video evidence. Donald described her as vicious and disorderly. None of this is true. These lies exist alongside increasingly frequent signs of Donald’s cognitive decline. He appears confused, vindictive, and unmoored from reality.

The Department of Justice is now opening an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who has long been in Donalds crosshairs. Powell’s offense is refusing to cut interest rates. He understands that doing so in the middle of a volatile, self-inflicted trade war would drive inflation higher and further damage the economy. Donald despises competence.

None of us can pay attention to everything all the time. Some people will have to try, but for most of us, picking our battles is essential.

There are areas where we do have influence. We can protest ICE. We can organize. We can protect one another while doing so. We cannot meaningfully shape foreign policy in the short term, but we can stay informed without letting it destroy us. We can contact our representatives. We can support candidates who are willing to stand up to a fascist regime bent on destroying both democracy and international norms.

We also cannot allow ourselves to be endlessly distracted. Much of what is happening is designed to pull our attention in a dozen directions at once, yet it is all deeply serious. That includes the Department of Justice missing its December 19 deadline and releasing only 0.6 percent of more than two million documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The details matter. This moment demands more than vigilance. It demands a reckoning with the system that allowed someone like this to ascend. Returning to what existed before is not enough. The American government, as it once functioned, no longer exists in any meaningful sense. It must be reimagined from the ground up.

This moment requires courage. It requires truth. It requires supporting people who are willing to offer both to the American people. Those are the people we must elevate. Those are the people we must put in power.

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