Today Trump gets Inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. Then what? Many fear Trump will lash out at his “enemies” using the full force of the Department of Justice and the FBI to “investigate” the January 6th Committee members and the witnesses who testified about Trump’s actions to reverse a free and fair Election.
If I was Liz Cheney, I’d accept a Pardon from Biden. The same for Cassidy Hutchinson, who provided damning testimony about Trump and his White House goons. Knowing Trump, we should all expect Revenge and Retribution starting today. What are you going to do to get through the next four years?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements — ix
Author’s Note — xiii
Prologue — xv
Part I: Grow
Early days — 3
Changes — 16
High school — 28
Part II: Become
The Washington start — 39
Legislative affairs — 50
Impeachment — 56
Winter 2020 — 66
Chief of staff — 78
Part III: Transform
Empowered — 101
A seat at the table — 120
On the trail — 127
Fall campaign — 143
The election — 170
December — 177
New Year — 191
January 6 — 202
Part IV: Enough
The end — 223
Life after the White House — 239
Served — 248
Pulled back in — 262
Depositions — 271
The woman in the mirror — 281
Second chance — 301
The whole truth — 308
Adrift — 330
Home — 340
Epilogue — 353
Bibliography — 357
Photo Credits — 361
To start with, we’ll avoid today’s TV coverage of the dreaded event and the manufactured “crowds” of Trump supporters on the streets of DC. The clock is ticking on pardons from Biden. As for the next four years, remember the many worst moments of 2017-2021 and multiply exponentially.
Fred, I’m hoping the Biden pardons save the January 6th committee members!
How to get through the next four years? Xanex. Jack Daniels. Xanex. Jack Daniels. Potato, Po-tah-to.
Jerry, you forgot opioids!
Hope for a major stroke, or someone with better aim.
No, first, as with eight years ago, avoid all coverage. We canceled our Washington Post subscription when Jeff Bezos became a butt kisser.
Jackie wants to give her own answer.
Read books, listen to music, play video games, go for long walks, stream our favorite shows, find new ones, NO MSNBC, and try not to sooth my nerves with favorite fattening foods.
We dropped all newspaper subscriptions except the Imes. Must reads are Sunday diary, The Hunt, What people do on Sundays and such lifestyle and human interest stories. NO opinions or news articles. Pray for the House and Senate to switch in 2 years.
Jackie
Jackie, Diane and I were going to stop watching MSNBC…until Rachel Maddow decided to return for the First 100 Days. We’ll watch Rachel…even if she’s knitting!
Jeff, all the billionaires who are groveling at Trump’s feet are sickening!
How pathetic is it when you live in a country where Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and January 6 rioters go free, yet Biden has to worry about pardoning a man who has spent THE PAST 40 YEARS working to make the world a better, healthier place, because psychos like RFK Jr. and the Fox News people have it in for him.
Jeff, the inmates are going to run the Asylum for the next four years!
It’s so sad that good people will be dragged through the mud for doing their job! I intend to follow Jackie’s example: read books for comfort, inspiration, & joy, listen to music, cook & eat good food, keep away from news (although I’ll probably make an exception for the daily wrap-up from BBC World Service), make financial contributions as I can to organizations & causes I believe in, stay off social media (hardly a problem as I’ve never been on it), and comfort myself with the age-old mantra, “This too shall pass” (although not soon enough and not, I fear, before irreversible damage has been done).
Deb, it would not surprise me the see another Pandemic strike the U.S. in the next four years as RFK, Jr. and his loony health agenda will provide no defenses!
George, sadly, I think you’re spot on. Herd insanity instead of herd immunity.
Fred. the Trump cult is in power. But they’re incompetent and disaster will follow them.
I know things are bad and likely to get worse, but I can’t believe Kennedy will get approved by the Senate. I think he’s the loss leader, the one who “proves ” they are doing an honest job (which, of course, they’re not, otherwise Hegseth and the rest would be shamed out of court) rather than being a rubber stamp, which is what they are.
But, it could happen, despite his almost daily shooting himself in the foot. In that case, hello measles epidemic, followed by others.
Jeff, all of Trump’s Cabinet picks are incompetent. Nothing good can come from it! And, the Republicans–who control the House, the Senate, and the White House–can’t blame the Democrats for their failures.
How is punishing transgender people going to make things better for the rest of us or the country?
And why did Biden and the rest of the stupid Democrats sit there while he insulted them to their faces and talked about their “betrayal”?
I know, they’re stupid.
Jeff, Michelle Obama refused to attend the Inaugural because she knew Trump would hurl insults at the Democrats. So predictable…
Oh, no, not a politicized Justice Department! We’ve had enough of that for the past four years!
Bob, we’re going to get a politicized GOVERNMENT. Trump is dumping the Civil Service and replacing them with his stooges.
From far, far away (but not enough distance …) I’m watching and thinking what this mea until the year 2000 all around the world and going on holidays too as often as I could afford – been to the fantastic USA around 20 times, even on many short trips only.
I count myself lucky – to work part time (3 ro 4 months holiday every year …) was the best decision I ever made in my life!
Sorry, but wordpress ate much of my comment – is Trump or Musk controlling it too?
Should have been:
I’m watching and thinking what this means for Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. I’ve been working until the year 2000 all around the world and going on holidays too as often as I could afford …
Wolf, Trump is the face of the Government, but the billionaires will be running things behind the scenes.
Wolf, that USA you visited will be completely transformed under this new Trump Administration!
I do have to read the newspaper-too ingrained after a lifetime. But Rachel Maddow is way to pessimistic for me to watch. I gave up listening to all political podcasts and just listen to ones about books, movies, culture. I was so jittery yesterday I did take a xanax. And I probably will with regularity. And any hope of not needing a therapist is gone.
Patti, just pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists is enough to send my blood pressure through the roof! And this is just Day One!