| WASHINGTON D.C. — The city is in dreary gridlock: unnavigable, cold, and wet. Many streets have been blocked off by military vehicles, with lines of humvees patrolling them. Since the early hours of the morning, the city has been filled with the monotonous sound of clashing metal as immigrant laborers assemble steel barricades across the city, foot by foot. Authorities are in a state of paranoia over security threats. That much is obvious. |
| The city feels as though it has been surrendered. You wouldn’t know about the so-called “thousands” who protested without the news or the scenes of stores boarded up, window by window, with wooden pallets. In most parts of the city, the only signs of dissent are abandoned placards glued to streetlights, calling for “Trump supporters and fascists to go back home,” as if these were final messages left by the opposition before fleeing their territory. |
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| For the past two nights, the streets and restaurants of Washington D.C. have been filled with thousands of Trump supporters—former outcasts who will soon be represented by the throne—flown in from all parts of the country and from all walks of life, from old-money, fur-coated Republicans to the working-class Americans who have anointed Trump as the “President of the people.” |
| Tomorrow, everything changes. The most dominant modern American political figure will be back in the White House, more prepared than before, but with a greater task ahead. |
| The bureaucratic jungle of Washington will fight for its life. Our legacy institutions, like universities, will double down on their progressive duties and resist changes from the top. Corporations will continue to try to buy the president—through donations and public affection—to avoid regulations and punishments, attempting to push the President away from his political instincts. The Republican Party—split into irrevocable factions—will, and has already begun to, sabotage each other to bend the President’s pen to their will. |
| As made evident by the senile, mumbling departure of the 46th, the President and the Presidency are separate; the latter does not need the former. This begs the question: will Trump really be in charge? |
| The past few weeks have been a celebration. But the next few weeks will be chaotic, with the fog of war setting in as the President takes the holy oath. The President’s actions in the next month will be his most important—and will set the tone for the next four years. |
| My promise to you: We’ll stay critical, dig deeper, and stay laser-focused on one mission: delivering the truth about whether the incoming administration is truly serving you—or falling short. |
| That’s why we’re hiring a full-time reporter to investigate Capitol Hill and expose what really happens behind closed doors. |
| But this only works if readers like you help us. |
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| We rely on readers like you, not billion-dollar backers. If you believe in holding power accountable and reporting that values your time, I’m asking you to join us as a paid member today. |
| Without paid supporters, we can’t stay independent, fearless, or focused. Your support will put boots on the ground in Washington and keep us reporting on the stories that matter most in this crucial chapter of America’s history. |
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| This fight depends on all of us. Will you join us? |
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