Bryan Fichter
@bryanfichter.bsky.social
Retired intelligence analyst. Russian speaker. Arabic speaker. Democracy enthusiast. Publisher of the Intelligencer newsletter on Substack.
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Opinion | This Is What Autocrats Dread
www.nytimes.com
We can do this, people
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
"Usually they say, 'He's a horrible dictator-type person.' But sometimes you need a dictator."
As I have always said, he is at his most honest when he is at his most malevolent and depraved.
As I have always said, he is at his most honest when he is at his most malevolent and depraved.
January 21, 2026 at 6:06 PM
"Usually they say, 'He's a horrible dictator-type person.' But sometimes you need a dictator."
As I have always said, he is at his most honest when he is at his most malevolent and depraved.
As I have always said, he is at his most honest when he is at his most malevolent and depraved.
@radiofreetom.bsky.social I was going to ask if you were going to write about Trump's disastrous visit to Davos but honestly what else is there to say
January 21, 2026 at 8:14 PM
@radiofreetom.bsky.social I was going to ask if you were going to write about Trump's disastrous visit to Davos but honestly what else is there to say
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
These people aren’t just devoid of empathy, they don’t believe it actually exists. They also took a $50K bonus to terrorize immigrants.
So the idea that regular people would spontaneously come to the aid and defense of their neighbors is just utterly foreign to them.
So the idea that regular people would spontaneously come to the aid and defense of their neighbors is just utterly foreign to them.
ICE agents will come to the school patrol asking who the organizers are believing they’re like Soros shadow figures, and it’s like a bespectacled software engineer who didn’t know the names of more than 5 parents two weeks ago.
January 21, 2026 at 5:18 PM
These people aren’t just devoid of empathy, they don’t believe it actually exists. They also took a $50K bonus to terrorize immigrants.
So the idea that regular people would spontaneously come to the aid and defense of their neighbors is just utterly foreign to them.
So the idea that regular people would spontaneously come to the aid and defense of their neighbors is just utterly foreign to them.
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
"Canada lives because of the United States" is...simply false.
But Trump has transposed his megalomania onto the country, and now he's taking the U.S. down with him on his fantasy adventure as world emperor.
But Trump has transposed his megalomania onto the country, and now he's taking the U.S. down with him on his fantasy adventure as world emperor.
Trump: "Canada gets a lot of freebies from us. They should be grateful, also, but they're not. I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn't so grateful. But they should be grateful to us. Canada lives because of the United States — remember that, Mark."
January 21, 2026 at 4:49 PM
"Canada lives because of the United States" is...simply false.
But Trump has transposed his megalomania onto the country, and now he's taking the U.S. down with him on his fantasy adventure as world emperor.
But Trump has transposed his megalomania onto the country, and now he's taking the U.S. down with him on his fantasy adventure as world emperor.
A serious country would employ the constitutional mechanisms at its disposal to quickly remove a leader who is so obviously unwell and dangerous. But we are not that country
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @jamellebouie.net
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-davo...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @jamellebouie.net
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-davo...
Donald Trump vs. the World
In his Davos rant, the president lied, insulted allies, and depicted America as a hellhole.
www.thebulwark.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:42 PM
A serious country would employ the constitutional mechanisms at its disposal to quickly remove a leader who is so obviously unwell and dangerous. But we are not that country
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @jamellebouie.net
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-davo...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @jamellebouie.net
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-davo...
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
Even after Trump is gone, the world will remember that he threatened to forcibly seize the territory of a peaceful democratic ally, and our institutions failed to immediately remove him. That makes US dangerously unreliable, not just one senile gangster.
His not being impeached by the end of the business day as a result of this threat is as much a problem as the threat itself. It’s not just Trump that the world has to worry about, it’s a GOP that supports him and Democrats who suck their thumbs and refuse to even discuss pushing to remove him
January 21, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Even after Trump is gone, the world will remember that he threatened to forcibly seize the territory of a peaceful democratic ally, and our institutions failed to immediately remove him. That makes US dangerously unreliable, not just one senile gangster.
"The uncomfortable truth is that the president of the United States is a man with the mind of a spoiled child. His debilitating solipsism is a threat to the stability of the entire world. A functional Congress would impeach and remove him.'
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Dear Jonas’ Letter Is No Prize
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:24 PM
"The uncomfortable truth is that the president of the United States is a man with the mind of a spoiled child. His debilitating solipsism is a threat to the stability of the entire world. A functional Congress would impeach and remove him.'
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
This man is talking about stealing a country at gunpoint from nations the US is allied with. Of course Europeans hate us. You would feel the same way if you were in their place. American voters put this man in power, he didn’t seize it this time.
January 21, 2026 at 2:10 PM
This man is talking about stealing a country at gunpoint from nations the US is allied with. Of course Europeans hate us. You would feel the same way if you were in their place. American voters put this man in power, he didn’t seize it this time.
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
Immediate punishment for speaking out against the regime.
Mischief Toy Store in St. Paul has until Wednesday to turn over employment records to the Department of Homeland Security as part of a surprise audit launched Friday, just hours after one of the shop's owners criticized ICE agents during a television interview. bit.ly/4r5AFol
January 21, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Immediate punishment for speaking out against the regime.
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
In Trump's telling, the US are the equivalent of the Nazis
Trump: "No nation is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the US. We're a great power. Much greater than people even understand. I think they found that out 2 weeks ago in Venezuela. We saw this in World War 2 when Denmark fell to Germany after just 6 hours of fighting."
January 21, 2026 at 2:10 PM
In Trump's telling, the US are the equivalent of the Nazis
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
A demented Donald Trump confused Greenland with Iceland as a silent crowd watches in horror as the President of the USA humiliates himself, slurring badly and visibly disoriented
January 21, 2026 at 2:54 PM
A demented Donald Trump confused Greenland with Iceland as a silent crowd watches in horror as the President of the USA humiliates himself, slurring badly and visibly disoriented
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
I have one request for everyone outside the United States. Stop being polite to us Americans. Tell us what you really think.
"The most corrupt president The United States have ever seen."
UK Member of Parliament Ed Davey does not mince words when characterizing Trump after his move to take Greenland.
UK Member of Parliament Ed Davey does not mince words when characterizing Trump after his move to take Greenland.
January 20, 2026 at 10:20 PM
I have one request for everyone outside the United States. Stop being polite to us Americans. Tell us what you really think.
"I don’t think there’s anybody outside of the United States who believes that Trump is sane.” Just gonna keep tapping my sign
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kevinmkruse.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/post/205474/...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kevinmkruse.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/post/205474/...
Ex-Ally Warns Trump’s Decline Is “Significant” After Disastrous Speech
Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said Donald Trump’s cognitive decline is “palpable.”
newrepublic.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:51 PM
"I don’t think there’s anybody outside of the United States who believes that Trump is sane.” Just gonna keep tapping my sign
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kevinmkruse.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/post/205474/...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social @kevinmkruse.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/post/205474/...
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
What's remarkable is not just that Trump is so loathsome and narcissistic that he doesn't care when an innocent woman is killed in a protest unless and until he finds out that her dad was a fan of his ... it's that he's so disregulated he *can't help but say so out loud*.
Trump: "ICE is gonna be too rough with somebody. They're gonna make a mistake sometimes. I felt horribly when I was told the young woman had the tragedy. But when I learned her father is - I hope he still is, but I don't know - was a tremendous Trump fan. It's terrible. It's so sad. It just happens"
January 20, 2026 at 8:12 PM
What's remarkable is not just that Trump is so loathsome and narcissistic that he doesn't care when an innocent woman is killed in a protest unless and until he finds out that her dad was a fan of his ... it's that he's so disregulated he *can't help but say so out loud*.
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
We have an entire class of Democratic "leadership" that has been told that it's dangerous and extreme to say this, and that does not understand that what Democrats want is for their leaders to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. That should not be as big an ask as it apparently is.
Mamdani: "I am in support of abolishing ICE. What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We're seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it's doing is terrorizing people."
January 20, 2026 at 5:04 PM
We have an entire class of Democratic "leadership" that has been told that it's dangerous and extreme to say this, and that does not understand that what Democrats want is for their leaders to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. That should not be as big an ask as it apparently is.
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
I think about this a lot: the fact that it's "inconceivable" is a HUGE part of the problem. Hey folks: conceive of it. That's the necessary first step. This fascism is in fact happening, and the whole "I can't imagine" part is stopping a lot of progress in overcoming it.
"The Court finds it inconceivable that the Department of Justice, which holds a duty to faithfully execute the
laws of the United States—even those with which it may have disagreement—would repeatedly ignore court orders, while simultaneously prosecuting citizens for breaking the law."
laws of the United States—even those with which it may have disagreement—would repeatedly ignore court orders, while simultaneously prosecuting citizens for breaking the law."
![Rather stunningly, Ms. Halligan fails to even mention Chief Judge Diaz’s Order, let alone
discuss its impact here. In short, Ms. Halligan has not only ignored Judge Currie’s rulings, she
has also turned a blind eye to an Order from the Chief Judge of the Fourth Circuit. The Court
finds it inconceivable that the Department of Justice, which holds a duty to faithfully execute the
laws of the United States even those with which it may have disagreement would
repeatedly ignore court orders, while simultaneously prosecuting citizens for breaking the law.
In the wise words of Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit, “[w]e yet cling to the hope that it is not naive to believe our good brethren in the
Executive Branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos.” Abrego Garcia v.
Noem,'^o. 25-1404, 2025 WL 1135112, at *3 (4th Cir. Apr. 17, 2025).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6h7b2i6ttw3l4t7pvbvxdith/bafkreifosp5rvubdinbaeqyixrxrmlsrldbblecdd7xyvq7wbyzypplobi@jpeg)
January 20, 2026 at 7:14 PM
I think about this a lot: the fact that it's "inconceivable" is a HUGE part of the problem. Hey folks: conceive of it. That's the necessary first step. This fascism is in fact happening, and the whole "I can't imagine" part is stopping a lot of progress in overcoming it.
"We are about to see the free world stop referring to the great unraveling as a Trump problem. They will soon understand that it is an America problem." JVL's got that part right
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
This Is the End
Putinism abroad always morphs into Putinism at home. And we chose this path. Why? Because something-something the price of eggs.
www.thebulwark.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:42 PM
"We are about to see the free world stop referring to the great unraveling as a Trump problem. They will soon understand that it is an America problem." JVL's got that part right
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
A few Democrats at least understand that there is a moral dimension to politics
Ossoff: "There's a wickedness to the program. I don't know, pastor, where it is in scripture that it says deny care to the sick, take from those with the least to give to those with the most, violate the house of worship to hunt down the refugee. Where in the scripture are those lessons taught?"
January 20, 2026 at 5:39 PM
A few Democrats at least understand that there is a moral dimension to politics
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
"When I landed in Minneapolis on Monday and saw the size, scope and lawlessness of the federal onslaught unfolding here, I understood that Good’s killing was emblematic of its true mission: to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance of Trump’s dark vision of America."
I went to Minneapolis last week. What I saw was horrifying and inspiring in equal measure. Gift link to my latest column: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:52 PM
"When I landed in Minneapolis on Monday and saw the size, scope and lawlessness of the federal onslaught unfolding here, I understood that Good’s killing was emblematic of its true mission: to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance of Trump’s dark vision of America."
It's often those rich people/countries who have the least to lose who act like they have the most to lose by bending the knee
Regular people in Minnesota standing up to ICE and protecting their neighbors. Denmark and Belgium taking the strongest stances of European countries against Trump’s Greenland threats. Amazing how those with less power take action and sacrifice, while so many of the powerful equivocate and cower.
January 20, 2026 at 4:35 PM
It's often those rich people/countries who have the least to lose who act like they have the most to lose by bending the knee
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
It's inevitable, you simply must adapt to it and use it, you have no choice, but also please use it more or it's going to die
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth
www.irishtimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:22 PM
It's inevitable, you simply must adapt to it and use it, you have no choice, but also please use it more or it's going to die
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
“Kind, good, happy, gentlemanly, secure people never go Nazi….But the frustrated and humiliated intellectual, the rich and scared speculator, the spoiled son, the labor tyrant, the fellow who has achieved success by smelling out the wind of success—they would all go Nazi in a crisis.” — D. Thompson*
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino marches through Minneapolis surrounded by federal agents, shouting at American citizens.
This isn’t about deporting “the worst of the worst.” It’s about deliberately sowing fear and chaos in cities that oppose the Trump regime
ht: @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social
This isn’t about deporting “the worst of the worst.” It’s about deliberately sowing fear and chaos in cities that oppose the Trump regime
ht: @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 4:21 AM
“Kind, good, happy, gentlemanly, secure people never go Nazi….But the frustrated and humiliated intellectual, the rich and scared speculator, the spoiled son, the labor tyrant, the fellow who has achieved success by smelling out the wind of success—they would all go Nazi in a crisis.” — D. Thompson*
Reposted by Bryan Fichter
The biggest obstacle we face as a society in getting people to accept reality about Trump is that it requires people to face reality about themselves and about ourselves as a society.
January 20, 2026 at 12:11 PM
The biggest obstacle we face as a society in getting people to accept reality about Trump is that it requires people to face reality about themselves and about ourselves as a society.