Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social
Author, dad, journalist at Mother Jones/CIR. My book TRIGGER POINTS is the story of expert teams who are preventing mass shootings, from K-12 schools to the FBI https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062973533/
Important also to highlight that this is not incompetence or stupidity (though also contains those) — this is a very calculated strategy from the Trump WH, as I documented at length in this reporting 👉 bsky.app/profile/mark...
They did it again with the killing of Alex Pretti—instant coordinated lies about “domestic terrorism.” But even beyond recent assassinations and shootings, the distinction now is that the deaths Trump seeks to exploit are at the hands of his own deportation forces www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How Trump is using violent tragedies to divide America
ICE shootings, assassinations, mass attacks, and other traumas all serve as ammo for the demagogue in chief.
www.motherjones.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Important also to highlight that this is not incompetence or stupidity (though also contains those) — this is a very calculated strategy from the Trump WH, as I documented at length in this reporting 👉 bsky.app/profile/mark...
2/ Key point, as it's plenty clear that Trump is eager to use Insurrection Act: "While Walz and Frey’s seeming passivity in the face of an all-out federal attack on their constituents is provoking anger among activists, it may be a case where caution and restraint is the better part of valor." 👉
January 26, 2026 at 7:41 PM
2/ Key point, as it's plenty clear that Trump is eager to use Insurrection Act: "While Walz and Frey’s seeming passivity in the face of an all-out federal attack on their constituents is provoking anger among activists, it may be a case where caution and restraint is the better part of valor." 👉
3/ ‘One current D.H.S. agent said that he had “always given the benefit of the doubt to the government in these situations” but said he now no longer believed “any of the statements they put out anymore.”’
January 26, 2026 at 2:37 PM
3/ ‘One current D.H.S. agent said that he had “always given the benefit of the doubt to the government in these situations” but said he now no longer believed “any of the statements they put out anymore.”’
‘Many homeland security hiring ads feature military-style imagery, like officers wearing tactical gear and driving combat vehicles. They refer to immigration as an “invasion” and immigrants as “enemies.”’ www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u... (gift link) /2
A Crisis of Confidence for ICE and Border Patrol as Clashes Escalate
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:34 PM
‘Many homeland security hiring ads feature military-style imagery, like officers wearing tactical gear and driving combat vehicles. They refer to immigration as an “invasion” and immigrants as “enemies.”’ www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u... (gift link) /2
2/ It's good to see the New York Times and others at least starting to catch up now to more focus on how Trump is exploiting deadly violence... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/u...
Killing Prompts Only a Defiant Response From Trump
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM
2/ It's good to see the New York Times and others at least starting to catch up now to more focus on how Trump is exploiting deadly violence... www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/u...
4/ *Correction: the killing was by Border Patrol agents
January 25, 2026 at 6:31 AM
4/ *Correction: the killing was by Border Patrol agents
3/ It's also no coincidence that Miller refers to "insurrection" again there — they continue to set the stage for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. That's a danger that should now be taken very seriously, as I just discussed with @gregsargent.bsky.social 👉 newrepublic.com/article/2054...
Trump’s Rage at Protesters Boils Over as ICE Scandal Takes Worse Turn
As Trump’s threats escalate toward anti-ICE protesters, the author of a piece on his response to crises explains how he exploits moments of national trauma toward broader, more nefarious ends.
newrepublic.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:08 AM
3/ It's also no coincidence that Miller refers to "insurrection" again there — they continue to set the stage for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. That's a danger that should now be taken very seriously, as I just discussed with @gregsargent.bsky.social 👉 newrepublic.com/article/2054...
2/ Madness is a fair description of this response from Stephen Miller. No rational person who watches that excruciating video of the latest killing by ICE will see "a domestic terrorist trying to assassinate federal law enforcement" — this is completely untethered from reality, and Miller knows it.
January 25, 2026 at 1:59 AM
2/ Madness is a fair description of this response from Stephen Miller. No rational person who watches that excruciating video of the latest killing by ICE will see "a domestic terrorist trying to assassinate federal law enforcement" — this is completely untethered from reality, and Miller knows it.