TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026
Personally, we would not: Friend, go ahead and riddle us this:
Is Donald J. Trump a fascist?
In her new column for the New York Times, Michelle Goldberg tackles that question. Tomorrow morning, we'll probably start with that column—with that question.
We'll tease our own instinct below. First, let the word go forth to the nations:
In this morning's report, we mused about historical figures who may imaginably come to mind when we consider the peculiar headlines President Trump is now generating. In this morning's report, we listed four such banners:
‘I Should Have’: Trump Says He Regrets Not Seizing Voting Machines In 2020 To Overturn Election
Maggie Haberman Offers Grim Warning About Trump: ‘He Is Emboldened in a Way I Don’t Think We’ve Ever Seen Before’
Trump Promises to ‘Do Something on Greenland’: ‘Whether They Like It Or Not’
Trump Tells NY Times the Only Limit On His Power is His ‘Own Morality’: ‘I Don’t Need International Law’
He regrets not seizing the voting machines—and Greenland, here we come!
We probably should have included this additional headline. This involves a type of speculation by John Bolton, but it fits a certain pattern:
John Bolton Reveals He ‘Always Worried Trump Would’ Steal Teddy Roosevelt’s Peace Prize From White House
To peruse that report by Mediaite, you can just click here.
Bolton may just have been snarking a bit at President Trump's expense. On the other hand, we recall being struck, all the way back in 2017, by the Time magazine cover—purportedly from 2009—which was on display at Mar-a-Lago and at four other Trump locations.
The Time cover featured pre-president Trump. Except there had been no such Time magazine cover. The whole thing was totally fake.
"Grandiosity" and "narcissism" can be medical terms. We recall being struck by that unfortunate degree of those attributes when this oddity first hit the fan.
Meanwhile, would you call President Trump a fascist? Goldberg's (very intriguing) column starts exactly as shown:
The Resistance Libs Were Right
For the last decade there’s been a debate, among people who don’t like Donald Trump, about whether he’s a fascist.
The argument that he isn’t often hinges on two things...
For ourselves, we wouldn't say that he's a fascist. We think there are very good reasons for adopting that stance. We expect to go there tomorrow.
"Back out of all this now too much for us?" Is there a guide out there who can help us Americans, Red and Blue, find a road back out of this mess?
(That road will likely be hard to find. The poem is difficult too.)
BalasPadamHa-ha, thanks for the laughs, Bob. Nobody cares whom you BlueAnons call (or don't call) "fascist", Bob.
Everyone understands that you BlueAnons are sick puppies, if not clinical idiots, and that whatever words you say it's just a word-salad.
Somerby is not a blue-anon.
PadamHe certainly talks like one, so as far as I'm concerned he is. ymmv
PadamNo, he doesn’t. He says he wouldn’t call Trump a fascist. No blue-anon would decline to call Trump fascist in chief.
PadamI disagree. That's not in the BlueAnon definition, and Bob's TDS credentials are impeccable.
PadamSomerby is not blue.
PadamLike many right wingers, he supports some of Trump's actions, but finds Trump boorish and thinks that is bad for branding and is ruining the Republican Party.
Anonymouse 4:39pm, “boorish”? Bob is trying to stoke up the meme that Trump is too mentally unbalanced to be in office and all anonymices see is that Bob is too unreliable to tell them that they’re precious.
PadamAnd you, Cecelia, reject everything Bob says. What a fool you are.
PadamSomerby heard Trump say there was a Republican voter who isn't a bigot, and now he thinks Trump is mentally unbalanced and not just a typical Right-wing bullshitter.
PadamGo away Trannysorostroll.
PadamA woman gets shot in the head 3 times, murdered on the street that she lives on by Gestapo goons, and the FBI decides to investigate her domestic partner.
BalasPadamGo fuck yourselves you motherfucking nazi bastards.
Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow
Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, was among those who resigned as the Justice Department sought to examine the woman’s supposed ties to activist groups.
Your Democrat bosses sent those women to obstruct law enforcement procedures, Soros-monkey. Consequently, your Democrat bosses are fully responsible for everything happening to these stupid dykes.
PadamIt is against the law to belong to activist groups now. That includes NAMBLA, 3:44, better cancel your platinum membership .
PadamI'm not a Democrat, to be in NAMBLA, Soros-monkey.
PadamIt didn’t take Somerby long to drop the subject of ICE abuses. He backed right out of that.
BalasPadamReminds me of how Hegseth pulled out to ejaculate when he raped that Republican woman, in order to avoid culpability.
PadamInvesting someone who may have violated federal law doesn’t make you a fascist.
BalasPadamWhat are you trying to say? This is gibberish.
PadamAnother asshol sick fuck Nazi troll should get his sick thoughts the fuck out of here. Long overdue.
PadamHypertechnical debates about whether Trump meets some textbook definition of "fascist" aren't useful or productive. A casual observer of the news can recognize that he is a self-acknowledged authoritarian ("I don't need international law. Only my own morality.")
BalasPadamWe have masked agents in our cities taking people off the street and going door-to-door looking for "illegals." Trump has claimed for himself the authority to levy taxes and price controls without legislation. He orders deadly strikes against boats he says are piloted by "narcoterrorists." He threatens to rupture the military alliance that has protected Europe for the past 80 years.
And I've barely scratched the surface of his weird, dictatorial impulses. Does this mean his beliefs or behaviors are fascist? It doesn't matter. They are destructive to the American system of law and government.
Openly disregarding international law doesn't make one "self-acknowledged authoritarian", Soros-monkey. Not at all.
PadamI would say, it makes one sovereigntist. As in "sovereignism".
Okay, but the "only my own morality" part is the verbal equivalent of a gorilla throwing his feces against the wall.
PadamYou're flattering yourself, Soros-gorilla.
PadamRemember when the trolls were all reject Harris, America first? This is why you ignore the fucking flip flopping morans.
PadamScott Adam has died.
BalasPadamI just can't stop crying.
Not soon enough what a privileged asshole. All that money drawing a fucking cartoon for a living, and he uses it to be a common troll bitch.
PadamNot soon enough what a privileged asshole. All that money drawing a fucking cartoon for a living, and he uses it to be a common troll bitch.
PadamUlasan ini telah dialihkan keluar oleh pengarang.
BalasPadamAnonymouse 4:33pm, we’re all aware of how empathetic you are, dear.
BalasPadamAnd you are?
PadamTurns out the imaginary Republican voter who isn't a bigot is the same exact imaginary person who thinks JD Vance isn't a gigantic piece of shit.
PadamWho knew?
The Trannysorostroll has passed judgement! Go away idiot, nobody wants yo stinky dinosaur turd droppings.
Padam
BalasPadamI am a Greenlander oppressed by the corrupt Danish monarchy. Danish King owns me! WTF? Why? Please save me, Mr. Trump!
Discuss.
Stick with the Danish king. Trump is a flatulent turdball.
PadamI worked part-time from my apartment and earned $30,030. After losing my previous business, I quickly became exhausted. Fortunately, I discovered this jobs online, and as a result, I was able to start earning money from home right away. Anyone can accomplish this elite career and increase their internet income by….
BalasPadamAfter reading this article… Www.Paycash1.site
"Republicans (77 – 10 percent) think the shooting was justified, while Democrats (92 – 4 percent) and independents (59 – 28 percent) think the shooting was not justified."
BalasPadamhttps://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/01/the-bad-advice-that-you-gladly-wont-take
Republicans exist in an alternate reality.
PadamI suspect it was legally justified. Not so sure it was morally justified.
PadamOn the other hand, the shooting of Charlie Kirk was both legally and morally justified.
PadamI suspect it was legally justified. Not so sure it was morally justified.
PadamThe best thing to do is to let King Orange Chickenshit's lawyer make that call, don't you agree, Dickhead, you fucking fascist freak?
I think David the asshole troll is unjustified in everything. Go away troll fucker.
Padam"There’s no point in asking the fascists for innocent explanations, since they will simply excrete various incoherent lies. Just call it what it is." David is a fucking Nazi. There, is that better?
PadamIs it Day One yet?
BalasPadamDavid, here's a Supreme Court from this year that addresses the justification for the use of deadly force.
BalasPadamBarnes v. Felix (2025): In a recent decision, the Court reaffirmed that the "totality of the circumstances" inquiry for excessive force cases has no arbitrary time limit. It explicitly rejected the "moment of the threat" rule, which limited the analysis to the precise moment force was used. Instead, courts "must look too... at any relevant events coming before" that moment to provide full context to the officer's actions and perceptions.
BalasPadamYou, Hillary, on these here pages, denounced people so passionately for refusing to testify under oath.
And now you and your accomplice Bubba refuse to testify before the congressional committee investigating L'affaire Epstein?
What gives, Hillary?
Hahahaha. The MAGAts would like Hillary Clinton to provide them with the details about Epstein that Trump's personal lawyers at the DOJ are withholding from them. It's Hillary's fault that they are being kept in the dark about Trump's best buddy for 15 years. The midterms are coming up and it's time for Comer to rile up the base with talk about Hillary Clinton. Works every time.
PadamThat whole Epstein Files narrative never made sense.
PadamOn what planet does the Republican Party, which runs an International Pedophile ring, have the slightest problem with the raping of children?
PadamWhy won't you and your accomplice Bubba testify, Hillary?
What are you and your accomplice Bubba afraid of, my dear?
Get back to me when Donald J. Chickenshit testifies under oath and faces a jury for obstruction of justice maggot breath.
Padam
PadamBut why do you, Hillary, along with your accomplice Bubba, choose to obstruct justice now, when your, and your accomplice Bubba's, pedophile-ring is investigated?
The Clinton's are trolling the Right.
Padam7:21 is just letting all of us know it's working.
Thanks, 7:21.
PadamYes, we, Hillary and Bubba, are operating a pedophile-ring just for trolling the Right. Believe us when we say it, idiot-Democrats.
David in Cal will be here momentarily, to extol the Clinton's for "disrupting norms".
PadamLOL.
7:21, Is Hillary in the room with you right now?
Padam7:58,
PadamYou can run as fast as you want, the fact you support a child rapist to be President of the United States will follow you everywhere you go.
Sad.
Long, long, long before there was TDS, the maggots were terminally infected with CDS.
PadamThere's a pizza joint run by Hillary and Panetta in DC. The kids are in the basement. Bring a piece and be loaded for action. Be sure to call the cops for back up when you get there. You'll be a hero. Nothing can go wrong. Afterwards you will be on the short list for a job with ICE.
Padam
PadamWhy don't you, Hillary, along with your accomplice Bubba, testify to all that before the congressional committee investigating L'affaire Epstein?
What are you afraid of, Hillary? What are you hiding, my dear?
PadamThe guy who raided Comet Pizza was arrested, tried, went to jail, served his time and was released, living happily ever after. Until he got into an altercation with police, brandished a gun, and was shot to death. Justice served not once but twice to a MAGAt.
PadamThe guy is in jail, and yet you, Hillary, are still scared shitless, cowardly refusing to testify before the congressional committee investigating L'affaire Epstein.
PadamWhat are you afraid of, my dear?
Bondi is purchasing a large vat of magic marker dye so that she can save time marking up the Epstein files and searching up the many thousands of love letters between the boys.
PadamThe guy is dead, dumbass.
Padam
PadamWhoa, plus one, to the Clinton body count? Nice.
And you're still cowardly refusing to testify, Hillary?
Sad.
Just remember that whenever you hear the words cheese, pizza, hot dog and pasta they are code words for pedophile activity, MAGAt, and you can get your gun out.
PadamWhy are you cowardly refusing to testify, Hillary?
PadamWhy don't you answer, sweetie?
what the fuck is wrong with you, maggot? Do you see Hillary wherever you go? Is she in your basement now, maggot?
PadamTriggered, Hillary?
PadamGet back to me when Donny J. Chickenshit testifies under oath and faces a jury for obstruction of justice maggot breath.
Padam
PadamWhat are you afraid of, Hillary, sweetie?
Take your meds, lubricate your asshole, go and testify, my dear. And don't forget to tell your partner in crime Bubba to come with you.
what the fuck is wrong with you, maggot? Do you see Hillary wherever you go? Is she in your basement now, maggot?
PadamThe Clinton count is for the most stupid of the stupid.
PadamNot testifying to Congress is a long tradition started under, checks notes, Trump.
Padam"the Clinton body count"
PadamThanks for checking in, Reverend Falwell.
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
PadamWhy don't you testify, Hillary, sweetie? Scared shitless, my dear?
what the fuck is wrong with you, maggot? Do you see Hillary wherever you go? Is she in your basement now, maggot?
PadamYou're stuck on a broken record, Hillary.
PadamTell the nurse to punch you on the head, dear.
what the fuck is wrong with you, trumptard? Is Hillary in the basement with you right now?
PadamMe and Hillary are in the basement of Comet pizza eating baby adrenal glands. Come and get us you pussy.
PadamMe and Hillary are in the basement of Comet pizza eating baby adrenal glands. Come and get us you pussy.
PadamSay what you will about the fascists Republican elect to run the country, but you can't say they aren't huge fans of raping babies.
BalasPadamPro tip for Mao:
BalasPadamIt doesn't matter how much you like playing with it, it'll never be as big as Hunter Biden's.
Has anyone explained why it is that Putin wants ICE officers shooting American citizens in the face?
BalasPadamTrump is too brain-addled (hat tip Bob Somerby) to explain it, but there are dozens of Congresspeople Russia is blackmailing, who the media could ask.
PadamRevolutionaries are happy to see an ICE agent provoked to commit an atrocity. They see using this tragedy to further their cause.
Padam"Revolutionaries"
PadamThere is something seriously the fuck wrong with you, Dickhead, you fucking fascist freak.
Employment with ICE is the participation trophy of the job market.
PadamDavid the troll, Somerby's mama called and said the big kids want you to leave us alone. We don't need your fucking listen to me, I can think reasonable, but now take this here fucking stupid troll Idiocracy - around here. You are just a Nazi putz and need to go the fuck away.
Padam"Revolutionaries"?
PadamPeople that want to radically alter the US system of government or overturn elections? You mean MAGA?
David never meant a racist fascist he didn't click his heals to and salute
PadamWhatever the ostensible cause is, the tactics are the same. Integration, peace, Trans rights, anti-Vietnam war, anti-nuclear weapons, free speech, anti-Trump, anti immigration enforcement,... Regardless of the cause, the tactics used tend to undermine the elected government and Democratically enacted laws.
PadamThat's why conclude that that there are provocateurs whose real goal is undermining the government. E.g., take SANE -- an organization I supported in my youth. SANE promoted unilateral disarmament, It's now known that it was secretly supported by Russia'sspy agency.
Or, take the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley, something I saw fist hand. One of the main instigators. David Horowitz, has revealed that he was in a group of radicals planned who to use this event to promote their radical aims. They had no real interest in freedom of speech.
Or take grocery prices and inflation.
PadamWe now know there was never a Right-winger who gave a shit about them, it was just an excuse the Right-wing mainstream media gave them to so the media could say, "see it wasn't bigotry" when the Right overwhelmingly voted for a fascist to be President of the United States of America.
Fuck off David the idiottroll. Get the fuck out of here you shit stain on reasonable thought.
PadamEveryone now agrees the Vietnam war was worth 55,000 dead US soldiers because now we can get some Pho. Get the fuck out of here fascist troll fuckwit. You suck ass. Nobody wants to read your bullshit anymore.
PadamSomerby is so concerned about what to call Trump, that he forgets we have to DO SOMETHING about him.
BalasPadam