The Deep State Swamp of Trump 45 / FBI Building on top / Diorama by John Fraim
Sunflower
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Metaphors of the Enemy: How They’ve Changed for Trump
John Fraim
For Trump 45 the great villain metaphor was the “deep state” that lived in the DC “swamp” that had to be drained. Trump 47’s major metaphor on coming to power focused on closing our open borders. It was accomplished in a spectacular manner and the administration pushed on with other spectacular deals.
It sounds strange, but the real battle in many ways was within that invisible “media ecology” that of course no one on national media talked about. What was this special sauce the new administration threw against the Democrats and the DC Bureaucracy?
More than the content of messages it is the context of the medium of speed. Like those no huddle plays in pro-football when the other team is still running in substitutes.
This is what Trump 47 has hit DC with. It helps to have the world’s greatest technologist as a good friend of the president. Elon Musk represents the tip of modern technology. And what makes technology more than speed and efficiency.
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Despite all the operations within the Trump administration, the incredible number of projects they have in operation right now. The Ukraine war. Iran and its nuke weapons. So many tariff deals and new companies relocating to America.
As this goes on, the DC Democrats pull all-nighters and folk songs on Capital steps. Some members of congress go to El Salvador to visit the Maryland Man, wrongly deported.
All of this happened as federal district courts began issuing injunctions on Trump 47s deportation orders. The orders continued.
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The Judgement of Solomon. Artist: Nicolas Poussin Date: 1648
Today, I listened to the oral arguments in the birthright case in front of the Supreme Court. You’ll read a lot of analysis. Mark Levin probably the best. Both sides will declare victory. But I felt it didn’t go all that well for Trump 47s attorney.
I knew for sure at that time that the real metaphor of the great villain against Trump 47 was a part of the government unelected by the people. The judicial branch of government. So many good reasons that it is not elected by the people. And yet, so many reasons for letting it continue to exist by itself. It has to be independent is the cry. Of course it is not independent but simply given this fake immunity.
One of the major questions is whether the judiciary branch of the government can block what an election, presidency, majority in congress and senate have brought to power? Outwardly, a battle between presidential EOs and federal court injunctions.
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The Dems in DC act like a bunch of clowns with new leaders like Crockett and AOC. And Bernie. Yet DC is this is far from where the real resistance action is. It is most all the federal courts
It is one of the great civil conflicts in America. The battle is not between Dems and Reps. It has grown much larger than this. Especially at a time when the Dem Party has one of its lowest ratings in history.
Rather, today the battle Is far from the silly politics of the DC Dems. Rather, it is really a battle between the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branches of government. An elected branch of government versus an unelected branch of government. The real target is not DC anymore but around the nation on the various federal district judges who block orders of the President. The state AGs and Das.
This point is not made enough. What side are the majority of the nation’s populace on? In theory, a small group of unappointed judges’ could hold up demands of the American electorate expressed in the last election.
A showdown seems at hand as the judiciary blocks deportation demands of electorate. The Executive branch attempting to execute this via EO and gone against and now challenged in today’s birthright case.
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The Evil Justice League
don’t think it went well for Trump’s lawyer today in front of the SC. But we’ll soon see.
Whatever happens, Trump 47 has found its own Trump 45 “deep state” or “swamp” of Trump 45 in the Judicial branch of government. The Judicial Branch is the monster for Trump 47 that the “deep state” was for Trump 45.
Has it been the first time the Executive branch has taken on (the sacrosanct) Judicial Branch of government. It is has become the great monster to Trump 47. Again, the Judiciary is appointed and not elected like by ballots. This distinction needs to be made a lot louder than it has been made today. The Judiciary interprets laws for the populace. It never represents the populace like the Legislative branch. The Judiciary was appointed and not elected.
The New Judges?
The question needs to be asked as to what extent the Judiciary is going against the Executive branch today. And also Congress. The branches elected by the people. Not the un-elected branch of government. The amount they help or impede.
The Democrat Party has have been drained of power in DC and does all sorts of stunts for attention. The real resistance of Dems has become the judiciary in the outlying states of the nation. Federal dc judges. Town prosecutors. State AGs.
Today, May 15, 2025, in the oral argument for birthright citizenship in front of the Supreme Court, it didn’t go well for Trump’s attorney. It wasn’t that his arguments were not good. But they failed to really find a metaphor for what was really at stake in all of this. Show the drama at stake in the whole thing. He got tangled up in the weeds too long with one of the Justices.
Expect a battle of the Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary branches of government. The elected and non-elected parts of government. It’s long overdue. Yet, Trump has not yet declared the judiciary the enemy. Yet.
(John has a JD from Loyola Law School, LA.)