The Rapid Descent into Authoritarian Decay

Not from the US but married to an American. Following the disaster closely and decided to itemise the lowlights from this first year. It makes alarming reading to see the way it unfolds.

A blitz of dismantling institutions and guard rails on the first few months, followed presumably by a summer of planning. You can see the spike around September or October as things really escalate.

Presumably this is far from the crescendo. Really hope the United States can make it to the other side of this nightmare for everybody's sake. The timeline below really would have felt way too heavy handed to even be considered satire a couple of years ago but this is genuinely the world right now and it's horrifying. To think, there's meant to be at least three more years of this - the people running America belong in orange jumpsuits.

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Jan 2025:

•Pardons 1,500 convicted felons who stormed the US capitol and several other associates convicted of federal crimes.

•Executive Order ending DEI.

•Renames Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

•Revokes security clearances of more than fifty democratic affiliates

Announces $500bn AI investments.

•Sends US military to Mexican border.

•Revokes legislation to safeguard developments in AI.

•ICE begins waves of deportations

Insists Canada should become 51st State.

•States desire to own Greenland

•Places tariffs on Colombia.

•Several federal lawyers who prosecuted Trump are fired

•Federal financial assistance programmes paused.

•Signs order to develop Golden Dome missile defence platform.

•Offers redundancy to majority of federal employees.

•Settles lawsuit out of court with Meta for $25M.

•Fatal air crash between plane and helicopter after air traffic control staff shortages, blames DEI.

•Places tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China.

•Imposes tariffs on EU.

•Creates own cryptocurrency, Trumpcoin which quickly collapses in value.

•Former Fox News Host, Pete Hegseth confirmed as head of US military forces.

Feb 2025:

•Pressures Panama to hand over control of canal.

•USAID is defunded and shut down.

•Expresses desire to purchase TikTok.

•Sends 10,000 more troops to Mexican border.

•Strikes agreement to detain deportees in El Salvador prisons.

•Military performs airstrikes in Somalia.

•Calls for all Palestinian civilians to be removed from Gaza.

•Bans "men in women's sports".

•Trump appoints himself chairman of Kennedy Arts Centre.

•Revokes security clearance of Joe Biden.

•Removes several press outlets from White House press pool.

•Imposes tariffs on all foreign steel imports.

•Allows DOGE unlimited access to all federal records and organisations.

•Meets with Vladimir Putin and publicly praises him.

•Ambushes Vlodymir Zelensky live on television in the White House.

•Appoints right wing podcaster Dan Bongino to lead FBI.

•Posts AI video of "Trump Gaza".

March 2025:

•Appoints world wrestling federation owner's wife, Linda McMahon as head of Department of Education.

•Deports Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil.

•Pauses military intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

•Imposes US Travel ban on 43 countries.

•Invokes 1798 Alien Enemies Act for use against Venezuelans in America.

•Deports hundreds of people to El Salvadorian prisons without trial

•Threatens Houthis, Iran and Hamas via social media.

•Continues to have conversations with and praise Vladimir Putin.

•Announces dismantling of Department for Education.

•Revokes security clearances of 14 democrats including Kamala Harris.

•Ends legal status of half a million immigrants from Cuba and several other countries.

•Pete Hegseth includes reporter in Signal group chat, inadvertently exposing highly classified war plans of ongoing airstrikes against Houthi rebels to entire world.

•Administration doubles down and insists that covert military attack coordination information is not classified so everything is fine.

•Proposes overturning 22nd amendment to enable himself to serve a third presidential term.

•Signs several executive orders with Kid Rock in attendance for moral support.

•Does info-mercial for Elon Musk's Cybertruck on White House lawn after Tesla stocks crater.

•Despite aggressive anti-immigration drive, Trump announces the "Gold Card" which will allow the richest in the world to purchase US citizenship for several million dollars.

April 2025:

•Places 10% tariffs on almost all nations, excluding Russia and North Korea.

•Places significant tariffs in excess of 10% on several allied nations but later pauses them.

•Ends game if tariff chicken against China with 145% tariffs, subsequently backing down to 30%.

•Hosts Benjamin Netenyahu at White House despite ICC arrest warrant.

•JD Vance visits the Pope who subsequently dies with 24 hours

•Threatens sweeping funding cuts to Harvard and is countersued by the university.

•Pam Bondi has handbag containing government documents stolen from restaurant.

May 2025:

•Ends funding to public broadcasters NPR and PBS.

•Proposes plan to refurbish and reopen Alcatraz.

•Pete Hegseth removes over 1,000 transgender personnel from the military.

•Signs strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia.

•Lifts all sanctions on former Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad

Announces deal to acquire 160 Boeing airliners from Qatar.

•Receives gift of $400M luxury airliner from Qatar to replace Air Force One which he will retain after office in his presidential library.

•Accuses South African government of ignoring a genocide against white farmers despite significant evidence to the contrary.

•Health Secretary RFK suspected of heavily using AI to generate 78 page plan on children's health .

•Elon Musk leaves DOGE.

June 2025:

•Engages in highly public online feud with Elon Musk about several issues including the Epstein Files.

•Widespread protests in Los Angeles regarding ICE raids.

•Deploys National Guard troops into Los Angeles.

•Threatens to deploy US Marines into Los Angeles.

•Deploys Marines into Los Angeles.

•Makes up with Elon Musk.

•Turns 79 and receives several gifts on live television.

•Holds poorly received military parade at great expense to celebrate his own birthday.

•"No Kings" protests sweep the country.

•Argues on social media with leader of Iran.

•Claims to have brokered a peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda.

•US military commits several airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, aiding Israel in war with Iran.

•Announces ceasefire in Iran-Israel war.

•Pressures NATO countries into increased financial contributions in exchange for greater support for Ukraine's defence against Russia.

July 2025:

•Passes "Big Beautiful Bill" providing sweeping tax cuts for richest Americans and increasing deficit by $6 Trillion.

•Opens "Alligator Alcatraz" detention centre for suspected illegal immigrants.

•Announces ceasfire plan for Gaza

Accidentally uses anti-semetic slur at Iowa State Fair.

•ICE perform security at Club World Cup stadiums.

•Hosts Italian football team Juventus at White House but fails to recognise or identify the two Americans in the squad, neither of whom are White.

•Attends Club World Cup Final, insisting on personally presenting the trophy on the field and gatecrashing the winners team photo.

•Tells Pam Bondi to "release Epstein Files". They are not released.

•Signs deal with Coca Cola to phase out corn syrup from the drink.

•Observed with extensive bruising on hands and severely swollen legs.

Accused of sending graphic drawing of prepubescent female in love note to Jeffrey Epstein. •Distances himself by claiming everybody knows he doesn't draw.

Pressure federal reserve director to cut inflation rates due to stalling economy.

•Tours renovations at Federal Reserve and accuses director of overspending despite including costs from other projects.

•Attempts to redistrict Texas electoral regions in order to gain five congressional seats.

•Inadvertently reveals he fell out with Jeffrey Epstein after arguing over the employment of a young girl that Epstein "stole" from him.

Announces construction of $200M ballroom at the White House.

August 2025:

•Files head of Labor Statistics Bureau after published job numbers do not show the increase he had promised the US people.

•Receives $100B investment and solid gold gift from Apple.

Gives major tariff exemptions to Apple.

•Brokers peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia then repeatedly mistakes Armenia as Albania and is unable to pronounce Azerbaijan correctly.

•Deploys National Guard into Washington DC.

•Hosts Vladimir Putin with red carpet in Alaska. Fails to gain the concessions he insists will be forthcoming in their war against Ukraine.

•Cancels Secret Service protection for Kamala Harris.

September 2025:

•Trump insists Epstein Files are a "Democrat Hoax".

•Posts AI picture of himself on social media as he threatens to deploy National Guard into Chicago.

•Charlie Kirk is assassinated which is met with an outpouring of grief from MAGA faithful.

•Trump announces deployment of National Guard into Memphis

•JD Vance is the guest host of the Charlie Kirk Show.

•President Trump attends his state visit with the United Kingdom Royal Family.

•Images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together are projected onto Windsor Castle by UK protestors.

•Trump insists in a dedicated press conference that Paracetamol causes autism.

•Additional tariffs are announced on pharmaceuticals and vehicles.

•The former head of the FBI who prosecuted Trump is indicted.

•National Guard is deployed to Portland.

•Hegseth and Trump call US military generals to conference and berate them over "fat generals" and other un-masculine traits.

•Trump posts more AI videos on social media disparaging senior democrats.

•Trump creates Trump-Rx and announces a deal with Pfizer.

October 2025:

•Government shutdown begins as democratic party refuses to allow several welfare and medicare provisions to lapse.

•High profile democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani polls very well in New York mayoral elections.

•$18B of infrastructure project funding for New York City is cancelled.

•Department of Education staff have their out of office messages altered to directly blame Democrats for government shutdown.

•Trump threatens to "extinguish" Hamas if they don't agree to Ceasefire.

•Posts AI video on Truth Social alluding to an unconstitutional campaign for a third term in 2028.

•Military strikes on civilian boats off the Venezuelan coast begin as the administration labels the occupants as drug traffickers without presenting evidence.

•Woman is shot by federal ICE agents in Chicago.

Stephen Miller claims on live television that Trump has full authority to deploy the National Guard against any and all US citizens.

•Trump announces ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

•$20B bailout given to right-wing Argentinian government.

•Trump claims deal to reduce drug prices for Americans who are allegedly subsidising discount medical care for the rest of the world.

•Shutdown continues for over two weeks. Regular Americans lose food stamps. Most government workers go unpaid.

•Trump instructs Hegseth to pay military salaries at all costs.

•Trump threatens use of Insurrection Act to essentially employ martial law over "rampant crime".

•Additional press restrictions are applied to all media reporting from the White House.

•Further critics and enemies of Trump are indicted on federal charges.

•More "No Kings" protests take place across more than 2,000 cities. Trump responds with AI image on social media of him flying a plane overhead and defecating on the protestors.

•East Wing of White House is demolished to make way for construction of Trump's $200B ballroom.

•Trump sues Department of Justice (in his own government) for $230M over previous criminal investigations that he was the subject of.

•US military commits further strikes on civilian vessels in the Pacific.

•Trump announces to reporters that he scored 100% on his physical and cognitive medical exams.

•Administration backtracks on claims that Paracetamol causes autism.

•Trump has his personal White House bathroom remodelled with several ornate gold fixtures, posting the results on social media as the government shutdown continues.

•Trump hosts an extravagant Great Gatsby party at Mar-A-Lago as the shutdown drags on and despite the absence of the Epstein Files, very young female cabaret dancers writhe around in oversized cocktail glasses as party entertainment.

November 2025:

•Strikes continue on alleged drug traffickers in international waters.

•Government attempts to purchase ten Boeing 737s from Spirit Airlines to use in deportation flights.

•Pete Hegseth reported to have fired over two dozen admirals and generals in less than nine months.

•Trump announces "50 year mortgage".

•United States refuses to attend COP30 climate conference, the first absence in over three decades.

•Several private emails of Jeffrey Epstein directly referencing Trump are leaked as the clamour for the files grows.

•Government shutdown finally ends after 42 days when eight democrats cave and vote to support the Republican line.

•Trump viciously criticises former close associate Marjorie Taylor Greene after she pushes for release of Epstein Files.

•Firm tied to Kristi Noem earned over $200M in government contracts during the shutdown.

•Instead of Epstein Files, Trump declassifies files about Amelia Earheart.

•Trump approves sale of several F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

Government announces screening of social media accounts for foreign visitors.

•House of Representatives votes 427-1 to ensure release of Epstein Files.

•ABC asks Trump about Epstein Files during interview. He proceeds to demand that their broadcasting license is revoked, without success.

•Redistricting of Texas electoral boundaries is declared illegal by federal court and reversed.

•Trump announces ceasefire plan for Russia-Ukraine war but only consults Russia and not Ukraine.

•Several offshore oil drilling contracts are allocated for development of fossil fuels.

•DOGE is dissolved eight months before the contract was due to end.

•Trump accuses Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro of being a terrorist and drug trafficker.

•Steve Witkoff caught on leaked phone call coaching Russian officials how to negotiate terms with Ukraine and gain favour when engaging with president Trump.

•Trump cancels all executive orders from Joe Biden that have yet to be formalised into law.

•President Trump pardons former Honduran president Juan Hernandez despite him being convicted in a US court of trafficking 400 tonnes of cocaine into America.

December 2025:

•After an alleged drug trafficking vessel is struck by US missiles, •Hegseth orders follow up strike on the same boat when it is evident not all of the occupants are deceased.

•President Trump fails to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which is instead given to leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Machado.

•At the World Cup Draw, FIFA award Trump the FIFA Peace Prize, an award never before awarded to anybody.

•The Kennedy Center is renamed the "Trump Kennedy Center".

•US Coast Guard begins to seize oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast.

•Trump announces that Fentanyl will be classed as a "Weapon of Mass Destruction".

•Trump implements travel and visa restrictions on a further 35 countries.

•Trump sues the BBC for $5B due to the way his speech was edited in a documentary about the Capitol riots, even though it wasn't broadcast in America.

•Heavily redacted and withheld versions of the Epstein Files are released but thousands of records remain incomplete or withheld, in violation of the law.

January 2026:

•Trump threatens to attack an possibly invade Iran if they use force against civilians protesters.

•The US military performs an unannounced military incursion into Venezuelan, killing over 100 soldiers and abducting their president, Nicholas Maduro.

•Trump declines to instate Nobel Peace Prize winning opponent if Maduro as the new leader of Venezuela, instead allowing the Maduro regime to maintain power but declaring himself interim head of state.

•Trump extorts millions of barrels of oil from the new Venezuelan leader for sale by the United States.

•Trump offers several US oil companies the opportunity to invest in Venezuelan oil initiatives.

•Trump also threatens Cuba, Canada, Colombia and Greenland with similar military intervention.

•Trump goes on record insisting his desire to purchase Greenland and threatens to use military force once this offer is rejected from all sides.

•US seizes another oil tanker off the coast of Iceland.

•United States withdraws from 66 imternational treaties and conventions.

•Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is integrated into Pentagon networks and is subsequently found willing to create deepfakes and child pornography on demand.

•Trump flips off and screams expletives at a heckler who called him a "pedophile protector".

•US citizen Renee Nicole Good is killed in Minneapolis by ICE agents.

•Video is released of the ICE shooting suggesting the shooting was unnecessary and unlawful but the government insists the victim was a violent terrorist and the killer faces no charges.

•Further foreign oil tankers are seized by the United States.

•The Nobel Prize Winner gives her medal and award to Trump at the White House, even though the organisers confirm that the prize is not transferable.

•Trump speaks at Davos to many world leaders demanding that Greenland is given to the United States for National Security reasons.

•Trump leaves Davos with a basic framework deal that likely offers little more than improved access to precious resources in Greenland and severely tempers his demands for ownership.

•Trump insists America never asks NATO for anything and that it won World War 2 single handedly.

•After international outrage that the USA is the only country that ever asked NATO to join its war and sacrifice troops for America, Trump slightly backtracks on the statement.

•ICE kill a second citizen in Minneapolis. Once again the incident is filmed and is even more brutal than the first, with ICE shooting the prone victim in the back at least ten times.

•The administration quickly accuses the victim of attacking ICE, contrary to video evidence and labels him a domestic terrorist.