Donald Trump Is Scaring the Hell Out of Me
Even if he's bluffing, it's dangerous.
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Donald Trump has the entire country, if not the entire world, on edge this morning with repeated threats to wipe Iran’s civilization off the map. And the implication behind that rhetoric is that he’s at least considering using nuclear weapons to end this illegal and disastrous war. At a bare minimum, he’s already said that he’s willing to strike civilian targets, which would be a pretty clear war crime.
And the truth is, I don’t know how serious he is. Maybe it’s just another weak man issuing threats he won’t follow through on, as he’s done many times before. But we’ve watched this president violate norm after norm, law after law. And at this point, we have to take seriously the possibility that he might do something that hasn’t been done in almost 100 years: use a nuclear weapon in the middle of a war.
When it comes to Donald Trump, I tend to be somebody who takes what he says seriously. At the time that I’m writing this and sending it out, I don’t know what’s going to happen. The deadline is at 8 o’clock Eastern tonight. If you’re reading this after, you may know more than I do about whether or not he was serious, if he backed down, or to what extent he’s willing to attack the people of Iran. But I always try to take what Donald Trump says seriously so that I can better prepare for what might happen.
When he jokes about a third term, I take it seriously. When he talks about meddling in elections, I take it seriously. So when he starts talking like this, and when I see MAGA influencers like Mark Levin, who Donald Trump is very close to, start justifying and laying the groundwork for Donald Trump to use nuclear weapons, I take that very seriously.
Because what we’re watching is a president who’s launched an illegal war without congressional authorization, who has, by all appearances, misled the public about casualties and outcomes, and who shows a disturbing disregard for human life. People are disposable to him. He treats the world like a chess game. The only life that matters is his.
Decisions of this magnitude aren’t meant to rest with one person. They’re supposed to be checked, debated, and constrained. That’s why we have a Constitution. And here he is, using the language of a dictator more openly than ever and, frankly, scaring the hell out of everybody.
It’s not what this country is supposed to be about. This is not real leadership. We don’t need reckless threats or escalating rhetoric with no clear strategy, with no clear plan to improve this situation and help the American people with their lives. What we should be doing is de-escalating. What we should be doing is leading the world and working with our allies, not alienating them. We should be understanding the weight of the decisions that are made behind the Resolute Desk. And the president of the United States, who is in control of the world’s most powerful military, should act with restraint, not impulse.
At our best, America leads. We helped win World War II. We rallied the world around Ukraine. We haven’t always gotten it right, but at our best, we’ve been a force for good—something people could look to for leadership. And in just one year, Donald Trump has shredded that credibility at home and abroad. Our allies are pushed away, our global stability has been shaken, and the economy is damaged, potentially beyond repair. The American people are scared. And when credibility erodes, the risks aren’t theoretical. They get more real, more immediate, and harder to control.
Even if this nuclear threat is empty, and I suspect it is, the fact that people believe it’s possible says everything about the man who sits behind the Oval Office. The fact that so many people today are calling for Donald Trump to be removed by the 25th Amendment—not just Democrats, but also core members of the MAGA movement. People like Alex Jones are starting to make sense to me on removing Donald Trump from office. Candace Owens is saying we have to remove him because he’s lost his mind. It’s a strange day in paradise when Mike Nellis and Alex Jones and Candace Owens are all in agreement.
We are no longer dealing with hypotheticals; we’re dealing with a reality people can actually see happening. We’ve seen what nuclear weapons can do. The only time they’ve ever been used in war came under extraordinary circumstances at the end of World War II—circumstances that have been debated for decades. And there will be no such justification for such action here should Donald Trump decide to do that. Multiple members of his administration have refused to rule that out, in case you think I’m being irrational.
There will not be grace. There will not be understanding. But there must be consequences if Donald Trump does something like that.
Endless Urgency is free to read—thanks to our paid subscribers. If this work has been useful to you, please help keep it available to everyone by becoming a paid subscriber. Just $8/month makes a huge difference:
The truth is, today more than other days, I’m exhausted—and I imagine that you are too. When you think about it, we have lived through some extraordinary times: pandemics, economic instability, technological upheaval, constant political chaos. None of this is normal. People are just trying to make it through their day. They want to pay their bills. They want to find a moment’s peace at night and maybe watch a basketball game. And instead, we’re sitting here wondering how far this can go.
That isn’t okay.
So yeah, I’m a little scared today. But what happens next matters. If things escalate—whatever he does tonight—people aren’t just going to be afraid in theory. They’re going to be afraid of retaliation, of what comes next, of how far this spirals. And the only way through that is together: supporting each other, staying engaged, refusing to tune out when it feels overwhelming.
Because this is one of those moments that actually matters. We don’t get to look away. We don’t get to assume someone else will fix it. We don’t get to pretend this is normal. It’s not.
And if we meet this moment with clarity, with urgency, and with a willingness to stand up for our values—for each other, for the kind of country we’re supposed to be—then we’ll have a chance to pull ourselves back from the brink. But that only happens if we show up.
It means paying attention, speaking out, holding leaders accountable—not letting this become background noise just because it’s overwhelming and scary. So stay engaged and connected, take care of each other, and don’t lose sight of what’s actually at stake here. Because it’s bigger than politics—it’s the future, and it’s whether we’re going to face it together or let it slip away.
With urgency,
Mike
Welcome to the club. tRump is scaring the hell out of everyone I know.
I wish I could - upgrade! Not yet. But I totally agree with everything you've shared.