Trumpocene
Historians will propose in due course a name for this current phase we are witnessing in the United States. My early submission: The Great Dismantling.
April 20, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Trumpocene
He’ll never get elected. Norms will restrain him. Mueller will get him. He can’t come back from J6. No way he’ll get re-elected. Epstein will bring him down. He’s overplayed his hand. He has dementia. This isn’t who we are. (Fables of the Trumpocene)
August 13, 2025 at 7:38 PM
He’ll never get elected. Norms will restrain him. Mueller will get him. He can’t come back from J6. No way he’ll get re-elected. Epstein will bring him down. He’s overplayed his hand. He has dementia. This isn’t who we are. (Fables of the Trumpocene)
I think Newsomism is a neolib variation of Platnerism and both are grotesque mutations made possible by the gamma rays of the Trumpocene.
Gov. Gavin Newsom portrays himself as a resistance leader—though in his budget proposal, he is once again attacking Medicaid funded home care that helps disabled people live independently. My latest for @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Newsom's budget shows he's not the resistance leader you think he is
Disabled people on Medicaid-funded home care are often "conditioned to accept crumbs."
www.motherjones.com
May 16, 2026 at 3:11 AM
I think Newsomism is a neolib variation of Platnerism and both are grotesque mutations made possible by the gamma rays of the Trumpocene.
The Dumb is Rising is going to be my Susan Cooper fanfic account of the Trumpocene.
February 5, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The Dumb is Rising is going to be my Susan Cooper fanfic account of the Trumpocene.
Big points for “Trumpocene.”
November 17, 2024 at 1:45 PM
Big points for “Trumpocene.”
Add “highly unusual” to the dictionary of mannered journalism-speak failing to accurately report the Trumpocene, along with “controversial,” “unorthodox,” “outside the norm,” “skeptic,” “raises questions”…
November 17, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Add “highly unusual” to the dictionary of mannered journalism-speak failing to accurately report the Trumpocene, along with “controversial,” “unorthodox,” “outside the norm,” “skeptic,” “raises questions”…
Wave bye-bye to planet Earth....you are now entering the Trumpocene Era
November 6, 2024 at 7:57 AM
Wave bye-bye to planet Earth....you are now entering the Trumpocene Era
Shame isn’t a functional political tool. It should be, but it’s not. Nine years into the Trumpocene, continuing to invoke it is willful ignorance—& avoidance of the very hard work of finding & making new narratives that might have some power.
December 16, 2024 at 9:10 PM
Shame isn’t a functional political tool. It should be, but it’s not. Nine years into the Trumpocene, continuing to invoke it is willful ignorance—& avoidance of the very hard work of finding & making new narratives that might have some power.
Trumpocene.
New: We estimate that in 2025, US greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.4%, marking a change from the prior two years of decreases in emissions. Emissions also grew faster than the economy in 2025, reversing the decoupling of emissions and economic activity of the prior two years.
January 14, 2026 at 3:29 AM
Trumpocene.
The Reagan age, during which a neoliberal rhetorical style associated with Reagan shaped both GOP & Dems, ran from 1980-2016, clearing the way for the even more dishonest Trumpocene. Newsom can’t decide whether he wants to rhetorically be like Trump or Reagan. Neither choice supports democracy.
The presidency once served as a reminder of our common humanity. Ronald Reagan described its purpose as building "a nation composed of good and decent people."
December 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The Reagan age, during which a neoliberal rhetorical style associated with Reagan shaped both GOP & Dems, ran from 1980-2016, clearing the way for the even more dishonest Trumpocene. Newsom can’t decide whether he wants to rhetorically be like Trump or Reagan. Neither choice supports democracy.
I keep talking about Platner, who is cooked except inasmuch as he may have a Tuckeresque 2nd act, because for all my WTFs ever since the tattoo I nonetheless relented when I knew better. The Trumpocene infects everything. Let’s all try to name it at every turn.
July 8, 2026 at 4:11 AM
I keep talking about Platner, who is cooked except inasmuch as he may have a Tuckeresque 2nd act, because for all my WTFs ever since the tattoo I nonetheless relented when I knew better. The Trumpocene infects everything. Let’s all try to name it at every turn.
New on CALLING ALL SYLLABLES, a series of reported stories by @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social writers on how the Trumpocene trickles down into the everyday of our small towns: "What Time Is It?" by Claire Kovac, in which she asks the trees. callingallsyllables.substack.com/p/what-time-...
What Time Is It?
A dendrochronology of the Trumpocene; or, the roots are longer than the tree itself.
callingallsyllables.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 10:49 AM
New on CALLING ALL SYLLABLES, a series of reported stories by @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social writers on how the Trumpocene trickles down into the everyday of our small towns: "What Time Is It?" by Claire Kovac, in which she asks the trees. callingallsyllables.substack.com/p/what-time-...
Harvard's conservative debate club quietly ejected all of its women. But why should we care? Because it points to a cultural shift led by the 'all-boys' clubs of the Trumpocene," writes @ninaburleigh.bsky.social in this week's American Freakshow.
Return of the Planet of the Apes
The All-Boys’ Clubs of the Trumpocene
www.americanfreakshow.news
December 16, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Harvard's conservative debate club quietly ejected all of its women. But why should we care? Because it points to a cultural shift led by the 'all-boys' clubs of the Trumpocene," writes @ninaburleigh.bsky.social in this week's American Freakshow.
One of the main legacies of the Trumpocene, I fear, is a redrawing of the sectional boundary (though not precisely at the Mason-Dixon) & recreation of a Southern media firewall.
END
END
August 7, 2026 at 10:51 PM
One of the main legacies of the Trumpocene, I fear, is a redrawing of the sectional boundary (though not precisely at the Mason-Dixon) & recreation of a Southern media firewall.
END
END
Debate over whether Trump's 1.7% popular lead is a mandate misses what's happening. Of course nor; of course he'll say it is; & of course this is bickering over a pre-Trumpocene term. We fight fascism not because of its vote margin but because it's fascism. Had he won by 20 pts, we'd fight fascism.
November 16, 2024 at 3:42 PM
Debate over whether Trump's 1.7% popular lead is a mandate misses what's happening. Of course nor; of course he'll say it is; & of course this is bickering over a pre-Trumpocene term. We fight fascism not because of its vote margin but because it's fascism. Had he won by 20 pts, we'd fight fascism.
Accepting nominations for best longform journalism about the Trumpocene from last summer to now. Not looking for polemic or argument but rather brilliant, illuminating, beautifully made reporting. Thanks!
March 30, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Accepting nominations for best longform journalism about the Trumpocene from last summer to now. Not looking for polemic or argument but rather brilliant, illuminating, beautifully made reporting. Thanks!
Responses so far seem to insist that this won't happen because it's illegal--strange line of argument in the Trumpocene--or that if it does cops will just join troops. Both responses bury the lede: escalating tensions as gov't threatens to invade US cities.
Slow civil war is heating up when a CNN anchor asks Denver's mayor whether he'd pit Denver police against Trump's troops if the threatened federal invasion of the city occurs. Of course, he deflects. But the question is on the table. www.cnn.com/2024/11/26/p...
Denver mayor responds to Trump’s ‘border czar’ threatening to arrest him | CNN Politics
CNN’s Erin Burnett speaks with Denver’s Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston about President-elect Donald Trump’s new “border czar” threatening him with arrest if he does not comply with directives to assis...
www.cnn.com
November 28, 2024 at 1:23 AM
Responses so far seem to insist that this won't happen because it's illegal--strange line of argument in the Trumpocene--or that if it does cops will just join troops. Both responses bury the lede: escalating tensions as gov't threatens to invade US cities.
This is not a “left antisemitism” problem, tho Platner touched on that, nor is it even exclusively a misogyny problem, tho Platner was steeped in that. It’s the Trumpocene, the way fascism so blots out hope that it’s tempting to think the only way to fight it is thru a mirror darkly.
July 8, 2026 at 4:13 AM
This is not a “left antisemitism” problem, tho Platner touched on that, nor is it even exclusively a misogyny problem, tho Platner was steeped in that. It’s the Trumpocene, the way fascism so blots out hope that it’s tempting to think the only way to fight it is thru a mirror darkly.
My latest writing. On listening to other people's dreams of killing in the Trumpocene.
slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/bodies-wil...
slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/bodies-wil...
Bodies Will Swing
What one woman wanted of Trump's return. This was her dream. We're getting there.
slowcivilwar.substack.com
February 15, 2025 at 7:03 PM
My latest writing. On listening to other people's dreams of killing in the Trumpocene.
slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/bodies-wil...
slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/bodies-wil...
Goodbye To All That
A bittersweet reflection on my 10th anniversary of being an independent investigative reporter during the Trumpocene
www.bettedangerous.com/p/goodbye-to...
A bittersweet reflection on my 10th anniversary of being an independent investigative reporter during the Trumpocene
www.bettedangerous.com/p/goodbye-to...
Goodbye To All That
A bittersweet reflection on my 10th anniversary of being an independent investigative reporter during the Trumpocene
www.bettedangerous.com
September 16, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Goodbye To All That
A bittersweet reflection on my 10th anniversary of being an independent investigative reporter during the Trumpocene
www.bettedangerous.com/p/goodbye-to...
A bittersweet reflection on my 10th anniversary of being an independent investigative reporter during the Trumpocene
www.bettedangerous.com/p/goodbye-to...
That settles it. My tentative destination tomorrow is glorious Statesville, NC. Recommendations welcome. Starting a wandering project on how people imagine their futures & rethink their pasts in the convergence of the Trumpocene & our dire climate condition.
December 1, 2024 at 7:40 PM
That settles it. My tentative destination tomorrow is glorious Statesville, NC. Recommendations welcome. Starting a wandering project on how people imagine their futures & rethink their pasts in the convergence of the Trumpocene & our dire climate condition.
Week Two of my Dartmouth creative nonfiction syllabus/reader for a course designed to document the Trumpocene as experienced by students & residents of our region. slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/a-syllabus...
A Syllabus for Right Now: Week Two
Week Two of a weekly syllabus/reader for the creative nonfiction course I’m building in real time to document what my Dartmouth colleague Jeff Ruoff dubs “the Trumpocene,” as seen and felt by students...
slowcivilwar.substack.com
April 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Week Two of my Dartmouth creative nonfiction syllabus/reader for a course designed to document the Trumpocene as experienced by students & residents of our region. slowcivilwar.substack.com/p/a-syllabus...
Please read this thread. As the Trumpocene festers, I’m seeing more and more good-hearted liberals & leftists start mucking around in the same misinformation/conspiracy theory as the fascists. That’s not a both-sides statement. It’s saying let’s not let that poison tide overtake us.
The amount of stupid on social media right now is depressing. The billionaire Resnicks own a lot of land and a lot of water rights. They do not, contrary to a lot of the stupid, "own all California's water" or have anything to do with the L.A. fires.
January 12, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Please read this thread. As the Trumpocene festers, I’m seeing more and more good-hearted liberals & leftists start mucking around in the same misinformation/conspiracy theory as the fascists. That’s not a both-sides statement. It’s saying let’s not let that poison tide overtake us.
The Trumpocene.
(Excuse me, I feel a bit queasy.)
(Excuse me, I feel a bit queasy.)
April 30, 2026 at 12:56 PM
The Trumpocene.
(Excuse me, I feel a bit queasy.)
(Excuse me, I feel a bit queasy.)
Parce que nous sommes au trumpocène, où toute suggestion d'ouvrir la possibilité d'un autre rapport au monde que celui de 1970 est dénoncé par les dominants comme une intolérable persécution dont ces choupinets seraient l'éternelle victime.
May 14, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Parce que nous sommes au trumpocène, où toute suggestion d'ouvrir la possibilité d'un autre rapport au monde que celui de 1970 est dénoncé par les dominants comme une intolérable persécution dont ces choupinets seraient l'éternelle victime.