Is It Too Late to Stop the Authoritarian Takeover of America?

(The Chilling Truth About Trump, Foreign Influence, and What We Still Have Time to Do)

Is It Too Late to Stop the Authoritarian Takeover of America?

(The Chilling Truth About Trump, Foreign Influence, and What We Still Have Time to Do)

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #449: July 26th, 2025

The Question No One Wants to Ask…

What if it’s already happened?

What if a foreign-backed authoritarian didn’t need to overthrow our government…
Because we handed him the keys and called it an election?

We talk a lot about “saving democracy.”
But we need to be honest with ourselves…about where we are…and how deep the knife has gone.

This isn’t about politics anymore.

It’s about whether the United States is still under American control.

Let me show you the evidence.
Then I’ll show you the exit ramp.

What a Takeover Actually Looks Like

Let’s get one thing straight:
If you were expecting tanks in the streets…soldiers kicking in your door…or a foreign flag flying above the Capitol…you’ve already missed the point.

That’s not how modern authoritarianism works.

The new form of war is:

• Silent

• Digital

• Institutional

• Psychological

No gunshots. Just decay.

No invasion. Just compromise.

And no need for a foreign army if your own citizens are cheering on the collapse.

That’s where we are.

And Donald J. Trump?
He wasn’t the architect of this plan.

He was the battering ram.

Five Steps to Take Down a Nation (Without Firing a Shot)

If a foreign power…let’s say…Russia or China…wanted to destabilize the United States… here’s how they’d do it:

1. Undermine U.S. Intelligence and Federal Law Enforcement

Trump didn’t just attack the FBI and CIA for sport.

He:

• Discredited their findings

• Smeared agents as “deep state” operatives

• Replaced leadership with loyalists

He sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence on live television in Helsinki.
That alone would’ve ended a presidency in any other era.

But that wasn’t incompetence. That was signal-boosting for America’s enemies.

2. Weaken Alliances and Isolate America

While Trump was playing dictator cosplay with Kim Jong-un and kissing up to Putin…he was:

• Threatening to pull out of NATO

• Undermining the EU

• Slashing diplomatic budgets

• Alienating traditional allies

Why?

Because a weakened U.S. abroad is a vulnerable U.S. at home.
It wasn’t “America First.” It was Russia and China favored…by design or delusion.

3. Control the Narrative

Trump took over Fox.
He built Truth Social.
He weaponized social media.

He repeated the lies often enough that millions believed him over their own eyes and ears.

And now? They believe any attempt to hold him accountable is a “witch hunt.”

That’s not politics. That’s psychological warfare.

4. Discredit Elections

January 6 wasn’t just a riot.

It was a field test.

Could Trump:

• Pressure state legislatures? Check.

• Coerce DOJ officials? Check.

• Send armed mobs? Check.

• Call for “finding votes”? Check.

• Delay the peaceful transfer of power? Check.

He almost succeeded.

Now…after he learned from his mistake…he’s charging ahead with vengeance…and doesn’t plan on being stopped again.

5. Fill the System With Loyalists

From ICE to DHS to the Pentagon…Trump placed people who would follow orders… not laws.

During his lame-duck period:

• He replaced top defense officials

• Fired people who wouldn’t toe the line

• Gave pardons to war criminals and allies

The goal wasn’t governance.
It was control of force.

Who Benefits From All This?

You tell me.

Was weakening America’s intelligence community good for us…or for Putin?

Was pulling out of global treaties good for us…or for Beijing?

Was attacking the press…promoting conspiracy theories…and destabilizing trust in elections good for us….or for every hostile regime that wants to see democracy fail?

This wasn’t just narcissism.
It wasn’t just chaos.
It was a pattern.

A pattern that perfectly mirrors the goals of America’s enemies.

So... Is It Too Late?

No.
But it’s damn close.

And here’s the most chilling truth:
We are no longer trying to prevent the takeover.

We are now trying to reverse one that’s already underway.

But we’re not powerless.
We’re not broken.
We’re not finished.

We just have to stop pretending this is a normal political cycle.
It’s not.
It’s war…by other means.

Here’s What We Still Have Time to Do

1. Call It What It Is

No more “culture war.”
No more “both sides” nonsense.
No more “Trump just says crazy stuff.”

Start using the correct words:

• Foreign-aided subversion

• Authoritarian infiltration

• Ongoing coup attempt

When you name the disease, you can treat it.

2. Shatter the Narrative

Their biggest weapon is numbness.

They want you exhausted.
Disillusioned.
Apathetic.

That’s how they win.

So every time you speak up…write…protest…organize…you’re chipping away at their psychological control.

You don’t need to convince everyone.

You just need to disrupt the fog long enough for truth to breathe.

3. Back the Right People

We’re not short on patriots.
We’re short on amplification.

Groups like:

• @SteadyState2025

• National security professionals

• Whistleblowers

• Civil servants with courage

• State-level pro-democracy warriors

They’re already fighting.

We just need to fund…follow…and elevate them.

4. Refuse to Be Numb

This is the one that matters most.

Because once we stop caring…they win forever.

The moment we say “nothing matters” is the moment everything becomes possible for the authoritarian.

You don’t have to fight every “battle.”

But you have to stay in the damn “war.”

The Warning History Left for Us

The lesson isn’t just from 1930s Germany.

It’s from:

• Chile in the ‘70s

• Turkey in the 2010s

• Hungary today

• Russia post-Yeltsin

• Every country where a corrupted strongman rose to power with the help of hollowed-out institutions and a weary public.

Democracy doesn’t disappear with a bang.
It fades…election by election…agency by agency…lie by lie.

And right now, we’re in the final act…
Unless we decide we’re not.

Final Word: The Choice That Still Exists

There’s still a path out.

But it doesn’t come from hoping.

It comes from doing.

Doing what?

• Supporting the people still honoring their oath.

• Refusing to normalize the madness.

• Calling out corruption by name.

• Organizing.

• Donating.

• Writing.

• Voting.

• Staying loud.

There’s still time.

But there’s no time to waste.

This Is Where We Draw the Line

So if you're waiting for permission to rise…here's your damn permission slip. You don’t need to be a general…a senator…or a billionaire. You just need a spine…a voice… and the refusal to look away.

Because the future doesn't belong to the loudest liars…it belongs to the most relentless truth-tellers.

And if we keep showing up…keep naming the enemy…keep flooding the zone with facts…clarity…and moral fire? We win. Period.

This isn't about politics anymore. It's about survival…and rebirth.

Every time you speak up…organize…write…vote…donate…or help someone else not give up…you drive a stake into the heart of authoritarianism.

And if we do that enough? It bleeds out.

We are not done. We are not defeated. And we are not going anywhere. Eyes forward. Chin up. Fortitude…tripled.

You know how strong you are.

You just forget sometimes. From now on…the more you begin to forget…the more it will cause you to remember the strength you have.

I’ll be back soon…with more. You better know it.

Warmly,

-Jack

P.S. If this piece hit you in the gut the way it hit me writing it…
Good.

Because this isn’t the time for neutral reporting.
It’s time to pick a side.

And if you’re still here…you already have.

Let’s go.
Let’s make noise.
Let’s win this country back.