In case anyone had any remaining doubts about the administration’s embrace of all things fascist, this ought to seal the deal. Today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is holding a press conference in which he will announce the plan going forward for California to gerrymand itself at Disneylandian levels, all in response to a Texas-sized effort at the behest of Trump’s politically insecure order. All that is taken as a given as it’s been weeks in the works. What no one anticipated and what bodes darkly going forward is the arrival of federal agents, some bearing the label of Border Patrol, all masked, showing up at the presser. For now, it is purely an intimidation tactic, but that doesn’t mean it always will be, and that doesn’t make it any less dangerous in its own right.
Herewith we see today’s most horrifying sight (so far):
Armed Trump administration agents wearing masks just showed up outside of Gavin Newsom’s press conference.This is what rising fascism looks like.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) 2025-08-14T18:42:11.159Z
It is dangerous that we’re almost getting used to seeing the masks, as if this is normal behavior in the United States. It would otherwise be almost funny in that the fictional “stormtroopers” in Star Wars all dressed alike, all in helmets that concealed their identity, any individuality. They had to, of course. They were fascist imperialists imposing abuses on everyday people.
So what are the Trumptroopers doing there? Probably nothing today. But that is another element of fascism. It first comes in drips, very seldom does a whole takeover ever happen overnight. This has to be interpreted for exactly what it is, a show of force, meant to intimidate. Trump must have sent the troops simply because he could. It seems to be a way to show Newsom that troops will show up anywhere to do anything ordered, up to and including dispersing the press conference or even worse. Someday.
There is no other explanation. The Border Patrol (Some have Border Patrol uniforms, others remain unidentified) has no general law-enforcement capacity, and there’s no reason to believe that a governor’s press conference on a purely political play would even attract immigrants, never mind undocumented ones. So what are they doing there?
Please also note that the force isn’t even dressed like law-enforcement. Indeed, the few that are labeled as “Border Patrol” need that insignia to differentiate between them and our military, and that is no accident. Is there a reason they need helmets? Bulletproof vests? Tactical gear? There have been little to no reports about violent altercations between immigrants or protesters against the Border Patrol, ICE, or the National Guard. But that is the point. The whole thing is set up to intimidate, and the intimidation is meant to quell any opposition, even peaceful opposition. That is what fascism does.
Thankfully, there is likely little that the governor of the nation’s largest state needs to fear. Very unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that it will always be this way, nor does it mean that people with less power will get the same “courtesy” as Gov. Newsom. It comes in drips.
We don’t know when the rest will drop. We only know it will come eventually unless this is no longer tolerated. If they knew they were on the right side, they wouldn’t have to wear masks.
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Hmm … The “Minute Men” in “It Can’t Happen Here”? They started out [I think I recall Sinclair Lewis using the word] “humorous”. It went from there quickly and, so far, surprisingly, at a similar speed. It hasn’t been about Jews (at least so far), but maybe that doesn’t matter. Even if it sticks to brown people and malcontents, there are plenty for the concentration camps.
Our craven Congress handed out a huge budget to make it happen.
“If they knew they were on the right side, they wouldn’t have to wear masks.”
This is true.
Gov.Newsom should go out and pull a few of their goonie masks off.
Newsom should have the LAPD arrest them for loitering, then have their paper work lost and ship them to El Salvador’s CECOT.