The Moment Trump’s Panic Became Visible

Why his latest rants signal a deeper unraveling

We’re living in a moment where authoritarian power is panicking, elites are hiding, and ordinary people are the ones finding their voice.

You could read Trump’s outburst against Somali immigrants as just another racist rant.

But if you listen more closely you can also hear it as a panic siren from an authoritarian project that knows it’s slipping, even as everyday people quietly find their courage again.

Trump’s racist tirade against Somali immigrants wasn’t new, but as Diana Butler Bass, Kristin Du Mez, and I unpacked on this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, it landed differently.

This wasn’t just more ugly rhetoric. It sounded like fear. It sounded like a regime running out of tricks and grasping for one of its oldest tools: dehumanizing immigrants to rally its base.

But while the president doubles down, something else is happening on the ground.

Diana described a subtle but powerful shift in public spaces. Strangers are groaning out loud at the news, trading comments in security lines, and saying what they used to only text in group chats.

In places like Chicago, Nashville, and beyond, people aren’t just talking—they’re organizing, marching, and even turning Home Depot product returns into a protest tactic.

Meanwhile, the elites—on both sides of the aisle—feel further away than ever.

Bubble-wrapped in security details, donor circles, and curated media, they seem unable or unwilling to name what’s happening: an authoritarian movement testing the limits daily, and a public that is more awake than the political class wants to admit.

Kristin put it bluntly: they keep pushing because they keep getting away with it.

When there finally is pushback—a lawsuit, an impeachment article, a rare moment of moral clarity—the response is denial, distraction, or outright lies. But beneath that, the fear is showing. The grip is loosening.

If you want to hear how all this connects to Advent, empire, and light breaking through the darkness, you’ll want to watch the full conversation.

Register to see Jemar, Diana, and more at the Southern Lights Conference.

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