10 Steps to Autocracy – And How We Fight Back with Unity and Ownership

Stacey Abrams laid out Ten Steps to Autocracy on The Jimmy Kimmel Show it was a prediction—and a report. A roadmap of how democracies die. And not just anywhere—right here in America. Trump is already halfway through the playbook. But while everyone else is frozen, debating whether to call it fascism or not, I'm here to talk about how we fight back. Not with hope, but with structure. Not with politics, but with unity and ownership."

"This isn’t about saving America. This is about saving us."

Trump already won once in 2016 with foreign help, voter suppression, and lies. He lost in 2020—then tried to burn the system down rather than concede. That’s not losing. That’s planning your next move."

The Constitution Is a Costume

The biggest lie ever told to Black people is that the Constitution would protect us. It protected slavery. It legalized segregation. It gave us mass incarceration. And now, it protects an insurrectionist president.

Trump was impeached for trying to rig an election. Twice.

He led a mob to attack Congress. He gave aid and comfort to seditionists.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment says he should be disqualified.

But instead of upholding the Constitution, the Supreme Court rewrote it to protect him. Where’s the rule of law? Republicans swore an oath to defend the Constitution.

They violated it — and acquitted him.

So, let’s be honest:

The Constitution doesn’t protect us because it was never meant to. And the people who still believe in its promises are either deeply naive or willfully blind.

Republicans Violated Their Oath

Every member of Congress takes an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” By acquitting Trump despite overwhelming evidence of misconduct—including inciting an insurrection—they ignored the Constitution’s mechanisms for accountability and protected party over principle.

Their inaction wasn't passive, it was complicit. When Republicans break their oath and face no consequences, and Democrats won’t risk power to defend the Constitution, what’s left? Us the people. Those who see the rot, feel the danger, and know that unity and infrastructure under our control is the only real defense.

How Congress Is Quietly Waging War on the People It Claims to Represent

“SNAP costs a day… only $6… Medicaid for a kid, $10 a day… That’s just $16 a day to make sure a child doesn’t go hungry and has access to health care. That’s Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, pulling back the curtain on the real cost of helping the poor—pocket change compared to the billions handed to the wealthy and spent on endless war. But don’t get it twisted: this bill isn’t about saving money. It’s about sacrificing the many to serve the few.

Key Timeline: Borrowing from Trust Funds

1983: The Greenspan Commission

Social Security was facing a funding crisis. A bipartisan commission led by Alan Greenspan recommended reforms: Raise payroll taxes: Raise the retirement age Reduce benefits growth. These changes generated a large surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund.

What happened to the surplus? By law, Social Security can't "invest" in the stock market or private assets. So, the surplus funds were required to be invested in U.S. Treasury bonds.

Why Did This Happen?

It allowed the federal government to: Borrow more without going to the public or foreign lenders. Fund other parts of the federal budget (military, tax cuts, etc.) without raising income taxes. This practice ballooned during the Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr. administrations.

How much is owed now (2025)?

The Social Security Trust Fund holds over $2.7 trillion in these IOUs.If the more than 21 million Black adults employed just committed to a $1 a week subscription for 12 months, we’d raise $1,008,000,000 per year. We are running out of time. If we don’t organize, we lose.

Unity is not optional. Because no one is coming to save us.

The cavalry isn’t coming — but the storm is.