Trump’s Threat

At the rally, Trump claimed the so-called “weaponization of our justice system ... is the central issue of our time,” positioning himself as the ultimate victim. He also claimed, “I’ve got bad publicity and my poll numbers are going through the roof.” But as he spoke, his favorability sat at 41.7% in 538’s average (down from an early March high of 43.3%) compared to 53.5% unfavorable. He was the only U.S. president in history never to reach 50% favorability.

Only about a third of Republican primary voters are hard-core Trump supporters, according to Jackson and other pollsters’ recent analyses, but there’s no other clear center of gravity in the party, and Trump clearly intends to keep it that way by framing the entire political landscape around his self-proclaimed innocent victimhood, symbolically fused with his supporters — classic elements of fascist propaganda.

In his initial lie-packed social media post — a racist, antisemitic incitement to violence,

DBAs

[from p. 13]

01/2010 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)). S/Princess Nava, Manager

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on February 10, 2023

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 3/02/23, 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023047376

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

S.B.A.C.M. SAVE BUYING @ CMART, 420 S PACIFIC AVE UNIT, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 - 2626

County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): RONALD JOE BENNETT, 420 S PACIFIC AVE, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731-2626; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 08/2015.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ RONALD J BENNETT, OWNER overflowing with conspiratorial insinuations — Trump claimed he was about to be arrested on the following Tuesday based on non-existent leaks from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and called on his supporters to “Protest, take

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2023053778

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Engineer Makers Project, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731, County of LOS ANGELES

Registered owner(s): Shurhonda Bradley, 830 W 29th St APT D, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) started doing business on 01/2021.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

S/ Shuronda Bradley, OWNER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/03/2023.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must our nation back!”

But there was no leak. There was no arrest. And there were no protests. There was only an intensified escalation of Trump’s hateful, mendacious attacks, faithfully echoed by GOP politicians, culminating in threats of mass violence, that “potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country.” and saying, “we expect that you will testify about what plainly appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision.”

On March 23, Bragg’s office calmly, but firmly responded that the letter was “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution” whose “requests are an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty,” going on to say,” [I]t is clear that Congress cannot have any legitimate legislative task relating to the oversight of local prosecutors enforcing state law,” but requesting to “meet and confer” in order to discover if there was any legitimate purpose that they could accommodate.

On March 25, the Republican chairs responded, claiming that protecting Trump from prosecution was a legitimate legislative task. After falsely claiming Bragg’s prosecution was improper, they wrote that they “must now consider whether to draft legislation that would, if enacted, insulate current and former presidents from such improper state and local prosecutions.”

“Setting aside that Congress has no constitutional authority to do this,” author James Surowiecki tweeted, “seems weird to allow former presidents to rob and murder with no fear of prosecution.” be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/16/23, 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 2023057413

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: PAW CHAKRA, 437 W. 6th St SAN PEDRO, CA 90731 County of LOS ANGELES. Mailing Address: 255 W 5TH ST 1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731. Registered owner(s): PAW CHAKRA LLC, 255 W 5th St UNIT1106, SAN PEDRO, CA 90731; State of Incorporation: CA This business is conducted by a limited liability company. The registrant(s) started doing business on N/A.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000)).

PAW CHAKRA LLC S/ KAYLEIGH GEOGHEGAN, CEO

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on 03/15/2023.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the Affidavit of Identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 03/30/23, 04/13/23, 04/27/23, 05/11/23

This, combined with further menacing posts targeting New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg (one with Trump holding a baseball bat right next to Bragg’s head) could result in further criminal charges, experts warned. “There could be charges brought because he is threatening a public official,” former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said on MSNBC. “This is very similar to the language he used in that we know incited violence, he knows incited violence, he knows precisely what he’s doing.”

But as they unfolded, Trump’s attacks had other targets as well: the rule of law, conservative/ antisemitic boogeyman George Soros (falsely accused of funding Bragg and supposedly pulling his strings), his main GOP primary opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the collective sanity of the American public, as Trump’s barrage of fantastical lies was clearly intended to gaslight the public into a helpless state of radical uncertainty about even the most basic facts.

Radicalizing The GOP & Consolidating 2024 Support

Roughly half of Republicans who think Trump did a good job think it’s time for someone new, according to polls, and DeSantis has targeted them with a Trumpian culture-war agenda, trumpeting his political success as Florida’s governor while refusing to name anything he disagrees with Trump on. Essentially, he’s been counting on the criminal justice system to get rid of Trump for him — just as Mitch McConnell and most Senate Republicans did when they acquitted Trump in his impeachment trial. But Trump’s attack on the justice system, rallying GOP support, left DeSantis flat-footed as a chorus of prominent Republicans began echoing Trump’s false claims, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leading the way, and opening the door for intensified attacks on the criminal justice system.

“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy tweeted, shortly after Trump’s initial attack. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

Two days later, three House Committee chairs wrote to Bragg, accusing him of “an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority”

No such law will pass, of course. Senate Democrats wouldn’t pass it, nor would President Joe Biden sign it. But House Republicans are increasingly unmoored from traditional small-government ideology that might have constrained them.

“It’s bad enough to be silent about Trump’s abusive rants, but to make a chamber of Congress part of Trump’s defense team reveals the depth of the rot,” columnist E.J. Dionne wrote. He went on to say, “the incentives and current architecture of politics make it unlikely that any of this will change,” citing two recent studies highlighting the importance of non-college white voters for the GOP. The first found that 142 of the House’s 222 current GOP districts have low levels of racial diversity and are dominated by non-college white voters. The second found that “Racial and cultural issues, rather than economic ones, have fueled Republican gains with the noncollege white electorate” over the past 40 years. Commenting on the first study, the Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein wrote, “the energy in the party over recent years has shifted from the small-government arguments that drove the GOP in the Reagan era toward the unremitting culture-war focus pursued by Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.”

There’s certainly some truth in this. But it leaves a lot out. Mitt Romney was the GOP’s presidential candidate in 2012, and his campaign was much closer to Ronald Reagan’s two campaigns than it was to Donald Trump’s.

A 2020 briefing paper from the V-Dem Institute “New Global Data on Political Parties’’ found that “the Republican party in the US has retreated from upholding democratic norms in recent years. Its rhetoric is closer to authoritarian parties, such as AKP in Turkey and Fidesz in Hungary,” while “the Democratic party has retained a commitment to long standing democratic standards.” Neither party had shifted noticeably on the economic left/right scale since 2000, but two-thirds of the GOP’s dramatic shift on the “illiberalism” scale occurred just between 2014 and 2016, with no further shift in 2018. Only onefourth of the shift happened up until Romney’s campaign. Trump’s 2016 campaign was clearly the most consequential. There was a trend before he ran, but he dramatically accelerated it. Which strongly suggests two things: There is no easy going back to the pre-Trump GOP, and Trump is uniquely attuned to where it now is.