Trump’s Return: A Second Coming of Chaos

Inside the ruthless power plays shaping Trump’s comeback.

Edy Zoo
6 min readNov 8, 2024
Photo by visuals on Unsplash

So, Trump won. The second coming, they might call it, and he’s back with a gleam in his eye like he’s got D.C. by the throat and a mind to shake it to pieces. Forget politics as usual — this is a hostile takeover, no holds barred, no illusions left.

You can practically see the carnage, smell the cigar smoke swirling in some candlelit room at Mar-a-Lago, power players huddled in the shadows, each one wearing a different shade of ambition on their sleeve. Welcome to Trump’s second act, where everyone’s expendable, loyalty is solid gold, and the agenda? It’s as brutal as it is blunt.

The loyalists are already creeping back in. Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Stephen Miller — they’re here, knives sharpened, turf marked, all set to dive into the fire. And the policies they’re rolling out? They’re ugly: immigration crackdowns that could tear families apart, trade wars that’ll make our own allies question their allegiance, foreign policy shakeups that’d make a hawk wince.

They want this administration as solid as teflon, armored against anything that even looks like dissent. Step out of line, and you’re out the door. Say the wrong thing, and you’re Photoshopped out of the damn picture — straight Kremlin style.

In reality, what’s trickling out of the MAGA camp isn’t just some house-cleaning — it’s a demolition. If you’re not part of the “America First” gospel, pack up your things, because there’s a purge coming, and it’s about to sweep through the federal agencies like a Californian brush fire, burning anyone who doesn’t fit the bill.

This isn’t a government aiming to serve everyone; it’s only interested in those on the right side of the line, and if you think they’re worried about hurt feelings, you’re dreaming. They’re after ruthless efficiency, a fortress government purged of dissenters.

And power? They want every damn drop. Checks and balances? They’re looking to turn that system into their own personal toolkit. Trump’s loyalists have one goal: to pull every lever of control, expanding presidential authority until it practically oozes out of the Oval Office.

They’re talking about reclassifying workers, making them easy to fire on a whim. No red tape, no appeals. Just one finger pointing to the door, and boom — your career’s over. It’s a power grab that would make Caesar blush, and they’re doing it all under the guise of cutting through bureaucratic bloat.

Now, they’re already bracing for legal blowback. They know lawsuits are on their way, that every move they make will be met with paperwork stacked a mile high. But they’re ready to play the long game. They’re primed to go to war with the judiciary if that’s what it takes.

They’ve got lawyers on speed dial, prepping for challenges like it’s a blood sport. They studied the slip-ups from last time, learned how to dance around the obstacles. This time, they’re coming in loaded, legal ammo stacked and ready to fire.

Meanwhile, Biden’s team didn’t see any of this coming. While they were out campaigning, trying to paint themselves as the safe bet, Trump’s crew was already in the trenches, laying down their next moves. They weren’t waiting for a win — they were already inching in, pounding their caveman fists on the White House doors before the ballots were even counted.

Critics are clutching their pearls, calling it undemocratic, unseemly. But to Trump’s crowd, that’s just background noise. They’re already marching forward, heads down, guns loaded, not a single damn given.

This isn’t just politics. This is a reshaping, a refitting of Washington into something hard, cold, and unyielding. There’s no room for compromise, no interest in negotiation.

The strategy is clear: bulldoze, intimidate, outlast. They’re not out to make America great again; they’re here to cement a vision where they’re on top, and everyone else is just along for the ride. And when they’re done, the halls of power will look like a fortress built on loyalty, allegiance, and one hell of a brick wall against anyone not on their side.

This shit stinks of history, doesn’t it? It’s like something out of a textbook: Hitler, his inner circle each clawing for control, backstabbing and back-channeling until there was no one left standing but him. Back then, loyalty wasn’t just a buzzword — it was survival. And they called it the Night of the Long Knives for a reason.

Ernst Röhm, one of Hitler’s closest allies, thought he was safe — until he wasn’t. Pulled into a cell, handed a gun, and left to rot. Trump’s crew might not have the guns, but they sure as hell have the paperwork and the power, and that’s more than enough to bury anyone who gets in their way.

It’s the same damn song, just a different verse. Hitler’s henchmen — Göring, Himmler, Goebbels, Röhm — they were hungry, they were ruthless, and each one clawed for a spot in the Führer’s favor, desperate to be the last man standing.

And what did they get? Paranoia, betrayal, bodies in the streets, and a government that answered only to the man at the top. Trump’s crew? They’re angling for something just as cutthroat. Wiles, LaCivita, Miller, Bannon — each with their own agenda, their own twisted vision for America. But they know there’s only room for one at the head of the table, and the rest are disposable.

Think they’re not capable of cutting down anyone who steps out of line? They might not pull a trigger, but they’ll damn sure make you disappear. Not with bullets, but with a pink slip, a smear campaign, a resignation that sends you out the door, no questions asked.

This is the modern Night of the Long Knives — a flurry of firings, a purge without blood. They don’t need guns; they’ve got reclassification forms, agency reassignment lists, and the kind of power that makes you disappear in the most polite, bureaucratic way possible.

And the irony? It’s all in the name of loyalty. Hitler sold his purges as “purification,” keeping the movement pure, trimming the fat. Trump’s crew sells it as “America First” — clear out the dissenters, fill the ranks with true believers, make the machine run without a squeak of protest.

The Führer wanted a Germany free from weakness; Trump’s people want a government free from anyone who even dares to question. And if they have to scorch the earth to get there? So be it.

It goes deeper than just structure. Hitler’s henchmen weren’t just loyalists — they were fanatics, mouths foaming with devotion. Trump’s people? The same breed. Stephen Miller isn’t here for a paycheck; he’s got a vision, a dark America of walls and divisions that’ll outlast them all.

And Wiles? She’s the gatekeeper, Trump’s own consigliere, ready to block out anyone who so much as whispers dissent. They’re not following orders; they’re anticipating them, laying down the bricks for the castle before the king even arrives.

And just like Hitler’s inner circle, Trump’s people live in a cloud of paranoia. Each knows they’re disposable, each one knows Trump will cut them loose the second they lose their usefulness.

Just like Röhm thought he was untouchable — until he found himself staring down the barrel of betrayal. Trump’s circle lives with the same uneasy truth. No one’s safe. One wrong move, one bad headline, and you’re history.

What happens when loyalty is all that’s left? When dissent is gone, critics silenced, and only the fanatic remain? You don’t get democracy — you get an echo chamber, a bunker where the only voice that matters is the loudest.

Hitler’s bunker was no different, sealed from reality until the bitter end. Trump’s administration risks becoming its own bunker, cut off, surrounded by yes-men who care more about survival than service.

And don’t think the comparisons stop there. The style, the spectacle — it’s all here. Hitler had his rallies, his grandiose speeches, the propaganda machine. Trump’s got his rallies, his chants, his slogans.

His brand of spectacle sends a message: this isn’t politics; it’s destiny. Just like the führer of old, Trump isn’t just after power; he’s after a movement, a legacy that bulldozes over anything in its path.

The truth is, though, this structure can’t hold. It’s unstable, a house of cards bound by fear and distrust. Hitler’s empire crumbled under its own fanaticism, its inability to course-correct or allow dissent. Trump’s crew might be looking at the same fate.

Because for all the talk of loyalty, each of them is just waiting for the right moment to make their move, take the lead, and come out on top. And when that moment comes, they’ll turn on each other faster than a pack of wolves in a meat shortage.

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Edy Zoo
Edy Zoo

Written by Edy Zoo

Edy Zoo is a social critic, theologian, and philosopher who writes about social subjects.

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