Sinclair Lewis’ Warning Becomes America’s Nightmare on MLK Day
“When fascism comes to America, it will be
wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
— James Waterman Wise (not Sinclair Lewis)
It was a curious synchronicity of the calendar that the rise of corporate fascism coincided with the swearing-in ceremony of the Twice-Impeached Felon to the presidency and that it occurred on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It was ironic for the orange man to call it the “day of liberation” or the beginning of “America’s golden age.” There was just too much hypocrisy for a thinking citizen to stomach. Yet, Jan. 20, 2025 was presaged by a long-forgotten 1935 Sinclair Lewis novel called, It Can’t Happen Here. And now it has!
Here’s the synopsis: The main character, Buzz Windrip, appeals to voters with a mix of crass language and nativist ideology. Once elected, he solidifies his power by energizing his base against immigrants, people on welfare and the liberal press.
This of course, sounds all too familiar about the man who didn’t even put his hand on the Bible when he was sworn in this week on the Capitol Rotunda — a place desecrated by his insurrectionist followers on Jan. 6, 2021. The very ones who he pardoned on day one!
This is the very reason President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee to impeach, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee against the Orange Felon. There is a real fear that he will retaliate against his opposition. The one question you may ask is, “Who will be next on the enemies list?”
Trump attempted to shroud his win of the Oval Office in divine providence — a blasphemous turn of words considering he owes his second turn to white Christian nationalists who anointed him their messiah. Now we are all going to find out just how real fascism will be in our daily lives. His executive order ending birthright citizenship to children of undocumented people should send a chill down the spine of every immigrant who wasn’t born here or those who can’t find their birth certificate.
And what’s even worse, do we all now need to start carrying proof of citizenship papers wherever we go next? Are we soon going to need citizenship papers to board an airplane or a train? It’s going to be like Nazi Germany.
Inaugurations are meant to inspire hope and remind us of the shared values that bind us as a nation. But we heard something entirely different today—a speech filled with darkness, empty promises, and grievances. He spoke of progress on issues that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have worked tirelessly to solve but twisted it into a tale of victimhood, blaming a so-called “rigged system” for his failures. His message was clear: if you don’t see the world as he does, you’re not just wrong—you’re an enemy. And enemies, he promises, will face retribution. This is not leadership. It’s fear-mongering.
— From the LA County Democratic Party
What may be of even greater concern is his pardoning of the 1,500 Jan. 6 insurrectionists, many of them from the various armed militias, who can now be rearmed to intimidate his opposition and bully local representatives. Individual citizens, school boards and protestors will not be immune from the violence-prone Proud Boys and others who will now be encouraged and forgiven. This, coming from the criminal who is promising to “fix the legal system.” If you understand the word “fix,” then you know exactly what he means.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) responded to the J6 pardons, thus:
Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law. Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers.
In Biden’s farewell address, he added even more concerns:
I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern … that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of very few ultra-wealthy people and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked.
Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.
It’s very clear who he is speaking of here, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and all of the other Tech-billionaires who are buying elections and controlling the flow of information.
On his first day in office, the president issued “close to a hundred” executive orders including these:
• Declaring a national emergency at the border with Mexico
• Designating human trafficking cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
• Reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy.
• Ending birthright citizenship for American-born children of illegal migrants and children of parents on work, study, and other temporary visas.
• Declaring that only two sexes (male and female) are recognized by the U.S. government.
• Removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the federal government.
• Leaving the Paris Climate Accord.
• Declaring a “national energy emergency” allowing him to speed up the acquisition of oil permits.
• Ending federal regulations encouraging the sale of electric vehicles.
• Implementing “Schedule F” to reduce job protections for potentially thousands of federal employees.
• Moving U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado back to Alabama.
• Leaving the World Health Organization.
• Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Mount Denali to Mount McKinley.
• Re-adding Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
• Removing sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
• Establishing the Department of Government Efficiency.
This is a vision of division, not unity. And it’s a reminder that our work to defend democracy is far from over. All of this agenda needs to be challenged and rejected by every conscious American resident. Will you be a part of the resistance?
Editor’s note: Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel, It Can’t Happen Here, is sold out everywhere online.