The Great Unraveling: An Update
(Part 1)
Welcome to Porcupine Press, the American newsletter written for Brazilians – and for those Americans who, circumstances permitting, would not mind being deported to Brazil.
It’s been eight months since Zé Ninguém and I wrote our opinion piece about the catastrophic situation in the United States. We tried to get one of Brazil’s top three national newspapers, Folha de S.Paulo, to translate and print the article on its op-ed page. Unfortunately, we did not succeed. Because we are lazy, rather than write something new, we decided to recycle the piece as a way to launch Porcupine Press. (So please read it, if you haven’t already!)
Boy oh boy! A lot has happened since then – all of it bad. To use a popular American expression, “the shit hit the fan.” (Would “Deu merda” be the closest Brazilian expression?) Basically, it’s all been a continuation of the downhill slide we described in the op-ed – just more shit and worse shit. In this issue of the newsletter, we will update readers as to the most recent developments.
The collapse of democracy and civil society in the richest, most powerful country in the world, certainly has to qualify as one of the major stories of our time. If people in other countries are feeling anything close to the dismay, disgust, and bewilderment that many of us Americans are experiencing, I’d like to think that it could be people in Brazil.
Perhaps you disagree. It’s just that I’ve always been surprised and impressed by the influence and demand for American culture in Brazil – especially our exports in music, film, and television. And then there are the similarities between our two countries, to which we alluded in that op-ed. Our shared aspirations for democracy and social justice, in the face of tremendous levels of inequality; our diverse citizenries in terms of race, ethnicity, and country of origin; and the fact that both Brazil and the U.S. were born through the conquest of indigenous peoples, and forged in the moral abomination of slavery.
Here in the U.S., the powers that be would say that that last sentence is a bunch of “woke” bullshit. Do you have a similar word or phrase in Brazil? A more focused variant of “politically correct?” In English, “woke” is the opposite of “asleep,” but today the word is almost exclusively used by the political right as an epithet to express contempt for liberals. Americans began to use “woke” often, in its political sense, around 2014 during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Initially, it was a positive Black political expression that signified a person was aware and concerned about the problems of systemic racism and police violence. Today, “woke” means you are a sanctimonious liberal who enjoys seeing White Americans get passed over so that unqualified Blacks can get hired into good jobs.
I think many Brazilians who read Porcupine Press will be surprised to learn the extent to which the legacy of slavery continues to negatively affect social equity and justice in the United States. I say this only because it constantly astonishes me. After all, it’s been over 160 years since America abolished slavery by ratifying the 13th Amendment. The Civil War ended the same year, in 1865. Brazil and the United States have taken very different paths in confronting the legacy of slavery. It is a fascinating subject we plan to explore through this newsletter, and one I trust will be of interest to readers.
The U.S. now has an openly racist president who hates Americans who talk about, quote, “how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.” Trumpism has destroyed the Republican Party and turned it into a cult. (Incidentally, readers in Brazil should know that a primary reason the Republican Party was founded, in 1854, was to oppose the expansion of slavery into the western territories.) Prior to Trump, Republicans had a coherent political ideology and agenda. They stood for limited government, capitalism, free trade, anti-communism, and a strong national defense. Today, Republicans stand for nothing – nothing except protecting corporate profits and the Ruling Class; facilitating corruption that helps the rich get richer, and that has shamelessly enriched Trump, his family, and his accomplices; and advancing white supremacy.
About That Fan, and All That Shit
The shit hit the fan when four things happened in rapid succession: 1) At the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, the United States carried out a massive, unprovoked, surprise military attack on Iran – starting a war that is illegal, immoral, irrational and stupid; 2) President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image that depicted himself as Jesus Christ; 3) Trump disparaged and started a feud with Pope Leo XIV; and 4) Trump threatened to commit war crimes against Iran’s civilian population, and to annihilate a Persian civilization that began five centuries before the birth of Christ.
This is all very shocking, but it can’t exactly be described as unexpected. It’s just par for the course in our ongoing, beyond belief, national nightmare. Still, one does have to admit that the way these events played out was rather bizarre and extreme – even by Trump standards. The U.S. began the war on February 28. However, the action that galvanized these four events into a singular, “only in America” shitstorm, took place on Easter Sunday, April 5.
It was on that day, at 8:03 AM, that Trump celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead by sending out the following tweet (presented below exactly as it appeared):
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you bunch of crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
This tweet received a tremendous amount of attention and coverage in the U.S. press – much more so than one of Trump’s usual “rage tweets.” Was this because the president was being so hateful and bellicose on the holiest day of the year for Christians? No. I don’t think so. As far as Trump is concerned, Easter is no different from any other day. In fact, he probably didn’t even know it was Easter the morning he fired off that tweet. He may have only realized it was a holiday after staffers told him he was scheduled to attend an Easter luncheon later that day.
Trump’s religious and Catholic followers have never seemed to care that the president has no interest whatsoever in the meaning or significance of Easter, much less in celebrating it as a joyous, hopeful holiday. Last year, on Easter Sunday 2025, Trump posted a long, vitriolic tweet that started off:
“Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country.”
Well then. Maybe Trump’s Easter tweet got a lot more attention this year because some of his religious supporters thought the contemptuous, mocking sign-off – “Praise be to Allah” – might be perceived as disrespectful or, heaven forbid, even insulting, by the two billion people worldwide who worship Allah. Or perhaps they worried the president’s rhetoric could encourage MAGA adherents to commit hate crimes against American Muslims? Or maybe that, by using the holy day as an occasion to denigrate the second largest religion in the world, Trump was revealing his utter disdain for all religion?
Yeah, right. Are you kidding me! There are millions upon millions of Americans who feel gleeful and validated whenever Trump spews out his hateful, toxic, racist sewage. They eat it up! Last year, while the U.S. was prosecuting its genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza, Trump gave the middle finger to Muslims worldwide by posting an astonishingly offensive, AI-generated video on Truth Social. (You can find it on YouTube by searching “Trump Gaza”.)
The video envisions Gaza under the control of the United States. It has been transformed from a bombed-out, rubble-strewn hellscape into a glitzy, futuristic, Las Vegas-style resort that is branded “TRUMP GAZA.” You see luxury hotels and casinos, a huge golden statue of Trump, bearded men belly-dancing, and Palestinian children jumping up like dogs to catch dollar bills, which are raining down from the sky. Elon Musk makes several appearances, and there is a scene of Donald and Bibi, both shirtless, sipping cocktails as they lounge beside a swimming pool.
What people in the MAGAverse love about this video is that, not only is it blasphemous in how it ridicules Islam. But it also effectively emasculates all Palestinian men. For Trump supporters, there are few things more pleasurable than the opportunity to taunt Muslims about their sexuality and masculinity. How can a man call himself a man when he can’t even protect his home, or his wife and children? Trump is in control, and there is nothing the Arabs can do about it.
So there’s really only one explanation left. The reason Trump’s Easter benediction attracted so much media attention is simple. It has nothing to do with his unabashed hatred and racism, nor his professed intent to commit war crimes. It is because the president used a naughty word.
And, remarkably enough, this does indeed seem to be the first time Trump has used the word “fuck” in an original tweet issued in his capacity as president of the United States. He no doubt says “fuck” all the time when he speaks in private, and he has retweeted stuff written by others that included the word. But this is the first time Trump has used “fuck” in an original presidential tweet, and it caught everyone off guard.
No doubt some of Trump’s religious supporters were offended that he used the F word, and it certainly didn’t help that he posted the tweet on Easter. But I think even many liberals, such as myself, were also taken aback. In fact, when I first heard about this tweet in the news, I thought it was fake – that it had to be a prank. This was only the second time that had ever happened to me. As you might imagine, it takes a lot for a Trump tweet to be so offensive, so outrageous, and so unexpected that you wonder if it’s even real. (By the way, that first time? It was when Trump tweeted, apropos of nothing, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”)
If I’m being honest, I have to confess that the Easter tweet scared me. Because, even by the unbelievable, demented standards Trump has established as the new norm for presidential behavior, this tweet seems to indicate his game is slipping. He’s becoming even more unhinged. Or to use another popular American expression, “he’s losing it.” Maybe I’m being paranoid. What do you think? Many people now take it for granted that Trump is an idiot manchild, a narcissistic sociopath, and a physically unfit, soon-to-be 80-year-old man whose faculties are in decline. Should we also be worried that, on top of all that, Trump seems to be coming apart at the seams – to be losing it? And that this man has sole authority to order the use of U.S. nuclear weapons?
OK, Let’s Get Back On Topic
Anyway, let’s take a closer look at those four components of the shitstorm, which we enumerated above. They reveal a lot about the Great Unraveling, which proceeds apace.
1) Operation Epic Fuck-Up. The U.S. government has named its war of choice “Operation Epic Fury” in order to emphasize that it is a very bold and very manly war. Presuming the indulgence of our readers, we are going to call the war Operation Epic Fuck-Up. Spoiler alert! The U.S. has already lost.
This is not a new war, but rather a resumption of the attack on Iran that Trump ordered last June as a favor to his friend, Bibi Netanyahu. (The American media has taken to calling the brief Israeli war against Iran, which the U.S. later joined, “the 12-day war.”) Immediately after Trump discharged his missiles and bombs, he held a nationally televised address to announce, “The (American) strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” Understandably, many Americans remain confused as to why we needed to restart this conflict.
2) Donald Trump, the Anointed One. Trump doesn’t believe in God, but he thinks that if his supporters are stupid enough to be believers, then he wants to be God – or at least be acknowledged as belonging within the pantheon of gods. Trump’s followers have always been more than happy to oblige. People who attend his campaign rallies are frequently quoted in the press saying things like, “He’s definitely been chosen by God,” and “They’ve crucified him worse than Jesus.” They wear t-shirts printed with messages like, “For God so loved the world that he gave us DONALD TRUMP.”
Trump’s audacious claims to being both a peer and BFF of Jesus Christ really went into overdrive after the assassination attempt during his July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. As Trump has humbly noted, “It remains my firm conviction that God alone saved me that day for a righteous purpose: to restore our beloved Republic to greatness and to rescue our Nation from those who seek its ruin.” The incident significantly improved Trump’s standing in the presidential election. In fact, less than three months later, in October 2024, the Trump campaign was back in Butler for a rally to celebrate the failed assassination attempt. Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, gave a speech in which she declared, “This is no longer a fight between Republican versus Democrat, left versus right. It is good versus evil. . . If you had any question whether God exists, and he performs miracles, we got our answer here on July 13, right here in Butler.”
The shooter in Butler fired eight bullets over a period of approximately five seconds. God evidently had his hands full saving Trump, because one of those bullets struck the head of a 50-year-old man named Corey D. Comperatore. He died almost immediately in the audience stands while trying to shield his wife and daughters from harm. This makes no sense. As Lara Trump said in her speech, “(God) spared Donald Trump’s life because he was not finished with Donald Trump.” According to press reports, Mr. Comperatore was a man who actually believed in God and attended church.
By the way, you know that luncheon I mentioned Trump had to attend on Easter? Well, it turned out the event was not so much a luncheon, but rather more of a canonization ceremony. That’s right. The White House used Easter to publicly ordain Trump as The Holy Manchild – the living, human being on earth who most closely embodies the qualities and good looks of the anointed one, Jesus Christ.
The proceedings were led by the charismatic preacher and televangelist, Paula White-Cain. Some readers may recall Ms. White-Cain from our op-ed piece. She is one of the millions of white American evangelical Protestants who want to see that all Palestinians leave Palestine – either by their own volition or in a casket.
While the president stood behind her, smirking, Ms. White-Cain delivered the following invocation, which the White House livestreamed and posted on its website:
“Jesus taught us so many lessons through his death, burial, and resurrection. He showed us great leadership. Great transformation requires great sacrifice. And Mr. President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. It almost cost you your life. You were betrayed, and arrested, and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. But it didn’t end there for him, and it didn’t end there for you. God always had a plan. . . And sir, because of His resurrection, you rose up. Because He was victorious, you were victorious. And I believe that the Lord said to tell you this: Because of His victory, you will be victorious in all you put your hand to.” (The audience applauds.)
She then directed the audience to pray both with, and over, the president. Watching Trump pretend to pray is truly an appalling spectacle. Usually the participants arrange themselves into a kind of rugby scrum, in which everyone is physically touching each other. That way each person is able to absorb and transmit the holy vibes that are presumably emanating from the president’s body. At the center of it all you will find the charlatan Trump, who is grimacing and appears to be deeply uncomfortable. He tries to keep his eyes closed, but usually ends up opening them while the prayer is in progress. During these awkward moments, I always imagine a cloud-shaped thought bubble above Trump’s head, like the ones you see in comic books. The lettering inside the bubble reads, “God! The shit I have to put up with.”
(To be continued . . .)
***
Dear readers, please keep an eye out for the next issue of Porcupine Press. As you may be aware, next month Americans will at long last be able to see a mixed martial arts fight take place on the grounds of the White House – the People’s House. This is not going to be some phoney, rehearsed wrestling match. It’ll be a real cage fight, and hopefully there will be blood.
I mention this only as a teaser, so that you eagerly await our next issue. Because as an appetizer to prepare you for the cage fight, in that issue we will be examining an all-American, smackdown battle: The Holy Manchild vs. The Holy Father (yes, that would be Pope Leo XIV). We will also evaluate how Trump is doing in his new role as a reluctant, yet resolute, Destroyer of Civilizations.
So stay tuned, and please tell all your friends and family about Porcupine Press. If we can reach the milestone of acquiring a free subscriber base of ten or more people, Substack will send a plaque I can hang on the wall of our newsroom.