The projection of strength obscures the reality of weakness

The pushback is starting

The overwhelm is the point.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, that’s by design. Ezra Klein makes this point brilliantly in a video making the rounds right now. (Thank you to those who sent it my way!)

The point isn’t any one executive order or even the substance of each order, Klein explains, but the cummulative effect of all of the orders. They’re trying to tell us “This is Trump’s country now.” If you’re on X, it certainly feels that way. That, too, is by design.

Klein’s advice is simple: Don’t believe him.

Trump knows marketing. He knows that if you make people believe something is true, it’s more likely to become true.

Just don’t.

Trump hasn’t wanted to be president, Klein says. He’s always wanted to be king. And right now, he’s playing a King on television. But he’s not a king. He’s a president with limited power. Treat him that way.

And notice how many things aren’t working. If we’re overwhelmed by all the things happening all at once, we miss how many times Trump is “stepping on rakes,” Klein says.

Jeremy Konyndyk (a former Calvin University history major) made this point on X as well. “Might not feel this way on twitter—but back here on earth, DOGE did not have a great day yesterday on the USAID front,” Konyndyk writes. “Elon’s attempt to speedrun the destruction of USAID is starting to hit real legal and political bumps. The pushback is starting—and must be sustained.”

Konyndyk points to the spontaneous rally outside USAID headquarters two days ago, to Republican senators criticizing the Rubio aid freeze, to coverage of the DOGE staff members who have appeared to take over federal systems, and to numerous lawsuits that have already been filed. (Read the whole thread here.)

Strongman posturing isn’t the equivalent of strength, Klein reminds us. But depending on how we respond, it could turn into that.

“The projection of strength obscures the reality of weakness. Don’t believe him.”—Ezra Klein

What to do? Take a deep breath, stay focused, and take action.

“Focus is a fundamental substance of democracy. It is particularly the substance of opposition,” Klein says.

So, chin up, pay attention, and start pushing back.

We’ll talk about this and other things tomorrow evening *LIVE* at the Convocation Unscripted. If you can’t catch us live and join in the conversation, you can find the recording the next day on your favorite podcast platform.

Here’s the info on how to join us:

We’ll hold The Convocation Unscripted+LIVE on the first Thursdays of each month at 5:00 p.m. ET; on the other weeks, the Convocation team will record the show on Thursdays. And each week, we’ll post the show Friday afternoon here via this newsletter, on our YouTube channel, and on our audio podcast. (NOTE: You can click on those links to receive the show directly via YouTube or Apple podcasts.)

If you or a friend would like to join us for one of our upcoming live conversations, please be sure to subscribe to this newsletter, where we’ll send out the registration link the Tuesday before the show. We may also bring on a special guest from time to time. Here’s the schedule for the upcoming TCU+LIVE shows—we hope you’ll join us:

February 6, 5:00 p.m. ET
March 6, 5:00 p.m. ET
April 3, 5:00 p.m. ET
May 1, 5:00 p.m. ET

We’re looking forward to a lively conversation! Registration link is below.

Warmly,

Diana, Robby, Kristin, and Jemar

We’re recording this week’s session of The Convocation Unscripted as a free live Zoom webinar. We’re hoping you will join us on Thursday, 02/06, at 5:00 PM ET.

Here’s how it will work. If you’d like to reserve a spot (it’s free but limited to the first 1,000 registrants), please click on the button below to register. Once you register, you’ll receive the zoom link for the event. Cameras and audio will only be on for The Convocation Unscripted team, but we’ll have the chat open for interaction, encouragement, and questions. We hope to see you there!

Finally, thank you to all the kind words and all of the support you’ve shown in recent weeks. Welcome to all the new subscribers, and thank you to everyone sharing resources and words of wisdom in the comments. Thank you, too, to the many new paid subscribers. Your support and encouragement right now means more than you know.