The Naked Truth/Jamala Rogers
A New Year, Same MAGA Madness
Our optimism is being greatly tested under the Trump Administration. The country knew 2025 was a living hell and looked forward to a new year with new possibilities. There were some, like me, who had already predicted that the political and economic turmoil would worsen before it improved. It got worse, and really fast.
The prediction was based on analyzing past events and making informed projections. We considered the upcoming midterm elections, which could lead to the Democrats gaining control of the House of Representatives. We also foresaw the president becoming increasingly desperate in 2026, as his reign of terror, unchecked power grabs, and blatant enrichment of friends and family would come to an abrupt end.
After pretending that the U.S. was concerned about Venezuela’s drug trafficking to this country, the pretense was exposed: It is all about the oil. The Trump administration first got it wrong about which drugs come from Venezuela, and then it used unidentified boats as target practice in the name of national security. The kicker was the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to face narco-terrorism charges. This shameful and illegal move came after Trump pardoned a real narco-terrorist who was convicted and serving time in a U.S. prison. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who once boasted he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’” noses, was busted trying to bring 400 tons of cocaine (not kilos!) to the U.S. This clearly demonstrates that there’s no genuine concern for drugs coming into the U.S.
The MAGA monsters followed up with an example of extreme domestic bullying that resulted in the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. Most of us have seen the horrific video of the 37-year-old mom who was murdered in cold blood before the world.
Wisconsinites responded as they often do to injustices; they poured into the streets to express their outrage. Those in Madison took their voices and feet to the Capitol. The nation, and indeed the world, is rallying around the staunch opposition to the heavy-handed tactics of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
From the outside looking in, it must look like full-blown chaos in the U.S.: local enforcement against federal enforcers, police antagonizing citizens, district judges facing off with the U.S. Supreme Court, voters squaring off against elected officials. communities confronting negligent corporations, parents taking on school boards. In the words of the Temptations, it’s a “Ball of Confusion.”
Under Trump 2.0, ICE has been given unprecedented resources to unleash its unbridled authority on communities. The president has given them the unrealistic goals of rounding up people by any means necessary. Renee Nicole Love was collateral damage meant to discourage the neighborhood brigades organized for non-violent resistance to the illegal ICE raids.
With the escalation of aggressive ICE tactics, communities are finding creative ways to show their contempt for ICE's presence. Tactics like businesses refusing service to ICE agents, such as restaurants and hotels, and just giving ICE agents the cold shoulder.
Trump has shown hostility towards Minnesota since the murder of George Floyd by police in 2020, which led to global protests. He has targeted Minnesota officials, particularly Rep. Ilhan Omar, and ended Temporary Protective Status for Somalis. His investigation into COVID funds resulted in Governor Tim Walz deciding not to seek a third term. Recall that Walz was the running mate with candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. And we must not forget the deadly shootings of Minnesota lawmakers in what has been characterized as politically motivated shootings. Like the country, Minnesotans have been through a lot under the Trump regime.
Minnesota is considered a blue state, and Wisconsin a purple one. But Madison’s radical history could shift Trump’s crosshairs. I do not doubt that Wisconsin will be ready, invoking its motto “Forward” as bodacious defenders of democracy.