Fourth & Democracy | MAGA Goes Global, Social Security Cuts & Trump's Authoritarian Playbook

Welcome to another edition of Fourth & Democracy.

An impending federal spending bill deadline has people on edge. The White House and Trump regime are leaning on corporate media to muzzle free speech. His border czar just got caught taking $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. And that was just last week.

The chaos from our federal government isn’t accidental — it’s a coordinated strategy. Flood the zone, keep people off balance, and hope no one notices the bigger picture. That’s why we’re here for you at Lincoln Square: to cut through the chaos and keep it all in perspective.

So let’s get into it.

1st & 10: MAGA Goes Global — London Edition

Recently, more than 100,000 people poured into the streets of London under far-right banners and protest signs. Union Jacks and St. George’s flags were waved not as symbols of unity, but as rhetorical and political weapons in a Unite the Kingdom rally.

The rally was led by Tommy Robinson (real name: Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), a man who has built a career on agitation and rose to prominence as the founder of the English Defence League. For over a decade, Robinson has built a brand on Islamophobia, conspiracy theories, and turning street violence into political theater. He’s been jailed multiple times and banned from social media platforms — yet he still manages to command a following large enough to draw such a big crowd.

If you’re looking for an American comparison, think of Robinson as a hybrid of Steve Bannon and Nick Fuentes: Bannon’s ability to mainstream extremist talking points mixed with Fuentes’ ability to enact street-level spectacle. He’s not just a fringe personality; he’s a bridge between white nationalist subcultures and a broader conservative discontent, using nationalism as a rallying cry to pull people further right.

By the end of the day, 26 police officers were injured in clashes with counter-protesters. And then came Elon Musk. Speaking by video, he told the crowd: “Violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.” Musk went even further by calling for a new government to be installed — a direct assault on the legitimacy of Britain’s institutions.

This wasn’t just another far-right march. It was MAGA politics crossing the Atlantic — same playbook, new playing field. Wrap yourselves in national symbols, declare institutions illegitimate, and stoke fear of imminent bloodshed. All while using celebrity and money to make extremism sound like common sense.

And just like here in the United States, it’s working people who pay the price for MAGA’s hate. Immigrants are scapegoated while real crises like the U.K.’s housing shortage go unsolved. Political instability makes businesses hold back investment, which means stagnant wages. Communities already anxious about bills are being told by one of the richest men in the world that their only choice is to “fight or die.”

Men like Musk, Robinson, and the billionaire class won’t feel the fallout of their rhetoric — at least not any pain from it — but the families in the U.K. and America do. This wasn’t just an American or British problem, though. It was a warning of what’s next: an even more forceful global push for authoritarianism and nationalist politics.

Will the UK Fall To MAGA?

2nd & Long: Retirement Age Roulette

Last week, Trump’s Social Security commissioner floated raising the retirement age — then tried to walk it back when the Social Security Administration posted on X, “Let me be clear: President Trump and I will always protect, and never cut, Social Security. That’s why we have made many vital reforms, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from the program to ensure the solvency of Social Security for future generations of Americans.” There has been no evidence that DOGE cuts or any other cuts from the Trump regime have led to major developments in the funding of Social Security or any other programs.

The damage is done, though. The idea has been put back on the table. And let’s be clear, raising the retirement age is a cut. Push it to 68 or 69 and monthly benefits drop 7 to 13% for every worker who comes after. That’s not a shared sacrifice — that’s forcing people who load trucks, teach classrooms, and nurse patients to keep grinding until their bodies give out — all while billionaires buy another yacht.

Younger generations already know the game is rigged. Barely 15% of workers have a pension, and only about half even participate in a retirement plan. Many don’t have stable full-time jobs with benefits — younger workers are four times more likely to be stuck in contingent work, where fewer than 1 in 5 get health insurance. Add in student debt, carried by 1 in 4 adults under 40, and rent that eats half of income for millions — and now they’re told to “work longer for less” so politicians can claim they saved the system.

If elected officials were serious, they’d lift the payroll cap so billionaires pay Social Security tax on all of their income, not just the first $168,600. That one fix would close much of the gap. But instead, Washington keeps pushing the burden down on younger generations.

3rd & Short: Killing Free Speech

The message from the Trump regime is clear: Step out of line, and you’ll get silenced.

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Trump’s people didn’t just flood the zone with their narrative — they punished anyone who dared to question it. Jimmy Kimmel cracked a few jokes pointing out the obvious about MAGA’s violent rhetoric while incorrectly suggesting the shooter may have been one of them, and within 24 hours his show was suspended. Nexstar pulled him from 32 affiliates. Sinclair demanded he apologize — and even cut a check to Kirk’s widow.

This wasn’t just network skittishness. Trump’s FCC Chair Brendan Carr went on record warning affiliates that carrying Kimmel could result in extra attention from the Commission. With billion-dollar mergers on the line, that wasn’t regulation. That was extortion with a government seal. Even Ted Cruz called it mob tactics.

The numbers tell the story:

• September 17, 2025: ABC suspends Kimmel indefinitely.

• 32 affiliates drop him under pressure.

• 1 FCC chair threatens licenses.

• 0 laws passed — because you don’t need laws when fear does the trick.

This is how a regime dictates speech. “It’d be a shame if your merger didn’t get approved” becomes the unspoken warning behind every editorial meeting. Controversial stories about the president or investigations into his White House stop being risky and start becoming unthinkable.

That’s how free speech dies. And once the press is complicit, the grift hardens and the regime solidifies. But we don’t have to comply. And the fact that Kimmel is coming back tonight because of mass outcry shows that autocracy isn’t inevitable.

Fourth & Democracy: Authoritarian Playbook — Trump edition

The drip of headlines looks random — Epstein files, Venezuelan strikes, talk of Bagram Air Base, ICE raids, Kimmel’s suspension, steak dinners with tech oligarchs. But if you stop treating it like noise and trace the through-line, the design becomes obvious. The authoritarian playbook is being run step by step — and it’s working.

Foreign policy is the opening act. Trump’s strikes on Venezuelan “narco-boats” aren’t serious counternarcotics missions — they’re spectacle, designed for clips and clicks that cast him as the indispensable strongman in a manufactured crisis. Pair that with his suggestions of retaking Bagram, a base abandoned during the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the picture sharpens: A permanent war footing from the man who said he would end all wars. The message isn’t subtle. Only Trump can protect you. The cost isn’t abstract either. Every missile in the Caribbean is a pothole left unfilled, a hungry child at school, or a nurse never hired.

The second chapter plays out at home. While military operations expand presidential power abroad, ICE expands it on American soil. With a budget topping $45 billion, it is now the largest domestic police force in U.S. history, and moving in to a new city almost every week. New detention centers are built to keep detainees invisible. Tactical squads in military gear operate like a domestic army while farmers warn of labor shortages, small businesses close for lack of workers, and grocery prices are higher than ever. Families stop showing up to protests. Workers keep their heads down. Neighbors hesitate to speak up. Raids don’t just detain people — they silence entire neighborhoods.

And when someone tries to name this for what it is, the playbook turns to the narrative. Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Matthew Dowd are the proof. Within a day of his comments about MAGA’s rhetoric and Charlie Kirk’s shooter, Kimmel was off the air. Pulled from 32 affiliates and pressured with financial demands. The FCC chair warned that those affiliates or any billion-dollar mergers could face extra scrutiny. Even Republicans admitted it looked like mob tactics. This is how free speech dies in the open. Not with explicit laws, but with the government threatening financial futures until corporations do the work for them. If ABC can be shut down, so can anyone else.

The authoritarian playbook is here, and it’s being used on us in a time where we should be addressing the needs of the next generations at home. We see permanent emergencies abroad to justify unchecked force at home, hidden taxes that bleed working families and young people trying to get started, intimidation that silences dissent, and courts too hamstrung to hold power accountable. Each piece reinforces the next until resistance feels impossible. The cost isn’t borne by tech bros dining at the White House or defense contractors cashing billion-dollar checks. It’s borne by families at the grocery store, veterans waiting months for care, renters forced out of their neighborhood, and communities too afraid to stand up.

It’s not hypothetical, either. It’s running on schedule. Different plays, same drive: consolidate power at the top, bleed everyone else dry, and leave the rest of us too scared, too poor, or too silenced to push back. That’s not politics anymore — that’s authoritarianism.

Punt: Gaza on Fire

The war in Gaza is grinding into its third year with no off-ramp in sight. Israeli strikes have intensified in Gaza City, flattening neighborhoods like Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa. Gaza’s health ministry says over 65,000 Palestinians are dead, and 90% of the strip is displaced.

And the United States? We keep writing the checks. Since the war began, Washington has provided nearly $18 billion in military aid to Israel. Just this month, the White House asked Congress to approve another nearly $6 billion package — 30 Apache helicopters, thousands of vehicles, and more bombs. The U.S. has also vetoed six UN ceasefire resolutions, the latest in a 14-1 vote.

This isn’t foreign policy anymore. It’s our tax dollars, our weapons — our word — being complicit in a Genocide. Palestinians are dying, Israelis are still without their hostages, and Americans are footing the bill while our own communities fall apart.

What to Watch

Before the weekend’s big games, Lincoln Square has its own Super Bowl of sorts: the Lincoln Loyal Paid Subscribers Celebration!

All day long we’re running special live streams featuring your favorite hosts and talent — plus some surprise guests you don’t want to miss. Expect Lincoln Square notables like Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, Joe Trippi, Maya May, and Executive Editor Susan Demas, all coming together for this community event.

If you’re not already a paid subscriber, now’s the perfect time to join and be a part of the fun.

How to Push Back

• Subscribe to Lincoln Square — support for independent media allows our voices to become stronger and break through algorithms attempting to keep us quiet.

• No Kings Protest — October 18th. Protests can be intimidating if you’ve never been. But now is the time to use your voice for the first time. You’ll be surrounded by community, likeminded and even opposing points of view — all for a common cause: No Kings in America.

• Contact your elected officials and leadership here.

• Use Your Voice — Write that article on Substack that you have been putting off. Post that call to action on social media you feel insecure about. Taking the first step toward getting your voice out there to fill the void is a meaningful one that benefits us all.

Stay loud. Stay grounded. Stay up.