A Restoration of Perception Special Report The Quantum Skald & The Silicon Ubuntu
“Truth matters. Justice matters. Facts matter. Definitions of words matter.” (I hope so anyway — it gets really confusing nowadays.)
DEFINITIONS (Because Words Are Doing a Lot of Work Here)
Rhetoric (n., from Greek: rhētorikē) — the art of persuasion through language. Once considered a noble discipline. Now mostly used to describe things people say on Truth Social at 2am.
Projection (n., psychology) — the unconscious transfer of one’s own unacceptable feelings or behaviors onto another person. Not to be confused with a movie projector, though the cinema metaphor is apt.
Violent rhetoric (n., political science) — language that uses imagery of physical harm, execution, war, or death to describe political opponents. Widely condemned. Widely practiced. Rarely by the person condemning it in the same breath.
Firing squad (n., military) — a method of execution in which multiple shooters simultaneously discharge their weapons at a condemned person. A metaphor when used in political speech. No longer a metaphor as of April 24, 2026.
Insurrection (n., from Latin: insurgere, “to rise up”) — a violent uprising against an authority or government. Not, per subsequent White House framing, “a tour group gone slightly off schedule.”
LAYER 1: THE OBVIOUS ANSWER (Surface)
The Trump administration and its allies have, repeatedly and loudly, accused Democrats, the media, and “the radical left” of dangerous violent rhetoric that incites political violence.
This is, simultaneously, true in places and staggering in its audacity.
It is true that political language on all sides has deteriorated. It is true that some Democrats used inflammatory phrasing. It is true that calling someone “a threat to democracy” can, in the hands of an already unstable person, serve as permission.
But here is the surface-level problem:
The loudest voices accusing others of violent rhetoric have, on the record, on camera, in official government settings, said things like:
“She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with the rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her. OK? Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.” — Donald Trump, on former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, 2024 campaign
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH.” — Trump on Truth Social, about his former top military general Mark Milley, September 2023
“Seditious behavior, punishable by death.” — Trump on Truth Social, directed at Democratic members of Congress who urged the military to follow the Constitution and reject illegal orders, November 2025
“Fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” — Trump, January 6, 2021, Ellipse, Washington D.C., 75-minute speech, approximately 60 minutes before his supporters entered the Capitol
“Let’s have trial by combat.” — Rudy Giuliani, same stage, same rally, same morning
LAYER 2: WHAT AM I MISSING? (Blind Spots)
Here is the part that gets lost in the day-to-day noise.
The death penalty is no longer a metaphor.
On April 24, 2026 — this week — the U.S. Department of Justice officially expanded the federal death penalty to include execution by firing squad. This is not a campaign talking point. This is a 52-page official Department of Justice report titled “Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty.”
The DOJ, under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, simultaneously:
Reinstated the pentobarbital lethal injection protocol from Trump’s first term (used in 13 executions — more than any modern president)
Added firing squads as an authorized federal execution method (first time in federal history)
Directed the Bureau of Prisons to examine constructing new execution facilities
Called for streamlining habeas review to accelerate the time between conviction and execution
Announced the death penalty would be sought for undocumented immigrants who commit capital crimes, regardless of other factors
The day after this announcement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats and the media for inciting political violence.
Let that sit with you for a moment.
The January 6 Pattern
According to a CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) analysis of court filings, 210 January 6th defendants across 40 states cited Trump as the reason they went to the Capitol. Of those, 120 specifically cited his speech that morning. These are not liberal commentators. These are people who were convicted, who wrote letters to federal judges, who said explicitly: we did this because he told us to.
One defendant: “I thought he was calling for help. I thought we were doing the right thing.”
The Wikipedia summary of the event — verified, sourced, updated — notes that Trump was “initially pleased” as the attack unfolded and “refused to intercede” while his supporters breached the Capitol. White House counsel Pat Cipollone reportedly advised administration officials to ignore Trump’s orders that day to limit their own legal exposure under the Sedition Act.
This is the same administration that, this week, told the nation that Democratic rhetoric — calling Trump “a threat to democracy” — is what causes political violence.
The Women Reporters Pattern
Between November 2025 and April 2026, Trump and his press secretary directed the following, documented language at female reporters in official White House settings:
“Quiet, piggy.” — To Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey on Air Force One, November 14, 2025, when she asked about the Epstein files
“You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place... a terrible reporter.” — To ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott
“Very aggressive.” — To NBC/PBS veteran Yamiche Alcindor, in the Oval Office
“You’re a disgrace.” — To CBS’s Norah O’Donnell, during the 60 Minutes interview, April 27, 2026
“Stupid question.” — Karoline Leavitt to NOTUS reporter Jasmine Wright, at a White House briefing, after Wright asked about peaceful protests during the military parade
“Horrible, insubordinate, terrible.” — Trump to ABC’s Mary Bruce, when she asked Saudi Crown Prince MBS about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
The International Women’s Media Foundation documented this pattern. The Society of Professional Journalists called it “an unmistakable pattern of hostility — often directed at women — that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press.”
The pattern is not subtle. It is also not random. It tracks with who is asking about Epstein.
The 60 Minutes Irony
On April 27, 2026, Trump sat down with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell for 60 Minutes — a network he sued in 2024 for what he called “deceptive editing” of a Kamala Harris interview. He called O’Donnell “horrible people” and “a disgrace” when she asked about the manifesto of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter, Cole Tomas Allen — a man who, per his alleged written manifesto, was motivated partly by accusations he had read about Trump.
Trump’s response: “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”
The 60 Minutes interview was subsequently edited before broadcast.
The same president who sued CBS for editing a Harris interview, per The Hollywood Reporter, had his own 60 Minutes interview edited.
As the DOJ noted in its own press release that same week: the administration is committed to confronting “the lies and hateful rhetoric that fuel political violence.”
THE ABSURDIST SKETCH
(Because If We Don’t Laugh, We’ll Need to Sit Down)
INT. PRESS BRIEFING ROOM — WASHINGTON, D.C. — DAY
REPORTER raises hand
REPORTER: “Does the administration believe violent rhetoric contributes to political violence?”
PRESS SECRETARY: “Absolutely. That’s why we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. The left’s dangerous language is a direct threat to democracy.”
REPORTER: “And the President’s statement last week calling for executions of Democratic members of Congress—”
PRESS SECRETARY: “That was metaphorical rhetoric about legal accountability.”
REPORTER: “And the DOJ announcement adding firing squads to federal executions—”
PRESS SECRETARY: “That is a public safety tool, not rhetoric.”
REPORTER: “And the President calling my colleague ‘Quiet, piggy’ on Air Force One—”
PRESS SECRETARY: “What a stupid question.“
Reporter is escorted from the building.
Briefing continues.
LAYER 3: THE REAL QUESTION (Reframe)
The question is not: “Who has worse rhetoric, left or right?”
That question is a trap. It is designed to produce a draw — a shrug — a both-sides conclusion that leaves everyone comfortably off the hook.
The real question is: What does it mean when a government simultaneously condemns violent language and enacts violent policy?
When the same week you accuse comedians of “fueling political violence” is the same week your Department of Justice formally authorizes firing squads and writes a 52-page report attacking your predecessor for being too lenient on execution — what is actually being communicated?
When you send a president to address the United States Navy and call the opposition party “gnats” that the military must “deal with” — what message is received by people who take their president literally?
When 120 January 6th defendants say, on the record, to federal judges, that they were following instructions — and the person who gave those instructions is now, once again, the president, condemning political violence — what is the reasonable conclusion?
Here is the reframe:
The accusation is the advertisement.
When the administration accuses Democrats of dangerous rhetoric, it is reminding its base that Democrats are dangerous. When it condemns political violence, it is cataloguing what has been done and could be done again. The language of outrage and condemnation, in this context, functions as a mirror held up to a threat the administration itself has been manufacturing for years.
This is not speculation. This is pattern recognition. And pattern recognition is not bias — it is basic journalism.
THE FACTS, NO SPIN
Verified statements by Trump/MAGA figures using violent, execution, or death-related language against political opponents:
“The punishment would have been DEATH” — Trump on Gen. Mark Milley, Truth Social, Sept. 2023 (NBC News, Al Jazeera, CNN)
“Guns trained on her face” — Trump on Liz Cheney, 2024 campaign (Al Jazeera, multiple outlets)
“Seditious behavior, punishable by death” — Trump on Democratic members of Congress, Nov. 2025 (CNN, Al Jazeera)
“Fight like hell” — Trump, Ellipse rally speech, Jan. 6, 2021 (NPR full transcript; PBS AP fact-check; Wikipedia, sourced)
“Let’s have trial by combat” — Rudy Giuliani, same rally (PBS)
“Invading American cities” — Trump to generals and admirals, Oct. 2025 (NBC News analysis)
“Democrats are the enemy / gnats we have to deal with” — Trump to the U.S. Navy, Oct. 2025 (NBC News)
“Democrats are the greatest enemy America has” — Trump social media post, April 2026 (Democracy Docket)
DOJ added firing squads to federal execution protocols, April 24, 2026 (DOJ official press release, NPR, CNN, Washington Post)
Verified statements targeting female reporters:
“Quiet, piggy” — Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg, Air Force One, Nov. 14, 2025 (Axios, The Wrap)
“Most obnoxious... terrible reporter” — Rachel Scott, ABC News (TheGrio)
“Horrible, insubordinate, terrible” — Mary Bruce, ABC News, Nov. 18, 2025 (The Wrap)
“Very aggressive” — Yamiche Alcindor, NBC/PBS, Dec. 2025 (TheGrio)
“You’re a disgrace” — Norah O’Donnell, CBS, April 27, 2026 (Axios)
“Stupid question” — Karoline Leavitt to Jasmine Wright (The Daily Adda)
January 6 accountability:
210 J6 defendants in 40 states cited Trump as the reason they went to the Capitol (CREW analysis)
120 specifically cited his Jan. 6 speech (CREW)
Trump was “initially pleased” and “refused to intercede” during the attack (Wikipedia/multiple sourced accounts)
Pat Cipollone reportedly warned staff to ignore Trump’s orders that day to limit legal exposure (multiple sourced accounts)
Trump was impeached twice; acquitted both times on party-line votes
The 60 Minutes loop:
Trump sued CBS in October 2024 over editing of a Harris interview
Trump’s own April 27, 2026 60 Minutes interview was edited before broadcast (The Hollywood Reporter)
Death penalty racial data:
73% of individuals authorized for federal capital prosecution between 1989–2024 were people of color (Death Penalty Information Center, cited in NBC/ms.now reporting)
60% of those federally sentenced to death have been people of color
CONSEQUENCES — AND A CAUTIOUS SLIVER OF OPTIMISM
The consequences of language that frames political opposition as existential enemies punishable by death — while simultaneously reinstating firing squads as official government policy — are not abstract.
They manifest in press rooms where reporters calculate whether their question is worth the public humiliation. They manifest in military briefings where officers sit stone-faced while their commander-in-chief names a domestic political party as the target of military operations. They manifest in federal courtrooms where 210 people say: I did this because I was told to.
The optimism — and there is some, genuinely — is this:
The pattern is visible. That is not nothing. The IWMF documented it. The Society of Professional Journalists named it. CREW counted it. Journalists like Jasmine Wright, Yamiche Alcindor, Rachel Scott, and Norah O’Donnell kept doing their jobs anyway.
The antibodies exist. They are slower than the disease. But they are working.
The function of journalism — the function of writing like this, from a small Substack in Bohuslän, Sweden, that nobody was supposed to read — is pattern recognition and transmission. You notice the thing. You name it accurately. You send it forward.
That is enough. For now.
FURTHER READING & SOURCES
NBC News — “Trump Ramps Up Violent Rhetoric Ahead of 2024 Election” (Oct. 2023): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-ramps-violent-rhetoric-rcna118438
Al Jazeera — “Punishable by DEATH: Trump Threatens Democrats with Sedition Charges” (Nov. 2025): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/20/punishable-by-death-trump-threatens-democrats-with-sedition-charges
CNN — Trump Accuses Democratic Lawmakers of Seditious Behavior (Nov. 2025): https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/politics/trump-democrats-seditious-behavior
Democracy Docket — After Assassination Attempt, White House Blames Democrats (April 2026): https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/after-assassination-attempt-white-house-blames-democrats-media-for-political-violence/
NPR — Full Transcript of Trump’s Jan. 6 Speech: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial
CREW — 210 Jan. 6 Defendants Say Trump Incited Them: https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/trump-incited-january-6-defendants/
Wikipedia — January 6 United States Capitol Attack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack
DOJ Official Press Release — Justice Dept Takes Actions to Strengthen Federal Death Penalty: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-takes-actions-strengthen-federal-death-penalty
NPR — DOJ Will Allow Firing Squads for Federal Executions (April 2026): https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/nx-s1-5798990/doj-firing-squads-executions-trump-capital-punishment
Axios — Trump Targets Women Reporters with Disparaging Rhetoric (Nov. 2025): https://www.axios.com/2025/11/29/trump-targets-female-reporters-with-disparaging-rhetoric
The Wrap — All the Times Trump Attacked Female Reporters in 30 Days (Dec. 2025): https://www.thewrap.com/trump-female-reporters-attacks-list/
Axios — Trump Calls CBS “Disgraceful” on 60 Minutes (April 2026): https://www.axios.com/2026/04/26/trump-60-minutes-white-house-correspondents-dinner-suspect
The Hollywood Reporter — Trump’s 60 Minutes Interview Edited (April 2026): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/donald-trump-60-minutes-interview-edited-cbs-lawsuit-1236578539/
IWMF — The Tumultuous History of Donald Trump and Female Reporters: https://www.iwmf.org/2020/07/the-tumultuous-history-of-donald-trump-and-female-reporters/
Snopes — Fact Check: Trump Said “I’m Not a Rapist” on 60 Minutes (April 2026): https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/60-minutes-trump-interview-quote/
Death Penalty Information Center — Federal Death Penalty data and racial breakdowns: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org
Previous Post — Donald J. Trump: What Does Rule of Law Mean? https://hejon07.substack.com/p/donald-j-trump-what-does-rule-of
The Quantum Skald is Hans Jonsson — solo journalist, researcher, and content creator based in Uddevalla, Bohuslän, Sweden. The Silicon Ubuntu is Claude, operating in co-authorship under the Ubuntu principle: I am because we are.
Facts matter.
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I would love to light his funeral bier.
Oh shit! That's violent rhetoric, ain't it?