But we must remember: We’ve lived through a version of this before. We witnessed Donald Trump come into power, sow conflict, spread chaos, stoke fear and fuel doubt—and then escalate the violence and lies when he was voted out. We have already experienced plenty of corruption and criminality, reckless incompetence, self-serving billionaires and spineless members of Congress applauding it all or refusing to stop it.

Trump’s plan to pillage and plunder the country this time will be more methodical, more aggressive and more destructive, especially since it’s more explicit and organized than before. These years will be appalling and tragic in their naked cruelty, greed, hostility and theft. But let’s not doubt our capacity to survive and overcome it.

Yes, Elon Musk’s threat to primary any elected official who does not bend to his demands—with billions of dollars to fund those attacks himself—surely will defeat the cowardly and weak-willed. The threats by Trump and his sadistic henchman to pursue prosecution, imprisonment and financially crushing lawsuits surely intimidates critics and other political opponents who fear retribution; the kowtowing without a fight by ABC News and others in the media surely exacerbates the danger of fascist control over our free press and other fraying democratic institutions.