Biden and Harris Stand Idle as Trump Spreads Fear

Over the weekend, the spread of a worrying AI-rendered image featuring the president amidst a burning city stirred widespread concern. Contrary to the dignified setting typical of the Oval Office, where incumbent President Donald Trump took part in a media event on September 05, 2025, the rendition depicted an unsettling scenario. In response to a tweet from Trump on his Truth Social platform hinting at possible military operations within the city, notable names including Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, and British broadcaster, Mehdi Hasan, shared their distress.

The unceremonious nature of the tweet, a feature intrinsic to all those shared by previous presidents, triggered a swift call for impeachment by Hasan. Diverting from usual presidential Twitter decorum, Trump disseminated an AI-produced picture of himself, emulating the character of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, portrayed by Robert Duvall in the film ‘Apocalypse Now’. The disturbing representation showcased Trump dwarfed by the towering Chicago skyline.

Playing into disaster movie tropes, the AI imaging presented Trump crouched amidst roaring flames, with helicopters storming the city’s limits to his right. The accompanying captioned text, characterized by its unmistakable Trumpian vernacular, read: ‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning’, falling nothing short of incendiary. Indicating an impending doom, it read: ‘Chicago is just about to discover why it’s referred to as the Department of WAR’.

The ill-conceived visual also stamped ‘Chipocalypse Now’, a crass parody of the prominent film reference. Mehdi Hasan, ever the democratic and fair voice, noted this overt threat of war – a genuine one, not simply a metaphorical reference – against a major American city overseen by the president’s rival political group.

In the face of all decency, Hasan asserted that the act by anyone other than Trump would be grounds for impeachment under less contentious times. Mayor Johnson, too, condemned the tweet, challenging its appropriateness and the fear it provoked among citizens.

Johnson declared that the President’s threats stooped below the pride of our nation but it is obvious that he seeks to assert dominion over our city and rupture our Constitution. Preserving democracy against this wave of authoritarianism, Johnson insisted, meant shielding each other, and indeed Chicago, from the menacing vision of Donald Trump.

Unsurprisingly, the former senior advisor to the former Vice President Kamala Harris, Mike Nellis, had a bitter response as well. Disgusted by Trump’s attempt to usurp power, he launched a vehement retort: ‘As a proud inhabitant of the city of Chicago, my message to Trump is: Keep away, you despot.’

Nellis, who is no stranger to national strife, expressed the sentiment shared by many with his crude language, reflecting the exasperation of citizens tired of the Trump administration’s insolence. As the politically charged environment grows more dismal, the response to Trump’s proclamation of war becomes a rallying cry for unity among the inhabitants of Chicago.

While it’s one thing to criticize, it’s another entirely to outrightly prevaricate facts, thereby planting seeds of discord and inflaming tensions. The current administration appears to derive pleasure from such antagonistic posturing, which raises questions of intent — a clear departure from the norms guiding earlier incumbents. This narrates an alarming story about the health of our democracy.

Yet, as this authoritarian march towards an undemocratic nation continues, the resistances also grow stronger. The matching retaliatory responses from Johnson and Nellis highlight an underpinning narrative – unity amidst discord. As a collective and ostensibly resistant voice rises, the democratic spirit appears undeterred, echoing louder than ever.

Echoes of a democratic assault reverberate across not just the city of Chicago but the whole country. The audacious concocted image was visualized as a warning – a wake-up call to the nation – inviting citizenry to contemplate the looming danger in passive acceptance of this hazardous shift in democratic atmosphere.

The upsetting discourse pivots around a crucial point: the State versus its people. The usurpation of power to incite war and sow fear for political gains is not new. But with the dissemination of such provocative messages, one can’t help but question the fragility of our democratic institutions in the face of such audacious onslaughts.

In the broad strokes of this unfolding narrative, the nation, though beleaguered, is not beaten. Amidst the alarming chaos, the echoing cries for impeachment, the call for unity in resistance, and the staunch refusal to surrender individual and institutional rights serve as the bulwark of our democratic integrity against this authoritarian regime.