Rick Wilson's Friday Brief

November 14, 2024

Rebranding on the title, but it’s the same goodness.

The Big Picture

What Will You Do In The Coming War?

A reader wrote last week in despair, asking why it’s worth it to keep fighting. I had another essay in mind for the Brief, but I want to tell you why you must keep fighting. I’m staying in this battle until they carry me out feet first. You should too.

The election still has you in shock, and now the Trump show has started again, with appointments that range from shocking to downright terrifying. You wonder if there’s a way to resist it, to stop it, to do something…anything…to keep Trump and the Project 2025 boys from burning the country to the ground and rebuilding it with fancy uniforms, labor camps, and President-for-Life vibes, there is.

It’s to stay in the fight.

This fight—against authoritarianism, against the degradation of democracy, against the hucksters and grifters who weaponize fear and hatred (waves to Rupert and Elon) —is relentless. But here’s the hard truth: you don’t get to quit. Not now. Not ever. Because the moment you do, the very forces you’re fighting get stronger.

Authoritarianism isn’t some faceless bogeyman; it’s real, it’s here, and it’s relentless. I wears a size-60 Brioni suit, a four-foot long red tie, hair dye and a pound of bronzer, but it’s also a vast archipelago of media outlets, think tanks, money people, ideologues and activists.