{"id":1478,"date":"2026-06-12T06:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1478"},"modified":"2026-06-12T06:06:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:06:28","slug":"steve-schmidt-details-the-real-danger-that-grips-trumps-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1478","title":{"rendered":"Steve Schmidt details the ‘real danger’ that grips Trump\u2019s America"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Political strategist Steve Schmidt warns that in Donald Trump\u2019s America, shame \u2014 \u201cone of freedom\u2019s guardians\u201d \u2014 has vanished. Humiliation now reads as a \u201cbadge of honor.\u201d Conscience has curdled into \u201cinconvenience.\u201d Schmidt argues the result is institutional erosion and real danger to society.<\/p>\n

Read more White House melts down over damaged lawn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a time in America when public disgrace meant something,\u201d says Schmidt at The Warning. \u201cA man caught lying to the public would resign. A politician caught in corruption would retreat from public life. A leader who dishonored his office would feel the sting of judgment from neighbors, colleagues, family members and strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Trump, the America where people \u201cunderstood that character mattered\u201d and that \u201ca good name took a lifetime to build and a moment to lose\u201d is gone, because what is essential, shame, has \u201cdisappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmidt says the disappearance of shame may be \u201cthe most consequential political development of the last quarter century.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shame, he explains, was a \u201cwarning light.\u201d It was \u201csociety\u2019s way of enforcing standards when laws couldn\u2019t,\u201d and it \u201creminded people where the boundaries were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmidt points directly to Trump\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse. He attempted to overturn an election. He incited a mob against the United States Congress. He has told thousands upon thousands of documented lies,\u201d he writes. \u201cNone of it brought shame. None of it produced reflection. None of it inspired remorse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scandals have now become fundraising appeals, disgrace has become \u201cgrievance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lesson was clear: the shameless man held power over the ashamed man because he no longer recognized limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Furious judge warns court \u2018will not tolerate\u2019 Trump DOJ\u2019s \u2018pattern\u2019 of blunders<\/a><\/p>\n

Schmidt points the finger at technology, and specifically, social media.<\/p>\n

Public life has become \u201cperformance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAttention became more valuable than respect,\u201d Schmidt observes. \u201cFame became more valuable than honor. The ability to provoke became more valuable than the ability to inspire.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains that in Trump\u2019s America, someone can simultaneously be \u201ccondemned\u201d by millions and \u201ccelebrated\u201d by millions more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result is a culture where shamelessness is often mistaken for strength,\u201d he says, and warns about not just corruption, but \u201cindifference\u201d to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe danger is the normalization of conduct that once would have shocked the conscience,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Schmidt says that this may not be permanent. Societies and cultures can rebuild and recover \u2014 but that has to begin with honesty.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Give me a break\u2019: Florida judge rips Trump team\u2019s demand for \u2018do-overs\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Political strategist Steve Schmidt warns that in Donald Trump\u2019s America, shame \u2014 \u201cone of freedom\u2019s guardians\u201d \u2014 has vanished. Humiliation now reads as a \u201cbadge of honor.\u201d Conscience has curdled into \u201cinconvenience.\u201d Schmidt argues the result is institutional erosion and real danger to society.\u201cThere…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSteve Schmidt details the 'real danger' that grips Trump\u2019s America - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1478\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Steve Schmidt details the 'real danger' that grips Trump\u2019s America - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Political strategist Steve Schmidt warns that in Donald Trump\u2019s America, shame \u2014 \u201cone of freedom\u2019s guardians\u201d \u2014 has vanished. 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