It’s Not Fearmongering, It’s Truthmongering
Because reality is terrifying enough on its own.
Ah, the classic political gaslighting technique: Someone points out a legitimate issue, and the response is, “Oh, stop fearmongering.” But here’s the thing—if the “fear” is based on verifiable facts, it’s not fearmongering; it’s truthmongering.
You wouldn’t call someone screaming, “The house is on fire!” a fearmonger—you’d call them the only sane person in the room while you grab a bucket. So, let’s talk about why Americans aren’t just scared right now—they’re paying attention. And for good reason.
In the past few months, the administration has launched what can only be described as a full-scale attack on government oversight. At least 17 inspectors general—the people whose literal job is to investigate fraud, abuse, and corruption—were abruptly fired. These independent watchdogs exist to make sure the government isn’t running on vibes alone. They’re basically the referees of democracy, and the administration just tossed them out like a toddler flipping a chessboard.
Why? No explanation, of course. Because when a government starts firing its own accountability officers en masse, the reason is never “to promote integrity and transparency.” No, it’s usually “We’re about to do some deeply sketchy stuff, and we’d like zero interruptions, please.”
Speaking of sketchy, the administration also hit the pause button on all federal financial assistance. Yes, all of it—foreign aid, domestic funding, critical infrastructure projects, the whole shebang. This is the government equivalent of walking into a crowded restaurant, pulling the fire alarm, and then leaving. No explanation, no plan, just a massive disruption that left agencies scrambling.
And if that weren’t bad enough, they followed it up with mass layoffs in key federal agencies. The IRS alone fired between 6,000 and 7,000 employees—right before tax season. Because what’s really missing from tax season is longer wait times and more hold music. The Department of Health and Human Services is also shedding employees, which is a fantastic strategy if you’re running a dystopian sci-fi novel, but not if you’re, say, trying to run a functioning government.
But it’s not just domestic chaos; America’s global standing is also taking a nosedive. Over 400 U.S. diplomats sent a protest letter after the administration gutted USAID and slashed foreign aid. It takes a lot for career diplomats—people whose whole job is to remain calm and diplomatic—to openly revolt like this. When that happens, it’s basically the government equivalent of your doctor saying, “Okay, I don’t want to alarm you, but HOLY SHIT.”
And then, just in case you thought, Well, at least we still have some credibility left on the world stage, the United Nations human rights chief weighed in, saying they are “deeply worried” about the “fundamental shift in direction” of the U.S. government. Now, if it were just some random international body, maybe we could brush it off. But the UN human rights chief is the person who steps in when things are spiraling in countries that are actively failing. When they start nervously side-eyeing the U.S., that is not a good sign.
And if all of this sounds bleak, buckle up, because we haven’t even gotten to the part where the president of the United States is echoing Russian propaganda like a state-run news anchor.
Trump’s obsession with defending Russia and undermining NATO is no longer subtle—it’s out in the open, loud and proud. He recently suggested that NATO countries that don’t pay enough for defense should be left to Russia’s mercy. Let’s be clear: The President of the United States openly implied that if our allies don’t pay more, he’d be fine with Putin attacking them. That is not how alliances work; that’s how protection rackets work.
He’s also been repeating Kremlin talking points on Ukraine, suggesting that the U.S. should stop supporting them because “it’s not our war.” That’s a fun take—except that it is our business when an authoritarian regime starts invading democratic countries and redrawing borders with brute force. Also, if supporting Ukraine isn’t our war, what do we call sending tanks, missiles, and billions of dollars to make sure Russia doesn’t swallow an entire sovereign nation? A birthday present?
Let’s be real: If any other American president had casually suggested abandoning NATO allies, repeated enemy propaganda, and systematically dismantled government oversight, we’d be in a full-blown crisis mode. And yet, somehow, there’s still an entire segment of the population saying, “Oh, stop fearmongering.”
It’s not fearmongering to say that gutting oversight, slashing funding, and making life harder for everyday Americans is concerning. It’s truthmongering—because reality doesn’t need to be exaggerated to be terrifying.
So, the next time someone says, “Oh, stop fearmongering,” remind them: Sometimes, the truth is scary enough on its own.
