Chris Kempshall

There’s a not inconsiderable irony that the person with the lowest (and accurate) evaluation of Trump (which is quite a crowded field) is probably Vladimir Putin.

Performative public lying is a hallmark of far right authoritarian parties

Also, he is what Jake Tapper & Alex Thompson told everyone Biden was. Their silence now is deafening. And damning.

I can't compete with this.

80s video game: here is a fantasy that you are an astronaut blasting asteroids

90s: no you’re a badass marine blasting demons

2000s: time to blast some aliens

2010s: chop up these zombies

2020s: here is a fantasy that you have a cosy house, friends, relationships and food

“I support trans equality but women’s sports must be protected” is, over and over again, just shown to be a gateway drug to “but why can’t they just be a feminine gay guy?” Fuck Gavin Newsom. He’s an old news charlatan.

Spring

Trump: yeah gas is expensive. Go fuck yourself that’s why. Americans are gonna die. I could not give half a shit.

Democrats: well it was tough but we found a bunch of candidates that will definitely lose to that guy, somehow

I hope you enjoy it when the moment comes!

Ah that's hugely kind of you - thanks very much!

So we have a classic case of ‘will he use nuclear weapons?’ - I don’t know. ‘Would he use them?’ - I think he’d actually be very eager to do so if he found a circumstance where he could. And that’s not reassuring at all.

Or aren’t intellectually capable or willing to consider them?

Trump likes to posture but he can be forced to back down when challenged by people he perceives as being stronger than him. But he also likes to crush and humiliate those he deems as weak.

Which is very concerning and dangerous in relation to the potential use of nuclear weapons. Because the consequences of dropping the bomb have always been what’s prevented their use. What do you do when those with the command codes don’t care about the consequences?

They don’t know or care about the consequences of what they’re doing. They’ve given ample evidence of that with Greenland, Venezuela, and Iran already. There’s nothing to suggest they are on the verge of some sort of enlightenment.

The obvious aspect about all of these men is that they don’t spend any time considering consequences of their actions. This is partly because they’ve never had to face any. Consequences are for other people. But also - none of them is very smart. They’re not great strategic thinkers.

‘A very dangerous person’: alarm as Pete Hegseth revels in carnage of Iran war Critics say brash, bombastic Fox News host out of his depth to guide US military through murky new Middle East conflict

The same is true of Hegseth. Read this article and tell me this is a man who wouldn’t revel in dropping a nuclear weapon as both part of a holy crusade against the heretics and as an expression of his own hyper machismo. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

It also adds to his supposed presidential legacy. He likes claiming he’s the greatest president of all time. It’s not hard to imagine him claiming that every other President since Truman was too weak to use the bomb but he was strong enough to do so. It adds to his self image.

Trump in particular with his Soviet-esque military parade of nuclear weapons on his birthday. He views military strength as a representation of his own strength. So using the most powerful weapons has a clear appeal to him. It makes him (in his own head) look really strong.

And they’re not alone. There were plenty of Israeli ministers/leaders etc who were calling for Gaza to be nuked regardless of what that would mean for Israel. These people fetishise the nuclear bomb in ways that strongly suggest they’d like to use them.

It’s also worth considering and remembering how much of the US rhetoric about the destruction they’re causing in Iran is coded in terms that can very easily refer to the use of nuclear weapon. Trump, Hegseth, Graham etc all talk about causing mass death in Iran. There are bombs that do exactly that.

The fact that Trump getting bored, declaring that he’s won the war, and wandering off is one of the best case outcomes of this is particularly bleak.

Have you seen the commercial that brought down Kristi Noem?

It’s even more bizarre than I expected.

Feat. @wkamaubell.bsky.social

Yes they did!

Yep and women saved the space programme.

I'm happy to spend large parts of today recommending history or Star Wars books on various topics to anyone looking to discover something new. Just ask in here and I'll reply in due course! 🗃️

It's #InternationalWomensDay. So this is your annual reminder that history (and especially First World War Studies) is built on the work of amazing women scholars. Also that Star Wars wouldn't exist in any recognisable form without the work and vision of women either. 🗃️

I dunno, if I were Jeffrey Goldberg, author of "How Did I Get Iraq Wrong?' (2008), I might pause for a moment before cheerleading another war in the same region.

But, obviously…

Not in response to @jfb1066.bsky.social but I feel there should be a formalised ‘Kempshall’s Law’ that dictates anyone who wonders what a future historian might say should probably talk to a current one.

Imagining something like the Italian Campaign of the Second World War, only without Italy's bountiful opportunities for amphibious landings.

I definitely want to hear more deep thoughts from the guy who claimed Elon Musk's purchase of twitter would "extend the light of consciousness"