Maximillian Potter

Maximillian Potter

@maxpotter.bsky.social

Writer-editor @protectdemocracy.org Contributing Editor @vanityfair.com NYT & WSJ Best Wine Book: “Shadows in the Vineyard” http://amzn.to/2H5ikFW Ghost in some memoirs. Facts are facts. My opinions are my own. https://linktr.ee/maximillianpotter

4.9K followers1.5K following4.2K posts

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social
Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

1. Not sure when a new, on-the-record rape allegation against a sitting president isn’t considered news — especially considering Trump was found liable by a jury in a similar case — but it was ignored by most mainstream media outlets

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“You Can See Everything Again.” This time Nathan Fielder spends the last 34 days of Trump’s presidency with Trump, all access, wherein Fielder ignores the previous 12 years and debates the semantics of “great” and asks Trump if he really believes he won the 2020 election.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“You Can See Everything Again.” There are moments, thanks to the genius of Fielder, when Trump seems almost…a victim of circumstance. A final scene as Fielder and Trump frolic in the Reflecting Pool as an almost wistful version of Sympathy for the Devil plays.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Fools fail to appreciate the sublime clever irony of it all while many audience members who didn’t really follow the Trump presidency, the impeachments and indictments and the conviction and findings of liable…leave the theater wondering if he was really a bad guy after all.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

You know what this world needs? Gizmos that make it easier for humans to engage even less than we already do in introspection, a tool to circumvent reflecting on who and what matters most, in order to think more “efficiently, effectively.” Because who needs earned wisdom and humanity? Chumps.

David Gura@davidgura.bsky.social

cool, cool

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“A small handful of billionaires now own virtually every major media company, news outlet, and social media platform and are demonstrating how this unchecked concentration over our news and media threatens democratic discourse.”

Maximillian Potter reposted

Matthew Sheffield
@matthew.flux.community

🧵 There's a very unfortunate tendency of some very loyal Democrats to misapply "Murc's Law." For those who don't know of it, Murc's Law is the concept that the mainstream media acts as if only Democrats have agency in politics, and that Republican can't choose to act more rightfully.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

WELKER: Is a vote for you a vote for the Trump agenda? MIKE ROGERS: Um, I'm apologizing. I'm having some difficultly in my earpiece. But is a vote for you? I'm not sure. I'll tell you what a vote for me is. It's a great day for the state of Michigan

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

What do you call someone who enables a sociopathic grifter in order to advance themselves? How to describe someone who got pretty much total access to an epic felon-fraud and dragged it out into a 3-hour “documentary” as if there were some chance the sociopathic con is not s sociopathic con?

View full thread
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“All i could think of watching the movie is it was the joust of two cons: one for art (Fielder and Oppenheim), the other for image (Holmes), and I couldn't help but think Holmes knew what they were up to, but they couldn't keep with her. The title is missing its second half: And Learn Nothing.”

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

What do you call someone who enables a sociopathic grifter in order to advance themselves? How to describe someone who got pretty much total access to an epic felon-fraud and dragged it out into a 3-hour “documentary” as if there were some chance the sociopathic con is not s sociopathic con?

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“You Can See Everything” is the first documentary I’ve ever seen that blurs the actual truth. Like, in pursuit of making “art” it ignores and goes out of its way to play dumb to a mountain of evidence of who the primary subject definitely and demonstrably is to create what? Suspense that she is not?

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Sounds like he’s referencing a moment covered in all 4 Gospels. Cleansing the temple. When Jesus flips the tables in righteous protest against greed and religious corruption. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17).

Team Talarico@teamtalaricohq.bsky.social

Talarico: This is the last play of the last drive. This is the moment we leave it all on the field. We are the underdogs. It’s David versus Goliath. It’s the powers that be versus the powers that ought to be, and it’s time for us to start flipping over some tables.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

It’s almost as if there are staggeringly obvious observations of fact and common sense that are…staggeringly obvious…and could and should be presented in plain language. Imagine.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Obama: "The guy has become billions of dollars wealthier in office. Nobody disputes this! It's just -- how do you do that when you're supposed to be looking out for you? And the worst part of it not a single Republican in Congress has done anything to stop it."

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

We live in a society where “successful” people use people to enrich and advance themselves. Private sector, public sector—it’s “clever” to con, manipulate. Trump, Vivek, Elizabeth Holmes—these are American Frankensteins. Plenty of “good guys” rationalize similar behavior because it’s not “as bad.”

Clara Jeffery@clarajeffery.bsky.social

Does not seem like she is in a position to provide informed consent. I would guess they got her to sign some kind of release but… It’s just so disgusting on a whole new level. Total scum.

Maximillian Potter reposted

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

The idea of a “pathocracy”, a democracy of normal people taken over by psychopaths, was conceived by an obscure Polish psychologist, Andrew Lobaczewski, who had lived under both the Nazis and then Soviet-era communists...” www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

theguardian.comHow to spot a psychopath: ‘It’s like the difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat’People with persistent predatory personalities cause an inordinate amount of pain. Recently, our shared understanding of them has grown – and it could help protect us
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Hard to sell Americans that no one is above the law when the president of the United States has official acts immunity and the power to pardon (even preemptively) for federal crimes; when that President is the same man who fomented Jan 6 and pardoned them all. Voting them from power is what’s left.

Jeff Stein@jeffstein.bsky.social

Scoop: White House lawyers are weighing preemptive mass pardons for junior staff, sources says Under discussion: Pardoning everyone involved in deportation, war, or trade policy www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/w...

washingtonsun.comWhite House Is Weighing Mass Pardons for Junior StaffConservative groups influential with the Trump administration have pressed for the preemptive acts of clemency.
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Ever since the official acts immunity ruling it’s been clear this president would hold his criminal conspiracy together for as long as he could by dangling pardons. A foot soldier unable to turn to Congress or DOJ to blow the whistle can only placate the boss for a get-out-of-jail free card.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

You know what’s wild? When we are reminded that what really gets the most clicks, the thing that is the ultimate social media IP, what really drives the journalism business is… journalism. Reporting. Facts. In a narrative of context. Maybe the journalism business should do more of it.

Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social

This is one of the most holy sh*t stories I’ve ever read in my life. www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-...

vanityfair.comThe Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner’s Hacked Phone Revealed More Than $700 Million in TransfersAn exclusive excerpt from ‘Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East’ examines how bank accounts linked the president’s son-in-law—and former sen...
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

It’s not important, obviously.

Mark Jacob@markjacob.bsky.social

Eight months ago, we learned that Howard Lutnick blatantly lied to the public about his personal and business ties with Jeffrey Epstein, who raped children. So why is Lutnick still Commerce secretary? Because telling lies and befriending child molesters make him a good fit in the Trump regime.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

What would Jesus do? Pretty sure not this.

Kyle Clark@kylec.bsky.social

NEW: Denver Archbishop James Golka leads a prayer for President Trump, alongside Trump’s faith advisor Paula White, who called the Black Lives Matter movement the anti-Christ and suggested Christians will have to answer to God if they don’t vote for Trump

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

2) “I want my people to be honest, and if they are not going to be honest they have to be prosecuted,” Trump said. “If people are not honest, they’re stealing from me. … dishonest people, he added, would be handled by “my D.O.J.” Stealing from me. My people. My DOJ. Spoken like a JV mob boss.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

If reading books is an act of resistance, what is it to author a book? Particularly ones that convey truth? And what does it mean to “write” using AI as your “coauthor”? What is it when AI just hoovers up you work as an author? Books that you wrote with everything you had. And none of it was AI.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

AOC: "As AI begins to encroach in our society, their goal is to take your cognition away from you. AI's goal is to take your thoughts away from you, your ability to think away from you, so that you become dependent on a machine ... reading books is active resistance"

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

He should be asked over and over and over again — What were the circumstances such that you saw a pile of million dollars in hundred dollar bills? Were you in Russia? Saudi Arabia? Was there an underage girl present?

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump's affordability message: "Did you ever see a pile of a million dollars in hundred dollar bills? It's big!"

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

It is shameful that these people clap. It is shameful that not a single Republican member of Congress speaks out to say how shameful this is. It is shameful that this is where America is. The hubris and arrogance and self-dealing that made this Trump and his kind possible…it is endlessly shameful.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump calls for Ilhan Omar to immediately resign & says, "please inform our great Speaker, James Michael Johnson that the Democrat Party has conceded her seat ... she will not be allowed to me a member of that body any longer" Trump's crowd in Iowa then starts chanting "Lock her up! Lock her up!"

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

This midterm election is politics and…but…totally NOT about politics. It’s about what kind of America you want your children to live in. It is about who you and each and every one of us are as human beings. Are you into repulsive and despicable? If so, Trump and this Vivek scumbaggery is for you.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

Ramaswamy has produced an attack ad weaponizing the rape of his opponent, Amy Acton, when she was 12 years old. It features Acton’s mother, who abandoned Acton after she was raped by her step-father, fleeing the state with her husband. Here is the corporate money helping fund that ad.

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

And this president of the United States encourages her political opponent to do this. Because … of course he does people.com/amy-acton-st...

people.comAmy Acton’s Stepfather Was Charged with Raping Her When She Was a Child. Now Her Ohio Election Opponent Is Using That Against HerAmy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor in Ohio, has previously publicly discussed being sexually abused by her stepfather between the ages of 9 and 12. Her opponent Vivek Ramaswamy recently ...
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

The greed and gross is inescapable.

Status@status.news

Election night... sponsored by DraftKings? CBS' owned stations will carry DraftKings branding through Election Night, we have learned, a sponsorship that has stirred concern inside the company. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/cbs-draftk...

status.newsCBS' DraftKings GambleCBS' owned stations will carry DraftKings branding through Election Night, Status has learned, a sponsorship that has stirred concern inside the company.
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Guy who tries to strong-arm media on behalf of a twice-impeached convicted felon who was found liable of sexually assaulting a woman and then repeatedly lying about the woman is now threatening broadcasters over “fake polls” and “ethics.”

Politico@politico.com

Brendan Carr takes up Trump’s ‘fake polls’ fight politi.co/3U4d1Od

politico.comBrendan Carr takes up Trump’s ‘fake polls’ fight politi.co/3U4d1OdBrendan Carr takes up Trump’s ‘fake polls’ fight politi.co/3U4d1Od
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

Considering how often we have seen this man behave like a toxic misogynist thug in front of the whole world, do we really think he’s not grotesquely abusive in private. In a dressing room, to a teenage girl … we don’t know the half of it. But, we will.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump snaps at a woman reporter: "Wait. Shhh. Wait, wait. WAIT!"

Maximillian Potter reposted

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)
@hcrichardson.bsky.social

THEY ARE NOT POWERLESS TO STOP HIM! Go back to Washington, stand on the steps of the Capitol and demand Johnson and Thune recall the House and Senate, and impeach him. THIS IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO WORK! THERE IS LITERALLY AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL! (It's called the Constitution.)

Jon Cooper@joncooper-us.bsky.social

Republican lawmakers are incensed about Trump's dismissal of Ukraine — and powerless to stop him. That frustration hit a new peak on Monday as they sought to address Trump’s decision to purchase Russian diesel, waive sanctions on Moscow, and potentially stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

politico.comGOP lawmakers scramble to spare Ukraine from TrumpLawmakers are struggling to find a way to convince the president to stop cozying up to Russia.
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

“White evangelicals were the least likely to name empathy as a foundational social value (42%), and more than half of white evangelicals (54%) said, “empathy can become dangerous when it leads people away from building a society guided by God’s truth.” religionnews.com/2026/10/20/a...

religionnews.comAn ‘empathy gap' divides Americans ahead of the midterms, says PRRI report(RNS) — A survey released Tuesday (Oct. 20) found that Republicans and evangelicals increasingly see empathy as a danger that can lead society away from God. The survey found that more than half of Am...
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

By contrast, white Mainliners (73%) and white Catholics (66%), both of which, like white evangelicals, have supported Donald Trump in past elections, still see empathy as important. “It tells you…white evangelical circles. They really are on an island by themselves on this...”

Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social

People are clapping.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "You go up to Minnesota -- number one place in the entire country for the sale of Mercedes-Benz. And Somalians are buying them. They come here with low IQs and no money and they get rich. Do we feel stupid? Our fraud division is getting them all."

Maximillian Potter reposted

Julia Wick
@sherlyholmes.bsky.social

BREAKING: President Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats are cheating by allowing noncitizens to vote. But the poster child of Monday’s voter fraud sweep — who the DOJ alleges was illegally registered to vote in L.A. — is a registered Republican lamaterial.com/p/voter-frau...

lamaterial.comPoster Child of L.A. Voter Fraud Bust Is Registered RepublicanFeds arrested more registered Republicans than Democrats in Monday’s voter fraud sweep in L.A., according to an L.A. Material review of voting records.
Maximillian Potter
@maxpotter.bsky.social
LAist@laist.com

Federal prosecutors charged 28 California green card holders with illegally registering to vote or voting. 🔗 Read more: vist.ly/5p4gw ✍️ Ryan Sabalow | CalMatters 📸 Jae C. Hong / AP Photo