The whole Trump phenomenon is a textbook case of boiling the frog—a slow descent into authoritarianism that his supporters either don’t notice or willingly ignore.
It started with just words—little breaches of norms, like mocking opponents, attacking the press, and cozying up to dictators. Then came the real heat: undermining institutions, refusing to accept election results, and calling for political retribution. By the time he's openly saying he’ll be a dictator "only on day one," the pot is practically at a rolling boil, but his supporters are too cooked to notice.
And why won’t they criticize him? Because they’re not just the frog in the pot; they’re the ones turning up the heat while yelling, "Feels like freedom!" Every time he pushes the line—whether it’s attacking democracy, stoking division, or threatening to jail opponents—they rationalize, excuse, or cheer it on.
By the time they do realize it (if ever), it’ll be too late. Either they’ll be left croaking, or they’ll insist that boiling alive was the plan all along.