Portrayal of the US as a “collapsing empire” through the discrediting of top leadership

What it claims

The US political leadership is cast as psychopathic and incapacitated, leading the country toward an inevitable breakdown. By quoting specific commentators and former diplomats, these posts create the impression of a total loss of constitutional control and the state’s transformation into the despotism of a single “old fool.” Any foreign policy moves are inflated into a catastrophic end for an “empire” that has lost its capacity for diplomacy. Against this backdrop, the idea of impeaching the president immediately after the midterm elections is promoted.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• The president is a psychopath and a symptom of America's complete collapse, and his brain is entirely controlled by neocons.

  The Duran, 23 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

• One senile old fool is destroying the Constitution and leading the country to war, so impeachment after the midterms is mandatory.

  The Duran, 21 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

Convince American voters that the current administration is illegitimate and dangerous in order to provoke post-election political instability.

Techniques used

• Name Calling or LabelingUse of labels like “psychopathic,” “insane,” “idiot,” and “old fool” regarding the president.
• Exaggeration or MinimisationInterpreting any government actions as signs of “complete breakdown” and the “end of the empire.”

The real grievance it exploits

Deep political polarization in the US and citizen anxiety over the mental health of leaders and the risk of the country being drawn into global conflicts.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Note the use of emotionally charged diagnoses instead of political criticism — this is a classic method of dehumanizing a leader to justify radical actions.
• Prebunk: Ahead of the 2026 elections, expect an intensification of calls for the immediate removal of the government due to its alleged “incapacity,” aimed at delegitimizing the voting results.

Sources (all time)

• The DuranTier 3
  4 posts · 14–23 Aug 2026

  • 23 Aug · Archived copy
  • 21 Aug · Archived copy
  • 17 Aug · theduran.com/trumps-brain-is-100-neocon/
  • 14 Aug · theduran.com/the-u-s-empire-is-ending-iran-and-russia-will-never-again-negotiate-with-trump-trump-tries-to-merge-the-wars-against-iran-and-against-russia/