On September 22, 2026, Marc Elias posted a video to his Democracy Docket YouTube channel entitled "Something is Keeping Me Up at Night."
In the 46-minute video, Elias answers the two questions he is getting asked most: 1) What is Trump going to do next? and b) Mark, are you worried?
Elias admits that he is worried.
He also tells us of a 1984 "Bear In The Woods" ad campaign video employed by Ronald Reagan and how it relates to a philosophical argument known as "Pascal's Wager" (about how people engage in a life-defining gamble regarding their belief in the existence of God).
Commentary:
I believe, and I know, without a shadow of doubt, that Trump is a "Bear," but he's out of the woods. Trump doesn't attempt to hide his malicious, adolescent, and immoral behavior. Instead, he seems to revel in it. He's vicious, vindictive, and he's out for blood. He doesn't give a damn about the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, or objective reality. He will do everything in his power to upend the 2026 mid-term elections.
As I've stated countless times, with Trump it's ALL about his gargantuan ego and its insatiable need for power and approval.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Trump is going to declare a bogus "national emergency" regarding the upcoming elections. Once he's done that, he will feel empowered to do anything he wants. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he dispatches the National Guard (and perhaps the U.S. military) to counties where races are close in order to stop vote counting after election night (one of his pet peeves), to seize ballots, seize voting machines, and who knows what else. Once he has ballots and voting machines, he will claim election fraud (with manufactured "evidence") and attempt to adjust and manipulate vote counts to get the desired results.
Trump is going to "pull out all the stops" to subvert the November election. He's going to create every roadblock, and every hurdle to states certifying their election results.
Trump has been planning for this since his first day in office on January 20, 2025.
Everything he and his administration have said and done has been a steady escalation of election denial efforts and propaganda intended to justify what they are going to do this fall.
The courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, are going to play a crucial role to see that American democracy doesn't break.
It's going to be the biggest "shit show" our country has ever experienced regarding elections.
It might even turn violent, like it did in 2020.
Fasten your seat belt because it's going to be a very, VERY bumpy ride.