The Swamp
The Swamp examines the crazy but true world of Politics. Discover its history, corruption, politicians, activists, and more.
Stats
Stories
- 15,619
Creators
- 4,328
Top Creators
Top Stories
Stories in The Swamp that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
A Gathering of Evil Bosses
“I’m the queen of chin jutting while I smooth my hair, attacking, insulting, and deflecting to protect my appointer.” “Oh, please, Blondi, my hair is curled, highlighted, and longer than yours. I feature television commercials telling immigrants that we will give them a free plane ride home, and if they voluntarily turn themselves in, they will be allowed to legally apply for re-entry. It runs everywhere, and I look good in it! You can’t compete because of your blond hair. Mine is nicer, and my lips are prettier than yours.”
By Andrea Corwin 13 days ago in The Swamp
The Saddest Thing - The Billionaires Who Rule America Aren't Even Enjoying Themselves
This single post says more about our ruling class than a thousand policy papers. The saddest thing about today's system is that the men robbing the rest of us - sabotaging our economic prospects, our pensions, our access to affordable healthcare - are not even happy.
By Scott Christenson🌴24 days ago in The Swamp
Why Black History Matters in America?
The United States of America is celebrating their 250th anniversary in 2026. I'm proud to be an American and as someone who was born here, I wouldn't imagine myself living anywhere else. This is a country where opportunities are possible. Where anyone can be successful in anything they desire to do. Equality, community, and togetherness are the backbones of what America is and should be about. However, we have an administration who wants to erase and disregard those who have made positive, meaningful impacts in our country, specifically Black figures, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Maya Angelou. President Trump and his administration have been constantly complaining and fighting against what they call the "Woke agenda". They use this excuse as a distraction from other issues they refuse to address, such as the high cost of living, climate change, and inflation. That equality is dividing America, when in reality, it's bringing us together. Being woke is not tied to a specific political party. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, you can still care about other people and their plights. Compassion and empathy for others isn't tied to a political party, either. We were taught as children to treat others the way we want to be treated and not judge others because they're different from us. Caring about others isn't a personal attack on your beliefs. It doesn't make you any less of a person. People who are easily offended over African American figures, past or present, or anything related to it, are grasping at straws. Current and future generations need to know who people like Harriet Tubman and Shirley Chisholm were, especially in the classroom. Black History is part of American History. It should be recognized, not hidden or forgotten. Besides, you can't shield children from everything, just because your feelings are easily hurt.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 29 days ago in The Swamp
Wack Friday
Black Friday. We all obviously know what it is. As a kid, I'd see horror stories of people getting trampled to death in the doors of shopping centers. I didn't even understand what Black Friday was at the time or why everyone went so crazy about it. I didn't grow up with cable TV, so I really didn't have an insane amount of access to news or anything. The little I did see on the matter was enough to terrify me. My tiny child eyes sincerely thought these people were criminals robbing stores... and it was allowed. If the Purge was real and had already come out in the early 90's of my childhood, I would have thought Black Friday was the day it took place.
By Sara Wilson3 months ago in The Swamp
Dear Author
Today I read a Dear Abby column that really bugged me. It was about a woman whose best friend of thirty years abruptly stopped speaking to her because of differing political beliefs. They supported opposing parties, and her friend ended their relationship over it. The writer was hurt, but she hoped that there would be a way to work things out. When the friend had a grandchild, she wrote her a text congratulating her. Her friend responded with a "Who's this?" Our writer was ravaged and wrote the Dear Abby letter, and Abby's response was rather lacking.
By Stephanie Van Orman4 months ago in The Swamp
Criticizing the Cultural Mosaic
In many western countries the promotion of cultural acceptance has become intertwined with the strong encouragement of groups and communities to maintain and cultivate their differences. Terminology such as the “Cultural Mosaic” in Canada, celebrates this mentality. The concept of the Cultural Mosaic, in which each culture remains distinct, and the pushing of individuals to maintain their “uniqueness” have become synonymous with the concept of multiculturalism, when in fact they are not.
By Marlena Guzowski4 months ago in The Swamp
Review of 'A House of Dynamite'
I grew up in a world in which Dr. Strangelove was a plausible movie, a world in which we lived with the Soviet Union, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, as were we, and our best chance that we wouldn't blow up the Earth, if not to smithereens, to an uninhabitable planet, was MAD -- the mutually assured destruction that a nuclear war would engender, which would stop we human beings from ever starting such a no-win war.
By Paul Levinson4 months ago in The Swamp
Collections
Themed story collections curated by the Vocal moderators.
Dear Donald
Open letters to the President of the United States from the people of the world. Submit your own grievances, praises, and suggestions through Vocal today.
Political Humor
Where political gaffes become comedy fodder.
Dear Theresa
Open letters to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; do it like they do on Downing Street.
Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
An Emboldened Israel Is Seizing Opportunities to Remake the Region. AI-Generated.
In recent years, Israel’s posture in the Middle East has shifted from defensive caution to assertive geopolitical strategy. What was once a state primarily focused on survival amid hostile neighbors has transformed into a power projecting influence across borders and reshaping regional dynamics. Motivated by security concerns, shifting alliances, and historic grievances, Israel is seizing opportunities to remake the Middle East in ways once thought improbable — forging unexpected partnerships, targeting adversaries directly, and redefining its role on the global stage.
By Jameel Jamaliabout an hour ago in The Swamp
How Trump Assassination Attempts Played Into His Decision to Attack Iran. AI-Generated.
In early 2026, the United States found itself on the brink of one of the most consequential military confrontations in decades when President Donald Trump ordered a coordinated U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For many observers, the timing, justification, and strategic logic behind the attack were striking. Yet, according to Trump himself, one factor loomed especially large in his calculus: personal survival. In recent public remarks, he explicitly linked alleged assassination attempts against him to his decision to authorize strikes on Iran — a claim that has become a central talking point in an intense political and geopolitical debate.� The Washington Post The Catalyst: Claims of Iranian Assassination Threats Former President Trump — now back in office — has repeatedly said that Iran’s hostility toward him, particularly alleged attempts on his life, influenced his aggressive stance toward Tehran. In an interview following the Iranian strike that killed Khamenei, Trump stated bluntly, “I got him before he got me,” directly invoking supposed assassination attempts during his election campaign.� The Washington Post These comments built on earlier claims made by Trump during the 2024 campaign. As he campaigned for a return to the White House, he warned that Iran posed a threat to his life, suggesting that Tehran might be behind violent incidents including a rally shooting in Pennsylvania and an armed confrontation at his Florida golf course. Intelligence briefings shared with his campaign purportedly alerted him to “real and specific threats” from Iran, although officials acknowledged at the time that there was no direct evidence linking Iran to those particular assassination attempts.� The Washington Post +1 Trump’s rhetoric was stark. In 2025, he openly said Iran would be “obliterated” if it tried to assassinate him — a statement that sent shockwaves through international diplomatic circles even before he returned to the presidency.� Fox News From Campaign Claims to Executive Action By the time Trump assumed office again, the national security environment had shifted. Tehran’s relations with Washington were already frayed after years of sanctions, nuclear disputes, and proxy conflicts across the Middle East. Still, the linkage Trump drew between personal threats and national policy was unusual. Most modern presidents endeavor to separate personal grievances from foreign policy decisions, but Trump made that separation blur. When U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian leadership targets in February 2026, killing Khamenei and other senior commanders, Trump framed the action in strategic terms — neutralizing a nuclear threat and dismantling Iran’s regional influence. Yet his personal justification — that he was preventing a future strike against himself — reverberated just as loudly.� The Washington Post Critics immediately seized on this linkage, arguing that no credible intelligence publicly confirmed a direct Iranian attempt on Trump’s life and that suggesting otherwise risked inflaming an already volatile situation. Many experts cautioned that conflating campaign violence or isolated individual attacks with state-sponsored plots could distort U.S. threat assessments and mislead the public.� The Washington Post Iran’s Denials and the Public Record From Iran’s perspective, these assertions are flatly denied. Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected claims of plotting against Trump, labeling them politically motivated and unfounded. In interviews, Iranian leaders have described such allegations as attempts to fabricate a pretext for militaristic foreign policy moves.� Al Jazeera Even U.S. intelligence assessments have not publicly confirmed Iran’s direct involvement in the assassination attempts Trump referenced. In the case of the Pennsylvania rally shooting, for example, authorities found no evidence of a foreign connection, despite initial speculation.� The Washington Post This discrepancy between what has been aired publicly and what Trump asserts privately and publicly has fueled debate about how much personal grievance overtook objective analysis in U.S. policy making. The Broader Strategic Implications Beyond personal safety and rhetoric, Trump’s decision to attack Iran cannot be divorced from broader strategic calculations. Regional dynamics were already tense, with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, missile developments, and support for proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen contributing to a complex security environment. In many policy circles, hardliners saw an opportunity to weaken Iran’s military infrastructure and curtail its influence. Trump’s public statements framed the operation as a win for U.S. security, echoing long-standing criticisms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and previous negotiations that he deemed too lenient.� The Guardian Yet analysts argue that linking personal threats to national military strategy is problematic. When personal animosities or fears drive policy, there’s a danger of overreaction, misinterpretation of intelligence, and escalation that outstrips strategic benefit. Critics say that Trump’s framing contributed to perceptions that the attack was about revenge rather than a carefully calibrated shift in U.S. military doctrine — a characterization both he and his defenders reject.� Le Monde.fr Conclusion: A Personal Narrative in a Global Crisis The narrative emerging from Trump’s own comments is unmistakable: assassination attempts allegedly tied to Iran weighed heavily in his decision-making process. Whether those attempts were directly orchestrated by Tehran remains unresolved in the public record, but Trump’s insistence on the connection has shaped how the world now views one of the most significant presidential decisions in recent memory. In the end, this episode underscores a perennial challenge in democratic leadership: balancing personal experience with national interest. Trump’s choice to foreground alleged threats against himself raises fundamental questions about how leaders interpret intelligence, justify military action, and communicate with the public at moments of profound consequence. As tensions with Iran continue and the world watches closely, history will assess whether this blending of personal narrative and policy was visionary or perilous.
By Jameel Jamaliabout an hour ago in The Swamp
Smart TV Market Size and Forecast 2026–2034
The global Smart TV Market is entering a new era of sustained growth and innovation. According to Renub Research, the Smart TV Market is expected to reach US$ 424.61 billion by 2034, up from US$ 268.83 billion in 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 5.21% from 2026 to 2034. Rising disposable incomes, expanding internet penetration, rapid urbanization, and evolving consumer demand for immersive home entertainment are fueling this expansion worldwide.
By Sakshi Sharmaabout 2 hours ago in The Swamp
Automotive Robotics Market Size and Forecast 2026–2034
The global automotive industry is undergoing one of the most transformative decades in its history. Electrification, digitalization, customization, and advanced safety standards are reshaping how vehicles are designed and produced. At the heart of this industrial evolution lies robotics.
By Sakshi Sharmaabout 2 hours ago in The Swamp
Creators We’re Loving
The creative faces behind your favorite stories.
Timothy A Rowland
441 published stories
Atomic Historian
531 published stories
Sara Wilson
156 published stories
Andrea Corwin
471 published stories
Hayden Searcy
14 published stories
Scott Christenson🌴
199 published stories
Jeff Olen
42 published stories
L.K. Rolan
38 published stories
Stephanie Van Orman
114 published stories
Cadma
202 published stories
Autumn Stew
62 published stories
Sam Spinelli
346 published stories
