Software engineer and far-right blogger Curtis Yarvin says he’s considering leaving the U.S. because the Trump administration is failing to kill democracy to his liking and he fears political retribution from Democrats if they regain power.
In a blog post (opens in new tab) published this weekend on his Substack Gray Mirror, San Francisco-based Yarvin wrote: “Because the vengeance meted out after its failure will dwarf the vengeance after 2020 — because the successes of the second revolution are so much greater than the first — I feel that I personally have to start thinking realistically about how to flee the country. Everyone else in a similar position should have a 2029 plan as well.”
Yarvin later removed the line about fleeing the country, replacing it with “everyone involved with this revolution needs a plan B for 2029.”
The Standard asked Yarvin why he edited the post. His reply: “Lol Streisand effect I guess. Just TMI.” When asked about which countries he was considering moving to, Yarvin said, “Lol no idea. Obviously I’d rather not.”
The revolution Yarvin is referencing is the “second Trump revolution,” which he believes is failing. According to Yarvin, the administration has not been extreme enough in dismantling democratic institutions and stamping out the Democratic Party. Yarvin did not detail what kind of revenge he expects the left to wage against him but said it might not wait until the next presidential election: “Losing the Congress will instantly put the administration on the defensive,” he wrote.
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Earlier this year, Yarvin wrote (opens in new tab) that the Trump administration will “wither and eventually dissipate” unless it becomes more extreme. “As soon as it stops accelerating, it stalls and explodes,” Yarvin wrote.
Yarvin has long attracted left-wing and, more recently, right-wing ridicule. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo wrote on X last month that Yarvin is “high on his own supply.”
“You should always be skeptical of people with such an enormous gap between ego and accomplishment, who promise so much and deliver so little,” Rufo wrote (opens in new tab). A few days later, Yarvin announced that he was taking a break from X (opens in new tab) until next year.
Yarvin rose to prominence for his essays written under the pen name Mencius Moldbug, which helped launch the “Dark Enlightenment” movement. In a 2008 manifesto, Yarvin proposed “the liquidation of democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law,” followed by the transfer of power to a CEO-in-chief like Steve Jobs or Marc Andreessen. This CEO/king could transform the government into a “a heavily-armed, ultra-profitable corporation” that could “Retire All Government Employees” (RAGE), kill the press, and incarcerate “decivilized populations.” (If this sounds familiar, maybe you just watched “Alien: Earth.”)
Yarvin, widely recognized as one of the U.S.’ most influential illiberal thinkers (opens in new tab), has ties to Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Andreessen has called him a “good friend (opens in new tab),” Peter Thiel backed his computer platform Urbit, and Vice President JD Vance follows him on X and has listed (opens in new tab) his writings as an inspiration.