Trump following Putin’s playbook for dictatorship.
As Trump continues his aberrant behavior with little blowback from the judicial or legislative branches, he is doing exactly what one would expect from a tyrant. He is getting bolder and bolder. His Secretary of Defense has announced that he wants to cut the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals by 20%. This allows Trump to solidify his grip on the armed forces by ensuring that most of the brass that remains in place are loyal to him. He is lashing out at media outlets critical of him, seeking to end any support for NPR and PBS. And despite multiple judicial decisions, including a unanimous Supreme Court, finding against his emergency use of the Alen Enemies Act and the uncovering of a US intelligence document refuting Trump’s claim that the gang, Tren de Aragua is coordinating with the Venezuelan government, he continues to defy the Constitution and all legal norms. Absurdly, in the case of Kilmar Albrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, after repeatedly refusing to hand over documents requested by a US District Judge, the Justice Department formally invoked state secrets privilege. One can only imagine what is contained in the documents requested that is of such importance to national security that they cannot be revealed to a US District Judge. Perhaps lies? One suspects it will be a long time before we find out. Is this more absurd than the House of Representatives passing a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America? What next? We rename Canada “The Very Large State of Canada?”
Also typically, as the GOP in Congress seems unable to come to any agreement on a budget bill, Trump floated the idea of increasing taxes on the rich. But then he said it was not a good idea “for Republicans.” But it might be OK. But maybe not. He has clearly secured for himself a winning position, however it turns out.
But outlandish behavior does not stop here. The arrest of a state judge for allegedly interfering with an ICE arrest in her courtroom (notably without a judicial warrant) seems paltry compared with the arrest of the Mayor of Newark (and manhandling of a couple of congressmen) who would not take “no” for an answer when told they could not inspect a detention center. He has fired the Librarian of Congress and the three Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This should come as no surprise—we have already had our health put in the hands of maniacs. Anything remotely approaching scientific reason is now valueless.
The craziest and scariest of all? White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Friday said President Trump and his team are “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown. Miller told reporters (presumably with a straight face), “Well, the Constitution is clear — and that of course is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion.” Once again, ignoring the fact that nobody is buying the argument that the presence of alleged Venezuelan gang members in the US, allegedly coordinating their activities with the Venezuelan government represents an invasion. Not even Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court. But he doesn’t care. Because nobody has done anything about it. Nobody has been fined. Nobody has gone to jail. Nobody has been censured. Neither the judiciary nor the legislature has stopped Trump from doing anything.
As Trump consolidates power, fires anyone not loyal to him, violates the most basic rules of our democracy, it may be time to consider the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” We are the final stopgap and must not fail.