Authoritarianism of Donald Trump

Nazi analogies are thrown around with so much abandon these days it's hard not to roll one's eyes. With everything from universal healthcare to mandatory face masks being labelled as authoritarian, the meaning of the word has lost a significant amount of weight. With that said, however, many of Donald Trump's statements and policies can, genuinely, be described as authoritarian in nature, even fascistic.
Yale history professor Timothy Snyder identified a number of characteristics possessed by Trump which he believes make such analogies appropriate:
* A fondness for conspiracy theories, which he uses to create a constant feeling of danger in the minds of his supporters.The windmills will give you CANCER! He often presents himself as the solution to threats he has invented. 
* Consistently showing disdain for the truth and journalists who are critical of him. A country where the free press has been discredited experiences a state of "post-factuality", which weakens democracy.Donald Trump and the New Dawn of Tyranny Time 3 March 2017 
* Seeking to establish a cult of personality by promoting himself as a strong leader, and presenting himself as a man so important it is impossible to imagine the country without him.The Cowardly Face of Authoritarianism The New York Times 3 December 2018
During his presidency, the U.S. went through somewhat of a democratic backslide, dropping 6 points in the Freedom House rating — from 89 in 2017 (when Trump first took office) to 83 in 2021 (which is when he left office, though the rating was taken before the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot). The drop was higher in Political rights (dropping 4 points) in comparison to Civil Liberties (which only dropped two points). This leaves the U.S. as a country that is still rated free, but it is much less so after Trump left then when he began.https://freedomhouse.org/country/united-states/freedom-world/2021https://freedomhouse.org/country/united-states/freedom-world/2017
==Attacks on free speech==
===Intimidation of the press===
It always begins with the press. Back in the primary, Trump's campaign banned a ton of reporters from his rallies,Donald Trump's Media Enemies List Mother Jones 16 March 2016 put several media outlets on a blacklist,'The Blacklist': Here are the media outlets banned by Donald Trump CNN Business 14 June 2016 restricted the movement of journalists (even putting them in a pen where his supporters could jeer and threaten them),Team Trump tangles with the press Politico 19 November 2015 limited what reporters could actually cover,Donald Trump's Restrictions On The Press Reach Chilling New Low HuffPost 28 July 2016 and allowed his staffers or bodyguards to manhandle reporters (even including one from Breitbart).Breitbart Reporter Files Criminal Complaint Against Trump’s Campaign Manager Mother Jones 11 March 2016 Trump himself regularly fuels this anti-press hatred by bitterly and repeatedly denouncing them on Twitter or in rallies, thereby enhancing a threat to the freedom of the press.
During the mass demonstrations on Trump's inauguration day (20 January 2017), Alexei Wood and Aaron Cantú, two journalists who were covering the protests, were rounded up with several protesters on bogus rioting charges.Reporter Covering Inauguration Protests Now Faces 75 Years in Prison The Daily Beast 9 June 2017Reporters face 70 years in prison over anti-Trump march Aljazeera 20 June 2017Trump protesters could be facing decades in prison for inauguration demonstrations Salon 2 June 2017 Both of them were facing 70 years in prison, having been accused of partaking in "vandalism". Not a single piece of evidence proving their guilt was presented, and all charges against them were dropped.SA Photojournalist Alexei Wood Found Not Guilty on All 7 Inauguration Day Charges by Alex Zielinski (Dec 21, 2017 at 11:47 AM) San Antonio Current.SFR Journalist's Charges Dropped: Aaron Cantú and other inauguration day protesters no longer face criminal charges (July 6, 2018) Santa Fe Reporter.
On 21 January 2017, a day after the inauguration, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer claimed that President Donald Trump's inauguration had the largest crowds in history,Spicer: Inauguration had largest audience ever from the YouTube channel CNN 21 January 2017 and denied reports about attendance being lower than that at Obama's inaugurations. He made a number of claims which flew in the face of empirical reality, since photographic evidence and ticket sales records from Washington's public transport both proved that Obama's inauguration drew larger numbers. After his little tirade, Spicer made unspecified threats to "hold the press accountable",Trump claims media 'dishonest' over crowd photos BBC News 22 January 2017 with Trump later adding: "And I think they’re going to pay a big price."Trump's inauguration crowd: Sean Spicer's claims versus the evidence The Guardian 22 January 2017 Trump's team spent the first week of his presidency belittling media which was critical of Trump's behaviour and Spicer's easily disprovable lies.Donald Trump's team in fresh war of words with US media BBC News 23 January 2017Donald Trump's team defends 'alternative facts' after widespread protests The Guardian 23 January 2017 It was also during this time that Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway famously declared that outright lies are just, well... "alternative facts".'Alternative facts' are just lies, whatever Kellyanne Conway claims The Guardian 24 January 2017 Whatever the hell that means.
This wasn't a one-off freak occurrence. From that moment on, whenever the media contradicted one of Trump's lies, they were accused of spreading "fake news" whereas Trump’s lies are defended by his supporters as "alternative facts". To call that Orwellian is an understatement. Trump never, ever admits he is wrong or misinformed, and neither do his supporters; some within his party have even claimed that the President is the only credible source of information.Donald Trump is the sole reliable source of truth, says chair of House Science Committee Vox 27 January 2017 The levels of doublethink brought about by Trump are admired by strongmen leaders all over the world, many of whom have adopted Trump's modus operandi when fielding annoying questions from journalists.Trump’s 'fake news' mantra a hit with despots Politico 8 December 2017
After repeatedly calling the media "the enemy of the people" (sound familiar?), Trump banned The New York Times, Buzzfeed News, CNN, the BBC, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico from attending a so-called "gaggle" in Sean Spicer's office on February 24, 2017, which took the place of the normal daily press briefing. Instead, he allowed Breitbart, Fox News, the One America News Network, ABC, CBS, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Times, all but four (ABC, Wall Street Journal (the news division), CBS, and Bloomberg) of which are practically pro-Trump propaganda outlets.Trump Intensifies His Attacks on Journalists and Condemns F.B.I. 'Leakers' The New York Times 24 February 2017
The way he treats journalists set a new norm for what is acceptable, which has a chilling trickle-down effect. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price had a reporter arrested for asking him a basic question.I was arrested for asking Tom Price a question. I was just doing my job. The Washington Post 16 May 2017 Greg Gianforte, a Montana Republican candidate for the House of Representatives, bodyslammed a Guardian reporter, and was charged with assault on the eve of an election.Republican candidate charged with assault after 'body-slamming' Guardian reporter The Guardian 25 May 2017 On January 12, 2021, a White House reporter for Voice of America, Patsy Widakuswara, was reassigned after she tried to question Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after a Q&A event hosted by the news organisation, where Pompeo spoke about American exceptionalism and criticized censorship.White House reporter reassigned after trying to question Mike Pompeo Independent 20 January 2021
In July 2017, Trump sent out a tweet implying that he endorsed violence against the press, specifically, CNN.Trump Marks Independence Day Weekend With Fantasy About Beating Up Journalists HuffPost 2 July 2017 Senator Pat Toomey had a reporter arrested for asking a "threatening" question not too long after.Man arrested for asking 'threatening' question at GOP senator's town hall The Hill 6 September 2017 South Dakota-based state Republican Lynne DiSanto shortly after that endorsed vehicular manslaughter against protesters by making light of a pro-violence meme on Facebook.South Dakota Republican posts meme supporting running over protesters Salon 20 September 2017 A week after that, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin argued that NFL players can "have free speech on their own time" as they protested police brutality by sitting or kneeling during the National Anthem.Steve Mnuchin: NFL players "can do free speech on their own time" abc News 4 24 September 2017 Robert Jeffress, an evangelical advisor to Trump, even said the players were lucky they weren't "shot in the head".Trump Evangelical Adviser: NFL Kneelers Are Lucky They Aren’t ‘Shot In The Head’ HuffPost 25 September 2017
In December 2017, reports surfaced that Trump considered hiring Erik Prince and Oliver North in order to create his own personal secret police to spy on the intelligence community.Trump White House Weighing Plans for Private Spies to Counter “Deep State” Enemies The Intercept 5 December 2017
In 2018, Republican candidates, facing tougher than expected primaries, started emulating Donald Trump's authoritarian rhetoric and fascist scapegoating, as well as his glorification of violence. Candidates saying openly racist things, displaying thinly veiled xenophobia, attacking the media and calling for their political opponents to be locked up became the new norm.GOP candidates are now mimicking Trump's authoritarianism. That's ominous. The Washington Post 23 April 2018 These antics attracted literal Neo-Nazis like Paul Nehlen, Arthur Jones, and Patrick Little to electoral politics. They tried to maneuver within the party, hoping to win their primaries for 2018, despite sane Republicans' desperate attempts to distance themselves from scum like them.Opinion: Look what crawled out from under Trump’s rock The Washington Post 12 July 2018
North Carolina's GOP super majority (pre-2019) was especially prone to authoritarian rhetoric and actions in this era. A bunch of constitutional amendments put on the ballot in 2018 had their names revoked to prevent people from learning what they even doNC Republicans change what voters will see on ballots about their amendments The News & Observer 24 July 2018 and their leader was even floating the idea of impeaching state Supreme Court justices if they ruled against legislative leaders in a lawsuit over constitutional amendments. This was especially important because the person suing the GOP in this wanted justices to remove two of the six amendments that Republicans wanted on the ballot, claiming that the ballot language is misleading. One would remove governors' power to appoint members to hundreds of state boards and commissions and give it to the Legislature. The other would limit a governor's ability to make appointments to fill judicial vacancies and force them to seek approval from the legislature.NC GOP leader raises possibility of impeaching justices over amendment ruling The News & Observer 17 August 2018
All of these things add up to have real world consequences. Prominent Trump supporter Milo Yiannopoulos advocated for vigilante squads to gun down journalists.Milo Yiannopoulos called for 'gunning journalists down on sight,' says it was 'private joke' USA Today 28 June 2018Milo wants vigilantes to start killing journalists, and he's not being 'ironic' Southern Poverty Law Center 27 June 2018 Two days later, an armed white gunman shot up a newspaper building and killed five reporters.Maryland shooting: At least five dead as gunman opens fire at Capital Gazette newspaper building in Annapolis The Independent 28 June 2018 Sean Hannity, another Trump supporter, blamed an African American female Democrat for the shooting.Sean Hannity Blames Maxine Waters For Capital Gazette Shooting HuffPost 28 June 2018 Trump chose not to lower US flags held in federal buildings in honor of reporters shot to death by the gunman.Annapolis mayor: Trump declines request to lower US flags after Capital Gazette shootings The Hill 2 July 2018 In August 2018, a Trump supporter called in to CSPAN and threatened to assassinate two CNN pundits, Don Lemon and Brian Stelter, for criticizing Trump voters. According to Stelter, this wasn't the first time they were threatened with death by Trump supporters.C-SPAN Caller Threatens ‘To Shoot’ CNN Hosts Brian Stelter And Don Lemon HuffPost 5 August 2018
Trump has stated that, if re-elected in 2025, he will throw journalists in jail and revoke specific networks of their broadcast licenses.
===Criminalizing protests===
Since Trump was elected, more than 20 states have proposed bills that would crack down on protests and demonstrations, in a move that UN experts have branded incompatible with US obligations under international human rights law.Anti-protest bills would 'attack right to speak out' under Donald Trump The Guardian 8 May 2017
Under Trump's stewardship, the FBI has targeted black activist and protest movements by smearing them as "black identity extremists," and claiming "alleged" police abuses are "fueling more violence" from the black community. This is false on its face, but it isn't the first time the FBI has cracked down on civil disobedience from the working class.The FBI’s New U.S. Terrorist Threat: ‘Black Identity Extremists’ Foreign Policy 6 October 2017
===Internet censorship===
Trump signed a bill that was supposed to curb sex trafficking sites, but it was written so broadly that it allows prosecutors to order the immediate shutdown of a site or parts of it that fail to monitor the already hard-to-monitor comments, who are accused of soliciting for sex work. The long-standing Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act has allowed the internet to thrive on user-generated content without holding platforms and ISPs responsible for whatever users might create. However, with Trump's FOSTA-SESTA act, an exemption was made for sex trafficking, and many backers of the bill (including Disney and Fox) are now more likely to try to shut down all their competitors online.A new law intended to curb sex trafficking threatens the future of the internet as we know it Vox 2 July 2018
On May 27, 2020, Twitter (Trump's favorite social media platform to rant on, with dozens of often conspiratorial, angry, all-caps tweets and retweets per day being very common)Trump Twitter Archive, a searchable database for all of Trump's tweets)"Trump Loses His Mother’s Day Mind, Topping 100 Twitter Shares So Far" by Peter Wade, Rolling Stone, 2020 May 10 applied a fact-check warning to a Trump tweet for the first time. In response, Trump showed his respect for the First Amendment of the Constitution, by threatening to close down (or "strongly regulate") Twitter and other social media platforms for "silenc(ing) conservatives voices" (which somehow does not include the thousands of tweets Trump has spewed over the course of the presidency)."After Twitter Fact-Checks Donald Trump's Tweet, President Threatens to Close Down Social Media Platforms" by James Walker, Newsweek, 2020 May 27 Many far-right conservatives, bots, and Russian disinformation campaign employees"Twitter Vows That As Disinformation Tactics Change, Its Policies Will Keep Pace" by Aubri Juhasz, NPR, 2020 March 4 went on Twitter via the usual far-right conservative Twitter news channels, and posted (on Twitter) support for shutting down Twitter. Because it was clearly a "far-left" platform to them... in spite of the far-right nature of the news feeds they were tweeting on, like Breitbart's Twitter feed,"President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned far-Left Big Tech to stop silencing conservatives on their platforms or face a stiff penalty.", @BreitbartNews, tweet, 2020 May 27, archived on 2020 27 May the Daily Caller's Twitter feed,"Twitter Fact-Checks Trump For The First Time After He Claims Mail-In Ballots Will Be ‘Fraudulent.’", @DailyCaller Twitter feed, 27 May 2020, archived on 27 May 2020 and BitChute's Twitter feed."A post by United States President Donald Trump has been given a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time #Election2020", @bitchute Twitter feed, 27 May 2020, archived on 27 May 2020
The next day, on May 28th, because in the middle of the 2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak a petty temper tantrum against Twitter is of course the most presidential thing to do, Trump signed an executive order that attempted to get the to craft restrictions on to prevent online providers from "stifl(ing) viewpoints with which they disagree." (The executive order itself would, if posted to Twitter, need a fact-check warning, as it alludes to Trump's "Russian Collusion" as "long disputed" and a "Hoax".)"Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship" issued on May 28, 2020, Whitehouse.gov Section 230 is an important part of the user-generated Internet, as it limits the liability of online intermediaries that host or republish speech, protecting them from being held responsible for what others say and do."CDA230: The Most Important Law Protecting Internet Speech", EFF.org Even Ben Shapiro thought that attacking Section 230 was an incredibly stupid idea — after all, if all intermediary liability protection was lifted, the net result might be stricter user generated material regulations, or even no user content sections at all, as providers would be much warier of letting content being freely posted given the additional liability risk. (For instance, a provider would wisely want to limit any chance that a bullshit artist like, say, Ben Shapiro, would post something criminally stupid.)"Here's the inevitable effect of destroying §230 of the CDA: all comments sections will be taken down. No website has the resources to actively edit all comments in order to shield themselves from liability, and no website is willing to leave comments entirely standards-free.". @benshapiro, Twitter, 28 May 2020"Donald Trump's move against Twitter factchecking could backfire" by Alex Hern, The Guardian, 2020 May 28 Indeed, such a policy might directly harm Trump himself by forcing Twitter to clamp down on his often-conspiratorial, untruthful Twitter feed."Trump’s Order on Social Media Could Harm One Person in Particular: Trump" by Peter Baker and Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 2020 May 28 Generally speaking, however, most legal experts believe that the executive order is illegal, against current case law, and is an attempt to circumvent Congress, so in the end it won't amount to anything but political theater."Trump signs order that could punish social media companies for how they police content, drawing criticism and doubts of legality" by Tony Romm and Elizabeth Dwoskin, Washington Post, 2020 May 28 The order does, however, show Trump's authoritarian wannabe side once again.
==Personality and rhetoric==
===Strongman envy===
Trump has a thing for autocrats in general, praising Kim Jong-un as a gentleman,Stephen Colbert Is Pretty Sure Trump Doesn’t Know Who Kim Jong Un Is: After an interview in which the president refused to refer to the North Korean dictator by name, late night had a field day. by Laura Bradley (April 19, 2017 10:05 am) Vanity Fair. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for enshrining dictatorship into the Turkish constitution, Vladimir Putin for faintly complimenting him, Rodrigo Duterte for an extrajudicial drug war and martial law in a majority-Muslim province, Saddam Hussein for counter-terrorism, and even the Chinese government for the Tiananmen Square Massacre (equating that to "strength").
He sees power in the strongman, envies that power, relates to that power, and seeks to emulate that power, even though he ultimately cares little for their countries beyond any potential business ties that he may want from those autocrats.Why Trump is reaching out and even praising dictators: It’s strategy Los Angeles Times 2 May 2017Donald Trump's History of Praising Dictators NBC News 6 July 2016President Trump has a long history of praise for autocrats, dictators and strongmen CNN 18 April 20175 Controversial Dictators and Leaders Donald Trump Has Praised ABC News 6 July 2016
===Demands for unquestioned loyalty===
Loyalty to authority is a predictor of both support for authoritarianismLoyalty and Acquiescence: Authoritarian Regimes and Inequality Outcomes by Jonathan K. Hanson (August 2013) 2010 APSA Annual Meeting Paper. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1642485. and for support for Trump.A strange but accurate predictor of whether someone supports Donald Trump by Max Ehrenfreund (February 1, 2016) The Washington Post.
Trump hired a lobbyist to vet any and all State Department employees for their loyalty to the President, including verifying how far their policies differ from Trump (including searching through their social media to see if they've ever said anything anti-Trump).Lobbyist turned wine blogger vetting UN, State personnel for loyalty to Trump: report The Hill 13 June 2018
In a meeting with FBI Director Comey on January 27, 2017, shortly after inauguration, Trump unsuccessfully attempted to get Comey to pledge loyalty directly to Trump despite Comey's sworn loyalty to the Constitution. Comey was subsequently fired by Trump.Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III (2019) volume 2. This was likely an attempt to obstruct justice by Trump.
In October 2020, Trump signed an executive order granting himself more leeway to hire and fire federal workers based on their loyalty or lack thereof to the President, which endangers the civil service as a whole on account of being hyper politicized and hollowed out as careerists get forced out of their jobs."Trump signs executive order that critics warn politicizes federal career civil service," Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
===Dehumanization and othering of immigrants===
Finding an enemy of whole groups of people is an easy way to get support from fringe extremists. Trump launched his campaign calling Mexicans criminals and rapists, and has spent at least half his presidency disparaging, mocking, and demeaning everyone else who offends him. By May 2018, however, he ramped up his scapegoating and repeatedly called certain criminal immigrants "animals". Removing the humanity of a person is incredibly dangerous, as it begins to build an impetus for whole groups, usually marginalized communities, to not only have their cries for help ignored, but regarded as "unhuman". Additionally, Trump's own incoherent language has prompted time-wasting arguments of what he really means; for instance, some moderates have interpreted his attack on Mexicans as "just the illegal immigrants and already-criminals" and the "animals" remark on just the Mexican MS-13 gang,Valverde, M. (May 17, 2018). In Context: Donald Trump's comments about immigrants, ‘animals’. Politifact. Retrieved June 4, 2018. though the latter is not convincing. This is as much a trickle down effect as his spiels about the press and protesters, because calling some people from a group evil, claiming their evil justifies his policies, and conflating immigrants with Latinos and Latinos with criminals and criminals with animals will be a green light for his government to arrest or deport non-violent (even legal) immigrants with no criminal records.Donald Trump and the disturbing power of dehumanizing language Vox 14 August 2018How dangerous is it when Trump calls some immigrants ‘animals’? The Washington Post 25 May 2018Trump’s words carry loathsome baggage The Washington Post 23 May 2018Trump doubles down on 'animals' comment at immigration roundtable The Independent 23 May 2018White House doubles down on Trump’s ‘animals’ comments Politico 21 May 2018 
His recent rhetoric against gang members, for instance, spurred a "gang sweep" where unaccompanied teens with no gang ties were either being arrested or were in danger of being arrested by government officials who saw no difference between normal teens wearing certain clothes and gang members wearing those same clothes by coincidence.The Teens Trapped Between a Gang and the Law The New Yorker 25 December 2017
When Trump's policy of migrant family separation — a new policy unique to his administration — was confronted with immense public outrage, he doubled down and tripled down, saying he refused to let the country turn into a "migrant camp",Trump says US will not be a migrant camp BBC News 19 June 2018 and accused immigrants of "infesting our country".Trump: Dems want illegal immigrants to 'infest our country' The Hill 19 June 2018Trump Uses Language of Exterminators in Attack on ‘Illegal Immigrants’ New York Magazine 19 June 2018Trump ramps up rhetoric: Dems want 'illegal immigrants' to 'infest our country' CNN 19 June 2018 In just his second month of running for president in 2015, Trump said migrants were bringing "tremendous infectious disease" to the country.Donald Trump: Mexican migrants bring 'tremendous infectious disease' to US, The Guardian The trickle-down effect is here yet again: migrant kids who were separated from their parents and detained can be heard wailing in agony at a Border Patrol facility, and a Border Patrol agent can be heard joking, "We have an orchestra here."Listen to Children Who’ve Just Been Separated From Their Parents at the Border ProPublica 18 June 2018 His Department of Health and Human Services stopped counting all the refugee families detained by federal authorities, potentially allowing for more abuses. 2 July 2018 The forcible separation of children from their parents with potentially valid asylum claims is probably not a crime against humanity according to international law specialist David Luban of Georgetown Law because it likely does not meet the definition of "civilian population", though it is still a violation of human rights laws.Everything We Know About the Separated Migrant Families and What Happens Next by Ben Mathis-Lilley (June 25, 2018 5:39 PM; updated July 5) Slate.
==Obstruction of justice and ignoring the rule of law==
Jeff Sessions was his first attorney general. Sessions is notorious for his racism and disdain for civil rights.Jeff Sessions, US attorney general nominee, denies KKK sympathies. BBC News. January 10, 2017.Jeff Sessions Forced Out As Attorney General After Constant Criticism From Trump. NPR. November 7, 2018. Sessions also got close to Russians and lied about that under oath when asked. Democrats called for his resignation.Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian ambassador CNN 2 March 2017 
Trump fired Jeff Sessions immediately after the 2018 midterm elections. Sessions' chief of staff Matthew Whitaker became his acting replacement. Trump insisted that Sessions "should have never recused himself." Whitaker, a GOP loyalist and Trump supporterNew acting attorney general is a GOP loyalist from Iowa. Associated Press. November 7, 2018. who worked for a company that was shut down and fined for scamming,Acting Attorney General Sat on Board of Company Accused of Bilking Customers. The New York Times. November 8, 2018. is of the opinion that the Special Counsel has overstepped his mandate by investigating Trump's finances. Whitaker is openly critical of the investigation and asserted there was no evidence for collusion or Russian interference in 2016 U.S. Presidential elections.What the acting attorney general thinks of the Mueller probe. PBS NewsHour. November 8, 2018. Critics question his impartialityFormer Attorney General Says Whitaker Appointment 'Confounds Me'. NPR. November 10, 2018. and worried that Whitaker would be unwilling to protect the Special Counsel investigation from political interference. Some top Democrats and protesters asked Whitaker to recuse himself, but this was unlikely and did not eventuate. Meanwhile, legal scholars debate the constitutionality and legality of Whitaker's appointment, as he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Once again, there were calls for legislation to protect the Special Counsel, this time from Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney (lately) of Utah.Future seems uncertain for Trump's acting attorney general. The Associated Press. November 10, 2018. Collins: Mueller 'must be allowed' to continue Russia probe. The Hill. November 7, 2018. 
Trump considered firing Mueller (at least) twice. In August 2018, he tried to get Jeff Sessions to end the probe.Trump says Sessions should end Mueller investigation 'right now'. CNN August 1, 2018. In any case, the more Mueller and his team investigated, the more evidence of wrongdoing they found.Trump-Russia investigation explained: what we know and what happens next. The Guardian. June 14th, 2018. Because this has been an ongoing investigation, Mueller and his team knew much more than what has been made public.Where Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation stands, one year later. PBS NewsHour. May 16th, 2018. Given the charter of this Special Counsel and the nature of this investigation, it is clear that the Mueller probe must be allowed to reach its logical conclusion. Any attempt by Donald Trump or any of his associates to "fight back" may be considered obstruction of justice, as are the firing of James Comey, and refusing to be interviewed by investigators.White House close to refusing interview with Russia investigation. The Guardian. July 9th, 2018. Trump's steadfast refusal to cooperate with law enforcement may lead to the Special Counsel issuing a subpoena to compel his testimony before a grand jury. The situation might escalate into a (multi-year) legal battle between Trump's attorneys and Mueller's team.Trump resists Mueller interview, leaving difficult decision on subpoena before fall elections. Los Angeles Times. July 15th, 2018. In September 2018, the Mueller team reportedly stopped insisting on a personal interview and agreed to accept written answers from Trump.Special Counsel Reportedly Agrees To Accept Written Answers From Trump. NPR. September 5, 2018. 
Trump has also attempted to violate the rule of law in 2018 with his acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. Regarding this, incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said,Schiff: Trump endangering 'rule of law' by David Cohen (12/23/2018 03:08 PM EST) Politico.
===Pardon abuse===
While all recent presidents have used their power to pardon and to commute sentences of people convicted of crimes, Trump has instead focused his pardoning powers on covering the asses of people with personal or political ties to him.Why Trump’s intervention in the Roger Stone case is extraordinary — even for him by Aaron Blake (July 11, 2020 at 7:51 a.m. PDT) The Washington Post. His commutation (and later pardoning) of Roger Stone is a subversion of the rule of law because Stone was convicted of crimes that directly benefited Trump (lying about contacts with Julian Assange, who served as a conduit for Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election). Given that Trump has frequently harped on being a 'law-and-order' president, some of his pardons are particularly hypocritical:
Some of the pardoned crimes would seem to reflect Trump's own consciousness of guilt.Trump keeps pardoning himself In many cases, there are very notable similarities between the president and his pardon recipients by Aaron Blake (Feb. 19, 2020 at 3:30 a.m. PST) The Washington Post.
The Stone case case is particularly abusive because the presidential pardon power is not absoluteThe Command of the Military and Naval Forces, and the Pardoning Power of the Executive by Alexander Hamilton (March 25, 1788) The Federalist Papers: No. 74 via Yale Law School. and because it borders on a self-pardon, which the Justice Department itself in 1974 called unconstitutional (i.e., that no one may be their own judge and jury).Presidential or Legislative Pardon of the President by Mary C. Lawton, Acting Assistant Attorney General (August 5, 1974) The United States Department of Justice.Preventing Pardon Abuse (2019) Protect Democracy.
===Privatizing intelligence===
In a military budget bill signed by the President, the law that first chartered the CIA "removed language requiring intelligence agencies to spend money according to Congress's instructions", and replaced it with "a provision that allows the agencies to move money around freely and without Congress's knowledge". This means that the already-paramilitary intelligence community, including the CIA, will now be privatized, and Blackwater founder Erik Prince, the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, had been pushing for "a private intelligence force" that would report directly, and only to Trump and (now ex-) CIA director Mike Pompeo.Top Republican Warns That Under New Spending Bill “the Intelligence Community Could Expend Funds as It Sees Fit" The Intercept 22 January 2018 For a man known to use private guards instead of the Secret Service, it is no surprise that Trump is eager to further entrench his own power and detachment from the rule of law.11 Private Security Firms Guarding Donald Trump The Daily Beast 12 September 2016
==Abuse of power, promotion of violence, and support for police brutality==
In many ways, Trump already has his wall (if only figuratively): that of the police unions that endorsed him. By repeating the nonsensical "war on cops" rhetoric that was already nothing new to the right wing, he is framing the narrative of the police being an occupying force as something desirable, and many police unions are cooperating with Trump on burying so-called "sanctuary cities" that protect immigrants from deportation. "Blue Lives Matter" laws are being pushed to prevent cops from being held liable for unwarranted deaths occurring on their watch or by their hands.Trump Already Has a Wall. It’s the Thin Blue Line. The New Republic 1 September 2017 Michael German, a former FBI agent of the Brennan Center for Justice, even warned that Trump's endorsement, incitement, and glorification of violence as a solution to society's ills is a creeping authoritarianism that would expand the power of the police as a weapon against protesters.Trump Rhetoric Empowers Dangerous Fringe Violence The Cipher Brief 15 August 2017 Trump already publicly called on cops to be even more brutal on suspectsDonald Trump Endorses Police Brutality In Speech To Cops HuffPost 28 July 2017 in a speech; scores of police chiefs and officers condemned him for it.Police push back against Trump's law-and-order speech CNN 31 July 2017 During a protest in Portland, Oregon, anti-fascist demonstrators faced down white supremacists with the police, in full riot gear, having to physically separate the two groups. But things subsequently devolved from there when the police began cracking down on the anti-fascist counter-protesters, throwing flash-bang grenades at them while the white supremacists, the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer groups, cheered on the cops, who were so careless that they almost killed a counter protester when one such flash bang grenade hit his head. Other counter protesters were hospitalized, including a reporter at the scene. Cops began chasing after anti-fascists, throwing flash-bangs and tear gas to disperse the crowds, the "Very Fine" white supremacists continuing to stand back and stand by, cheering the police on.Violent Proto-Fascists Came To Portland. The Police Went After The Anti-Fascists. HuffPost 6 August 2018
On Trump's Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017, hundreds of protesters, bystanders, and journalists were arrested and charged with "felony rioting".Trials for violent protest framed as Trump vs the resistance Associated Press News 21 May 2018 At a Phoenix, Arizona rally, Trump's security forces tear gassed protesters who called attention to his anti-immigrant views.Police Use Tear Gas on Protesters After Trump’s Phoenix Rally New York Magazine 23 August 2017 The ACLU also sued police in Washington, D.C. for abusing protesters during Trump's inauguration, including denying detainees access to food and water, using "overwhelming and unlawful force" against non-violent demonstrators, enclosing more than 230 demonstrators, journalists, and legal observers during an anti-fascist bloc march, and even sexually assaulting detainees as a form of punishment and humiliation.ACLU Lawsuit Claims D.C. Police Sexually Abused Anti-Trump Protesters Democracy Now! 23 June 2017ACLU sues DC police over violence at anti-Trump rally Al Jazeera 26 June 2017 During a highway blockade by protesters in October 2017, Trump-aligned police in St. Louis, Missouri arrested anyone with a camera during peaceful protests, including people who weren't protesting. St. Louis police first targeted everyone who had been livestreaming the protests, including TYT journalist Jordan Chariton and cameraman/editor Ty Bayless; 200 people were arrested overall.TYT Reporter and Cameraman Arrested by St. Louis Police from the YouTube channel The Young Turks 3 October 2017Some forcibly arrested in St. Louis weren’t protesting Associated Press News 24 September 2017Protesters arrested after blocking Highway 40 include pastor, state rep St. Louis Post Dispatch 4 October 2017 It isn't just cops either: violent neo-Nazi hate groups, particularly the Rise Above Movement physically assaulted protesters and journalists, with Trump's administration doing nothing to stop them, even as the RAM posted videos of their altercations online.Racist, Violent, Unpunished: A White Hate Group’s Campaign of Menace ProPublica 19 October 2017
Trump has often been fond of violence,Trump's long dalliance with violent rhetoric Politico 10 August 2016 dating all the way back to the primary, when he repeatedly suggested, encouraged, supported, and/or even outright incitedHas Donald Trump never 'promoted or encouraged violence,' as Sarah Huckabee Sanders said? PolitiFact 5 July 2017 violence from either his supporters or cops who were sympathetic to him.Trump’s continued, not-so-subtle suggestions of violence The Washington Post 28 July 2017A look back at Trump comments perceived by some as inciting violence ABC News 30 May 2020Is Donald Trump Inciting Violence? Slate 15 March 2016 Indeed, even some of his supporters admitted to feeling emboldened to commit violent acts because of his rhetoric.Trump Supporter Says Those Suing the President for Inciting Violence Are Right: Trump Did Urge Him On The Root 16 April 2017Another Trump supporter blames him for inciting violence at rally MSNBC 18 April 2017 Trump's campaign, stretching all the way back to the primary, was fraught with much violence from his supporters to anyone he personally disliked — which was usually protesters and minorities, but even some white male journalists were assaulted by his more rabid of followers.A Continually Growing List of Violent Incidents at Trump Events Slate 25 April 2016 This led to several judges allowing lawsuits against Trump for incitement of violence, with his lawyers arguing not that he didn't incite violence, but that he was "immune" from civil lawsuits.Trump claims he can’t be sued for inciting rally violence Politico 14 April 2017
This is particularly dangerous because rhetoric is powerful and important, and when the leader of a country dehumanizes people he dislikes, it encourages and even mandates violence.Donald Trump called gang members “animals.” That’s dehumanizing — and dangerous. Vox 31 July 2017 It's also worth noting that dehumanizing and othering large groups of people is one of the first stages of a genocide, which many a dictator love to do. When a terrorist killed people in an attack on New York, Trump immediately called for execution, complaining that the justice system was a "joke" and it takes too long to administer punishment. Legal experts immediately sounded the alarms that the terrorist wouldn't have a fair trial if Trump's death penalty rhetoric continued.Trump's 'alarming' death penalty call threatens suspect's chance of fair trial, experts warn The Guardian 2 November 2017 The long-term consequences are hard to see, but his love of violence against his opponents is in itself a policy statement, because he is actively supporting police brutality to occur against protesters, repeatedly calling for violence, and expressing disappointment when it doesn't happen.All the times Trump has called for violence at his rallies Mashable 12 March 2016 Critics have feared that the hitlist will expand.The Violence to Come - With Donald Trump on the brink of the GOP nomination, America is hurtling toward a schism unlike anything since the 1960s. The Atlantic 3 March 2016Trump's Dangerous Incitement of Police Violence The Atlantic 28 July 2017 A Breitbart journalist had her arm pulled to the floor by his first campaign manager Corey Lewandowski during the primary,Corey Lewandowski says he won't apologize to Michelle Fields MSNBC 17 April 2016 and he had one of his Secret Service bodyguards bodyslam a photographer during one of his rallies.Secret Service Agent Violently Slams Photographer to the Ground at Virginia Trump Rally Slate 29 February 2016Secret Service agent choke slams a photographer at Trump rally Mahable UK 29 February 2016 This has contributed to a growing fear that journalists and reporters will be targeted by his supporters.Media fear Trump will inspire violence against reporters Washington Examiner 25 August 2017 (Archived from the original on the 1 August 2018) This has already inspired Greg Gianforte to physically assault a reporter for asking him a questionFox News crew ‘watched in disbelief’ as Montana’s Greg Gianforte ‘slammed’ and ‘began punching’ reporter The Washington Post 25 May 2017 and another Republican to call for lynching anyone who destroys Confederate monuments.GOP Lawmaker: Lynch Anyone Who Takes Down Confederate Monuments HuffPost 22 May 2017
As for abuse of power, Trump is using taxpayer money for his own personal benefit,Trump abuses power in using public funds for private benefit The Hill 31 July 2017 colluding with the Republican party to cover up his financial crimes (including to organized crime and oligarchs), plus getting world leaders to pay fees to Mar-a-Lago or Trump Tower when they meet him,Congressional Republicans are helping Trump with a big cover-up Vox 31 Ocotber 2017 awarding sweetheart federal contracts to businesses owned by pro-Trump donors,$300M Puerto Rico Contract Awarded To Tiny Firm Financed By Big Trump Donors Talking Points Memo 24 October 2017 drained money from the RNC to pay for legal bills against a corruption probe,Trump using campaign, RNC funds to pay legal bills from Russia probe: sources Reuters 19 September 2017 pardoned a corrupt sheriff who refused to follow a court order against his policies (and went against the Justice Department's own procedure by not even waiting for a formal conviction in a trial before the pardon),OPINION - Trump's pardon sanctions racist abuse of power The Commercial Appeal 5 September 2017Criminal Pardon: If Donald Trump abuses his pardon power, he could eventually be prosecuted. Slate 21 July 2017 pressuring the FBI Director to stop or impede a corruption investigation regarding his ties to Russian and American mobsters,Top intelligence official told associates Trump asked him if he could intervene with Comey on FBI Russia probe The Washington Post 6 June 2017 refusing to break free from severe conflicts of interest,Trump’s Interests vs. America’s, Dubai Edition The Atlantic 9 August 2017Trump Family's Endless Conflicts of Interest: Chapter and Verse Newsweek 3 July 2017Tracking Trump’s Conflicts of Interest Sunlight FoundationTrump’s Conflicts of Interest Center for American Progress 14 June 2017 and using the bully pulpit to politicize the criminal justice system, disparage or punish members of the executive branch who won't toe his line, and attempt to humiliate private citizens who dare to speak out against him.Trump's Abuse Of Power HuffPost 27 July 2017
===Threatening martial law===
When on May 25, 2020, protests broke out all over the country in hundreds of cities, bringing back harrowing memories of the 1960s. Some looting and rioting ignited, but on-the-ground video footage confirmed cops are usually the ones starting the violence. Curfews were enacted in these cities by mayors looking to re-establish order. Trump, evoking his 2016 call for law and order (which brought to mind Richard Nixon), in an unprecedented move, personally and unequivocally called for the military to "dominate" the protesters (via the powers Trump has due to the ). He ordered hundreds of out-of-state National Guard members to patrol the streets of D.C. against the mayor's willHundreds of National Guard troops flow into D.C. from around the country The Washington Post 3 June 2020, deployed 1,600 active-duty troops on the capital’s doorstep,Statement by Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs on Support to Civil Authorities United States Department of Defense 2 June 2020 and even suggested on several occasions that the protestors should be beatenTop US general rejected Trump suggestions military should 'crack skulls' during protests last year, new book claims CNN 24 June 2021 or shot.Former Secretary of Defense Esper in new book says Trump wanted to shoot protesters CNN 3 May 2022 When soldiers were going to be recalled back to their homebases, Trump's Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, overruled them and forced them back to the streets.Army: Esper reverses plan to send active-duty troops home Associated Press News 3 June 2020 This use of the military as his personal weapon to bludgeon the people is a very dangerous precedent to set.The president is a danger to the US military Vox 3 June 2020 There's a stunning shot of soldiers standing sentinel at the Lincoln Memorial against peaceful masked protesters, in the middle of a pandemic, an image that will be remembered for years to come.The dystopian Lincoln Memorial photo raises a grim question: Will they protect us, or will they shoot us? The Washington Post 3 June 2020 
This directly encouraged the police to intensify the crackdown by rounding up and assaulting peaceful protesters.Trump plans to use active-duty military forces to deal with growing protests Military Times 1 June 2020Trump threatens to end protests with military Politico 2 June 2020'Outraged': Trump faces condemnation for clearing protesters, threatening military force Politico 2 June 2020 One infamous moment is when protesters were trapped on a hill and deliberately shot by teargassing cops.Tear gas used in Philadelphia after protest moves to freeway NBC News 1 June 2020 More video evidence showed police shooting protesters near their own homes.Demented Cops Yell "LIGHT 'EM UP" As They Shoot At Residents Near Their Homes from the Youtube channel The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder 1 June 2020
 Cops shoved a 75 year old man on a concrete floor and walked over him as he lay there bleeding from his head motionless.GRAPHIC VIDEO: Two Buffalo police officers suspended after elderly man shoved and injured WBFO 4 June 2020 Following the latter incident, Trump defended the officers involved and falsely claimed that the elderly man on the receiving end of the violence was an 'Antifa provocateur',Trump Falsely Targets Buffalo Protester, 75, as ‘Antifa Provocateur’ New York Times 9 June 2020 showing his chilling hatred of left-wing activists.
Trump's constant bashing of news media over the years of his presidency was seen as possibly motivating many police forces to target journalists in particular,"Police Target Journalists as Trump Blames ‘Lamestream Media’ for Protests" by Marc Tracy and Racher Abrams, New York Times, 2020 June 1 with the documenting at least 140 attacks on journalists from May 28, 2020 to June 1, 2020."U.S. police have attacked journalists more than 140 times since May 28" by Laura Hazard Owen, Nieman Lab, 2020 June 1 The prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, demanded answers and called for an investigation, after two journalists for Australia's were attacked by American police while they were live on air reporting a protest near the White House. A spokesman for Channel 7, Craig McPherson, called the attack "nothing short of wanton thuggery"."Australia Asks for Investigation After Police Attack 2 Journalists in U.S." by Rachel Abrams and Katie Robertson, New York Times, 2020 June 2 In Minneapolis, CNN reporter was arrested by riot police while he was also live on air,"‘Never seen anything like this’: A CNN journalist’s arrest on live television shocks nation and inflames racial wounds" by Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 2020 May 29 for no apparent reason other than his skin color wasn't white."A black Latino CNN reporter was arrested. A white CNN reporter was not.", CNN, 2020 May 29 Analysis showed about 148 arrests or attacks on reporters and journalists during the George Floyd protests.'I’m getting shot': attacks on journalists surge in US protests The Guardian 5 June 2020
====Gassing peaceful protesters====
On Monday, June 1 2020, Trump used the police to beat up and tear-gas peaceful protesters so he could clear the way to walk to in Washington DC, in order to take a photo-op of him holding a Bible in front of the church (as if it were a trophy or something).As Protests Swell, Trump Vows To Unleash Military Against Anti-Racist Demonstrations HuffPost 2 June 2020Police use munitions to forcibly push back peaceful protesters for Trump church visit ABC News 3 June 2020 This pissed off the diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, who was outraged that he used tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard, and then had the audacity to hold a Bible, "the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition", in his hand for a staged photo op, on "one of the churches of my diocese without permission as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for"."'I am outraged': DC bishop denounces Trump's church visit after police clear protesters with tear gas" by Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 2020 June 2 Joining in solidarity with this opinion from the Catholic side was the Archbishop of Washington, who stated that the Pope "certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.""Trump’s Visits to Church and Shrine Draw Fierce Rebukes From D.C. Clergy" by Michael Crowley and Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, 2020 June 2 
Trump's admirers, of course, are convinced that Jesus would also have tear gassed peaceful protesters (including clergy members of St. John's who were watching protesters and dispensing medical supplies to them)"Reverend says she was among peaceful protesters tear-gassed so Trump could "hold a Bible and look Christian" by Sophie Lewis, CBS News, 2020 June 2 in order to use the Bible as a prop for a political stunt. Dallas fundamentalist pastor Robert Jeffress, for instance, appreciated "what the president did and the message he was sending" and called it a "historic moment in his presidency,Indeed it is a historic moment in Trump's presidency, but not for the reasons Jeffress thinks it is. especially when set against the backdrop of nights of violence throughout our country." Democracy scholars and many political commentators, on the other hand, saw the stunt as dangerously authoritarian and an affront to American values."What Democracy Scholars Thought of Trump’s Bible Photo Op" by Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 2020 June 2"Trump’s Use Of Tear Gas To Break Up A Protest Undermined Three Core Values Of American Democracy" by Perry Bacon Jr and Julia Azari, FiveThirtyEight, 2020 June 2 Recognizing this, one senior defense official, resigned immediately afterward in protest."A letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper" by James N Miller, 2020 June 2, Washington Post
Trump's actions were strongly condemned by former defense secretary "Former Defense Secretary Mattis Issues Stunning Rebuke Of Trump" by Scott Neuman, NPR, 2020 June 4"Mattis' incredible excoriation of Trump, annotated" by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 2020 June 4 and the seventeenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff "I Cannot Remain Silent - Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so." by Mike Mullen, Atlantic, 2020 June 2 The Secretary of Defense at the time, reversed an earlier decision to use active-duty troops to respond to the civil unrest. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released a memo to top commanders reminding that the Constitution "gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly", and that those in uniform must "remain committed to our national values and principles", in a clear rebuke to Trump's actions."Message to the Joint Force" by Mark A. Milley, memo from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2020 June 2 Milley later apologized for walking with Trump for the above photo-op."Top general apologizes for appearing in photo-op with Trump after forceful removal of protesters" by By Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen, CNN, 2020 June 11 Many other military officers echoed this general sentiment in criticizing Trump."The Officers’ Revolt - Military commanders are finally speaking out against Trump." by Fred Kaplan, Slate, 2020 June 03 This entire incident caused researchers to confirm this is tantamount to "state-sanctioned violence" and that American police over the decades have consistently violated human rights.'State-sanctioned violence': US police fail to meet basic human rights standards The Guardian 22 June 2020 The soldiers sent to protect police who committed said human rights violations were even given bayonets, for some reason.Gen. Milley: Some soldiers mobilized to DC amid Black Lives Matter protests were issued bayonets USA Today 2 July 2020 Even outlets run by Trump's own friends could not deny the extreme human rights abuses conducted under his watch with — crucially — his direct personal encouragement.US faces allegations of human rights abuses over treatment of protesters The Hill 9 June 2020 Global response to Trump's actions amounted to people warning his actions will cause untold damage to America's democratic institutions.'Trump is tearing apart America': how the world sees the US protests The Guardian 7 June 2020
===Secret police tactics and kidnappings===
In mid July 2020, Homeland Security under Trump sent masked, unnamed, badge-less federal law enforcement officers to stalk and detain protesters in unmarked vans with no explanation in Portland, Oregon, effectively kidnapping people for exercising their First Amendment rights.Federal Law Enforcement Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab Protesters Off Portland Streets Oregon Public Broadcasting 16 July 2020 At least 13 people were charged by Homeland Security, again without explanation, outraging Oregon officials such as Governor Kate Brown and Senator Ron Wyden.Oregon officials decry arrests by federal agents in Portland PBS 17 July 2020 He had already used unidentified security forces during the George Floyd protests previously.Trump's use of unidentified security forces echoes Putin's 'little green men' CNN 7 June 2020 Video evidence shows federal agents from Border Patrol, of all fucking things, conducting these arrests and detentions. There is no purpose for Border Patrol agents to be sent to Portland, Oregon, unless you're trying to secure the border between Oregon and the Pacific Ocean. Demonstrators who were released gave personal corroboration of these experiences; they were peaceful protesters performing civil disobedience like graffiti on federal property, not burning or damaging federal property in any way.Portland Protesters: Federal Cops In Unmarked Vans Are Grabbing Us Off The Street HuffPost 17 July 2020 A bunch of middle aged women, some of whom were pregnant, formed a "Wall of Moms" to protest Homeland Security for their conduct towards children. Homeland Security responded by tear-gassing some 100 mothers in retaliation. Chicago is apparently next, alongside perhaps several other Democratic Party-controlled cities.Trump Has Unleashed Authoritarian Violence In Portland. What City Is Next? HuffPost 21 July 2020
Homeland Security officials brazenly defended these kidnappings live on television once confronted by the media over it. Homeland Security also implied that other cities with Black Lives Matter protesters are likely to be targeted by federal agents with similar military-grade gear and weaponry (otherwise known as soldiers) for similar kidnappings.Homeland Security Official Defends Portland ‘Kidnappings’ Amid Calls For Investigation HuffPost 20 July 2020 Leaked memos not only confirmed Border Patrol, sent by Homeland Security, conducted arrests, but also that these Homeland Security goon squads will be deployed indefinitely and in undisclosed locations, with drones "on standby to assist as needed."The Border Patrol Was Responsible for an Arrest in Portland The Nation 17 July 2020 Video evidence shows these goons attacking peaceful protesters without provocation,A massive Twitter thread on the Portland protests shows all the ins and outs of what happened (archived on 2020 June 21) even stooping to the level of beating Navy veterans with batons,"A Navy Veteran Had a Question for the Feds in Portland. They Beat Him in Response." by John Ismay, New York Times, 2020 July 20 tear-gassing a local county commissioner,"Multnomah County commissioner says she was tear gassed by federal officers" by Fox 12 Staff, KPTV Fox 12, 2020 July 20 tear-gassing Portland's mayor,"Portland mayor tear gassed after speaking with protesters on presence of federal agents" by Alta Spells and Josh Campbell, CNN, 2020 July 23 and tear-gassing a group of protesting mothers."Meet the moms who made a human wall to protect protesters in Portland" by Katie Kindelan, ABC News, 2020 July 20 Trump, it was revealed, had specifically authorized this from an executive order protecting federal property such as monuments and statues from protesters. He has indicated he will increase the use of unmarked federal police under Homeland Security."What Are Federal Agents Doing in Portland?" NYT. Meanwhile, Trump's actions seemed to have energized much of the city of Portland behind the protesters,"President Trump Has Reenergized Portland’s Protests" by Aaron Mesh and Alex Wittwer, Willamette Week, 2020 July 20 and the attorney general of Oregon and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Trump's pseudo-martial-law posturing."Oregon attorney general sues federal agencies for allegedly violating protesters’ civil rights" by Emily Gillespie and Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 2020 July 19 For a force allegedly sent in to mitigate the protests, they sure seemed to do a great job in escalating the situation."Feds Send Outside Agitators To Escalate Conflict in Portland" by Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Reason, 2020 July 20
A leaked memo from the Justice Department has confirmed President Trump authorized warrantless surveillance on protesters all across the country, collecting information on anyone who may "vandalize" statues of Confederate monuments. Every single protester is now a target of illegal surveillance under the Trump administration.Leaked memo: Trump administration authorized domestic surveillance of protests to protect statues Raw Story 22 July 2020DHS Authorizes Domestic Surveillance to Protect Statues and Monuments Lawfare 20 July 2020 He publicly announced the deployment of a "surge" of his secret police to Chicago, specifically because it is controlled by Democrats whom he blames for "allowing" violence to run rampant in the city.Trump announces 'surge' of federal officers to Chicago despite outrage over Portland crackdown The Independent 22 July 2020 In New York City, the NYPD, taking cues from Homeland Security as well as the NYPD's own decades-long history of committing such kidnappings, suddenly attacked a young female protester and threw her into an unmarked vehicle, sparking outrage even from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to criticize the NYPD for the brazen trampling of someone's civil liberties.Outrage Mounts Over Young Woman's NYC Arrest Video; Cuomo Calls NYPD Actions ‘Obnoxious' NBC 10 Philadelphia 28 July 2020
Oregon's Attorney General requested for a temporary restraining order against Homeland Security, which would have stopped the Trump administration from unlawfully detaining protesters. A judge appointed by George W. Bush declined the temporary restraining order, effectively signing off on secret police tactics as described earlier.Statement by Attorney General Rosenblum on Denial of Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Oregon Department of Justice 24 July 2020 This incident proved Vice's earlier analysis of why cities won't be able to stop Trump's secret police correct.Here's Why Cities Won't Be Able to Stop Trump's Secret Police VICE 22 July 2020 A second judge also lifted a restraining order on the Seattle police department, which means they can now, against the wishes of the Seattle City Council, use tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets as well as other such crowd control methods against protesters.Details here. Federal authorities are using a type of lawfare (law warfare) against protesters by arresting them on offenses as minor as “failing to obey” an order to get off a sidewalk on federal property — and telling protesters they cannot protest anymore as a condition for release from jail. In effect, this is the Trump administration arresting their political opponents and blackmailing them into willfully eschewing their ability to protest forever in exchange for releasing them.“Defendant Shall Not Attend Protests”: In Portland, Getting Out of Jail Requires Relinquishing Constitutional Rights ProPublica 28 July 2020
It came to light that these secret police tactics were authorized much earlier than anticipated. In December 2019, the Department of Justice announced “Operation Relentless Pursuit" under Attorney General Bill Barr, designed to “increase the number of federal law enforcement officers and bulk up federal task forces in Detroit, Memphis, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Albuquerque.” This is in conjunction with Operation Legend, again deployed under Barr, which sends federal law enforcement to aid local police in fighting a supposed “sudden surge of violent crime,” such as (allegedly) Kansas City. Right wingers of all stripes, from analysts and reporters to government officials, have defended not only such police brutality, but blatant lawbreaking on the part of the Trump administration and Homeland Security. Such names as Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have all explicitly decried the President of the United States as a fascist, with Kaul in particular saying "there is no more accurate way to describe this administration’s repeated resort to and incitement of racism, xenophobia, and violence."Trump’s Secret Police Are Waging a War on American Cities Jacobin 29 July 2020 All these abuses of power and brazen authoritarianism against explicitly pro-minority rights movements and antifascist sentiment has caused even sitting public officials, from senators to attorney generals, to decry Trump's behavior as fascist.Call Trump’s Tactics What They Are: Fascist The Nation 28 July 2020 Even scholars of fascism have warned that "Fascism can happen in America. Some of it has already happened, and more will happen as Trump fights to stay in power."In Portland, the Baby Fascists Have Shown Their Face Foreign Policy 23 July 2020 
This did not come out of nowhere, as Homeland Security was designed more or less explicitly to terrorize Muslims, immigrants, and other such populations outside the purview of the law. When it was created, Homeland Security took control of FEMA, Customs and Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which meant it has disaster relief authority, discretion over immigration, and the power to enforce anti-drug laws. As the law explicitly forbids the Armed Forces from conducting domestic police actions, Homeland Security's mandate as a counter-terrorism apparatus allows President Trump to use this paramilitary department on domestic land because “preventing terrorist attacks” can mean "pretty much whatever the president says it means, including teargassing protesters to protect federal buildings from meanies."Trump's Secret Police Have Never Been a Secret to Brown People The Nation 27 July 2020
===Death penalty===
For the first time since Bush in 2003, Trump signed off on a federal execution of a convicted inmate in 2020, ignoring civil and human rights lawyers, groups, and families of the inmates who fought to delay or stop the executions. The Supreme Court signed off on both executions again over the objections of rights lawyers.U.S. Carries Out The 1st Federal Execution In Nearly 2 Decades HuffPost 14 July 2020Wesley Purkey executed after Supreme Court cleared the way for second federal execution since 2003 CNN 16 July 2020 By January 17th, 2021, Trump executed 13 different people, as noted by Cori Bush.She lists all their names here. He has advocated giving drug dealers the death penalty and has even praised Xi Jinping's methods of executing drug dealers after a quick trial.Trump Urges Death Penalty for Drug Dealers: 'China Has No Drug Problem', Jake Thomas, Newsweek 7 September 2022
===Endorsement of right-wing political violence===
Due to the unrest throughout 2020, clashes between the far-right and the far-left became more frequent, with one memorable incident occurring between Patriot Prayer member Aaron Danielson and self-proclaimed anti-fascist Michael Reinoehl, who got into a gun fight. Reinoehl killed Danielson, which he claims was in self defense. Reinoehl, a few days later, was ambushed by the US Marshals and killed without warning, without provocation, and without explanation, with the Marshals outright lying about the encounter. Many news outlets compared this to an extrajudicial killing. President Trump himself outright endorsed and supported Reinoehl's killing, saying "that's the way it has to be," and that "there has to be retribution."Suspect In Fatal Shooting Of Portland Right-Wing Protester Killed By Law Enforcement NPR 4 September 2020The Feds Say They Tried to Arrest Portland Protest Murder Suspect Michael Reinoehl ‘Peacefully.’ A New Eyewitness Describes a Violent Ambush Rolling Stone 11 September 2020Police shot Portland slaying suspect without warning or trying to arrest him first, witness says The Washington Post 10 September 2020“There has to be retribution”: Trump’s chilling comments about extrajudicial killings, briefly explained Vox 14 September 2020Trump Calls for ‘Retribution,’ Not Justice, in Portland Shooting Rolling Stone 13 September 2020Trump: Extrajudicial Killing Of Portland Shooting Suspect Is ‘The Way It Has To Be’ Talking Points Memo 13 September 2020 Trump would later openly admit he sent the U.S. Marshals specifically after Reinoehl and heavily implied he personally ordered the man to be executed.President Trump boasts of law enforcement who killed Portland protester: ‘They didn’t want to arrest him’ Oregon Public Broadcasting 15 October 2020The Federal Killing of a Protester Should Alarm Us All Current Affairs 1 October 2020
His fomenting of right wing extremism reached its peak by the first presidential debate in October. When asked if he could denounce white supremacists, given the racist Proud Boys as a direct example, Trump said "Stand back and stand by," which caused the phrase to be printed on shirts for the Proud Boys, who adored the President's de facto call to action.Amazon, eBay block sale of merchandise with "stand back" and "stand by" CBS News 2 October 2020Opinion - Why ‘Stand Back and Stand By’ Should Set Off Alarm Bells The New York Times 2 October 2020"Stand back and stand by": Trump declines to condemn white supremacists at debate CBS News 30 September 2020
The consequences of Trump's rhetoric spread throughout the country. A right wing, anti-government militia group of 13 white men were arrested by the FBI for planning and attempting to kidnap the female Democratic governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, who directly blamed Trump's rhetoric for inciting white supremacists. This is not without basis, as Trump, who exclusively refers to Whitmer as "the woman in Michigan," once declared in April, "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!"Opinion: 'LIBERATE MICHIGAN!' Trump tweets to armed protesters. What was he thinking? Los Angeles Times 17 April 2020 Even though no evidence points to them being pro-Trump per se, they all loathed Whitmer's response to the coronavirus, parroting Trump's rhetoric that the economy should not be shut down to combat COVID-19, and actions taken to stop COVID are tantamount to "violating the US Constitution." The militia men planned to kidnap and possibly kill a bunch of policemen as well.13 charged in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer CNN 9 October 2020F.B.I. Says Michigan Anti-Government Group Plotted to Kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer The New York Times 8 October 2020Whitmer Blames Trump for Alleged Plot to Kidnap, Kill Her: He’s ‘Complicit’ With ‘Domestic Terrorists’ Mediaite 8 October 202013 charged in plots against Michigan governor, police Associated Press News 9 October 2020
===Voter intimidation and brutalization===
North Carolina police suddenly and inexplicably attacked a bunch of people mobilizing to vote for the 2020 election. Cops pepper sprayed the group of about 200 people, including a five year old and a three year old. Prior to the violence committed by police, the voters had honored George Floyd just a few moments prior. Floyd's niece was scheduled to speak at the event but was unable to due to the mayhem. It is very probable that cops attacked these voters due to their support of George Floyd.[
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/10/watch-cops-pepper-spray-voters-marching-to-the-polls-in-north-carolina-including-a-5-year-old-girl/ Cops pepper-spray voters marching to the polls in North Carolina — including a 5-year-old girl, Bob Brigham, RawStory]
Another incident occurred when a caravan of Trump supporters in cars surrounded and threatened a Biden/Harris bus and allegedly tried running the bus off the road.Peter Wade (October 31, 2020). "Trump Supporters Allegedly Tried to Run Biden Bus ‘Off the Road’". Rolling Stone. Trump explicitly saw the video and cheered his supporters on for threatening his opponents, who had to cancel the planned event due to the caravan."Trump Cheers on MAGA Caravan Targeting Biden Campaign Bus, Charlotte Klein," Vanity Fair
==Police state against immigrants and refugees==
===ICE abuses===
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as part of their unprecedented powers under Trump, will now be able to track down license plates as they search for undocumented immigrants.Exclusive: ICE is about to start tracking license plates across the US The Verge 26 January 2018 It also wants to join the intelligence community with powers comparable to the NSA or FBI, but they've only gained serious traction under Trump.CBP, ICE Bids to Join Intel Community Gain Traction Homeland Security Today 14 February 2018 Due to immigration being a broad issue, ICE has counter-proliferation, money laundering, counterterror, and cybercrime operations already under their belt; however, if they join the spook group, they would gain the power of warrantless surveillance and borderline paramilitary authority as potentially part of Homeland Security.Yeah, Give ICE Spying Powers. That Should Go Well. Esquire 8 February 2018ICE Wants to Be an Intelligence Agency Under Trump The Daily Beast 7 February 2018 ICE already has worked to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans without already being a spook agency.How ICE Works to Strip Citizenship from Naturalized Americans The Intercept 14 February 2018
ICE even began arresting lawful permanent residents, not just undocumented immigrants.Must Reads: It’s not just people in the U.S. illegally — ICE is nabbing lawful permanent residents too Los Angeles Times 28 June 2018 ICE has tripled the number of undocumented immigrants arrested without criminal records, does so by "sweeping the streets and rounding up likely immigrants."ICE Has Tripled the Number of Undocumented Immigrants Without Criminal Records It Arrests New York Magazine 13 August 2018
In North Carolina, this has yet another chilling trickle-down effect. 20 legal immigrants and permanent residents were arrested for "illegally" voting due to confusion and misdirection and not because of some conspiracy to commit a crime. They "could still be convicted and imprisoned" — or even deported ― without the Justice Department proving they intended to break the law.Legal U.S. Immigrants Face Prison And Even Deportation For Voting HuffPost 29 August 2018
===Zero tolerance and punitive policies===
Trump reportedly wants to "close the border", whatever that means. His sheer disdain for immigration is legendary, and his policies, according to Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, are punitive, ruthless, vindictive, and based almost solely on cruelty for the sake of intimidating marginalized communities.The hostile border between Trump and the head of DHS The Washington Post 25 May 2018Donald Trump is reportedly furious that the US can’t shut down the border Vox 11 May 2018 His harsh rhetoric and reactionary policies have emboldened some within his government into committing fear-based murders of immigrants at worst, as you will soon see, and in another case, incompetence merging with apathy as the government grows further indifferent to the lives of immigrants no matter their age or fate.
A Border Patrol agent admitted he opened fire on a group of people he thought were immigrants rushing toward him. One named Claudia Gonzalez, an indigenous woman from Guatemala studying at a university, was shot in the head by the agent.Woman Killed By Border Patrol Identified As Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzales, 20 HuffPost 25 May 2018
An executive summary by the US Office of Inspector General released in 2021 found that the Civil Border Patrol targeted Americans, including "journalists, attorneys, and others suspected of organizing or being associated with the 2018-2019 migrant caravan." The Office of Inspector General found that while some of these were "legitimate," some of the lookouts placed on these Americans were not fully in compliance with official policy, and so were therefore illegitimate."CBP Targeted Americans Associated with the 2018-2019 Migrant Caravan" - US Office of the Inspector General.
====Family separation and abuse of children====
ICE, which is now infamous for breaking up families at an astonishing rate,DHS secretary defends separating families at the border CNN 15 May 2018 sent close to 1,500 children to the Department of Health and Human Services for further processing, all of whom suddenly went missing. Its policy was to transfer these now-alone children into sponsors, who would then take care of the kids, but these sponsors often have no relation to the children, and the government — as exemplified by John Kelly's "foster care or whatever" comment — doesn't really care too much what happens after. And yet, they still lost track of nearly 1,500 children, with the HHS even declaring the government was not "legally responsible" for them.US lost track of 1,500 immigrant children, but says it's not 'legally responsible' CNN 29 May 2018Here’s How the Government Managed to Lose Track of 1,500 Migrant Children Mother Jones 25 May 2018Montini: The feds lost – yes, lost – 1,475 migrant children The Arizona Republic 22 May 2018
A unique hallmark of Trump's presidency has been to separate families for crossing the border,What We Know: Family Separation And 'Zero Tolerance' At The Border NPR 19 June 2018 which has caused at least one instance of a refugee committing suicide after being torn away from their family members.Honduran Man Kills Himself After Being Separated From Family at U.S. Border, Reports Say The New York Times 10 June 2018 This is known as "zero tolerance policy," which the media has bypassed in favor of the more scathing and accurate "separating kids from their parents" sadism.US migrant children cry for separated parents on audio BBC News 19 June 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions restricted asylum access for victims of gang and domestic violence. He says this is to reduce illegal immigration. This has been derided as needlessly cruel.Trump Administration Restricts Asylum Access For Victims Of Gang And Domestic Violence HuffPost 11 June 2018 Migrant kids who were separated from their families, including one parent who lost her kid while breastfeeding them, are put in a detention facility owned by a private company, and ICE treats them like prisoners (including only two hours outside the facility per day for each kid).She says federal officials took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center CNN 14 June 2018
The Trump administration established concentration camps for migrant children,Exclusive: Trump looking to erect tent cities to house unaccompanied children www.mcclatchydc.com 12 June 2018Wikipedia Added US Border 'Detention Centers' to Its List of Concentration Camps VICE 19 June 2018 and identified their first internment camp in Texas on the anniversary of his campaign for president.Trump administration makes site selection for tent city near El Paso to house immigrant children separated from parents The Texas Tribune 14 June 2018 Given Trump's campaign-era support for FDR's internment camps, this should be no surprise.Exclusive: Donald Trump Says He Might Have Supported Japanese Internment Time 8 December 2015Trump Camp’s Talk of Registry and Japanese Internment Raises Muslims’ Fears The New York Times 17 November 2016Trump administration opens tent city near El Paso to house separated immigrant children The Texas Tribune 15 June 2018 This exact policy of separation and detention inevitably causes devastating psychological stress, even mental illness for the kids.Detaining Migrant Children Has Lifelong Psychological Effects, Experts Say HuffPost 14 June 2018 Children are put in cages,These Are The Texas Immigration Center Photos Stirring Anti-Trump Outrage HuffPost 18 June 2018Separated migrant families held in cages at Texas border – video The Guardian 18 June 2018 fenced away from the guards and their parents, and are treated like prisoners, forced to wear yellow wristbands — a Bush-era policy — for identification.Did President Trump Order Detained Immigrants to Wear Yellow Bracelets? Snopes 28 May 2018 In a Border Patrol warehouse in Texas, hundreds of children were detained in small cages made by metal fencing, including 20 kids in one cage. This facility is divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. No reporters are allowed near it.Hundreds of children wait in Border Patrol facility in Texas Associated Press News 18 June 2018 As you might expect, some state-run detention facilities have conditions so bad, "children were running away, screaming, throwing furniture and attempting suicide."'Prison-like' migrant youth shelter is understaffed, unequipped for Trump’s 'zero tolerance' policy, insider says Los Angeles Times 14 June 2018 Trump's 2017 federal hiring freeze has left many prisons, detention centers, and internment camps understaffed, leading to an increase in prison violence.McKinley: Prison Staffing Cuts Jeopardize Safety Website of US Representative David B. McKinley, P.E. 5 April 2018Safety Concerns Grow as Inmates Are Guarded by Teachers and Secretaries The New York Times 17 June 2018
It goes further. Toddlers, or "children at tender ages" were being separated from their families and put in one of three to four detention facilities with no regard for the resultant psychological trauma.Trump administration holding hundreds of babies, toddlers at ‘tender age’ migrant facilities Market Watch 19 June 2018Trump officials send migrant babies, toddlers to 'tender age' shelters NBC News 20 June 2018At least 3 “tender age” shelters set up for child migrants Associated Press News 20 June 2018 There's even a lawsuit alleging children were forcibly injected with drugs against their wishes; some were left unable to walk and fearful of others as they experienced pain that they didn't understand. This was going on before Trump, due to an old policy of outsourcing detention to private prisons.Immigrant children forcibly injected with drugs, lawsuit claims Reveal 20 June 2018 He's alluded to the victims of his policies being "crisis actors".Trump suggests asylum-seekers are crisis actors Think Progress 21 June 2018
After weeks of widespread public and political outrage, Trump signed an executive order ending family separation, which ultimately meant that instead of just kids in concentration camps, whole families will be in concentration camps, and he'll do next to nothing to stop the kids who were already separated and detained.Read: President Trump’s executive order on family separation Vox 20 June 2018Trump Retreats on Separating Families, but Thousands May Remain Apart The New York Times 20 June 2018 His executive order still leaves the Zero Tolerance policy in effect.Trump Signs Order To End Family Separations NPR 20 June 2018 Leaked memos revealed Trump had always planned on housing immigrants in concentration camps (which he calls tent cities), whether through separation or family detention.Trump planned to erect tent cities to house immigrants since the start of his presidency www.mcclatchydc.com 20 June 2018
It was later revealed by MSNBC that the Trump administration never actually stopped their separation policy. Instead of separating them by default, they force refugees to choose between leaving the country with their kids (self-deportation) or leaving the country without them.New Trump admin order for separated parents: Leave U.S. with kids or without them NBC News 3 July 2018 Immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged.Immigrant PhD Candidate Rocked By Sudden U.S. Army Discharge Bloomberg 6 July 2018 Migrant kids kept in these concentration camps are reportedly being drugged to make them more compliant and numb, and denied water as a form of punishment.Migrant kids were stripped, drugged, locked away. So much for compassion. The Washington Post 5 August 2018
====Inhumane detention centers====
Thousands of detainees are being sent to at least one federal prison where conditions are so bad and staff are so underfunded, medical officials in the prison warn that the detainees will die.1,000 Detainees Just Got Sent To A Prison That Staffers Consider Unsafe HuffPost 23 June 2018 Trump also confirmed he and his administration wants to deport people without any due process.Trump Attacks Immigration Laws, Calls For Deportations Without Trials HuffPost 24 June 2018 A man diagnosed with a mental illness was put in solitary confinement, internationally recognized as a form of torture, before taking his life.ICE Detainee Diagnosed With Schizophrenia Spent 21 Days in Solitary Confinement, Then Took His Own Life The Intercept 27 July 2018 A child kept in an ICE detention camp died due to negligence from the guards, it has been alleged as well.Child Dead After ICE Detention Center Stay Due To ‘Negligent Care’: Immigration Lawyer International Business Times 1 August 2018
Pregnant women detained by ICE under Trump have been denied medical care, shackled around the stomach, and abused; some had miscarriages, and were not given any help or care at all.Pregnant women in ICE custody claim they miscarried due to ‘inhumane’ practices New York Post 9 July 2018 Further torture, such as forcible strips, physical assault, and drinking toilet water, was committed by the guards to the children.Drinking Toilet Water, Widespread Abuse: Report Details ‘Torture’ For Child Detainees HuffPost 17 July 2018
The Trump administration, by September 2018, will now ignore a federal court agreement that "strictly limits" the conditions under which authorities can detain migrant children. Tens of thousands more immigrants will be detained for longer and under quicker procedures than before, arguing these "legal loopholes" hinder executive policy. By ditching the Flores agreement, the Trump administration will oversee new detention centers that will house an additional 12,000 immigrants, including children, possibly indefinitely.Trump administration to circumvent court limits on detention of child migrants The Washington Post 7 September 2018The Trump Administration Plans To Detain More Children And For Longer HuffPost 7 September 2018Trump Administration Moves to Detain Migrant Families Longer US News & World Report 6 September 2018This means Trump is actively shredding the rule of law, and much like Andrew Jackson before him, is set to simply ignore judicial rulings that do not agree with him.Trump administration moves to detain migrant families longer Associated Press News 6 September 2018Trump Administration To Defy Court Order On Child Detention HuffPost 6 September 2018
Even Christian refugees aren't being allowed to enter the country, despite promises from the president himself that he'd protect them. The number of Christian refugees granted entry into the U.S. has dropped by more than 40 percent over the past year, and Iraqi Christians are among those being put in detention camps under the Trump administration.Despite Trump's promise to protect them, Christian refugees struggle to enter U.S. NBC News 12 September 2018
The living conditions, such as they are, in these migrant camps are utterly appalling. ICE agents have been using products that, whether deliberately or not, caused bleeding, burns, and pain, which in layman's terms is tantamount to torture.Immigrant detainees say ICE is using coronavirus disinfectant sprays that cause bleeding, burns and pain Yahoo! News 29 May 2020 With the advent of the Coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, these cramped conditions are at risk of becoming hotbeds of the disease.‘Everybody Was Sick’: Inside an ICE Detention Center The New York Times 15 May 2020Fear, Illness and Death in ICE Detention: How a Protest Grew on the Inside The New York Times Magazine 10 July 2020 As expected, COVID cases surged in these ICE camps with barely any sanitation or ability to adequately prevent these cases from spreading. Several are at risk of dying to the disease.'You Can Either Be A Survivor Or Die': COVID-19 Cases Surge In ICE Detention NPR 1 July 2020 ICE is but one example of how the entire detention system is a vector for the virus to spread due to generally horrific living conditions everywhere from public to private prisons.Immigrant Detention and COVID-19: How a Pandemic Exploited and Spread through the US Immigrant Detention System Center for Migration Studies of New York 12 August 2020 ICE in fact was revealed to have ignored court orders from judges, guidelines from the CDC, and suggestions from the Justice Department to free detainees, kept people in detention, in one case by transferring over 70 prisoners to a private prison (with even less oversight and regulation on how they treat detainees), and as a result, caused an outbreak of COVID.ICE Dodged Orders to Free Detainees—and Triggered an Outbreak The Daily Beast 19 July 2020
Rather than actually give a shit, Trump has instead used the coronavirus to further restrictions on immigrants and refugees by using his executive power to "temporarily shutter the refugee resettlement program, lock down the US-Mexico border, suspend asylum processing, and push children fleeing danger back into Mexico. Invoking what he has allegedly called his “magical authority,” Trump’s latest move, after threatening to stop all immigration, was a 60-day suspension of visa issuances, with some broad exceptions for health care workers, investors, plus spouses or young children of citizens or green card holders."The Trump administration is using the pandemic as an excuse to target immigrants and asylum seekers Vox 15 May 2020
====Violence against detainees====
A series of human rights violations occur regularly at Winn Correctional Center, an ICE detention camp in Louisiana. ICE guards regularly deployed teargas against detainees and refugees. One particularly gruesome incident occurred when the ICE guards threw a bunch of detainees in a room, shot them with teargas, then closed the door, which human rights lawyers compared to the gas chambers. Sending tear gas into a dormitory with COVID-19 patients, which means they will cough a lot, will absolutely increase the risk of COVID being spread.ICE Detention Center Officials Indiscriminately Tear Gassed Asylum-Seekers, Complaints Say HuffPost 16 August 2020 Another incident happened in Virginia, when ICE flew detainees to D.C. so planes could send agents to crack down on protesters, it caused a huge outbreak in COVID.ICE flew detainees to Virginia so the planes could transport agents to D.C. protests. A huge coronavirus outbreak followed. The Washington Post 11 September 2020 At least 5000 contracted COVID while in detention camps run by ICE, with 800 over a single week.What It’s Like To Be Held By ICE During The COVID-19 Pandemic HuffPost 18 September 2020
===Mass sterilization===
In September, Dawn Wooten blew the whistle on a truly disgusting practice being committed under ICE. At a private prison in Georgia, operated by ICE, they refused to test inmates for COVID, continually downplay the very well COVID-like symptoms several inmates have exhibited, may even throw people in solitary confinement if they report having COVID, hired nurses who proved to be negligent or perfunctory care for sick detainees, allowed nurses to shred and ignore “sick call” sheets, kept piling more and more people into these cramped spaces, and had "written up" when nurses and other employees complained about the practices of the ICE prison, including a culture of racism. The whistleblower, Wooten, filed another complaint alleging "'jarring medical neglect' within the facility, including an exorbitant rate of hysterectomies being performed on immigrant women." According to Wooten, multiple women were forced to undergo a surgery in which all or part of the uterus is removed (which is the point of a hysterectomy), with several of the detainees likening their treatment at this prison to a Nazi concentration camp. ICE also monitors teenagers' menstrual cycles, very creepily.“A Silent Pandemic”: Nurse at ICE Facility Blows the Whistle on Coronavirus Dangers The Intercept 14 September 2020‘Like an Experimental Concentration Camp’: Whistleblower Complaint Alleges Mass Hysterectomies at ICE Detention Center Law & Crime 14 September 2020 America has a history of sterilizations and eugenics towards prisoners and detainees, especially if they're immigrants.Unwanted Sterilization And Eugenics Programs in the United States PBS 29 January 2016 Mass sterilization is internationally recognized as outright Genocide.
And unsurprisingly, when China's authoritarian leader Xi Jinping told him that China is building camps to intern their Uighur minority, with their own fair share of mass sterilizations, Trump not only told him to go ahead, but egged Xi on and told him that "it is exactly the right thing to do".
==Contempt for democracy==
===Election rigging===
As a man who consistently, all the way in 2015, suggested he would never accept any results that did not end in him winning, Trump actually still did not accept the results of the 2016 election even though he won, because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by around three million votes. Come September 2020, Trump outright confirmed he would not allow for a peaceful transition of power to Joe Biden because if you "get rid of the ballots," the President said, "there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation."Critics Horrified By Trump’s Refusal To Commit To Peaceful Transfer Of Power HuffPost 24 September 2020 More reports came out detailing that the Trump campaign and administration actually have plans to steal the election in 2020. For instance, if Biden wins, say, Florida by only one to two percent, Trump will then claim the vote was illegitimate and he will call on the governor to send an entirely new group of electors to send to the Electoral College. For context, the Governor of Florida is Ron DeSantis, a Republican whom Trump endorsed over progressive Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018. To make matters worse, because the last three liberal justices faced mandatory retirement right as DeSantis defeated Gillum, the Florida Supreme Court is now completely stacked with right wing Justices who are not guaranteed to rule in favor of allowing more votes to be counted after Election Day. These new DeSantis-approved, Trump-supporting electors would then to go the Electoral College in December, a month after the election, and cast their votes for Trump over Biden even though, in this scenario, Florida voted for Biden over Trump. The Constitution has absolutely no counter to an outright rigging of the Electoral College, meaning this would be entirely legal, especially since the Supreme Court would now have a six-three conservative majority after Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.The Election That Could Break America The Atlantic 23 September 2020The Trump Campaign Is Reportedly Plotting an Election Coup to “Bypass” a Biden Win Vanity Fair 23 September 2020 Lawrence Tribe, the chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, outright said "It is one of the available legal options set forth in the Constitution."Trump’s campaign ‘is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results’ and keep him in power Raw Story 23 September 2020 Four straight years, he complained about election fraud, and the campaign plans to use election fraud, no matter how insignificant, as the linchpin to steal as many swing states as possible so Trump could defeat Biden.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in a brazen attempt to skew the election to Trump, ordered the limiting the amount of drop-off locations for mail-in ballots to one site per county, which greatly reduces the Democratic vote share as Democrats are more likely to use mail-in ballots than Republicans. Abbott's order also allows poll watchers to "observe the in-person delivery of mail-in ballots by voters," but critics say it could "severely limit access for many voters."Texas governor limits election drop boxes to one per county in sprawling state CNN 5 October 2020
Senator Rick Scott, former Governor of Florida, proposed a bill he named "Help America Vote Act of 2020," which would prevent the counting of ballots beyond election day, a move that would eliminate countless absentee and vote-by-mail ballots that are still waiting to be counted. This is a brazen attempt to stop Democratic votes from being counted, completely contradicting the very name of Scott's bill. This bill would prevent early vote counting until Election Day, thereby stopping all then-current early vote tallies, and would only give 24 hours for each mail-in and absentee ballot to be counted, which is virtually impossible, preventing untold millions of votes from counting to the final result.This GOP senator just proposed a bill to help Trump undermine the election AlterNet 27 September 2020 Utah Senator Mike Lee, showing just how committed Senate Republicans are to winning at all costs, outright said "Democracy isn't the objective." Mike Lee on Twitter 8 October 2020 
Let's say Scott's bill doesn't get passed. The other way Trump planned to potentially steal the election was through the courts, which he had stacked with hundreds of his minions. The Trump and Reagan judges on an appeals court ruled, by a 2 to 1 margin, that Wisconsin mail ballots could not be counted after election day on November 3rd, 2020, which fundamentally disenfranchised thousands of Wisconsin voters, particularly Democrats, who are "more likely than Trump voters to cast mail ballots."Appeals court reinstates Nov. 3 due date for Wisconsin mail ballots The Hill 8 October 2020 Fortunately, the Supreme Court later ruled that Pennsylvania could count ballots received after election day, thus overturning the Wisconsin ruling.Supreme Court Rules Pennsylvania Can Count Ballots Received After Election Day NPR 19 October 2020
In early October, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump by bringing back a signature requirement for absentee ballots with witnesses in South Carolina, meaning the South Carolina legislature can legally throw out ballots if these signatures are not an exact match, meaning a single crooked line could be enough to invalidate your vote.Supreme Court Revives Witness Requirement for South Carolina Absentee Ballots The New York Times 26 October 2020 By late October, the Supreme Court ruled against allowing Wisconsin to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day.Supreme Court rejects request to extend Wisconsin’s deadline for counting mail-in ballots The Washington Post 26 October 2020 Trump also encouraged his supporters to commit voter fraud by voting twice, supposedly to prevent the Democrats from suppressing their vote.Trump encourages supporters to try to vote twice, sparking uproar Reuters, 3 September 2020
As the votes were being counted in November, Trump associate Rudy Giuliani pressured the District Attorney for Michigan's Antrim County to turn over voting machines to Trump's campaign after a clerical error resulted in Biden being incorrectly reported to have won the state.Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other aides asked GOP prosecutor to give them Michigan county voting machines after 2020 election, report says CNBC 9 February 2022Michigan prosecutor declined Giuliani request to seize voting machines for Trump campaign Detroit Metro Times 10 February 2022
After Biden defeated Trump in the election despite the above attempts to rig it, but before Congress had certified Biden's victory (Trump remained President for several months during the transition period), Trump phoned the Secretary of State for Georgia and told him to "find" 11,780 uncounted votes (the number of votes required for him to have won the state).Trump demands Georgia secretary of state 'find' enough votes to hand him win ABC News 4 January 2021 This resulted in Georgia prosecutors investigating the Donald for solicitation of election fraud.Timeline: What Georgia prosecutors are looking at as they investigate Trump’s efforts to overturn the election CNN 5 August 2021 Trump also considered replacing the state's Attorney General with a loyalist named Jeffrey Clark, who would then request the Department of Justice overturn the election result in that state, but was thwarted when DoJ leaders threatened to resign if Clark was appointed.New York Times: Trump and DOJ attorney had plan to replace his acting AG and undo Georgia election result CNN 25 January 2021 Several of Trump's campaign officials also tried to subvert the electoral college process by installing fake electors in key states, forging certificates that proclaimed a Trump win (although these certificates were recognised as false by the National Archive).Why Rudy Giuliani's fake electors scheme was so dangerous to democracy CNN 24 January 2022 This was part of a wider plan for Pence to supplant the real electors with the fake ones when the result was certified on January 6,What to know about the Trump 'fake electors' scheme CNN 27 January 2022 which Pence refused to go along with as it violated the Constitution.Pence breaks with Trump on Electoral College role CNN 6 January 2021 (Trump had to try Plan B...) The scheme, which was directly authorised and encouraged by the Trump campaign,Meshawn Maddock Admits Working To Seat Fake Michigan Electors In Recording Deadline Detroit 20 January 2022Stephen Miller eyes 'alternate' electors distinct from real ones MSNBC 14 December 2020Rudy Giuliani oversaw state effort to send fake electors to declare Trump victory in 2020, report says The Independent 21 January 2022 resulted in the arrest and prosecution of all sixteen of the Michigan "electors", although those in other states remained mostly untouched.Michigan AG charges participants in 2020 fake elector plot CNN 19 July 2023
On 18 December 2020, Trump and his advisers met in the White House to review an order drafted by Sidney Powell that would authorize the National Guard to seize voting machines, as well as appoint Powell as special counsel to investigate voter fraud.Revealed: Trump reviewed draft order that authorized voting machines to be seized The Guardian 4 February 2022 Such an investigation would likely have been fair and unbiased a total sham designed to validate Trump's baseless claims of fraud and overturn the election. Although Trump is reported to have approved of the plan,US: Donald Trump Considered Requesting Security Agencies To Seize 2020 Voting Machines Republic World 1 February 2022 he ultimately never followed through with it.
All you people reading this will be glad to know that he hasn't gotten away with it. Trump was indicted in 2023 on federal charges of conspiring to interfere with rights, obstruct an official proceeding and defraud the government for his involvement in the false electors scheme.In Third Criminal Indictment, Donald Trump Charged by Justice Department Over Jan. 6 Role TIME 1 August 2023 The above-mentioned investigation in Georgia also bore fruit, and indictments were brought against 19 of the people responsible for the election rigging in that state. The defendants include Trump, Powell, Giuliani, Clark and three of that state's fake electors, among others.A look at the 19 people charged in Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme by Kate Brumback and Jonathan J. Cooper (August 15, 2023) ABC News.
===Response to 2018 midterm results===
Democrats made major gains in the 2018 midterm elections, winning at least 40 net seats in the House of Representatives (the most for the party since 1974) and seven governorships. The results in the Senate were better for the GOP, which managed to net two seats, but only because Democrats were defending the vast majority of seats up for election (including several in deep red states like North Dakota and Missouri). While there is some debate about exactly why the Democrats did so well in 2018, there’s little question that Trump’s unpopular policies and abrasive, bigoted behavior contributed to Republican losses.Yes, It Was A Blue Wave. No, It Doesn’t Matter For 2020. FiveThirtyEight 14 November 2018
Obama, Clinton, Reagan, and other previous presidents who suffered midterm defeats responded by adopting a more bipartisan tone and appealing to voters across the aisle.Trump’s Base Isn’t Enough FiveThirtyEight 20 November 2018 Trump, on the other hand, has reacted by doubling down on his ridiculous policy demands, bizarre and bigoted comments, and authoritarian threats. Since the midterms, he has:
* Shut down the Federal government over his wall for 35 days, the longest shutdown in U.S. history.Trump: I Will Shut Down Government Over Border Security The Daily Beast 29 July 2020 
* Declared a national emergency in an attempt to unilaterally build the aforementioned border wall using funds from the military and other executive agencies.As Trump Declares National Emergency To Fund Border Wall, Democrats Promise A Fight NPR 15 February 2019
* Announced that if House Democrats try to investigate him, he will make the Senate investigate Democrats right back, a threat that does not make him look guilty in any way, shape, or form.Trump warns Dems over potential investigations: ‘Two can play that game!’ The Hill 7 November 2018 
* Threatened to cut off FEMA funds to California unless the state “gets their act together” on controlling forest fires, a threat that suggests Trump understands neither the effects of climate change nor how Federal lands are managed.Trump again threatens to cut off FEMA funds for California Politico 9 January 2019
===Sabotaging the transition===
Trump went to great lengths to prevent a peaceful transition of power to the Biden administration. The agency in charge of carrying out the transition delayed their initiation of the process,A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn’t budging. Washington Post. 8 November 2020. until Trump himself begrudgingly relented, still actively trying to sow the seeds of Civil War 2 doubt about America's democratic system.
===Purges at the Pentagon===
Trump has fired numerous military and defense department officials for refusing to deploy tanks against protesters and intervene in the 2020 election by staging a coup. He replaced them with several of his crackpot loyalists, prompting many at the Pentagon to call these "Dictator moves"." These are dictator moves': Defense officials alarmed as Trump installs more loyalists at the Pentagon," Adam Payne, Business Insider"Alarm grows over Trump administration acting 'more akin to a dictatorship' as he denies election defeat," Stephen Collison, CNN"National Security Experts Alarmed at Trump’s “Dictator Moves” at the Pentagon," Vanity Fair
===Coup attempt and mob violence in the Capitol(s)===
After months of calling Biden's legitimate win "fraudulent", Trump and Giuliani actively and personally invited his supporters to stage a coup at the US Capitol.Rudy Giuliani says pro-Trump rioters attacking US Capitol building are 'on the right side of history'. The Independent UK. 6 January 2020. This led to a crowd of MAGA terrorists storming the Capitol building in Washington D.C. on January 6th, 2021. Many of these "very special" Trump supporters carried Nazi paraphernaliaThey proudly display it too and Confederate Tennessee battle flags.The red flag with the blue "X" with stars on it, contrary to a common misconception among even these neoconfederates, was not the CSA's national flag.
His Defense Department denied a request from D.C. to deploy the National Guard against the fascists. Without their help, the overwhelmed Capitol police were forced to allow the rioters to directly threaten the lives of Vice President Mike Pence and then-Majority leader Mitch McConnell, both of whom went into hiding, fearing for their lives and the future of American democracy. The rest of Congress (in both chambers) also had to also flee for their lives to undisclosed locations deep beneath the Capitol to escape the violence. Lawmakers went into hiding, taking cover within the chamber. An unnamed woman was shot and killed."US Capitol secured, woman dead after rioters stormed the halls of Congress to block Biden's win," by Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Peter Nickeas, CNN Pipe bombs were delivered to both the DNC and RNC alike. Trump had previously called on his supporters to "March on the Capitol", ultimately endangering the lives of even the Republicans who were threatening to object to the certification of the election results,Riots at DC"Trump's presidency ends with American carnage," Kevin Liptik, CNNPhotos of the chaos. only 6 of whom would actually do so when it was all said and done. He openly refused to condemn the mob violence of his own making even after some of his biggest supporters urged him to do such."Calls on Trump to Condemn Storming of Capitol," Politico People across the nation were calling on Trump to be 25th Amendment'd and removed from office immediately."Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed," Washington Post Editorial Board It took VP Pence, not Trump,"Pence, Not Trump, Gave Order to Activate National Guard: Report," Matt Stieb, New York Magazine to deploy the National Guard after rioters started drawing guns at the overwhelmed police."1 Dead at Capitol as National Guard Deployed," by Allan Smith, Ginger Gibson, Daniel Arkin, Pete Williams and Dartunorro Clark, NBC News. It was after this article that reports came confirming Pence ordered the National Guard deployed and that Trump never did.
Numerous outlets, journalists, academics, lawmakers, pundits, and indeed, even members of Trump's very administration denounced his actions on January 6, 2021 as an attempted coup,"This Is a Coup," David A. Graham, The Atlantic"Now Is It a Coup?" David Rosenberg, MotherJones."Donald Trump's American carnage ends with a coup attempt," John Avlon, CNN the ensuing Senate hearing about certifying the election results being fraught with much anger at him from both sides. Analysts criticized all who still refused to believe Trump had the capacity for a coup attempt following the wake of this day."This Is a Coup. Why Were Experts So Reluctant to See It Coming?" Paul Musgrave, Foreign Policy.
Even previously-loyalist Republicans and pro-Trump news outlets were disgusted by the treasonous act."GOP lawmaker on violence at Capitol: 'This is a coup attempt," Justine Coleman, The Hill Calls to impeach Trump immediately came not just from left-leaning media outlets such as Nation,"Impeach Trump Immediately" by John Nichols, Nation, 2021 January 6 (who correctly called Trump a "terrorist leader"),"Donald Trump Is Now a Terrorist Leader" by David Corn, Mother Jones, 2021 January 6 "Remove Trump Now" by Jeremy Stahl, Slate, 2021 January 6 "We Must Impeach Donald Trump Again" by David French, Time, 2021 January 6 "Impeach Trump Again" by Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, 2021 January 6 and The New York Times,"Impeach and Convict. Right Now." by Bret Stephens, New York Times, 2021 January 6 but also right-wing outlets like the National Review"Trump Must Pay" by Matt Continetti, National Review, 2021 January 6 and "Remove Trump From Office" by Daniel Larison, 2021 January 6 Not only did the NAACP and the Lincoln Project call for immediate impeachment of Trump,"Impeach Trump Immediately", NAACP.Org"Lincoln Project adds to impeachment calls" by Justine Coleman, The Hill, 2021 January 6 but the frickin' suggested that Vice President Pence should evoke the and remove Trump from office."National Association of Manufacturers suggests Pence invoke the 25th Amendment" by Ursula Perano, Axios, 2021 January 6
After over a decade of shamefully tolerating Trump shamelessly stretching the norms of major social media's terms of service to their very limits, this was finally enough for the moderation teams of those platforms to take actual action. Twitter locked Trump's account for 12 hours."Twitter locks Trump out over election fraud tweets amid Capitol siege" by Ina Fried, Axios, 2021 January 6 also locked Trump's account."Snapchat locks Trump's account amid chaos in Washington" by SaraFischer, Axios, 2021 January 6 But surprisingly enough, it was Facebook that finally tired of Trump's bullshit the most, and removed Trump from both Facebook and from Instagram “indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete”."Facebook and Instagram Ban Trump Indefinitely after Violent Riots by Andrew Griffin, Independent, 2021 January 7 On January 8, 2021, Twitter finally had enough of the wannabe dictator's bullshit, permanently suspending Donald Trump's Twitter account"Twitter Bans President Trump, Citing 'Risk Of Further Incitement Of Violence'" by Bobby Allyn and Tamara Keith, NPR, 2021 January 8 and his ban-evading alts @POTUS and @TeamTrump.Twitter is deleting Trump’s attempts to circumvent ban. The Verge. 8 January 2021. Fiona Hill, former White House advisor who testified against the President during impeachment, said emphatically that it was a coup, specifically a self-coup where the leader of a country spearheads a conspiracy to end democracy in his own country."Yes, It Was a Coup," Fiona Hill, Politico Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed her firsthand experience of nearly losing her life, outright saying Trump supporters actually, genuinely tried to murder multiple Senators and Congressmen for opposing the President.Twitter thread explaining every detail] Ayanna Pressley, AOC's fellow Squad member, said all the panic buttons in her office were "torn out" before the rioters entered the capitol.Explained via Twitter with corresponding excerpt
==See also==
*Glorious Rhetoric of the God Emperor
*US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Alt-lite
Category:Authoritarianism
Category:Fascism
Category:Government incompetence
Category:Living people
Category:Trumpism