Trump's dangerous power grab
As he takes full control, Trump is working to undermine every other source of authority or truth. And now he's trying to change the rules to lock in his reign.
Trump’s cowardly late-night attack on the good Bishop of Washington means he will have no other gods before him. Any talk of the Judeo-Christian tradition is a lie meant to prop up his decidedly earthly imperium.
Trump and his gang spent years learning Viktor Orban’s playbook. Scholars describe it this way:
Over in the West Wing and the OEOB they are working overtime to implement it and forever crush American democracy. Mr. Trump took care of the first step by himself. His unceasing and outrageous lies have generated huge amounts of press, while ongoing efforts to weaken the democracy go unnoticed. His allies have bought up much of the press and the social media tools that shape what we see. They are well on their way to taking full control of the federal government. In just two days they have notified scores of civil servants that their talent is not wanted. This is not cost cutting; they are moving to fill those positions with new hires who pass a Trump loyalty test.
They need loyalty more than experience, or skill, or institutional knowledge because the entire federal workforce is being tasked with a chore Congress never intended. They will be there to entrench Mr. Trump and to punish anyone who stands in his way.
In healthier times, Americans could expect Congress to protect us from Presidential power grabs, from efforts to make the government work for one man rather than for the whole country. But these are not healthier times. Fifteen years after the Citizens’ United decision legalized bribery by allowing unlimited and secret funding of campaigns, Congress no longer has the courage to act.
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Democracy experts note that civil society can provide resilience in moments like these. But, here again, the Orban playbook is corrosive. Use inflammatory narrative to keep the population divided. Paramilitary groups and private militias intimidate opponents. Attacks the press and universities chill independent thought.
Right on cue, the Proud Boys and the Oath keepers are showing off in the Capitol they tried to tear down just four years ago. They are promising retribution. And once again, they are signaling they will take direction from Mr. Trump. Federalism is under attack, as even a state as big as California is pressured to play ball or be left alone to recover from the disastrous fires in Los Angeles.
Already this week, University professors have been removed from their classrooms and journalists have been fired for speaking out in ways that offend the incoming administration. The CEO of CNN told the news staff to refrain from criticizing the incoming President. Just try to remember a time when the press was not free to criticize a President? You can’t. Even George Washington was not immune. But fascists of all kinds get softer treatment.
And now, we see Trump himself telling a bishop what is and is not allowed in Church.
They are now at that last step in the Orban playbook. They are going for it all. They want total control of the government. They are working to undermine every other source of authority or truth. And now they are trying to change the rules to lock in their reign. As ever, tyrants and oligarchs want this control for their own enrichment. Already Mr. Trump and his family have made billions from the grift that goes along with unchecked power.
Democrats in Congress have one job now. They must shine the brightest light on this threat, slow it down, and preserve for voters the chance to put an end to it. That means working every day to peel away any Republican members who care about our democracy. It means making sure the Defense Department is not led by someone who would follow an order to deploy the military in our cities. It means holding the line anywhere and every you can.
Americans everywhere also have a job. Talk with each other about what makes our democracy strong. Talk about the playbook being used to destroy it. Bear witness to every vote, every order, every decision that aims to take our sovereignty from us.
Then, organize like hell so that in two years we can end to this assault.
For details on the Orban model see, What Went Wrong in Hungary, Veronica Anghel and Erik Jones, Journal of Democracy, Vol 35, Number 2, April 2024.