Take a step back and take away: America is entering a full dictatorial mode | Jonathan Freedland

If This happened elsewhere – in Latin America, how is it reported? The president secured control of the capital and would now send troops to several rebel-controlled cities, claiming he was asked to restore order there. The move was a raid in the homes of leading dissidents and as armed personnel were seen as armed personnel loyal to the president, many of whom were covered up, continuing to evacuate people from the streets…

Except that happens in the United States of America, so that’s not what we are talking about. That’s not the only reason. This is also because Donald Trump’s march towards authoritarianism is so stable, taking another step or two a day, so it’s easy to be incorporated: You can’t be permanently in shock. And, in addition, people with clear minds are wary of what sounds hyperbolic or hysterical: their instinct is to function at the top of the sound rather than screaming.

There are other things. Trump’s dictator-like behavior is so brave and so blatant that we paradoxically express torture. It’s like being awakened by a thief at night, wearing a striped shirt with a bag marked “stove”: we think it’s a joke, a stunt or other illusion, not a real danger. The same is true for Trump. We cannot fully believe what we see.

But this is what we see. Trump has deployed the National Guard on the streets of Washington, D.C., so now there are 2,000 armed forces, patrolling the capital. The excuse is to fight crime, but DC’s violent crime is 30 years low When he takes action. The President has Warning Chicago will be nextMaybe So is Baltimore. In June, he sent the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles drops protests Opposing his immigration policy, the government said the protests were equal to “uprising.” Demonstrators complain that the masked ice man is an immigration agency, and thanks to Trump, there is now a budget to go with The largest army in the worldsnatch people from street corners or tow them from cars.

These cities are all run by Democrats, not by coincidence that the black population is large. They are potential centers against Trump’s rule, and he wants them to be under his control. The Constitution insists that states have their own powers and that the coverage of the federal government should be limited – until recently the sacred principle Republicans – Can be hanged.

Control is the goal, accumulating power in the hands of the president, and eliminating or sterilizing any institution or person that may hinder his obstacles. This is the guiding logic that explains Trump’s war in the media, courts, universities and federal government civil servants, including his war in the media, courts, universities and civil servants. It helps explain why FBI agents raided at 7 a.m. last week John Bolton’s home and officeonce a national security adviser to Trump, is now one of his most voiced critics. And why the president hints at the former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie in his sight.

That’s why he violated all practices by trying, maybe even U.S. law Remove Chef Lisa As an unconfirmed mortgage fraud charge, as a member of the Fed’s board of directors. The allegations are based on information about Trump loyalists installing as federal housing directors, and who, who, According to the New York Timesrepeatedly utilizing “the power of his office…investigate or attack Mr. Trump’s most well-known political enemy.” This pattern is obvious: Trump is using government agencies to hunt down his enemies in a worst way to recall Richard Nixon – despite where Nixon skated his feet in the shadows, Trump’s abuse is clear.

All of this is pursuing more power. Take the chef and fire. As the number of polls declined, especially in his Handle the economyhe is eager to lower the interest rate and reduce sugar. The independent central bank won’t give it to him, so he wants to push the Fed away and seize his own power to set interest rates. notes Reasons provided by JD Vance This week, Trump is “better able to make these decisions” than “unelected bureaucrats” because he embodies the will of the people. Reasoning is pure authoritarianism, which argues that the core principles of the United States Constitution should be swept away because all legitimate authority exists in only one person.

Of course, the biggest check on Trump will come from opposition in the Democratic elections winning power, especially as Democrats take control of the House in November 2026. Trump is working to make this impossible: Witness this month’s testimony Texas’s undisguised Grimandunder Trump’s command, Republicans reopened congressional boundaries to have five more secure seats in the House of Representatives. Trump hopes more states follow Texas leadership because democratically controlled homes will have the censorship that he correctly fears.

Meanwhile, apparently on the prompts of meeting Vladimir Putin, he once again had a Postal votingunfounded fraud, while also demanding a new census to rule out undocumented immigration actions – which would help the Republicans win in 2026, otherwise make him think that a victory for democracy is illegal and should be overturned.

The Trump White House now argues in the same spirit that in fact, there is only one political party that can exercise power in the United States. How to read the words of the main Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who this week Tell Fox News “The Democratic Party is not a political party; it is an extremist organization in the country.”

Whether it is a planned plan, this is the same picture New military parade of Trump honor or Dismissal of health officials Those who insist on pushing science toward political loyalty. He tends to accumulate his power and is seen as accumulating his power, even if it means leaving economic conservative orthodoxy and letting the federal government take action Shares of private companies to date. He wants to rule every aspect of our lives. As Trump himself Say this week“A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we want dictators.’” Former Obama adviser David Axelrod is not alone When he says“We went from zero to Hungary, faster than I thought.”

The problem is, people still don’t talk about it like they are talking about Hungary, not in the United States, not outside. That part is It’s impossible to happen here Mindset, partly, is unwilling to accept a reality, especially foreign governments need to rethink almost everything. If the United States is moving towards autocracy, then in some cases scholars might call it “unmerged authoritarianism”, then this changed Britain’s entire strategic position, namely its position in the world, which has been dependent on the Western concept led by a stable, democratic, democratic American for 80 years. The same is true for the EU. It is easier to continue, either pretending that the U.S. transformation is not actually serious or it will soon resume normal services. But, like American citizens, world leaders cannot ignore evidence indefinitely. To accommodate the title of that long-term novel, it can happen here – facts.