How might a president, leader of the free world, assert ultimate power and eliminate any checks and balances on the executive branch? I am talking about suspending our Constitution’s checks and balances and implementing a dictatorship.
One would start by controlling the narrative by belittling, disparaging, and attacking a free press and labeling truthful speech an enemy of the people.
Then one would replace those in government who follow the rule of law with new appointees whose loyalty is only to the president.
Next, one would create domestic turmoil and chaos so rampant as to be permitted to impose emergency measures to quell the very chaos that one had created.
Donald Trump is firing career civil servants and replacing them with Trump loyalists. Tariffs and trade wars with our allies and biggest trading partners are about to spike inflation, disrupt the supply chain, and create instability.
In less than one month on the job, Trump has already dismantled vital government services, weakened national security, started trade wars, torn apart international alliances, disrupted world commerce, suspended congressionally mandated funding, eroded oversight, threatened to take lands of sovereign nations by force, pardoned and freed thousands of dangerous convicted felons, and is challenging the checks and balances so vital to fair and impartial governance.
The federal government is being hollowed out into a vacant husk staffed with those loyal to Trump.
Trump knows firing FBI agents who dared investigate his supporters sends a clear message – that loyalty to Trump overrides the concepts of justice, professional conduct, and duty to the Constitution.
Instead of reversing the $7.8 trillion tax break to the wealthy that Trump enacted in his first term, about a quarter of the total U.S. debt, his administration is randomly cutting services by asking for resignations.
Trump fired 17 inspectors general whose roles are to detect and help prosecute internal and government fraud and misconduct.
The only reason to fire those who conduct oversight is to prevent Trump’s misconduct from being discovered and shut down his fraud.
Without the consent of Israel, the Palestinians, or ANY neighboring nations, Trump wants to evict 1.8 million Palestinians to nowhere, take possession of this land, make Gaza a U.S. territory and build a coastline resort.
Trump attempted to unilaterally remove constitutional guarantees such as birth-right citizenship. He has enabled unvetted private citizens access to the nation’s most confidential financial records.
He intends to decide which congressional directives to fund services to allow.
Shutting it all down and then sorting it out afterward is bass-ackwards — unless one is intent on destabilizing our government.
All this is not about saving money or “ending fraud”— it is about sowing chaos.
Such appears the plan of His Failing Grace, the Self-appointed Dictator in Waiting, the newly elected Destabilizer-In-Chief, Donald J. Trump.
Called “flooding the zone,” we can expect continued wild acts that create turmoil and disruption for the next month or so.
I predict by spring Trump will threaten to deploy our military and will apply economic sanctions to undermine the sovereignty of other nations, not only giving cover to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but also to invent an excuse that the executive branch must continue to usurp more power without restriction “to protect the nation from outside threats.”
Already controlling the Republican majority in Congress, to complete the coup, Trump only needs to immobilize judicial oversight.
Reuters reports that “six senior Justice Department officials, including Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, resigned on Thursday rather than comply with an order to dismiss corruption charges against New York City’s mayor …”
But eventually, Trump will find a stooge to do his bidding. We already see that those who insist on following the law get canned and replaced.
One day the federal courts will ask U.S. marshals to compel the Trump administration to stand down. I predict that Trump’s Justice Department, which oversees the Marshals Service, will forbid them to follow the court’s bidding and fire those who disobey.
Once the judiciary is unable to thwart his abuse of power, with Congress a rubber stamp, and with nothing standing in Trump’s way, on that sad day, our democracy will have died. And maybe I will be imprisoned for writing this opinion piece.
Jonathan Kraut directs a private investigations agency, is the CEO of a private security firm, is the CFO of an accredited acting conservatory, former college professor and dean, is a published author, and a Democratic Party activist. His column reflects his own views and not necessarily those of The Signal or of other organizations.
