The 47th President of the United States has said "there are methods" for seeking a third term in White House and added that he wasn't joking during an interview with NBC aired on Sunday 30th March. His bold assertion came after just 70 days in office.
If it wasn't clear to anybody by now that Trump has all but created an American Fascist state then they are surely delusionary.
If it wasn't clear to anybody by now that Trump has all but created an American Fascist state then they are surely delusionary.
First 70 days
In the 70 days in office Trump has ruled by diktat, signing countless executive orders that have overwhelmed the judiciary. When judges have attempted to countermand his orders Trump has simply ignored them and steamrollered ahead, ignoring the judges and the constitution. One particular case in point was when more than 200 Venezuelan individuals were deported in shackles to a supermax prison in El Salvador
In other high profile cases, members of ICE [The US Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency] have grabbed individuals and summarily arrested them without charge and incarcerated them at detention centres. The first high profile case was when US Immigration authorities arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil amid President Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism. Then on the 25th March ICE arrested a Tufts University doctoral student who co-authored an op-ed supporting Palestine. Rümeysa Öztürk was taken from the street by masked, plainclothes officers in a Boston-area suburb before being bundled into an unmarked car and disappeared. Her lawyers were unable to find her for many hours until she finally surfaced at a detention centre in Louisiana, some 2,500 km away.
For some it might be brushed away as radicals and criminals being rounded up. But for others, even for those not necessarily sympathetic to the political cause of Khalil and Öztürk, it is disquieting.
The clampdown of supposed dissent and the rounding up of 'illegal immigrants' has prompted many to recollect Martin Niemöller's infamous quote.
Martin Niemöller was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s. But he is best remembered for his quote made following the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
While Trump's targets for deportation and incarceration have differed, Niemöller's statement made in the mid-1940s has brought back uncomfortable memories from the past.
It has often been said that while history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes.
One key element of Project 2025 is its proposal to criminalise pornography. To date no overt plans have been enacted upon. However, within Trump's base and amongst ultra-conservative Republicans there would likely be strong support.
While the proposals are certainly targeted towards pornography in general, the Project 2025 proposal is even more sweeping, indicating that its anti-porn language may be covering for a broader crusade against LGBTQ rights.
Within the document it states, "Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children, for instance, is not a political Gordian knot inextricably binding up disparate claims about free speech, property rights, sexual liberation, and child welfare. It has no claim to First Amendment protection. Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered."
While some of this may seem incongruous given Trump's own misogynistic behaviour, it seems likely that he will nonetheless follow through on such proposals.
Already Trump has removed some legal protections against anti-LGBT discrimination and has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] programs across government departments which has prompted many large conglomerates to follow suit.
In the 1930s, as Martin Niemöller alludes to, many might not have spoken out as the first inmates arrived at the likes of Dachau. When the first bus arrived at the Dachau concentration camp, located near Munich, Germany, it carried mainly communists, social democrats, dissidents and other undesirables. The incarceration of such individuals may not have created consternation amongst the general population, even if they were fully aware of the goings on at the camp, since they may well have thought these people were 'enemies of the state'. By the time it became an execution camp for gypsies, homosexuals and Jews, it was too late to protest.
The pro-Palestian cause is a divisive issue and tends to attract a greater number of younger, left leaning individuals. Thus in a twist of the words Niemöller uttered some 80 years ago; 'First they came for the pro-Palestinians, and I did not speak out—because I was not a pro-Palestinian. Then they came for the Venezuelans, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Venezuelan. Then they came for the Salvadorans, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Salvadoran. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.'
This is only the list thus far, and it is unclear how far reaching Trump's policy of detainment and expulsion will go. But there have been some dissenting voices. Most vocal have been politicians, political pundits and even comedians to the left of centre. But even some right wing commentators have weighed in, such as Joe Rogan, a Trump supporter who hosts a right leaning radio show podcast.
Speaking soon after the mass deportation of 300 Venezuelans, Rogan expressed his concern that innocent individuals were being swept up in the deportation policy. Whilst he has praised President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration he expressed horror at the news that the administration had deported a gay Venezuelan asylum-seeker along with suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
"You got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons," Rogan said. "It's horrific," he added. "It's horrific." Sending non-criminals back, Rogan says, was "bad for the cause." Or is it just getting caught?
There will be less chance of accountability as Trump seeks to erode the free press. There is already a push to revoke licences and funding for state run broadcasters. VoA, RFA and others have already been targeted and Marjorie Taylor Greene and others have made a bid to get funding pulled from PBS and NPR.
With the media forced to kowtow to Trump, and with the great leader staring down from Mount Rushmore or from a proposed $100 bill, the Trump Reich will be all but complete.
tvnewswatch, London, UK
Sources: Guardian / Guardian / BBC / Reuters / BBC / Guardian / BBC / AP News / Wikipedia / NBC / Sky News / Guardian / ABC / Wikipedia / BBC / NYT / MSNBC / BBC / Yahoo / Guardian / Guardian / BBC / Daily Beast / Independent / BBC / Guardian / MSN / Independent
In the 70 days in office Trump has ruled by diktat, signing countless executive orders that have overwhelmed the judiciary. When judges have attempted to countermand his orders Trump has simply ignored them and steamrollered ahead, ignoring the judges and the constitution. One particular case in point was when more than 200 Venezuelan individuals were deported in shackles to a supermax prison in El Salvador
In other high profile cases, members of ICE [The US Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency] have grabbed individuals and summarily arrested them without charge and incarcerated them at detention centres. The first high profile case was when US Immigration authorities arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil amid President Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism. Then on the 25th March ICE arrested a Tufts University doctoral student who co-authored an op-ed supporting Palestine. Rümeysa Öztürk was taken from the street by masked, plainclothes officers in a Boston-area suburb before being bundled into an unmarked car and disappeared. Her lawyers were unable to find her for many hours until she finally surfaced at a detention centre in Louisiana, some 2,500 km away.
For some it might be brushed away as radicals and criminals being rounded up. But for others, even for those not necessarily sympathetic to the political cause of Khalil and Öztürk, it is disquieting.
The clampdown of supposed dissent and the rounding up of 'illegal immigrants' has prompted many to recollect Martin Niemöller's infamous quote.
Martin Niemöller was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s. But he is best remembered for his quote made following the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
While Trump's targets for deportation and incarceration have differed, Niemöller's statement made in the mid-1940s has brought back uncomfortable memories from the past.
It has often been said that while history doesn't repeat itself, it often rhymes.
Echoes from the past
Trump's second term in office and his consolidation of power has greatly concerned many for the strong similarities of Hitler's rise to power.
On the face of it, this might seem like an exaggeration and hyperbole. But there are a great many similarities as well as differences.
Hitler's battle with the judicial system and his being jailed arguably helped him into power as his incarceration was seen by some at the time as being a witch hunt. Having failed in taking power by force, Hitler chose the ballot box to secure his grip on Germany.
Similarly, Trump failed to overturn an election with an insurrection - known simply as January 6th - and faced multiple charges which he capitalised upon by claiming it was a witch hunt.
Both would-be dictators came to power on the ticket of promising to make their respective countries great once more. The mantra of Make America Great Again is little different from what Hitler, and other fascist leaders such as Mussolini and Austria's Engelbert Dollfuss attempted to sell to their people in the 1930s.
It is all too simplistic, of course, to make direct comparisons with the likes of Hitler. But fascism comes in many guises. Fascism does not necessarily come with neat uniforms, jackboots and swastikas. Dollfuss was a fascist, but most often wore a suit. Mussolini's attire was somewhat militaristic but less extreme than the imagery the Nazis employed. Politically too, facism can take different forms. Hitler's fascism was on one extreme level while Austria's Engelbert Dollfuss' fascistic rule was liberal by comparison. Indeed, pressured by Hitler to allow his country to be annexed, Dollfuss was for a time even protected and supported by Italy's Mussollini.
Where fascism is mostly grounded is in its focus on 'the leader'. It might even become a cult of personality as seen with China's Mao Zedong or in North Korea with its dynasty of leaders; Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.
Trump has already built around himself a cult of followers under the slogan of MAGA. Meanwhile he has repeatedly expressed his expansionist dreams of 'taking back' the Panama Canal, annexing Canada - making it the 51st state - and Greenland with claims it is necessary to protect the security of America.
There have been suggestions that members of his own administration are capitalising on the volatility by shorting the markets. The suggestion has been rebutted by the White House. When White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt was asked,"You're sure nobody here at the White House shorted the Dow?" she responded by saying "No, I don't think so."
Trump's second term in office and his consolidation of power has greatly concerned many for the strong similarities of Hitler's rise to power.
On the face of it, this might seem like an exaggeration and hyperbole. But there are a great many similarities as well as differences.
Hitler's battle with the judicial system and his being jailed arguably helped him into power as his incarceration was seen by some at the time as being a witch hunt. Having failed in taking power by force, Hitler chose the ballot box to secure his grip on Germany.
Similarly, Trump failed to overturn an election with an insurrection - known simply as January 6th - and faced multiple charges which he capitalised upon by claiming it was a witch hunt.
Both would-be dictators came to power on the ticket of promising to make their respective countries great once more. The mantra of Make America Great Again is little different from what Hitler, and other fascist leaders such as Mussolini and Austria's Engelbert Dollfuss attempted to sell to their people in the 1930s.
It is all too simplistic, of course, to make direct comparisons with the likes of Hitler. But fascism comes in many guises. Fascism does not necessarily come with neat uniforms, jackboots and swastikas. Dollfuss was a fascist, but most often wore a suit. Mussolini's attire was somewhat militaristic but less extreme than the imagery the Nazis employed. Politically too, facism can take different forms. Hitler's fascism was on one extreme level while Austria's Engelbert Dollfuss' fascistic rule was liberal by comparison. Indeed, pressured by Hitler to allow his country to be annexed, Dollfuss was for a time even protected and supported by Italy's Mussollini.
Where fascism is mostly grounded is in its focus on 'the leader'. It might even become a cult of personality as seen with China's Mao Zedong or in North Korea with its dynasty of leaders; Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.
Trump has already built around himself a cult of followers under the slogan of MAGA. Meanwhile he has repeatedly expressed his expansionist dreams of 'taking back' the Panama Canal, annexing Canada - making it the 51st state - and Greenland with claims it is necessary to protect the security of America.
Peacemaker
Trump meanwhile has proclaimed himself to be the peacemaker with his attempt to broker a 'peace deal' and halt the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet critics have said Trump's real motive is not so much a lasting peace than to be awarded a Nobel peace prize.
His attempts to secure a ceasefire and a peace deal has been criticised for appeasing Vladimir Putin while bullying Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator and later at a White House meeting on Friday 28th February 2025, verbally assaulting the beleaguered wartime leader.
That meeting has been likened to an event some 86 years ago when on the evening of the 14th March 1939, Hitler had summoned President Hácha to the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. Hitler had deliberately kept him waiting for hours, while Hitler watched a film. A clear attempt to belittle him. Finally, at 1:30 a.m., on the 15th March 1939, Hitler saw the President. He told Hácha that as they were speaking, the German army was about to invade Czechoslovakia.
In an ultimatum Hitler then gave the Czech President two options: cooperate with Germany, in which case the "entry of German troops would take place in a tolerable manner" and "permit Czechoslovakia a generous life of her own, autonomy and a degree of national freedom..." or face a scenario in which "resistance would be broken by force of arms, using all means."
The German ministers [Göring and Ribbentrop] were pitiless. They literally hunted Dr. Hácha and M. Chvalkovsky around the table on which the documents were lying, thrusting them continually before them, pushing pens into their hands, incessantly repeating that if they continued in their refusal, half of Prague would lie in ruins from bombing within two hours, and that this would be only the beginning. Hundreds of bombers were waiting for the order to take off, and they would receive that order at six in the morning if the signatures were not forthcoming.
While Trump and Vance did not chase Zelenskyy around the Oval office insisting he sign away his country, the public haranguing of the Ukrainian president had strong echoes of the past.
"You got to be more thankful, because let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards," Trump told Zelenskyy, after a bitter war of words where the vice president J.D.Vance also chimed in to suggest he was ungrateful and hadn't thanked the administration enough for their help.
Trump also accused Zelenskyy of risking millions of lives and risking WWIII in his pushing back of Trump's proposals and his demand for security guarantees..
Following the 1939 meeting Hácha reportedly had a heart attack and eventually signed the documents thrust at him, thus handing over Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany.
Zelenskyy has yet to concede to Trump's and Putin's pressure but the parallels are, nonetheless, stark.
Europe has since come together in solidarity, saying they stand with Zelenskyy and Ukraine. But there is growing unease as Trump's allegiance to Putin seems to increase.
Talks have continued since that fraught meeting, but a ceasefire remains elusive. And for his part, Trump is now reportedly said to be losing patience with the Russian leader. Speaking to NBC the US president said he was "pissed off" with Vladimir Putin over his approach to a ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened to levy tariffs on Moscow's oil exports if the Russian leader does not agree to a truce within a month. Meanwhile Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the minerals deal being pushed at him is being continually changed with the US now seeking rights to mine gas and oil reserves, while still avoiding any mention of security guarantees.
Trump meanwhile has proclaimed himself to be the peacemaker with his attempt to broker a 'peace deal' and halt the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet critics have said Trump's real motive is not so much a lasting peace than to be awarded a Nobel peace prize.
His attempts to secure a ceasefire and a peace deal has been criticised for appeasing Vladimir Putin while bullying Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator and later at a White House meeting on Friday 28th February 2025, verbally assaulting the beleaguered wartime leader.
That meeting has been likened to an event some 86 years ago when on the evening of the 14th March 1939, Hitler had summoned President Hácha to the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. Hitler had deliberately kept him waiting for hours, while Hitler watched a film. A clear attempt to belittle him. Finally, at 1:30 a.m., on the 15th March 1939, Hitler saw the President. He told Hácha that as they were speaking, the German army was about to invade Czechoslovakia.
In an ultimatum Hitler then gave the Czech President two options: cooperate with Germany, in which case the "entry of German troops would take place in a tolerable manner" and "permit Czechoslovakia a generous life of her own, autonomy and a degree of national freedom..." or face a scenario in which "resistance would be broken by force of arms, using all means."
The German ministers [Göring and Ribbentrop] were pitiless. They literally hunted Dr. Hácha and M. Chvalkovsky around the table on which the documents were lying, thrusting them continually before them, pushing pens into their hands, incessantly repeating that if they continued in their refusal, half of Prague would lie in ruins from bombing within two hours, and that this would be only the beginning. Hundreds of bombers were waiting for the order to take off, and they would receive that order at six in the morning if the signatures were not forthcoming.
While Trump and Vance did not chase Zelenskyy around the Oval office insisting he sign away his country, the public haranguing of the Ukrainian president had strong echoes of the past.
"You got to be more thankful, because let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards," Trump told Zelenskyy, after a bitter war of words where the vice president J.D.Vance also chimed in to suggest he was ungrateful and hadn't thanked the administration enough for their help.
Trump also accused Zelenskyy of risking millions of lives and risking WWIII in his pushing back of Trump's proposals and his demand for security guarantees..
Following the 1939 meeting Hácha reportedly had a heart attack and eventually signed the documents thrust at him, thus handing over Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany.
Zelenskyy has yet to concede to Trump's and Putin's pressure but the parallels are, nonetheless, stark.
Europe has since come together in solidarity, saying they stand with Zelenskyy and Ukraine. But there is growing unease as Trump's allegiance to Putin seems to increase.
Talks have continued since that fraught meeting, but a ceasefire remains elusive. And for his part, Trump is now reportedly said to be losing patience with the Russian leader. Speaking to NBC the US president said he was "pissed off" with Vladimir Putin over his approach to a ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened to levy tariffs on Moscow's oil exports if the Russian leader does not agree to a truce within a month. Meanwhile Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the minerals deal being pushed at him is being continually changed with the US now seeking rights to mine gas and oil reserves, while still avoiding any mention of security guarantees.
Tariffs and sabre rattling
With regards the economy, Trump has shocked the world with his widespread tariffs. Particular targets thus far have been Canada, Mexico and China. However, he plans to roll out more far reaching tariffs on Europe and other countries in the coming days and weeks. His policy of tariffs allows Trump to assert his economic power without seeking approval from Congress, another aspect by which the president has secured autocratic power.
With regards the economy, Trump has shocked the world with his widespread tariffs. Particular targets thus far have been Canada, Mexico and China. However, he plans to roll out more far reaching tariffs on Europe and other countries in the coming days and weeks. His policy of tariffs allows Trump to assert his economic power without seeking approval from Congress, another aspect by which the president has secured autocratic power.
The tariffs have rocked markets and political establishments around the globe. Some nations have kow towed to Trumpian demands while others have sought to negotiate with him in order to soften the blow to their export market. Others, such as Canada, China and the EU as a whole have threatened reciprocal tariffs.
It is not entirely clear what Trump's motive and end game is. Tariffs applied to foreign nations, while potentially hurting said countries, also hurt the US consumer. A 25% tariff on European cars does not mean the EU pays more. It means that the importer has to pay the US government the extra 25% which ultimately will be passed to the consumer. Thus a $20,000 car from the EU will suddenly cost the US customer $25,000. The incentive is to get EU car manufacturers to build in the US. However, this can't happen overnight. The other motive is to force more factories to manufacture at home and get Americans to buy products Made in America. This argument falls down, in that many of the raw materials or parts needed to make such products are imported from abroad, and on which Trump has already placed punitive tariffs.
There have been suggestions that members of his own administration are capitalising on the volatility by shorting the markets. The suggestion has been rebutted by the White House. When White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt was asked,"You're sure nobody here at the White House shorted the Dow?" she responded by saying "No, I don't think so."
Consolidation of Power
But what of Trump's longer term plans? Perhaps one of the best ways to answer this would be to point to Project 2025, a political initiative to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favour of right-wing policies.
Dismissed during the 2024 campaign by Trump himself, as something he was not familiar with, Project 2025 has been key to Trump's game plan.
In particular the project calls for merit-based federal civil service workers to be replaced by people loyal to Trump and to take partisan control of key government agencies, including the Department of Justice [DOJ], Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], Department of Commerce [DOC], and Federal Trade Commission [FTC].
With respect to this Trump has placed Elon Musk in charge, and who has laid off thousands of government employees under the umbrella Department Of Government Efficiency [DOGE].
The project has also laid out plans for other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] and the Department of Education [ED], to be dismantled or abolished.
In this regard Trump has already signed an executive order aimed at the dismantling of the Department of Education. In addition the Trump administration has shut down three watchdog agencies in the Department of Homeland Security.
All of this has occurred without congressional oversight in as much as most decisions thus far have been made by presidential decree in the form of executive orders.
Criminalising porn & targeting LGBTQ+
Dismissed during the 2024 campaign by Trump himself, as something he was not familiar with, Project 2025 has been key to Trump's game plan.
In particular the project calls for merit-based federal civil service workers to be replaced by people loyal to Trump and to take partisan control of key government agencies, including the Department of Justice [DOJ], Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], Department of Commerce [DOC], and Federal Trade Commission [FTC].
With respect to this Trump has placed Elon Musk in charge, and who has laid off thousands of government employees under the umbrella Department Of Government Efficiency [DOGE].
The project has also laid out plans for other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] and the Department of Education [ED], to be dismantled or abolished.
In this regard Trump has already signed an executive order aimed at the dismantling of the Department of Education. In addition the Trump administration has shut down three watchdog agencies in the Department of Homeland Security.
All of this has occurred without congressional oversight in as much as most decisions thus far have been made by presidential decree in the form of executive orders.
Criminalising porn & targeting LGBTQ+
One key element of Project 2025 is its proposal to criminalise pornography. To date no overt plans have been enacted upon. However, within Trump's base and amongst ultra-conservative Republicans there would likely be strong support.
While the proposals are certainly targeted towards pornography in general, the Project 2025 proposal is even more sweeping, indicating that its anti-porn language may be covering for a broader crusade against LGBTQ rights.
Within the document it states, "Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children, for instance, is not a political Gordian knot inextricably binding up disparate claims about free speech, property rights, sexual liberation, and child welfare. It has no claim to First Amendment protection. Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered."
While some of this may seem incongruous given Trump's own misogynistic behaviour, it seems likely that he will nonetheless follow through on such proposals.
Already Trump has removed some legal protections against anti-LGBT discrimination and has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] programs across government departments which has prompted many large conglomerates to follow suit.
Immigrants and dissidents
One of Trump's most outspoken policies has been one of tackling 'illegal immigration'. Project 2025 recommends the arrest, detention, and mass deportation of illegal immigrants. And within days of the inauguration ICE had been deployed to carry out these objectives. The arrests were carried out without warning making media coverage difficult, and their detention has been veiled in secrecy. Some have been sent to already established detention centres while others have been swiftly deported, ignoring court orders and pushback by politicians and human rights groups. Trump has even looked into the possibility of reopening Guantanamo Bay to house immigrants ahead of their repatriation.
So swift have some of these changes in policy been made that it has been almost impossible for the media to keep up and report on events. When Trump initially ordered that an existing migrant detention facility at the base be expanded to hold some 30,000 people there was some brief reportage across many news platforms. But as immigrants began to arrive, there was scant reporting as events were drowned out by other things the administration was doing.
In fact that has seemingly been much of the game plan in terms of rolling out Trump's plan for autocracy.
End of democracy
With information overload, courts and the judicial system overwhelmed with procedural attempts to counter unconstitutional diktats, and dissent being stifled with arrests which further distracts as media coverage focuses on comparative minutiae, Trump is consolidating his power.
Anyone suggesting Trump is attempting to establish an autocracy and bring about a form of American fascism is accused of wearing a tin-foil hat or being a conspiracy theorist. Yet it seems that to believe otherwise is delusional.
Many of the guardrails of American democracy have, in just a few short weeks, been dispensed with, eroded or ignored. Congress has been left largely impotent, given little, if any, actual legislation has passed through the body. Judges and their rulings have been ignored. And those opposing the administration, either within government or on the streets are being targeted verbally or with detention. Even those entering the United States have found themselves singled out for not having the right viewpoint.
In late March three members of the UK Subs, a punk band, were detained and returned to the UK after flying to Los Angeles for a gig, supposedly for having incorrect visas. One band member suspected it was for his "less than flattering, public comments regarding their president".
Just days before, a French scientist was returned after phone messages critical of Trump were found on his device. It is unclear whether such instances are the tip of the iceberg or an unfortunate mistake met out by overzealous immigration staff.
The detaining of pro-Palestinian activists Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk may be two anomalies or just two examples of many that have gone unreported because someone was not on hand to record the arrests on their phones. Yet further examples have come to light with another pro-Palestianian activist, Momodou Taal, leaving the US having had his visa revoked. And it emerged just days ago, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that some 300 university students have had their student visas revoked due to involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Repeating history
One of Trump's most outspoken policies has been one of tackling 'illegal immigration'. Project 2025 recommends the arrest, detention, and mass deportation of illegal immigrants. And within days of the inauguration ICE had been deployed to carry out these objectives. The arrests were carried out without warning making media coverage difficult, and their detention has been veiled in secrecy. Some have been sent to already established detention centres while others have been swiftly deported, ignoring court orders and pushback by politicians and human rights groups. Trump has even looked into the possibility of reopening Guantanamo Bay to house immigrants ahead of their repatriation.
So swift have some of these changes in policy been made that it has been almost impossible for the media to keep up and report on events. When Trump initially ordered that an existing migrant detention facility at the base be expanded to hold some 30,000 people there was some brief reportage across many news platforms. But as immigrants began to arrive, there was scant reporting as events were drowned out by other things the administration was doing.
In fact that has seemingly been much of the game plan in terms of rolling out Trump's plan for autocracy.
End of democracy
With information overload, courts and the judicial system overwhelmed with procedural attempts to counter unconstitutional diktats, and dissent being stifled with arrests which further distracts as media coverage focuses on comparative minutiae, Trump is consolidating his power.
Anyone suggesting Trump is attempting to establish an autocracy and bring about a form of American fascism is accused of wearing a tin-foil hat or being a conspiracy theorist. Yet it seems that to believe otherwise is delusional.
Many of the guardrails of American democracy have, in just a few short weeks, been dispensed with, eroded or ignored. Congress has been left largely impotent, given little, if any, actual legislation has passed through the body. Judges and their rulings have been ignored. And those opposing the administration, either within government or on the streets are being targeted verbally or with detention. Even those entering the United States have found themselves singled out for not having the right viewpoint.
In late March three members of the UK Subs, a punk band, were detained and returned to the UK after flying to Los Angeles for a gig, supposedly for having incorrect visas. One band member suspected it was for his "less than flattering, public comments regarding their president".
Just days before, a French scientist was returned after phone messages critical of Trump were found on his device. It is unclear whether such instances are the tip of the iceberg or an unfortunate mistake met out by overzealous immigration staff.
The detaining of pro-Palestinian activists Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk may be two anomalies or just two examples of many that have gone unreported because someone was not on hand to record the arrests on their phones. Yet further examples have come to light with another pro-Palestianian activist, Momodou Taal, leaving the US having had his visa revoked. And it emerged just days ago, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that some 300 university students have had their student visas revoked due to involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Repeating history
In the 1930s, as Martin Niemöller alludes to, many might not have spoken out as the first inmates arrived at the likes of Dachau. When the first bus arrived at the Dachau concentration camp, located near Munich, Germany, it carried mainly communists, social democrats, dissidents and other undesirables. The incarceration of such individuals may not have created consternation amongst the general population, even if they were fully aware of the goings on at the camp, since they may well have thought these people were 'enemies of the state'. By the time it became an execution camp for gypsies, homosexuals and Jews, it was too late to protest.
The pro-Palestian cause is a divisive issue and tends to attract a greater number of younger, left leaning individuals. Thus in a twist of the words Niemöller uttered some 80 years ago; 'First they came for the pro-Palestinians, and I did not speak out—because I was not a pro-Palestinian. Then they came for the Venezuelans, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Venezuelan. Then they came for the Salvadorans, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Salvadoran. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.'
This is only the list thus far, and it is unclear how far reaching Trump's policy of detainment and expulsion will go. But there have been some dissenting voices. Most vocal have been politicians, political pundits and even comedians to the left of centre. But even some right wing commentators have weighed in, such as Joe Rogan, a Trump supporter who hosts a right leaning radio show podcast.
Speaking soon after the mass deportation of 300 Venezuelans, Rogan expressed his concern that innocent individuals were being swept up in the deportation policy. Whilst he has praised President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration he expressed horror at the news that the administration had deported a gay Venezuelan asylum-seeker along with suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
"You got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons," Rogan said. "It's horrific," he added. "It's horrific." Sending non-criminals back, Rogan says, was "bad for the cause." Or is it just getting caught?
There will be less chance of accountability as Trump seeks to erode the free press. There is already a push to revoke licences and funding for state run broadcasters. VoA, RFA and others have already been targeted and Marjorie Taylor Greene and others have made a bid to get funding pulled from PBS and NPR.
With the media forced to kowtow to Trump, and with the great leader staring down from Mount Rushmore or from a proposed $100 bill, the Trump Reich will be all but complete.
tvnewswatch, London, UK
Sources: Guardian / Guardian / BBC / Reuters / BBC / Guardian / BBC / AP News / Wikipedia / NBC / Sky News / Guardian / ABC / Wikipedia / BBC / NYT / MSNBC / BBC / Yahoo / Guardian / Guardian / BBC / Daily Beast / Independent / BBC / Guardian / MSN / Independent
