logo
Trump is pushing America to its limits — who will push back?

Trump is pushing America to its limits — who will push back?

The Hill14-04-2025

Imagine a man with an insatiable appetite for real estate. He has devised an ingenious way to acquire it. In each building he visits, he pulls the fire alarm. There is no fire, but when the occupants evacuate, he takes control of the building and claims ownership.
If the actual owners object, his high-priced lawyers argue that possession is nine-tenths of the law. He threatens to use violence to defend his occupancy. In case after case, the legitimate owners concede. With this tactic, the man builds and rules an empire.
This analogy illustrates President Trump's strategy for amassing unprecedented powers over federal and state governments, cherished cultural institutions, law firms, universities and other parts of American society. He repeatedly declares crises where there are none, to give himself the extraordinary authorities that Congress, the courts and the Constitution allow a president to exercise during crises. He is using the tactic to continue his Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by other means.
Now, social media sites are filled with rumors that Trump will utilize a 'nuclear option' on Apr. 20 by invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, a law the Brennan Center for Justice notes is 'dangerously vague.' The act would allow Trump to use the military to suppress 'rebellion,' curtail free speech and assembly, and enforce his orders.
Why April 20? In January, Trump directed the Homeland Security and Defense secretaries to study the situation on America's border and recommend whether he should invoke the act. April 20 is the due date.
The rumor has not triggered significant alarm because conspiracy theories are rife online. However, Trump has alluded several times that he might deploy the military inside the country. He has suggested using active and National Guard troops to fight urban crime, 'the enemy from within,' and ' radical left lunatics.' His former Defense secretary, Mark Esper, has warned that we should take Trump seriously.
In addition, Trump has nearly normalized the use of executive orders by 'flooding the zone' with them. Many are being reviewed by the courts. They include a variation we can call the 'executive extortion order,' where he cuts off federal funds, rescinds contracts and security clearances, sanctions clients of some of America's most prestigious law firms, and even forbids them access to government buildings.
Several firms have capitulated by offering Trump millions of dollars in free services, promising not to act against him or, in the case of universities, discouraging protests on campus. Each capitulation emboldens Trump to push the envelope further.
Some lawsuits have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. It has ruled in his favor, a signal that the nation's highest legal authority is capitulating to totalitarianism, too.
Another troubling sign is that Trump's moves to suppress dissent are metastasizing through the states. According to The Guardian, officials have introduced 41 bills across 22 states since the start of the year to expand criminal punishments against peaceful protests. Five federal bills would create harsh prison sentences and fines for college students, anti-war protesters and climate activists. The fingerprints on these anti-democratic bills are often evident, like one that would send protesters to prison for up to 20 years if they 'disrupt' planned or existing gas pipelines.
Finally, thousands of Americans have taken to the streets to protest Trump's actions. As welcome as these demonstrations are, Trump can use them as a pretext for claiming that a rebellion is underway.
In case Trump's fire-alarm tactic is not obvious, there are examples.
By the end of the Biden administration, the U.S. economy was the envy of the world. Nevertheless, Trump claimed falsely that President Biden had handed him an ' economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.'
Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 and imposed worldwide trade tariffs that crashed the stock market and the retirement savings of millions of Americans. He claimed tariffs would 'increase our competitive edge, protect our sovereignty, and strengthen our national and economic security.' Instead, most economists say Trump's tariffs will raise consumer prices and trigger a global economic recession.
Meanwhile, Trump's DOGE exercise is cutting the social programs that could help lower-income families cope with the financial security he is causing. Trump claims that foreign rapists, criminals, mental patients, drugs, cartels and gangs are invading America. Yet when Congress and the Biden administration reached a rare bipartisan agreement to improve border security last year, Trump instructed Republicans in Congress to kill it so immigration would remain an issue he could use against Biden.
Since taking office, Trump has issued orders to revoke birthright citizenship and 'repel, repatriate, or remove migrants' from the country. He invoked the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law used rarely and only during wartime. The Supreme Court has affirmed his right to use it. Citing the act, the administration deported 238 immigrants to an infamous Salvadoran prison without due process. A CBS News investigation found an 'overwhelming majority' of the deportees have no apparent criminal convictions or charges.
On Feb. 14, Trump declared a national energy emergency so he could do 'whatever you have to do to get out of that problem. ' However, there is no problem. The United States is the world's biggest oil and gas producer, but Trump wants to achieve more 'dominance' by speeding up infrastructure permits and expanding production on public lands.
If America had an emergency, the government's logical response would be to push for rapid deployment of renewable energy resources. They are cheaper, cleaner and indigenous. Instead, Trump wants to rescind federal investments in clean energy. Meantime, the real emergency is America's long oil addiction. It has triggered wars and recessions, environmental blight, fatal illnesses and global climate change.
Clearly, Trump's response has nothing to do with an energy crisis, but it could have something to do with the $96 million that the oil and gas industry gave to his presidential campaign.
The Brennan Center has identified 150 extraordinary powers that presidents can claim to address true emergencies. In Trump's mind, no issue is too small, no affront too petty, and no liberty too cherished for attack by executive order. Even paper straws have not escaped his wrath. He is wielding his contrived powers not only against government and civil society but also against cherished cultural assets like the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center.
Again, the only active insurrection in the United States — the only affront to security, democracy, morality and liberty — is the one Trump is executing. Knowing what we knew after his January 6th rebellion, it was an extraordinary mistake to entrust him with the tools of the presidency again.
Every government official in the United States, every civil servant, judge, Cabinet officer, military officer and soldier, regardless of political leanings, swears allegiance to the Constitution rather than to presidents. This president is pushing America onto a bridge too far. If oaths mean anything anymore, our collective duty is to stop Donald Trump from forcing us to cross it.
William S. Becker is co-editor of and a contributor to 'Democracy Unchained: How to Rebuild Government for the People,' and contributor to Democracy in a Hotter Time, named by the journal Nature as one of 2023's five best science books. He previously served as a senior official in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He is currently executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, a nonpartisan climate policy think tank unaffiliated with the White House.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mayor Bass, regional mayors call for end to ICE raids in Southern California: "Our communities are not battlegrounds"
Mayor Bass, regional mayors call for end to ICE raids in Southern California: "Our communities are not battlegrounds"

CBS News

time16 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Mayor Bass, regional mayors call for end to ICE raids in Southern California: "Our communities are not battlegrounds"

After days of violent and destructive protests in Los Angeles, fueled by an increase in immigration enforcement operations, Mayor Karen Bass and other regional mayors called for an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. At a news conference Wednesday morning, Bass said the unrest in a portion of Los Angeles started last Friday after immigration operations were carried out in several parts of Southern California. Bass told reporters that LA and surrounding cities were "peaceful" before the raids. Mayor Karen Bass called on the Trump administration to end the immigration enforcement operations taking place across the Southern California region. KCAL News She explained that the raids have caused fear in immigrant communities, and accused President Trump of worsening the situation when he ordered the deployment of National Guard and U.S. Marine troops. She called for an end to ICE raids and the federalization of troops. "When you start deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids, it is a drastic and chaotic escalation and completely unnecessary," Bass said. Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, claiming that his decision to deploy troops to LA saved the city from burning to the ground. "The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!," he wrote. Her speech came a day after she implemented a curfew in a portion of downtown LA after five consecutive nights of demonstrations, which have escalated to clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, as well as hundreds of arrests. Since the start of the protests, parts of downtown LA have been covered in graffiti, businesses have been looted and public property has been vandalized. TOPSHOT - A car burns as a demonstrator waves a Mexican national flag during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on June 7, 2025. RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images During an interview Wednesday morning on CBS Los Angeles, Bass explained that the curfew will be extended until it is necessary to ensure public safety. The curfew currently runs for one square mile in the downtown area from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 Freeway and 5 Freeway merge from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Bass has also taken to social media to share how the raids are affecting the city. In a post on X, she wrote, "Angelenos are trying to live their lives—going to work, caring for their families—while facing the constant threat of sudden immigration crackdowns." Other mayors from across Southern California joined Bass, calling for an end to the ICE raids. The Mayor of Huntington Park, Arturo Flores, a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, told reporters that the military neighborhoods. "The deployment of Marines on our U.S. soil is an alarming escalation that undermines the values of democracy," Flores said. "Our communities are not battle grounds." Flores said the ICE raids being carried out in his community and others across the region are a form of intimidation that traumatizes hardworking residents. He said fear-based tactics are being used to target immigrant communities. The Mayor of Paramount, Peggy Lemons, added that residents are choosing not to leave their homes or send their children to school out of fear that ICE will take them away. "For many in our city, this has been the most devastating time in recent memory," Lemons said. She said immigrants, who play such an important role in the makeup of the region, should not have to live in constant fear.

State Department orders departure of nonessential staff from Baghdad embassy
State Department orders departure of nonessential staff from Baghdad embassy

Yahoo

time19 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

State Department orders departure of nonessential staff from Baghdad embassy

The State Department is ordering the departure of all nonessential staff from its embassy in Baghdad due to concern over increased security risks in the region, according to two State Department officials familiar with the matter. "President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies," one of the officials said. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce our Mission in Iraq." The embassy already has a very limited number of nonessential employees, so the order is not expected to impact many individuals. Under the current plan, one official said the U.S. military would not be involved in transporting the nonessential personnel out of the country, but that those plans could change if the situation on the ground calls for it. Another U.S. official said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East as tensions ratchet up between Israel and Iran. -ABC News' Luis Martinez and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report. State Department orders departure of nonessential staff from Baghdad embassy originally appeared on

Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions
Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions

Yahoo

time19 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions

All members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced their resignation on Wednesday, releasing a statement accusing President Donald Trump's administration of political interference in the prestigious exchange program. The 12-member board alleged the Trump administration "usurped the authority of the Board" by denying Fulbright awards to "a substantial number of individuals" who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The board also alleged the administration is currently "subjecting" an additional 1,200 international Fulbright recipients to "an unauthorized review process and could reject more." "We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute," the board said in its statement. MORE: State Department delivers crushing news to Fulbright scholar hopefuls in Afghanistan The board oversees the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, which offers international graduate students, young professionals and artists the opportunity to study and conduct research in the United States. The government-funded, non-partisan program -- which was established by Congress in 1942 under then-President Harry Truman's administration -- operates in more than 160 countries worldwide, providing scholarships to approximately 4,000 foreign students annually. In the joint letter on Wednesday, the board said the awards that were overridden by the administration were concentrated in biology, engineering, architecture, agriculture, crop sciences, animal sciences, biochemistry, medical sciences, music and history. MORE: State Dept. suggests Afghan Fulbright hopefuls seek other options as program stalls The board claimed it has raised "legal issues and our strong objections with" senior Trump administration officials "on multiple occasions," including in writing, but says the concerns have not been acknowledged. In a statement to statement to ABC News after the board announced its resignation, a senior State Department official called the decision "a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump." "It's ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump's Executive Orders." the official said. The board, however, said in its statement that the decision was not one "we take lightly," woth the board calling on Congress, the courts and future Fulbright Boards to "prevent the administration's efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation's most respected and valuable programs." "Injecting politics and ideological mandates into the Fulbright program violates the letter and spirit of the law that Congress so wisely established nearly eight decades ago," the board concluded in its statement. Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions originally appeared on

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store