Donald Trump's second presidency is unfolding as a chilling case study in authoritarian consolidation, echoing the well-documented playbook of strongmen who dismantle democracies from within. In just his first 85 days, Trump signed a staggering 124 executive orders - more than Biden did in an entire term - while erecting new federal departments like the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” to centralize control. These actions, combined with aggressive moves against judges, military overreach, and suppression of dissenting media, reveal a government rapidly transforming into a tool of personal power. From firing confirmed officials to bypassing Congress and weaponizing law enforcement against political opponents, each maneuver aligns with a classic nine-step blueprint used by autocrats to seize and cement control.
America doesn't need prayers. It needs fire. It needs resistance. Democracy is being eviscerated before our eyes - midnight arrests, judges dragged in chains, students vanishing. This isn't We The People. It's the death rattle of a republic. America needs an exorcism!
Arrests, Immoral Deportations and No Due Process
Francisco Gallegos kissed his little girl goodbye before school - then vanished. 'Oops,' deported.(WBALTV) Rumeysa Ozturk - disappeared when her visa evaporated. (CNN) Mahmoud Khalil - caged for saying "Free Palestine."(NBC) Badar Khan Suri - arrested for a retweet. (NPR) Alireza Doroudi - vanished without charges.(APR) And now, Judge Hannah Dugan - hauled away in chains from her courtroom. (NYT)
What's happening in America today should make chills claw up and down your spine and freeze your blood. It should make you feel the same primal terror as when Regan's head spun backward in The Exorcist as the devil mocked God and all that is sacred.
Democracy breathes freedom - and it is being eviscerated before our eyes. Midnight arrests of critics. Judges dragged in chains from their benches. Students vanishing from classrooms.
This is no longer We The People. It's the death rattle of a republic.
America doesn't need prayers. America needs fire. America needs resistance. America needs an exorcism.
This ends one of two ways: Either we wake up today - marching, voting, and screaming bloody murder - Or we kneel tomorrow, begging for rights we threw away with our silence. Trump's playbook is working - it targets the comfortable first. By the time they come for you, there'll be no one left to protest. Choose. Fight! Take this country back by any means necesssary. The clock is not ticking in your favor.
Trump's Authoritarian Blueprint 9 Steps with Real-World Actions
Step 1: Initial Power Grab
Signed 124 executive orders in first 85 days - more than Biden did in an entire term (theconversation.com)
Issued 26 executive orders on Day One - the most of any president in history (en.wikipedia.org)
Established Department of Government Efficiency to centralize control over federal operations (en.wikipedia.org)
Step 2: Judicial System Control
Called for impeachment of federal judges who ruled against his policies (nytimes.com)
Fired Democratic commissioners from an independent trade commission (nytimes.com)
Attempted to shut down federal agencies despite court rulings (nytimes.com)
Step 3: Military and Security Forces Control
Deployed U.S. military to southern border under national emergency declaration (en.wikipedia.org)
Designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (en.wikipedia.org)
Pardoned over 1,500 January 6 rioters (en.wikipedia.org)
Step 4: Economic Levers
Revamped Kennedy Center board and took chairmanship (nbcnews.com)
Threatened law firms with loss of government contracts over political disagreements (nbcnews.com)
Forced Skadden law firm to provide $100 million in free legal services (nbcnews.com)
Step 5: Information Control
Ended traditional press pool selection for presidential events (nbcnews.com)
Added more right-leaning outlets to White House press access (nbcnews.com)
Barred mainstream news orgs like AP from Oval Office coverage (nbcnews.com)
Step 6: Legislative Manipulation
Fired National Labor Relations Board member despite Senate confirmation through 2028 (nbcnews.com)
Used executive orders to bypass Congress on election law (nbcnews.com)
Ordered deportation of foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests (nbcnews.com)
Revoked over 300 student visas based on political activism (nbcnews.com)
Used federal funds to pressure universities over curriculum content (nbcnews.com)
Step 8: System Rigging
Signed executive order requiring citizenship proof for voter registration (nbcnews.com)
Restricted student loan forgiveness for workers at disfavored organizations (nbcnews.com)
Denied loan forgiveness to those working with undocumented immigrants (nbcnews.com)
Step 9: Fearmongering
Declared national emergency on southern border to justify military action (en.wikipedia.org)
Attempted to end birthright citizenship for children of legal immigrants (en.wikipedia.org)
Delayed TikTok ban using executive authority, citing national security (en.wikipedia.org)
“We've never seen a president so comprehensively attempt to arrogate and consolidate so much of the other branches' power - at least not in the first two months of his presidency.”
Donald Trump's second presidency is unfolding as a chilling case study in authoritarian consolidation, echoing the well-documented playbook of strongmen who dismantle democracies from within. In just his first 85 days, Trump signed a staggering 124 executive orders - more than Biden did in an entire term - while erecting new federal departments like the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” to centralize control. These actions, combined with aggressive moves against judges, military overreach, and suppression of dissenting media, reveal a government rapidly transforming into a tool of personal power. From firing confirmed officials to bypassing Congress and weaponizing law enforcement against political opponents, each maneuver aligns with a classic nine-step blueprint used by autocrats to seize and cement control.