Trump is transforming Americans from citizens to subjects

In my 2022 novel Cyber ​​Warfare, one of the characters shows that Internet technology makes it possible to turn democracy into a democratic dictatorship. But when I wrote it, I couldn’t imagine that this novel could describe the United States under President Trump today.

Although most parts of the world are involved in tariff wars that condonize the world, a more critical development has quietly taken place at home: the Americans’ transition from citizen to subject.

Trump is becoming an elected dictator after President Vladimir Putin. His actions echoed Louis XIV’s statement to the Paris Parliament in 1655: “The country is me.” In the next election, Trump will not need to make up himself or incite his supporters in the 2020 way.

The White House door may be open in the 2028 presidential election where he cannot win constitutionally. He is not afraid of Congress, the judiciary, American voters, the media, or even the Titan of the American economy. He has tested the waters, and the agencies and voters seem to have succumbed to his orders.

Since Trump took office on January 20, the House has already rubbed his moves and has been the mouthpiece that recognizes his numerous execution orders, including the expulsion of the Inspector General, the liquidation of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the wholesale dismissal of civil servants. It is not to consider initiatives, reject, change or endorsement like a branch of government equality.

The Judiciary is another common branch of the government, giving Trump immunity with all actions related to the core powers of his office. Although the ruling does not give the president all the powers it has, it is broad enough to allow Trump to act like he is legally, devalue and devalue many judges of the ruling he dislikes.

For example, Trump publicly condemned federal judge James Boasberg, who called him a “radical left madman” when he blocked the Trump administration from expelling alleged members of the Venezuelan gang. Understandably, other judges may be deterred in their ruling against Trump’s will.

Trump has not saved the media from revenge. For example, he sued and settled in ABC News ($15 million) and filed similar lawsuits against CBS News and the Iowa Des Moines Register. Later, he said he planned to reduce the government’s contribution to PBS and NPR.

Trump’s message is clear: Don’t dare to put me in trouble or I will sue you or cut back on the government’s support. As a result, mass media organizations have self-censored reports against Trump, and his critics are silent.

In addition, Titans in the U.S. industry, such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai, were soon retaliating and losing money on the company soon before Trump. Many of them attended his inauguration and brought a million dollars or more gifts.

Finally, Trump threatened to cancel millions of dollars in research funding, such as many higher education such as Harvard, Cornell and the Northwest, if they do not modify many policies based on his orders.

So far, many institutions have accused Trump’s request. As far as Columbia University is concerned, the Trump administration aims to install federal oversight to ensure the required behavior. This will certainly suffocate innovation and attract free flow of ideas from American universities around the world.

Many Americans feel helpless in an atmosphere of surrender or tacit support for Trump. They grew up as citizens who have the right to elect Congress and the president. But slowly, they began to feel that their voting was in the form of a pre-appointed democratic tyrant.

Can anything be done to reverse the process and use the United States as a democratic system? perhaps.

But it requires the joint efforts of all Americans and their institutions to prepare to fight for the Republic. Specifically:

• Congress must regain its role as a common branch of the government and retreat when the executive branch exceeds its power.
• The judiciary must regain its role in interpreting and enforcing the law.
• The media must report independently on the topics they choose.
• Business leaders must stop being wimp and provide blind support to the government.
• Most importantly, citizens of the country must play a role as sponsors representing all powers of the government and, if necessary, board a roadblock to fight for this privilege.

I have confidence in the deep Americans who have fair and free choices in the United States, including the choices of the government.

In the final analysis, as Thomas Jefferson puts it, “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” He was then, and now.

Professor Avraham Shama is an award-winning writer and university professor. He wrote about financial, government and policy issues.

Source link