Trump Autocracy Tracker — Threat Detail

Markers of Autocracy (Structural / Institutional)

AC01 Consolidation of Executive Power click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Concentration of authority in the executive branch beyond constitutional limits, including expansion of emergency powers, executive orders bypassing legislation, and assertion of unilateral authority.

Indicators

Excessive use of executive orders
Claims of absolute executive authority
Bypassing congressional approval
Expansion of emergency powers
Signing statements nullifying legislation

Current Evidence

Analysis notes Trump’s pardon plans ‘further the Authoritarian Playbook tactics of aggrandizing executive power’ and asserting unilateral authority (‘absolute right’) beyond traditional constraints.
Context of the travel ban executive order being challenged and Trump’s insistence that ‘ultimately I have no doubt that we’ll win that particular case,’ framing judicial review as an obstacle to executive action.
Executive order cutting off federal funds for public broadcasting and attempts to dismantle Voice of America — use of executive action to pressure and defund media, blocked by courts.
The report explicitly states the deportation drive ‘involves suppressing dissent, evading checks and balances, and consolidating executive power.’
‘As the administration concentrates executive power into its deportation force, it blurs the lines between federal and state and local law enforcement,’ building a unified enforcement apparatus answering to the president.
On Monday, Mr. Trump signed an executive order officially creating DOGE, which will be housed within the executive branch. The creation of a spending-and-restructuring body via executive order, housed within the executive branch, reflects an expansion of executive-directed government restructuring.
Reference to ‘Trump’s takeover’ of the Kennedy Center, indicating executive assertion of control over a cultural institution that historically operated with a degree of independence.
Scholars are ‘deeply troubled by Trump’s attempts to expand executive power over his first several months in office’ and the article references ‘Trump is trying to remake the presidency.’ The survey cites concern over ‘whether the legislature and the judiciary can check executive authority.’
The report identifies ‘amassing executive power’ as a marker of democratic decline and notes ‘This has strengthened the power of the executive and set up a conflict with the judiciary as the remaining functional check.’
Description of a second term where Trump ‘will face fewer constraints in Congress and a more effective and compliant staff and bureaucracy,’ with fewer institutional actors ‘stopping Trump from doing things that would’ve violated the Constitution or the law.’
Immigration lawyer notes ‘POLICY CHANGES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL HAVE ALSO MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO GET SOMEONE RELEASED ONCE THEYRE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY,’ with individuals now forced to seek federal court orders to obtain release — indicating executive-driven policy shifts restricting relief.
President Donald Trump’s executive order released in January targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government, using executive action to unilaterally gut federal programs and reallocate/cancel appropriated funding.
In January and February 2025, several executive orders directed DOGE to implement a series of government reform initiatives, concentrating workforce and spending reform authority within the Executive Office of the President via DOGE personnel.
The essay questions were directed by the Trump administration as part of the May 2025 ‘merit hiring plan,’ centering hiring criteria around the president’s executive orders, reflecting an effort to align the civil service with executive priorities.
The mass termination of Senate-confirmed, presidentially appointed independent watchdogs via unilateral executive action—potentially violating statutory notice requirements—represents an assertion of unilateral executive authority beyond legal limits. Connolly called it a ‘Friday night coup.’
They tried through an arguably illegal executive order to freeze funding for health care, education, transportation, and other services. Musk and Trump seeking to control the government’s payment system and cut off funds to programs they want to defund.
the Executive Branch, reorganized as a ‘unitary’ mechanism under President Trump’s direct and personal control, now stands firmly on the side of autocratic political violence.
Following the signing of the Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ executive order on January 20, 2025… DOGE has played a critical role in the Trump-Vance administration’s push to dramatically reduce the size of the government. This describes creation of an entity via executive order to restructure government without congressional authorization.
On the first day of his second term, President Trump formalized DOGE… via executive order. In February 2025, President Trump issued three executive orders requiring federal agencies to coordinate with DOGE personnel on actions amounting to DOGE control. The Trump Administration and DOGE have unlawfully attempted to abolish statutory programs and agencies.
The administration is using a government shutdown as a lever to fire workers deemed ‘nonessential,’ with OMB directing agencies to issue RIF notices based on ‘the president’s priorities’ — an assertion of executive authority to reshape the workforce outside normal appropriations/legislative processes.

AC02 Undermining Judicial Independence click to expand

↓ Falling 9

Attacks on the independence and legitimacy of the judiciary, including defiance of court orders, packing or threatening judges, and delegitimizing judicial review.

Indicators

Public attacks on judges by name
Defiance or slow-walking of court orders
Threats to restructure courts
Appointment of loyalists over qualified jurists
Delegitimizing judicial review

Current Evidence

Trump’s own Supreme Court nominee described the president’s attacks on the judiciary as ‘disheartening and demoralising.’ The president’s ‘so-called judge’ tweet and warnings of assigning blame to courts for future terrorist attacks represent personal attacks on the judiciary that critics say ‘undermine a core principle of US democracy that courts are supposed to be independent.’
Trump called the Supreme Court ‘a weaponized and unjust Political Organization’ and attacked Justices Gorsuch and Barrett by name, accusing them of ‘bad and wrongful rulings and intentions.’ He also disparaged Judge Boasberg’s ruling.
Trump claimed ‘Democrats on the Court always stick together’ and that the courts are ‘highly politicized. Cases don’t matter, the Judge does!’ — delegitimizing judicial review and impartiality.
DOGE’s role has been ‘downplayed by Justice Department lawyers when legally expedient,’ suggesting manipulation of legal characterizations, and ‘dozens of federal lawsuits have challenged DOGE’s activities,’ with many initiatives ‘reversed or delayed after legal setbacks’ — indicating friction with courts, though the text notes some compliance/reversal (partial de-escalation offset).
President Trump has frequently called judges lunatics, crooked, or Trump-hating. He called Supreme Court justices ‘fools and lapdogs’ and accused them of being disloyal to the Constitution. Retired Judge Jones stated Trump is ‘trying to delegitimize the federal courts when he insults judges.’
Public attacks on judges by name and by category, with a documented correlation to threats: ‘Often a wave of threats against those judges follows. Last year, 400 federal judges were the targets of serious threats – a 78% jump compared to four years ago.’
The text notes DOGE’s actions have prompted ‘dozens of federal lawsuits’ and that ‘Musk’s role as the de facto head of DOGE has been… downplayed by Justice Department lawyers when legally expedient,’ suggesting evasion of legal accountability. Note: this is descriptive of legal pushback, not direct attacks on judges.
After the Merit Systems Protection Board ruled workers were wrongfully dismissed, ‘the workers were dismissed again when Trump installed a new head of the MSPB’ — replacing an adjudicative body’s leadership to override an unfavorable ruling.
Survey indicators include ‘whether the legislature and the judiciary can check executive authority,’ which scholars rated as declining, indicating concern about erosion of judicial checks.
Trump’s ‘unprecedented attacks on the judicial system’ including attacks on ‘individual judges’ described by retired federal appeals judge J. Michael Luttig as ‘a grave threat to the judiciary and the independence of the courts.’ The stated purpose is ‘to delegitimize them in the eyes of the American public.’
Trump publicly attacked the judiciary after Judge Robart’s ruling, saying the ‘courts seem to be so political’ and calling the 9th Circuit hearing ‘disgraceful.’ His attacks raised concerns that judges could become targets, and even his own SCOTUS nominee described the criticism as ‘demoralizing and disheartening.’
The title references ‘Trump’s attacks on democratic institutions,’ which may encompass the judiciary, but the text provides no specific detail to confirm judicial attacks.
Trump characterized federal sentences as excessive (‘These people have served, horribly, a long time’) and dismissed the individualized judicial process, undermining judicial determinations that accounted for defendants’ criminal histories.
In Colorado, ICE ‘whisked [a family] out of the state in violation of a District Court order,’ indicating defiance of a court order.
Survey measures ‘whether the legislature and the judiciary can check executive authority’ — cited as an area of concern amid the democratic decline.
Trump called a federal judge who halted his travel ban a ‘so-called judge’ and tweeted that the judge’s opinion ‘is ridiculous and will be overturned!’ He attacked the jurist several times over the weekend and complained that some courts were ‘so political.’
Even Trump’s own Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, described the president’s attacks on the judiciary as ‘disheartening and demoralising,’ and the reporting frames Trump as ‘intent on eroding the authority of the judicial branch.’
The article reports a check functioning against the loyalty test: ‘Federal court halts loyalty question on federal job applications’ — a judicial intervention constraining executive action (de-escalation via functioning oversight).
In Some Cases, Federal Judges Have Rejected the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Dismiss These Unrelated Criminal Charges — DOJ pushing to dismiss charges against pardoned rioters, with courts pushing back.
DOGE and its defenders have been caught providing false claims in court… potentially deceived agency leaders and federal courts to avoid disclosing those violations.

AC03 Attacks on Free Press / Media Capture click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Systematic efforts to delegitimize, intimidate, or control media organizations, including ‘fake news’ rhetoric, selective access, legal threats, and ownership pressure.

Indicators

Labeling legitimate press as ‘enemy of the people’
Selective press access and exclusion
Legal threats against media organizations
Promoting state-aligned media
Pressuring media ownership

Current Evidence

“I always call them the dishonest media, but they treated me nicely. (Laughter.)” — Trump reiterates his standing label of the press as “dishonest media,” a recurring delegitimizing epithet.
Table of contents references extensive ‘Targeting of press’ including ‘Attacks on journalists during the Trump presidencies,’ ‘AP v. Budowich,’ ‘2025 Pentagon press pass forfeiture,’ ‘Hannah Natanson FBI raid,’ and suspension of television programs including ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ and executive order affecting public broadcasting.
Trump accused Senator Blumenthal of misrepresenting his discussion, and the White House Press Secretary attempted to reframe/downplay the nominee’s reported comments, a pattern of contesting media reporting of unfavorable narratives.
Trump has filed at least nine lawsuits against major media companies since 2020 seeking tens of billions of dollars in damages; a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal; executive order cutting off federal funds for public broadcasting; attempts to dismantle Voice of America; Pentagon press access rules ruled unconstitutional twice.
Trump delegitimizing media: ‘Our media companies have no credibility whatsoever… putting out information that they know is false’ and calling them ‘maybe the most corrupt news organizations.’
Trump’s threats to retaliate against critical media coverage by revoking White House press credentials, including ‘selectively barring access to the White House press corps’ and the stripping of CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials after unfavorable questioning.
Donald Trump has publicly criticized protesters and ‘the crooked media.’
Trump’s broader campaign against the press through litigation, regulatory threats, and public attacks; ‘attempts to limit press access to moves targeting public broadcasters’; strategy described as ‘creating sustained pressure on media organizations.’
Trump labels media as ‘fake news’ with ‘no credibility whatsoever’ and equates U.S. media with Iranian propaganda: ‘What Iran is known for is fake news, and they deal with our fake news.’
Trump has publicly criticized protesters and ‘the crooked media.’
Respondents consider indicators ‘including whether the government interferes with the press’ as part of the assessed decline in democratic performance.
Trump repeatedly labels journalists and outlets as ‘fake news’ and declares ‘The Fake News Media is the true Enemy of the People!’ during his CPAC speech and on Twitter, targeting CNN, the Washington Post, and others.
Description notes DOGE operations were ‘far from transparent,’ with DOGE’s head Elon Musk making ‘DOGE’s numbers even harder to check’ despite promising to be ‘maximally transparent’ — indicating reduced public accountability, though not a direct press attack.
The excerpt references a ‘years-long project to discredit fact-based media and replace it with MAGA slop’ — describing a sustained effort to delegitimize legitimate media and substitute it with aligned content. This is a third-party characterization of the pattern rather than direct primary evidence.
Table of contents includes a dedicated section ‘2.1 Targeting of press’ under ‘Authoritarian actions’, indicating documented efforts against media organizations.
Trump has filed at least nine lawsuits against major media companies since 2020 seeking tens of billions of dollars in damages, including a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal; he issued an executive order cutting off federal funds for public broadcasting, attempted to dismantle Voice of America, and imposed Pentagon press access rules ruled unconstitutional.
‘Our media companies have no credibility whatsoever. Uh putting out information that they know is false.’ and ‘I think it’s maybe the most corrupt news organizations.’ — delegitimizing rhetoric toward the press consistent with ongoing ‘fake news’ framing.
Trump labels the New York Times as ‘the failing New York Times’ and characterizes media coverage as ‘slander and libels’ and part of a ‘concerted, coordinated and vicious attack,’ delegitimizing press organizations by name.
Survey indicators include ‘whether the government interferes with the press’ as a measured indicator of democratic performance decline.
Trump has promised to go after his political opponents ‘and the media in his 2nd administration.’

AC04 Politicization of Law Enforcement / Military click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Using law enforcement and military institutions for political purposes, including targeting political opponents, deploying forces against civilians, and installing loyalists in command positions.

Indicators

DOJ investigations targeting political opponents
Military deployment for political purposes
Loyalty-based appointments to security agencies
Weaponization of intelligence agencies
Politicization of FBI/DHS

Current Evidence

The expansion of 287(g) agreements from 32 agencies in 16 states (January 2016) to 150 agreements in 32 states (September 2020), deputizing local police as immigration enforcement ‘force multipliers,’ represents the leveraging of law enforcement institutions to carry out expansive deportation priorities under the Trump administration.
Musk’s team was ‘given highly sensitive government data’ and empowered to fire personnel based on alignment with ‘the administration’s values and priorities,’ indicating loyalty-based personnel control across agencies.
The headline frames immigration enforcement (‘Trump Is Forcing Her to Self-Deport’) as being directed at a Democratic political operative (‘She’s Helping Dems Take Back Congress’), implying the use of immigration enforcement apparatus against a political actor.
The killing of Renee Good by masked ICE officers, ICE agents acting ‘with impunity as a paramilitary force,’ and an ‘illegal military incursion in Venezuela’ represent the use of enforcement and military forces for political ends.
The article documents intensive ICE operations concentrated in a single immigrant neighborhood in Queens (‘One Corner. Seven Arrests.’), reflecting aggressive deployment of federal enforcement against civilian immigrant communities as part of ‘Trump’s deportation campaign.’
DHS revoking ‘sensitive areas’ protections and empowering ICE/CBP to conduct raids on schools, hospitals, and churches; expanding immigration enforcement authority to US Marshals, DEA, and ATF represents an aggressive redeployment of federal enforcement resources.
DHS revoked long-standing restrictions preventing ICE raids in sensitive areas like schools, churches, and hospitals; additionally ‘DHS allows US Marshals, DEA and ATF to carry out immigration enforcement,’ expanding the scope of enforcement agencies deployed against civilians.
Reference to ‘Operation Southern Spear’ framed alongside ‘killing suspects’ suggests a military/law enforcement operation potentially deploying lethal force in ways that bypass legal process.
Table of contents includes ‘2.7 Domestic military actions’ and ‘2.6 Immigration enforcement’ under ‘Authoritarian actions’.
The text describes ‘ICE’s use of local police and authorities’ to conduct immigration enforcement, indicating the deputization or co-optation of local law enforcement agencies into federal immigration enforcement operations.
Officials ‘treated it as the president’s personal force to be deployed against American cities perceived as hostile to his interests, during political standoffs with the opposing party, and in response to protests.’ ICE deputized ‘thousands of state and local police’ to conduct mass street arrests.
The 287(g) program ‘effectively turns local police into ICE agents’ and creates a ‘national deportation force that acts as though it answers only to the president,’ with DHS training more than 10,000 officers while drastically reducing training requirements and supervision capacity.
Federal law enforcement and National Guard members described as deploying against civilians, including ‘national Guard members who violently detained’ a combat veteran in D.C., and federal officers firing ‘less lethal’ weapons at nonviolent protesters. ICE and DHS conducting warrantless home entries and mass raids.
Federal agents surged by DHS ‘may have broken state laws’ during a voter-focused operation, indicating deployment of federal law enforcement personnel for electorally-charged purposes potentially exceeding legal authority.
The report lists ‘politicizing independent institutions’ as a key marker of decline and begins to discuss law enforcement: ‘Healthy democracies have strong independent institutions, such as law enforcem[ent].’
A reported ‘surge’ in ICE activity with public detentions across central Indiana, described as unusual in scale and generating community-wide fear, consistent with the aggressive deployment of federal enforcement in immigrant communities.
The text describes ICE rescinding ‘long-standing enforcement priorities’ and beginning to ‘indiscriminately’ arrest immigrants, suggesting a shift toward aggressive, potentially politically-directed law enforcement action against a targeted population.
The text references the Administration’s ‘mass deportation campaign’ that ‘brought chaos and violence to American communities,’ including a ‘shooting death’ and detentions carried out by federal immigration enforcement, indicating aggressive use of enforcement apparatus against communities.
President Trump proceeded to systematically punish thousands of federal law enforcement officers, both FBI agents and Assistant United States Attorneys, who investigated and prosecuted the January 6th offenders he just pardoned… sacked or demoted for no reason other than the fact that they conducted the investigations and prosecutions they were assigned.
ICE agents impersonating police and using deceptive tactics (‘ruses’) to gain warrantless entry into homes or lure people out, described as a pattern used ‘for years’ to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants going about daily life.

AC05 Election Interference / Voter Suppression click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Actions to undermine free and fair elections, including voter suppression, gerrymandering, false fraud claims, and interference with election administration.

Indicators

False claims of widespread voter fraud
Voter roll purges targeting demographics
Restrictions on mail-in/early voting
Interference with election certification
Attacks on election officials

Current Evidence

Trump and his co-conspirators’ attempt to prevent the lawful certification of the 2020 presidential election, and to interfere with millions of Americans’ right to vote and have that vote counted
false presidential elector schemes in seven states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin)
Trump making false claims about pipe burst stopping counting and ‘a lot of things happened’, prematurely claiming victory, and promoting protests at counting locations
Trump prematurely claimed victory in the state while results were still being counted, and made false claims about vote counting procedures including statements about a pipe burst affecting counting
working to influence midterm elections
The Trump administration is taking the unprecedented step of creating lists of adult citizens who are eligible to vote in each state ahead of the midterms. Federal creation of citizen voter eligibility lists represents an intervention into election administration, which is traditionally a state responsibility, raising concerns about potential voter roll manipulation or suppression.
revoked… executive orders, including those that sought to: adopt a whole of government approach to integrating non-partisan voter registration activities… protect the census and affirm that apportionment counts include all people
The report lists ‘corrupting elections’ as one of the six markers of democratic decline observed in the Trump presidency.
The text describes Trump as having ‘schemed to overturn legitimate election results,’ indicating interference with election certification and undermining legitimate outcomes.
The mass firings include over 130 cuts within CISA, the agency that ‘partners with states and local jurisdictions to secure U.S. election infrastructure’ — degrading capacity to protect election systems.
The headline ‘Trump Wants the Mailman Checking Your Ballot’ combined with the subtitle ‘It’s unconstitutional. It’s unworkable’ indicates an alleged effort to alter ballot verification/administration processes, which maps to interference with election administration.
The text describes the Trump administration ‘hoping to put so many restrictions on mail-in balloting that people simply won’t be able to vote that way at all,’ which directly maps to restrictions on mail-in/early voting as a form of voter suppression.
Trump issued an executive order that critics warn ‘would restrict voter access nationwide and punish states that make it easier for citizens to have their political preferences registered at the ballot box’ and ‘could potentially disenfranchise any American who doesn’t have a passport.’
Table of contents includes section ‘2.4 Targeting of elections’ under ‘Authoritarian actions’.
The order ‘would disenfranchise millions. It seeks to restrict what ballots states can count. It purports to give DOGE unspecified powers to review state run voter rolls.’ Also references Trump claiming ‘our elections are very dishonest, very corrupt.’
The Trump administration sought to ‘allow mail-in voting restrictions under a U.S. Postal Service plan for the midterm general election,’ indicating an attempt to restrict mail-in voting access ahead of an election.
The Department of Homeland Security began surging personnel for what it called the ‘Unlawful Voter Initiative,’ framing a federal law enforcement operation around alleged voter fraud, which suggests interference with election administration and reinforces false fraud narratives.
The report identifies ‘corrupting elections’ as one of six markers of democratic decline observed in the Trump presidency.
The pardons relate to the Jan. 6 attack, which was an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election. Rewarding participants delegitimizes the peaceful transfer of power and the electoral process.
Table of contents section ‘2020 presidential election and rejection of outcome’ referencing the rejection of the election result.

AC06 Silencing Political Opposition click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Efforts to suppress, intimidate, or criminalize political opposition, including investigations of political rivals, threats against dissidents, and chilling effects on free speech.

Indicators

Investigations targeting political opponents
Threats against critics and whistleblowers
Retaliation against dissenting officials
Chilling effects on political speech
Labeling opposition as ‘enemies’ or ‘traitors’

Current Evidence

Trump’s announcement that he would review the security clearances of six former government officials after they had spoken critically about him in media appearances, and threats that clearances ‘would be jeopardized and revoked’ if they continued critical commentary.
The targeting of civil rights offices directly endangers the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and other groups; withholding federal funding for public school activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Trump ‘casually threatening to jail his political enemies’ represents rhetoric aimed at intimidating and criminalizing political opposition.
Democracy defenders ‘Cast Aside, Fired and Demoted’ represents retaliation against dissenting officials who stood up to the insurrection and Trump’s plan.
Sustained pressure campaign, legal threats, and delegitimization aimed at critical media voices to chill dissent and opposition reporting.
One of the president-elect’s top aides suggested that Harry Reid might be in legal jeopardy for criticizing Trump.
The juxtaposition of the subject’s political activity (helping Democrats retake Congress) with being forced to leave the country suggests a potential chilling effect on political opposition, though the excerpt provides insufficient detail on causation.
Democracy indicators assessed include whether the government ‘punishes political opponents,’ cited among areas contributing to the democratic decline.
Branding Renee Good ‘a domestic terrorist’ and suggesting ‘opposition to their actions and policies is a capital crime’ reflects criminalization and intimidation of opposition.
Table of contents includes section ‘2.5.1 Persecutions of political opponents’ under ‘Targeting of civil society’.
Memo ‘targeting lawyers who litigated against his administration’; the order is described as intended to ‘intimidate state and local officials, lawyers, judges and voters.’
Expert analysis noting the goal is to ‘instill a fear of retaliation’ and ‘chill aggressive and zealous reporting,’ making it ‘more costly for journalists to report on the president’ — a chilling effect on critical speech via retaliation.
The deportation force was ‘deployed against American cities perceived as hostile to his interests, during political standoffs with the opposing party, and in response to protests.’
Survey indicators include whether the government ‘punishes political opponents,’ cited as a factor in the democratic decline.
The administration frames employees who take actions officials decide ‘represent an effort to undermine Trump’ as targets for removal, characterizing dissent within government as disloyalty warranting retaliation: ‘when we find them we will take appropriate action.’
The report lists ‘quashing dissent’ as a marker of democratic decline attributed to the administration.
Trump has promised to ‘go after his political opponents’ in his second administration.
Table of contents section titled ‘Targeting political opponents’ under the second presidency (2025–present).
Trump’s ‘pardon-the-perpetrators-and-purge-the-prosecutors offensive’ retaliating against those who held January 6th offenders accountable, creating chilling effects on independent law enforcement.
Using the shutdown ‘as a political threat to slash the federal workforce’ represents coercive use of state power, though targeted broadly at civil servants rather than named opposition figures.

AC07 Purging Civil Service / Loyalty Tests click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Systematic removal of career civil servants and replacement with political loyalists, undermining institutional expertise and independence.

Indicators

Mass firings of career officials
Schedule F reclassification
Loyalty oaths or tests for government employees
Replacement of experts with loyalists
Dismantling of inspectors general

Current Evidence

References to DOGE dismantling USAID, with former employees describing ‘deserted office buildings with no art on the walls, with empty picture frames’ and the agency being gutted, indicating mass removal of civil servants.
DOGE personnel ‘have encouraged the firing of tens of thousands of federal employees’ and ‘directly reshaping the federal bureaucracy through mass firings,’ undermining institutional expertise and career civil service.
DOGE described as ‘the Elon Musk-led project to slash the federal workforce,’ including efforts ‘to encourage many of the hundreds of thousands of eligible federal employees to accept terms to quit immediately in exchange for months of pay’ — characterized as ‘ridding the government of a force seen as thwarting Trump’s policy agenda.’
DOGE was ’empowered to fire people deemed not in line with the administration’s values and priorities’ and on ‘February 14, 2025… OPM directed agencies to fire probationary employees’ in blanket firings targeting the federal workforce.
Six prosecutors resigned from the Department of Justice in protest, illustrating internal institutional strain and pressure to comply with politically motivated actions.
the widespread and illegal firings of tens of thousands of civil servants and the departures of hundreds of thousands more
DOGE … oversaw mass firings of government employees. The departure of nearly 13 percent of SSA’s experienced staff… DOGE announced the goal of firing over 80,000 VA staffers, representing one in six employees. It has already fired at least 2,400 staffers while more than 14,000 VA healthcare staffers applied to Deferred Resignation Program.
DOGE-led restructuring cutting programs and grants across federal agencies, part of a broader pattern of dismantling institutional expertise and administrative capacity.
The White House confirmed it is ‘combing through federal agencies to identify employees not sufficiently loyal to President Trump to facilitate their ouster,’ with reports of ‘deep state hit lists of employees to fire’ and tasking Johnny McEntee to ‘purge bad people who are not loyal to him.’ The spokesman referenced the ‘millions’ of employees, going beyond the ~4,000 political appointees to potentially include statutorily protected career civil servants.
Trump has promised to remake the federal bureaucracy in his own image and to go after his political opponents; expectation of ‘a more effective and compliant staff and bureaucracy given the expectation that there won’t be people like Milley and Kelly stopping Trump from doing things that would’ve violated the Constitution or the law.’
DOGE was directed to ‘reform the federal workforce and reduce spending,’ with 206 personnel embedded across EOP and detailed to executive agencies to advance workforce reform initiatives.
Table of contents section titled ‘Mass terminations of federal employees’ under the second presidency (2025–present).
The Trump administration added an essay question to federal job applications asking candidates which of the president’s executive orders are most ‘significant’ to them, described as a ‘loyalty’ test that unions alleged ‘unlawfully politicizes the nonpartisan hiring process for the career civil service.’
The Trump administration fired at least a dozen federal inspectors general overnight, with emails stating ‘due to changing priorities, your position as inspector general… is terminated, effective immediately.’ The dismantling of independent inspectors general is a direct example of removing oversight officials, explicitly listed under this marker (‘Dismantling of inspectors general’).
Trump and his minions have rooted out civil servants who they deem insufficiently loyal to Dear Leader and taken draconian steps to depopulate federal agencies that do the people’s business.
The White House ‘Merit Hiring Plan’ limiting new federal employees to ‘patriotic Americans,’ with job applications reportedly requiring a ‘loyalty question’ — including asking applicants whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen and their views on NATO, tariffs, and whether Jan. 6 was ‘an inside job.’
These experienced agents and career government prosecutors, decorated and promoted in countless ways over the course of their careers, were sacked or demoted for no reason other than the fact that they conducted the investigations and prosecutions they were assigned.
the widespread and illegal firings of tens of thousands of civil servants and the departures of hundreds of thousands more
DOGE coordinated with other executive branch agencies to purge the expert federal workforce and chill the nonpartisan civil servants that are left to serve the public.
The article describes the DOGE effort to shrink the federal workforce and mass firings, and notes the administration is now using the shutdown to issue reduction-in-force notices to ’employees that aren’t essential to the president’s priorities.’ The framing around ‘president’s priorities’ suggests loyalty/agenda-based retention criteria.

AC08 Weakening Legislative Oversight click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Efforts to reduce congressional oversight and checks on executive power, including defying subpoenas, withholding information, and executive privilege claims.

Indicators

Defying congressional subpoenas
Withholding documents and testimony
Broad executive privilege claims
Impoundment of appropriated funds
Pressuring party members against oversight

Current Evidence

Federal law requires the White House to give Congress a full month of warning and case-specific details before firing an IG; this notice ‘was not provided to Congress.’ Removing IGs ‘an attack on transparency and accountability’ undermines oversight mechanisms.
Federal law requires the White House to give Congress a full month of warning and case-specific details before firing a federal inspector general. Sen. Grassley confirmed: ‘the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.’ Removing IGs undermines an oversight mechanism tied to congressional accountability.
It’s not clear whether Republicans will have an appetite for investigating the Trump administration or be willing to pass reforms to address the issues that have been raised.
The Trump Administration and DOGE have unlawfully attempted to abolish statutory programs and agencies… The Trump Administration has funneled an estimated $81 million to fund DOGE employees, resources, and activities with virtually no transparency or mechanisms of accountability.
DOGE bypassed Congress entirely — Ramaswamy ‘pushed to work through the courts and Congress’ but ‘Musk’s version prevailed: directly reshaping the federal bureaucracy’ without legislative process, effectively impounding/slashing appropriated funds.
The analysis notes that when ‘personalist ruling parties hold legislative majorities and the presidency,’ the checks that would ‘tame’ power-hungry leaders are absent, undermining institutional checks and balances.
DOGE bypassed the congressional route Ramaswamy advocated (‘Ramaswamy pushed to work through the courts and Congress… But by Inauguration Day… Musk’s version prevailed: directly reshaping the federal bureaucracy’), and slashed spending on foreign food aid, medical research, and other appropriated programs without legislative process, implicating impoundment concerns.
Survey indicators include whether the legislature can check executive authority, with the overall democracy rating dropping from 67 to 55, reflecting weakened legislative checks.
the unlawful decimation of hundreds of billion dollars in federal funding — impoundment/termination of congressionally appropriated funds bypassing legislative authority.
The order attempts to ‘usurp state and congressional authority over our elections,’ bypassing the constitutional role of Congress in setting election-related rules.
The order attempts to bypass the constitutional authority of Congress and state legislatures over elections: ‘They cannot be altered or overridden by a piece of paper in a fancy folder.’
The report notes ‘gaps in our accountability structures, which largely failed to stop agents’ and describes ‘evading checks and balances.’
Survey references concern over ‘whether the legislature … can check executive authority,’ indicating erosion of legislative oversight capacity.
DOGE eliminating billions in grants and stopping already-underway projects appears to involve executive impoundment/cancellation of congressionally appropriated funds without legislative approval.
EOP did not respond to GAO’s requests for access to training records and financial disclosures for DOGE personnel. As a result, GAO could not determine all DOGE personnel who received training or completed financial disclosures with EOP. GAO requested interviews with EOP, but EOP did not respond to these requests.
The firings may breach a law requiring the White House to give Congress 30-day notice and case-specific information before dismissing an inspector general, bypassing a statutory congressional oversight mechanism. Ware wrote the actions were ‘not legally sufficient’ and ‘inconsistent with the law.’
Invaded the highly sensitive Treasury Department to gain control of the government’s payment system, presumably to cut off funds to programs Musk and Trump want to defund—bypassing congressional appropriations authority (impoundment of appropriated funds).
the unlawful decimation of hundreds of billion dollars in federal funding — describing impoundment/withholding of congressionally appropriated funds, bypassing legislative power of the purse.
The Trump Administration and DOGE have unlawfully attempted to abolish statutory programs and agencies. The Trump Administration has funneled an estimated $81 million to fund DOGE… with virtually no transparency or mechanisms of accountability.
The administration’s attempt to unilaterally slash the workforce via shutdown bypasses Congress’s authority over spending and staffing, noted as legally contested (‘federal unions have sued, arguing that those threats to fire people are against the law’).

AC09 Weaponizing Prosecution click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Using the justice system to target political enemies, including selective prosecution, political prisoner detention, and manipulation of legal proceedings.

Indicators

Prosecution of political opponents
Selective enforcement of laws
Political motivation in legal actions
Detention for political reasons
Pardons for political allies

Current Evidence

Dismantling of Safeguards Against Waste, Fraud, Abuse, and Corruption. The Trump Administration has weakened or eliminated key offices… dedicated to protecting the public interest (implying dismantling of inspectors general and accountability mechanisms).
Trump characterizes journalism as criminal and threatens legal consequences: ‘I actually think it’s pretty criminal because our media companies… are putting out information that they know is false… I think they could be in serious trouble.’
Top aide suggested Harry Reid ‘might be in legal jeopardy for criticizing Trump,’ implying threat of legal action against a critic.
Trump granted clemency to nearly 1,600 people convicted in connection with the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, on the first day of his second term. This constitutes mass pardons for political allies who participated in an attack on the Capitol.
Six prosecutors resigned from the DOJ in protest of ‘a potential investigation targeting Good’s wife,’ indicating use of the justice system to target individuals associated with the administration’s victims/critics.
Trump portrays the prosecutions as ‘a Democratic scheme designed to derail his presidential bid, with an array of judges and prosecutors working against him at the behest of President Joe Biden,’ framing legitimate legal proceedings as politically weaponized against him (inverted victimhood framing).
Trump granted about 1,500 pardons and 14 sentence commutations to Jan. 6 rioters, characterizing them as ‘patriots.’ The mass clemency for those who attacked the Capitol represents use of the pardon power for political allies who acted on the president’s behalf.
Section heading ‘Persecutions of political opponents’ suggests use of the justice system against political rivals.
Pledged pardons for January 6 rioters (‘a large portion of them… full pardons with an apology’) exemplify using clemency to shield political allies from accountability, a core marker element (‘Pardons for political allies’).
Use of the legal system (nine lawsuits, tens of billions in damages) as a weapon to intimidate media into capitulation; attorney describes lawsuits against ABC and CBS as ‘without merit’ but costly to defend, resulting in millions extracted in settlements.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump granted clemency to every person charged or convicted for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, even those convicted of violently assaulting police officers. The blanket pardons for political allies who acted on his behalf represent the pardon power being used for political purposes (‘pardons for political allies’).
Pattern of false arrests, warrantless arrests, arrests of U.S. citizens, and prolonged detention (up to nearly three years) described across multiple states, reflecting arbitrary use of state coercive power against individuals.
Promise to ‘go after his political opponents,’ suggesting use of state/justice apparatus against rivals.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump granted clemency to every person charged or convicted for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, even those convicted of violently assaulting police officers. The blanket pardons for political allies who acted on Trump’s behalf represent using the clemency power to reward those aligned with him.
Reference to ‘wrongful detentions’ including of American citizens (‘american-citizens-arrested-detained-against-will’) suggests detention practices exceeding lawful bounds, though the source characterization is from an advocacy organization.
Section ‘Targeting political opponents’ combined with ‘Pardons and commutations (2025–present)’ suggests use of prosecutorial and pardon powers, though no substantive text is provided.
Removal of accountability officials whose ‘mission it is to root out waste, fraud and abuse’ reduces internal legal checks and enables selective enforcement, though the text focuses on removal rather than active prosecution.
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 rioters and insurrectionists for crimes connected to the storming of the United States Capitol; Trump’s DOJ has dismissed unrelated criminal charges against pardoned January 6th rioters.
Dismantling of Safeguards Against Waste, Fraud, Abuse, and Corruption… weakened or eliminated key offices, fired employees, and invalidated or removed rules and regulations dedicated to protecting the public interest.
Not directly present, but the coercive use of state mechanisms (shutdown) to punish/remove employees is adjacent; primarily captured under other markers.

AC10 Dismantling Regulatory Agencies click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Systematic weakening or elimination of independent regulatory agencies that provide checks on executive and corporate power.

Indicators

Budget cuts to regulatory agencies
Appointment of hostile agency heads
Elimination of regulations without replacement
Undermining agency independence
DOGE-led agency restructuring

Current Evidence

Elon Musk’s DOGE ‘dismantling the agency’ (USAID), described as an effort to shut down a federal agency and its lifesaving work through ‘cuts to foreign aid.’
DOGE-led agency restructuring explicitly named as the mechanism dismantling USAID.
DOGE has ‘overseen the effective dismantling of agencies,’ aimed to ‘restructure Federal Agencies,’ and ‘slash excess regulations,’ representing DOGE-led agency restructuring that weakens independent oversight.
DOGE is described as an effort ‘to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs,’ with restructuring targeting specific agencies and cancelling contracts across the federal government.
DOGE was set ‘the task of improving efficiency by downsizing the government, cutting the federal workforce, and eliminating entire programs’ with Musk’s team ’embedded in many departments and agencies’ and empowered to make cuts ‘without attention to or understanding of the government’s mission.’
The article title references DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) finding ‘$2 trillion in spending cuts Musk wants,’ which relates to DOGE-led restructuring and dramatic cuts to government spending and agencies.
DOGE will provide recommendations to ‘slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.’
DOGE has worked to shutter federal agencies across the federal government, including for example, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In addition, DOGE trained its sights on small independent agencies and statutory nonprofits, seeking to dismantle the U.S. Institute of Peace, Woodrow Wilson Center, U.S. African Development Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services.
DOGE directed widespread cuts to the federal agencies that administer vital basic needs programs for families and oversaw mass firings of government employees… DOGE has led to increased costs and administrative burdens and weakened consumer protections for American families.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) implemented cuts across various federal agencies and programs, eliminating at least $3 billion in grants and canceling hundreds of research grants, undermining institutional functions across NIH and other agencies.
The order ‘purports to give DOGE unspecified powers to review state run voter rolls,’ inserting DOGE into election administration functions.
ICE ‘has drastically reduced training requirements for officers overall and inadequately expanded its capacity to supervise them,’ undermining institutional safeguards and oversight mechanisms.
President Donald Trump has said DOGE will provide recommendations to ‘slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.’ Musk has said the group will aim to trim $500 billion in annual federal spending.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) implemented cuts across various federal agencies and programs, eliminating at least $3 billion in grants for women’s health and economic security, and canceling hundreds of NIH research grants.
Executive orders directed DOGE to implement a series of government reform initiatives, including to reform the federal workforce and reduce spending. The report documents DOGE’s coordination with executive agencies to advance restructuring initiatives.
Inspectors general across numerous agencies (HHS, SBA, agriculture, commerce, defense, education, HUD, interior, labor, transportation, veterans affairs, EPA) undermined; these independent watchdogs ‘are meant to serve as a guard against mismanagement and abuse of power,’ and their removal weakens independent agency oversight functions.
Draconian steps to depopulate federal agencies that do the people’s business, such as safeguarding our food supply, researching cures for diseases, protecting workers and the environment, overseeing our transportation systems, and keeping the financial system secure and stable.
DOGE has worked to shutter federal agencies across the federal government, including for example, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau… trained its sights on small independent agencies and statutory nonprofits, seeking to dismantle the U.S. Institute of Peace, Woodrow Wilson Center, U.S. African Development Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Trump Administration has weakened or eliminated key offices, fired employees, and invalidated or removed rules and regulations dedicated to protecting the public interest; DOGE instead pursued a comprehensive deregulatory agenda designed to empower big corporations and cut trillions of dollars from federal programs.
The DOGE-led effort to cut federal agencies and workforce is referenced throughout (‘Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce’), consistent with agency restructuring, though the article notes cuts are being reversed.

Markers of Authoritarianism (Rhetorical / Behavioral)

AU01 Dehumanizing Language Toward Out-Groups click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Use of rhetoric that strips humanity from targeted populations, including immigrants, minorities, political opponents, and other out-groups.

Indicators

Comparing people to animals or vermin
Describing immigrants as ‘invaders’ or ‘poisoning blood’
Characterizing opponents as subhuman
Using disease/contamination metaphors for people
Collective punishment rhetoric

Current Evidence

Characterizes migrants as ‘the invasion of our country’ and describes them as ‘murderers, drug dealers, gang members and people from mental institutions and insane asylums.’
Immigrants characterized as ‘dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country,’ associating migrants collectively with criminality and dysfunction.
Describing immigrants as an ‘invasion’ and listing ‘murderers, drug dealers, gang members and people from mental institutions and insane asylums’ as representative of border crossers — collective criminalization and dehumanizing framing of immigrants.
References to immigrants as ‘dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world’ — characterizing an out-group as a criminal invasion of undesirables.
DHS official framing describing targets as ‘the worst of the worst’ and ‘dangerous criminals’ and ‘criminal illegal aliens’—collective characterization of immigrant populations, though the analysis notes the majority arrested have no criminal convictions.
The described policy of indiscriminate arrest and denial of humanitarian release reflects collective punishment rhetoric and treatment toward an out-group (undocumented immigrants), though the text is descriptive/critical rather than itself dehumanizing.
While the text itself does not use dehumanizing language, it documents the practical effects of enforcement policy that treats immigrants as collective targets—arresting individuals off the street based on presence in immigrant neighborhoods rather than individualized suspicion (e.g., ‘a man who had just left his house carrying a backpack’).
The text references ‘Nazi talk and racism’ having ‘become the norm among young MAGA edgelords,’ indicating normalization of dehumanizing rhetoric toward out-groups, though the text describes this pattern rather than directly demonstrating it.
References to ‘millions and millions of illegal aliens’ who ‘poured across our borders totally unfettered’ use the ‘flood/invader’ framing associated with immigrant dehumanization, though tempered by the qualifier ‘we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country.’
Black Somali immigrants ‘have been continuously maligned by the president,’ and Renee Good was branded ‘a domestic terrorist,’ reflecting dehumanization and collective punishment rhetoric toward out-groups.
Trump smears American journalists as ‘the most vicious and corrupt ever’ and ‘the most hostile in the history of American politics,’ and repeatedly casts the press as an ‘Enemy of the People’ — a phrase historically used to dehumanize and mark groups as internal enemies.
Acting DHS Secretary Huffman characterized border migration as an ‘invasion’ and referred to targets as ‘criminal aliens — including murders and rapists.’ The ‘invasion’ framing dehumanizes migrants as an existential threat.
Acting DHS Secretary framed immigration as an ‘invasion’ at the border and characterized migrants broadly as ‘criminal aliens — including murders and rapists,’ language contradicted by a 40-year law enforcement veteran who found no intelligence supporting such claims.
Section ‘2.2 Targeting of transgender people’ identifies a targeted out-group; ‘2.6 Immigration enforcement’ references immigrant targeting.
The administration ‘deploys anti-immigrant scapegoating and nearly explicit white supremacist narratives, even featuring white supremacist slogans and images in its recruitment campaigns.’ Characterization of immigrants indiscriminately targeted despite ‘half of those ICE is currently arresting have no criminal record.’
Description of ‘show me your papers’ dragnet-style enforcement and collective enforcement operations targeting immigrant communities broadly, including checkpoints and mass sweeps that treat entire populations as suspect.
Pattern of collective punishment and mass targeting of immigrant communities, including warrantless raids, family separation, and detention of both citizens and noncitizens indiscriminately, reflecting treatment consistent with dehumanizing enforcement practices.
The framing of indiscriminate arrests and ‘the human cost’ implies collective punishment rhetoric affecting immigrant communities and families, though the text fragment itself does not contain explicit dehumanizing language.
The mass deportation agenda described treats immigrants as targets of collective enforcement, resulting in ‘over 40 immigrants’ dying in federal custody — a policy pattern consistent with collective punishment rhetoric toward an out-group, though the dehumanizing language itself is not directly quoted here (this text critiques rather than exhibits it).
Alyssa recounts being called an ‘alien’ and a ‘threat to society’ during her detention, dehumanizing labels applied to a DACA recipient.

AU02 Cult of Personality Promotion click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Efforts to build and maintain a personality cult around the leader, including demands for loyalty, personality-centered governance, and messianic framing.

Indicators

Demands for personal loyalty over constitutional oath
Personality-centered governance style
Messianic or ‘chosen one’ framing
Merchandise and iconography promoting individual
Rewriting of history to center leader

Current Evidence

The president has ‘summoned’ Republicans ‘to Dallas to celebrate him,’ framing a political gathering as an event centered on personal adulation and ‘moral support’ for the leader rather than policy or governance.
Repeated personality-centered framing of national success: ‘America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning, and now winning bigger than ever before’ and ‘From the very first day I announced my campaign for president in 2015, I vowed…’ centering all achievements on the leader personally.
Self-centered framing of national success: ‘America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning, and now winning bigger than ever before,’ and ‘After rebuilding our military during my first term, we have by far the strongest military anywhere in the world.’
Trump framing DC as ‘one of the safest cities in the country’ now that it is ‘cleaner and better, thanks to him,’ and centering the 9/11 commemoration narrative on personal credit, including an unverified claim that he was present near the World Trade Center site.
The ‘personalist party’ framing describes personality-centered governance where loyalty flows to the individual leader rather than the institution or party.
Musk’s success is attributed to personality-centered influence: ‘he has unfettered access both to Trump and millions of followers on the social media platform he owns’ and ’10 million people read a tweet by Elon Musk.’
Trump described as ‘relished his last convention as the Republican Party’s dominant leader’ — framing that centers governance and party identity around the individual leader.
Personality-centered framing throughout: ‘What a difference a president makes,’ ‘a transformation like no one has ever seen before,’ and self-aggrandizing claims of achievements ‘like never before’ and ‘for the ages,’ centering all national success on the individual leader.
Personality-centered framing of progress: ‘the progress I’ve made in keeping those promises’ and crediting economic gains ‘since my election’ — attributing corporate investment and stock market gains personally to the leader.
Trump consistently frames himself as a persecuted victim/martyr figure (‘portray Trump as the victim’), using his legal jeopardy to center his personal narrative and mobilize supporter loyalty.
Trump talks up ‘his administration’s self-proclaimed historic accomplishments’ while framing himself as a uniquely persecuted victim enduring ‘the most vicious and corrupt Mainstream Media that any president has ever had to endure.’
A White House-run ‘secret points system’ incentivizing Cabinet members to compete for public appearances suggests a personality-centered, performance-driven governance style where officials are rewarded for political loyalty display rather than institutional function.
Repeated self-congratulatory framing of achievements (‘It’s something I’m very proud of,’ ‘Tremendous numbers’) and messianic framing of the administration’s mission as ‘a righteous mission — to make America great again for all Americans.’
Trump labeling those who attacked the Capitol on his behalf as ‘patriots’ reframes personal loyalty and violence committed in his name as virtuous, centering the leader in a heroic narrative.
The deportation force was treated ‘as the president’s personal force to be deployed against American cities perceived as hostile to his interests.’
The framing of a takeover personally associated with Trump (‘Trump’s takeover’) suggests personality-centered governance of a cultural institution, though the excerpt provides limited detail.
Trump characterizing rioters who acted in his name as ‘patriots’ and, as NPR notes, ‘rewrites history’ regarding Jan. 6, centering a favorable narrative around himself and his supporters.
Trump posted that he would abandon the Kennedy Center if his name isn’t added to it, indicating a demand for personal iconography and naming rights on a national cultural institution.
Reference to Trump as ‘Dear Leader,’ invoking authoritarian personality-cult framing (author’s characterization).
Framing that federal job seekers ‘won’t have to write an essay about their favorite Trump executive order,’ illustrating personality-centered screening centered on devotion to the individual leader.

AU03 Scapegoating / Enemy Creation click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Systematic identification and demonization of target groups to redirect blame and build political support through shared enmity.

Indicators

Blaming specific groups for national problems
Creating ‘enemy’ narratives for political gain
Conspiracy theories targeting groups
Redirecting economic/social frustration at out-groups
Rally rhetoric centered on enemy groups

Current Evidence

Government framing of immigrants as ‘dangerous criminals’ and ‘the worst of the worst’ to justify mass enforcement, while actual data shows enforcement targeting people at nail salons, doughnut shops, and street markets without criminal convictions—redirecting blame onto an out-group.
Construction of Iran as ‘the most violent and thuggish regime on earth’ and ‘the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror,’ building political cohesion through demonization of an external enemy.
Iran characterized as ‘the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror’ and ‘this fanatical regime,’ with an accumulation of grievances used to justify war framing and shared enmity.
Trump frames media as dangerous enemies with ‘no credibility whatsoever,’ describing their conduct as ‘a very dangerous thing to be doing,’ constructing the press as an enemy of the public.
Trump blamed ‘a handful of communist radical left judges’ for obstructing enforcement of laws, and the White House accused the judiciary of ‘brazen defiance’ with ‘unlawful rulings’ that ‘repeatedly obstructed the election choices of the American people.’
The text references ‘The Trump administration’s broad enforcement priorities and repeated attacks on immigrants and sanctuary cities,’ indicating a pattern of targeting immigrant populations as a political focus.
Repeated blame directed at ‘the Biden administration and its allies in Congress’ for ‘the worst inflation in the history of our country’ and the ‘Biden-created housing problem,’ redirecting national problems onto political predecessors as an enemy narrative.
The administration is described as ‘creating in-groups through hatred of out-groups’ and dividing the country between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ with immigrants targeted as enemies.
Trump creates enemy narratives around specific prosecutors and judges (Jack Smith, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg), casting them as agents of a partisan campaign against him, redirecting supporter animus toward these individuals.
Trump systematically frames the media as a collective enemy (‘the true Enemy of the People’), redirecting blame onto journalists as a demonized out-group during rally-style rhetoric at CPAC.
The described mass-arrest ‘deportation campaign’ targeting a specific immigrant community reflects the broader policy of singling out immigrant populations, though the article itself is critical reporting rather than the perpetration of scapegoating rhetoric.
Framing migrants as ‘murders and rapists’ hiding in schools and churches to avoid arrest, despite the ABC News contributor noting ‘he has not seen any intelligence or evidence to support that the majority of persons crossing the southern border are murderers, rapist, gang members or terrorists.’ This creates an enemy narrative unsupported by evidence.
Blanket characterization of border crossers as ‘murderers, rapist, gang members or terrorists’ hiding in schools and churches, redirecting blame onto immigrant populations. ABC contributor John Cohen states there is no evidence to support these characterizations.
Vice President JD Vance characterizes Democrats as extremists — political opposition is framed as dangerous ‘extremists,’ consistent with enemy-creation narratives directed at the opposing party.
Multiple ‘Targeting of…’ sections (press, transgender people, government, elections, civil society) indicate systematic identification of enemy groups.
The administration ‘deploys anti-immigrant scapegoating’ and characterizes targets as ‘the worst of the worst’ despite evidence that most arrested have no criminal record.
The administration’s ‘violent drive to deport millions of people’ and goal of ‘driving millions more to self-deport’ frames immigrants as a target population to be removed, redirecting enforcement resources toward a designated out-group.
Trump constructs enemy narratives around ‘the Clinton machine and the New York Times and other media outlets,’ framing them as colluding adversaries responsible for attacks against him.
Federal employees are cast as an internal enemy — ‘people in the bowels of the federal government working against this president’ and ‘unelected federal workers’ — creating an in-government enemy narrative.
The report identifies ‘delegitimizing communities’ as a marker mirroring patterns ‘observed in declining democracies around the world.’

AU04 Demands for Personal Loyalty Over Institutional Loyalty click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Requiring personal allegiance to the leader rather than to the Constitution, rule of law, or institutional norms.

Indicators

Loyalty oaths to individual rather than Constitution
Punishing institutional loyalty as ‘disloyalty’
Rewarding personal devotion over competence
Framing criticism as betrayal
Cabinet and staff loyalty as primary qualification

Current Evidence

‘We will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government’ — invoking ‘loyalty’ as a governmental restoration goal.
the president is nominating individuals to serve in lifetime positions on the federal bench — individuals he believes will be loyal to him rather than to the nation’s laws and Constitution
The explicit criterion for retention is loyalty to Trump personally: ‘we want people in positions that work with this president, not against him.’ Personal allegiance to the leader is framed as the primary qualification for federal employment, over institutional/constitutional loyalty.
The essay question compels applicants to identify Executive Orders significant to them and describe how they would advance ‘the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities,’ framing hiring around allegiance to the President’s agenda rather than merit or institutional competence.
Emphasis on restoring ‘loyalty of America’s government’ frames loyalty as a core value expected of the state apparatus.
Framing of the intelligence community as personally aligned with him: “probably almost everybody in this room voted for me… we’re all on the same wavelength, folks… We’re all on the same wavelength, right?” — recasting a nonpartisan agency’s relationship in terms of personal political allegiance.
A former personal attorney of Trump’s with ‘very little prosecutorial experience’ (Lindsey Halligan) was installed and personally presented the case, while a prosecutor who raised legal concerns was forced out — rewarding personal loyalty over institutional competence.
Greenblatt’s assessment that Trump ‘doesn’t believe in our independence or our fairness’ and ‘wants lackeys to rubber stamp what he’s trying to do’ points to prioritizing personal loyalty over institutional independence.
Greenblatt’s assessment that Trump ‘doesn’t believe in our independence or our fairness’ and ‘wants lackeys to rubber stamp what he’s trying to do’ points to prioritizing personal loyalty over independent institutional function.
The contrast between insurrectionists rewarded with high administration posts and democracy defenders being fired/demoted illustrates rewarding personal devotion to Trump over institutional/constitutional loyalty.
Scholars describe a ‘personalist party’ where ‘a leader’s supporters are more loyal to the person than their political party,’ creating conditions where ‘there is little that stands in the way of a grab for power.’
Trump attacked two of his own conservative Supreme Court nominees after they ruled against his tariffs, accusing them of ‘being disloyal to the Constitution’ — framing rulings against him as personal disloyalty rather than independent judgment.
The pardons reward individuals who demonstrated personal loyalty to Trump through the Jan. 6 attack, framing devotion to the leader over adherence to law and constitutional process.
The framing that Gorsuch faced pressure to ‘play the loyal soldier’ but instead defended judicial independence highlights an implicit expectation of personal loyalty from the nominee to the president over institutional independence.
The stated criterion for retention is personal loyalty to Trump rather than to the Constitution or institution: ‘we want people in positions that work with this president, not against him’ and identifying employees ‘not sufficiently loyal to President Trump.’
Reference to a ‘compliant staff and bureaucracy’ and removal of officials like Milley and Kelly who acted as constraints, implying preference for personal compliance over institutional/constitutional loyalty.
The ‘loyalty’ question on federal job applications asks candidates to identify which of the president’s executive orders are most ‘significant’ to them, prioritizing allegiance to the president’s agenda over nonpartisan public service.
Civil servants who they deem insufficiently loyal to Dear Leader — framing institutional service as requiring personal loyalty to the leader.
Reports of ‘loyalty tests’ on job applicants and nominees, described as ‘humiliating, pathetic displays’ where ‘Trump nominees publicly embarrass themselves in display of loyalty,’ and applicants reportedly asked to affirm loyalty-oriented positions unrelated to their roles.
Punishing career prosecutors and FBI agents for doing their jobs while rewarding loyal rioters reflects prioritizing personal loyalty over institutional duty.

AU05 Delegitimizing Elections and Democratic Processes click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Undermining public confidence in democratic processes, including elections, vote counting, peaceful transfer of power, and democratic institutions.

Indicators

False claims of election fraud
Refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power
Attacks on election officials and processes
Undermining confidence in vote counting
Encouraging disruption of democratic processes

Current Evidence

The reference to ‘insurrectionists’ and the January 6 storming of the Capitol relates to efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and certification of the 2020 election, though the article itself is retrospective reporting rather than active rhetoric.
The Capitol riot was a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally rooted in false election-fraud claims, and Trump’s framing of the rioters as unfairly treated and his pardons validate that delegitimizing narrative. Raskin notes MAGA calls them ‘patriots,’ ‘political prisoners’ & ‘hostages.’
The scholars characterize Trump as ‘rejecting democratic rules, denying the legitimacy of political rivals’ — an analytical description of behavior mapping to delegitimizing democratic processes.
Reference to Trump ‘egging on the January 6 riot at the Capitol’ — an attack on the peaceful transfer of power and certification of election results.
The report references coup plotters and rioters ‘who heeded President Donald Trump’s call to “stop the steal”‘ and ‘President Trump’s brazen plan to steal the election’—referring to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Trump’s insistence that the January 6 Capitol riot ‘was a nonviolent event, a day of love,’ reframes a violent attempt to disrupt the certification of a democratic election, minimizing an assault on the peaceful transfer of power.
The described strategy of designing rules to create chaos and effectively eliminate a legitimate voting method undermines democratic processes and public access to voting.
The title references ‘The Big Lie’—the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen—which the article describes a Republican (Jason Richey) as having ‘renounced’ before returning to it. This references the ongoing pattern of election delegitimization associated with MAGA politics.
The ‘attempt to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection’ and ‘White House lies about the violent events of January 6’ delegitimize the events surrounding the peaceful transfer of power.
The pardoning of Jan. 6 rioters and framing them as ‘patriots’ retroactively legitimizes the violent attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election, undermining the peaceful transfer of power.
The order is framed under the header ‘Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,’ invoking election-integrity language while, per critics, actually undermining ballot access — a rhetorical framing that leverages fraud/integrity narratives to justify restrictions.
Trump ‘declared, “our elections are very dishonest, very corrupt.”‘ The article notes ‘Election denialism is the foundation of his movement.’
Sympathetic framing of January 6 Capitol attackers as deserving ‘full pardons with an apology’ implicitly legitimizes the effort to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
The pardoning of those who ‘stormed the U.S. Capitol’ on Jan. 6, 2021—an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power—retroactively validates and legitimizes the effort to overturn a democratic election.
The naming of a federal ‘Unlawful Voter Initiative’ to hunt for voter fraud advances a narrative that undermines confidence in electoral integrity and voter legitimacy.
Discussion of the ‘January 6th attempt to overturn the counting of the election results’ and Trump ‘who had tried to overthrow our democracy,’ plus ‘mobilize violence against the election process in a way we’d never seen before.’
By pardoning those who stormed the Capitol to stop election certification and calling them ‘patriots,’ Trump undermines confidence in the legitimacy of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power.
Section title ‘rejection of outcome’ regarding the 2020 election, and ‘January 6 attack’ section reference.
Applicants for high-ranking positions were ‘asked whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen,’ embedding false stolen-election narratives into the hiring/loyalty screening process.
Pardoned individuals who ‘conspired to block the peaceful transfer of power by attacking Vice President Mike Pence or destroying Electoral College ballots in order to nullify Joe Biden’s election and make Donald Trump president again.’

AU06 Promoting Violence or Threatening Force click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Use of violent rhetoric, threats of force, or encouragement of political violence, including against protesters, opponents, and institutions.

Indicators

Rhetoric encouraging violence against opponents
Threats to deploy military against civilians
Praise for political violence
Threatening force against institutions
Normalizing political violence

Current Evidence

Celebratory framing of military violence: ‘That hit was quick, lethal, violent and respected by everyone all over the world’ regarding the taking of Venezuela, and boasting that Iran’s ‘leaders, most of them… are now dead.’
Celebratory framing of lethal military force: ‘That hit was quick, lethal, violent and respected by everyone all over the world,’ and vows that ‘heavy strikes would continue.’ The rhetoric glorifies violence and destruction.
Trump’s rhetoric labeling judges as ‘lunatics,’ ‘crooked,’ ‘communist radical left judges,’ and ‘fools and lapdogs’ precedes documented waves of death threats. DAG Blanche stated ‘it’s a war, man,’ framing the judiciary in combative terms.
Political scientist Brendan Nyhan described Trump’s rise as a candidate willing to endorse violence against political opponents as a failure of American institutions to safeguard political norms.
By pardoning nearly 1,600 people involved in a violent attack (imagery describes people swinging baseball bats and clashing with police) and describing it as a ‘day of love,’ the president normalizes and rewards political violence.
State-perpetuated violence including the killing of Renee Good, at least 20 deaths in ICE custody, and Trump officials suggesting ‘that opposition to their actions and policies is a capital crime.’
Trump’s attacks ‘have often led to threats and vitriol from his supporters,’ including ‘threats’ against a judge and law clerk in the New York civil fraud trial and a ‘flood’ of threats against Colorado justices, indicating rhetoric that fuels violence against officials.
The article documents that Trump’s rhetoric is ‘fueling an unprecedented wave of violent threats’ against reporters, with a US law enforcement agent warning Trump has walked a fine line with ‘inciting violence’ and that ‘people could get injured or killed,’ followed by a Trump supporter sending pipe bombs to CNN and Democratic leaders.
By pardoning those who committed violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and calling them ‘patriots,’ the president normalizes and rewards political violence against a democratic institution.
The title ‘Trump Used to Fantasize About Killing Suspects. Now He’s Doing It.’ suggests extrajudicial killing of suspects, indicating the promotion and enactment of state violence against individuals without due process.
The text characterizes pardon promises as tactics that ‘enable future violence and lawbreaking’ and ‘stoking violence,’ by signaling that political violence on the leader’s behalf may be forgiven.
Experts warn Trump’s attacks could ‘give a green light to someone who is misguided’ to attack judges ‘physically or otherwise.’ The judge received online threats including a message about ‘bad karma that is going to land on your weak slumping shoulders’ after Trump’s public criticism.
Trump pardoned individuals convicted of violently assaulting police officers and referred to Jan. 6 participants as ‘patriots,’ normalizing and rewarding political violence against the state.
ICE ‘shot and killed a man in Houston’ who posed no alleged danger, and ‘shot another man in Maine.’ ‘Agents made the threat of deadly force part of ordinary enforcement.’
‘Masked, lawless federal agents have become a symbol of the Trump administration’s violent drive,’ with raids involving 200 agents ‘zip-tying children and adults, including U.S. citizens’ at a racetrack where families gathered.
Text describes ‘an administration that encourages violence and disregard for the law,’ documenting killings (Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good) and shootings of protesters with rubber bullets and pepper balls.
Trump said any terror attacks on US soil would be the judge’s fault (‘warnings of assigning blame to courts for future terrorist attacks’), a form of rhetoric aimed at scapegoating the judiciary for potential future violence.
Reference to Trump’s role to ‘mobilize violence against the election process in a way we’d never seen before’ in the context of January 6th.
Trump pardoned hundreds of violent Jan. 6 rioters, including those ‘convicted of violently assaulting police officers,’ and called them ‘patriots,’ effectively normalizing and rewarding political violence committed on his behalf.
The January 6th mass pardon may serve President Trump’s most extreme political purposes by creating a private militia; pardoning those who ‘violently assaulted police officers’ and ‘conspired to block the peaceful transfer of power’ normalizes and rewards political violence.

AU07 Conspiracy Theories as Governance Tools click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Promotion and use of conspiracy theories to justify policy, delegitimize opposition, and maintain supporter loyalty.

Indicators

Promoting unsubstantiated conspiracy theories
Using conspiracies to justify policy actions
Delegitimizing opposition through conspiracy framing
‘Deep state’ and ‘rigged system’ narratives
QAnon and adjacent conspiracy validation

Current Evidence

Featured sections promoting ‘Lab Leak: The True Origins of Covid-19’ and declassification of ‘JFK Files’ and ‘RFK Files’ suggest conspiracy theory validation as official policy
Promoting unsubstantiated claims about pipe burst affecting counting, false fraud allegations used to justify calls for overturning election results
Trump promoted false narratives about election irregularities, including claims about a pipe burst that ‘totally unrelated to the location of what was happening’ affecting vote counting
The subtitle references the Vice President’s ‘relationship with a conspiracy theorist’ framed as ‘a political partnership,’ suggesting alignment between a sitting official (J.D. Vance) and a figure characterized as promoting conspiracy theories (Tucker Carlson). However, no specific conspiracy content or governance application is described in the available text.
The text references revisiting ‘some of her most infamous conspiracy-theory moments,’ indicating a pattern of conspiracy theory promotion by a prominent media figure aligned with Trump.
‘A horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place’ and framing of a ‘crisis of trust’ driven by a ‘corrupt establishment’ echo a systemic-betrayal narrative.
Repeated use of ‘political witch hunt’ framing and characterizing critical reporting as coordinated media conspiracy to ‘delegitimize this election and to demean our incoming administration.’
The administration reportedly maintains ‘deep state’ hit lists of employees to fire, deploying the ‘deep state’ conspiracy narrative to justify purges of the federal workforce.
The report lists ‘spreading disinformation’ as a marker of democratic decline, associated with authoritarian governance.
References to ‘Firehose of falsehood’ and ‘Flood the zone’ strategies described as concepts and strategy of the administration.
Trump advanced a ‘rigged system’ narrative, claiming the courts single him out, are ‘highly politicized,’ and that ‘Democrats on the Court always stick together’ regardless of the merits.
A ‘vintage Trump 9/11 story, which nobody has ever verified: a claim that he was present at a construction site next door to the World Trade Center’ — an unsubstantiated personal narrative repeated as fact.
An ‘immediate disinformation campaign seeking to gaslight the American public’ about Good’s killing and the attempt ‘to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection’ via the official White House website.
Trump frames his legal troubles as a partisan ‘witch hunt’ — a term used about 250 times — and portrays himself as a victim of a coordinated ‘Democratic scheme’ orchestrated by President Biden, a ‘rigged system’ narrative.
The phrase ‘bewildered voters into its alternate reality’ alludes to the construction of an alternate information ecosystem, which aligns with the promotion of conspiratorial/alternative narratives, though the excerpt itself is analytical commentary.
Reliance on election denialism and false fraud claims (‘our elections are very dishonest, very corrupt’) as the basis for policy action targeting elections.
Trump promotes a coordinated conspiracy narrative: ‘It’s not coincidence that these attacks come at the exact same moment and altogether at the same time as Wikileaks releases documents exposing the massive international corruption of the Clinton machine,’ implying a secret orchestrated plot timed against him.
Use of ‘deep state’ framing to justify purges — reports that the administration maintains ‘deep state hit lists’ and references to people ‘in the bowels of the federal government working against this president.’
The report identifies ‘spreading disinformation’ as a core marker of the administration’s approach to governance.
National security candidates asked ‘whether the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was “an inside job,”’ embedding conspiracy theories into official personnel vetting.

AU08 Nationalist / Populist Demagoguery click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Exploitation of nationalist sentiment and populist grievances to build personal power, including ‘us vs. them’ framing, xenophobia, and anti-elite rhetoric that serves elite interests.

Indicators

Xenophobic nationalism
Anti-elite rhetoric serving elite interests
Us vs. them population division
Ethno-nationalist overtones
Populist promises contradicted by policies

Current Evidence

The nationwide mass deportation of ‘all undocumented immigrants’ as a signature policy reflects xenophobic nationalist targeting of an out-group, consistent with us-vs-them population division. Inferred from the described policy rather than direct rhetoric in the source.
Strong nationalist framing with ‘us vs. them’ war rhetoric: ‘our enemies are losing and America… is winning,’ ‘we have by far the strongest military anywhere in the world,’ and portrayal of America as savior of ‘the free world.’
Us-vs-them nationalist framing throughout: ‘Our enemies are losing and America… is winning,’ portraying the U.S. as dominant global victor and framing military conquest as national glory.
The Trump administration’s targeting of sanctuary jurisdictions and ‘repeated attacks on immigrants’ reflect an us-vs-them framing centered on immigration enforcement, consistent with nationalist rhetoric.
Trump framed DOGE as a populist crusade against ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ and to ‘dismantle Government Bureaucracy,’ while empowering a billionaire ally—an anti-elite framing that serves elite interests.
Analysts describe DOGE as ‘more about looking for symbolic culture war savings’ aimed ‘at satisfying Trump’s culturally conservative base,’ framing government-cutting as a populist crusade against ‘Washington’ being ‘out of control.’
The description of ‘vice signaling’ and normalization of racism within a political movement points to ethno-nationalist overtones and us-vs-them framing, though this is a secondhand characterization.
Heavy nationalist framing: ‘the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist,’ ‘This is the golden age of America,’ and ‘America is respected again,’ combined with an ‘us vs. them’ contrast between the current administration and the demonized predecessor.
The speech is built around ‘America First’ populist framing: ‘America must put its own citizens first’, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’, and repeated contrasts between neglected American citizens and foreign nations. Framing of a populist ‘earthquake’ where ‘the people turned out by the tens of millions’ against elites who ‘exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries.’
Dividing the country between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ targeting Black Somali immigrants while creating ‘a special refugee program to allow white South Africans to come to the United States,’ reflecting ethno-nationalist overtones.
Trump employs ‘us vs. them’ framing with populist appeals at CPAC, positioning himself and his supporters against ‘crazed’ Democrats and ‘corrupt’ media, and lamenting ‘presidential harassment’ at ‘the highest level in the history of our Country.’
The ‘invasion’ rhetoric and framing of immigration enforcement as protecting the nation from foreign criminals reflects xenophobic nationalist framing and us-vs-them division.
Use of ‘invasion’ rhetoric to describe migration and framing of aggressive enforcement as protecting the nation from outsiders reflects xenophobic nationalist framing.
President Trump’s $5,000 campaign promise has generated attention, but not belief. The framing suggests a populist promise (direct cash appeal to voters) that is met with skepticism about deliverability, consistent with populist promises contradicted by policy realities.
Nationalist framing throughout (‘the steel in America’s spine,’ ‘no people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined as Americans,’ ‘building a safe, strong, and proud America’), and populist appeal to ‘the American people’ and ‘the people we were elected to serve.’
Concepts section lists ‘1.6 Nationalism’ and ‘1.7 Fascism’ as analytical frameworks applied to the presidency.
The administration deploys ‘nearly explicit white supremacist narratives’ and ‘ethno-nationalist’ recruitment campaigns tied to anti-immigrant messaging.
Trump frames himself against a colluding elite establishment (‘the Clinton machine,’ ‘the media,’ ‘the New York Times’), employing an us-vs-them anti-elite populist framing while addressing supporters.
The targeting of ‘PREDOMINANTLY HISPANIC AREAS’ with visible public detentions reflects an enforcement posture disproportionately affecting a specific ethnic community, consistent with ethno-nationalist enforcement priorities.
Trump ‘berated a congresswoman during a board meeting,’ reflecting a confrontational, personality-driven approach to institutional governance.

AU09 Rejection of Accountability / Rule of Law click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Systematic rejection of legal accountability, rule of law, and institutional checks, including claims of immunity, obstruction of investigations, and self-pardoning claims.

Indicators

Claims of presidential immunity
Obstruction of investigations
Self-pardon or blanket pardon claims
Defiance of legal norms and precedent
Attacking prosecutors and investigators personally

Current Evidence

has dismissed concerns that he may face potential conflicts of interest as president
Mass pardons undoing legal accountability for those who committed violence against the Capitol, described as reflecting ‘Trump’s effort to rewrite and whitewash the history of his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election.’
The Latino Deportations brief points to ‘faster deportation timelines, reduced due process protections, and rising self-deportation under heightened enforcement pressures,’ indicating erosion of due process and rule-of-law protections.
DOGE illegally deployed systems and forcefully accessed data across federal agencies in clear violation of federal privacy and cybersecurity laws… DOGE personnel also violated security protocols… and potentially deceived agency leaders and federal courts to avoid disclosing those violations. DOGE and its defenders have been caught providing false claims in court.
Trump characterized federal spending he opposes as ‘a scam. It’s illegal, in my opinion, so much of the stuff that we found’ — asserting illegality without legal process, while DOGE operated with ‘carte blanche’ and obscured its legal structure ‘when legally expedient.’
The administration characterizes adverse court rulings as illegitimate (‘unlawful rulings,’ ‘overbroad and even unreasoned injunctions’) and DAG Blanche accused judges of ‘just not following the law’ — reframing accountability from the judiciary as judicial misconduct. Judge Jones described a ‘president who means to really say what the law is.’
The blanket pardons of ~1,600 January 6 defendants, coupled with Trump’s characterization of the violent event, represents a systematic rejection of legal accountability. ‘All that was swept away with the stroke of a pen.’
Musk’s role as de facto DOGE head was ‘downplayed by Justice Department lawyers when legally expedient,’ indicating strategic obfuscation to avoid legal accountability. DOGE tried ‘to grant itself virtually unfettered access to the most sensitive personal and financial systems.’
ICE agents described as acting ‘with impunity as a paramilitary force,’ and the administration’s ‘contempt for the democratic process’ shows rejection of legal accountability.
Trump personally attacks prosecutors and investigators, calling Jack Smith ‘deranged,’ a ‘nut job’ and a ‘thug’ over 175 times, and singling out AG James, DA Bragg, and Fulton County officials, rejecting the legitimacy of the legal accountability process.
The implication of ‘killing suspects’ rather than arresting and trying them represents a rejection of due process and rule of law in favor of extrajudicial action.
Trump’s stated claim of an ‘absolute right to PARDON myself,’ cited alongside analysis that self-pardons and blanket pardons would place him and allies ‘beyond accountability.’
Trump delegitimized a lawful judicial check on his executive order by labeling the court hearing ‘disgraceful’ and the courts as ‘political,’ rejecting the legitimacy of judicial review of his actions. White House confirmed Trump had ‘no regrets.’
Despite consistent court rulings against him citing First Amendment protections, Trump’s spokesman says he ‘would continue to pursue accountability for what he calls false reporting’ — continued litigation pressure notwithstanding adverse rulings.
The mass clemency for Capitol attackers—including those with extensive violent criminal records—reflects a rejection of legal accountability and rule of law, framing legally imposed sentences as illegitimate.
Described as ‘violent and lawless practices’ and ‘disregard for the law,’ with civil rights violations ‘at a scale without precedent in our nation’s recent history,’ necessitating 54 legal claims across 17 states to seek accountability.
Trump personally delegitimized the judge presiding over his case (‘so-called judge’) rather than accepting the legal ruling, personalizing his disagreement with a lawful judicial decision on his travel ban.
Blanket clemency for all Jan. 6 defendants — including violent offenders — signals a rejection of legal accountability. Prosecutors noted defendants showed ‘a pattern and practice of disrespecting and disobeying the rule of law.’
Schumer characterized the move as ‘Donald Trump’s way of telling us he is terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and to transparency’ and ‘a preview of the lawless approach.’ The action appears to defy statutory legal requirements protecting inspector general independence.
Mass pardon of nearly 1,600 rioters and insurrectionists, and DOJ dismissing unrelated criminal charges against them — ‘January 6th Rioters and Insurrectionists Are Now Using Their Pardons in Court to Get Away with Other Crimes, and President Trump’s DOJ Is Helping Them Do It.’

AU10 Suppression of Dissent click to expand

↑ Rising 10

Active efforts to suppress protest, dissent, and opposition voices, including threats against protesters, retaliation against critics, and use of state power to silence opposition.

Indicators

Threats against peaceful protesters
Retaliation against critics and whistleblowers
Use of state apparatus to intimidate dissent
Chilling effects on free expression
Surveillance of political opponents

Current Evidence

Following the election, Donald Trump has done things that seem unusual for a president-elect, including speaking out against protesters.
Federal agents ‘deployed chemical weapons against protesters’ during raids and protests—use of state force to suppress dissent and protest activity.
Use of lawsuits and legal intimidation creating a ‘chilling effect’ on journalism, discouraging aggressive reporting and suppressing critical coverage: ‘stories that may never be pursued under the shadow of legal intimidation by those in positions of power.’
The chilling effect on judicial independence from rhetoric and resulting threats; judges expressed fear for their safety and the independence of the judiciary, with one saying the independence is ‘too important to allow it to be sacrificed.’
Federal workers running anonymous ‘alt’ accounts because they ‘may have good reason to fear reprisal,’ and sources requesting name changes for fear of retaliation, indicating a chilling effect on dissent among government employees.
Trump has spoken out against protesters and ‘demanded that people who express concern about his policies apologize.’
Chilling effect described in immigrant communities, with residents fearing violence: ‘I’ve seen on the news, if you run, they will hurt you and hit you more,’ indicating an atmosphere of intimidation in these neighborhoods.
Trump officials ‘suggested that opposition to their actions and policies is a capital crime,’ and the potential investigation targeting the wife of a killing victim indicates retaliation against critics.
Sustained rhetorical attacks on the press function to delegitimize and intimidate critical media voices, creating a chilling effect on independent journalism.
The chilling effect on immigrant communities described as ‘real fear’ and heightened intensity beyond 2017, with families and school communities bracing for enforcement in previously protected spaces, creating intimidation effects.
Section ‘2.5 Targeting of civil society’ indicates efforts against dissent and opposition voices.
Trump ‘referenced “election integrity” in a sweeping White House memo targeting lawyers who litigated against his administration’ and by signing the order ‘he can intimidate state and local officials, lawyers, judges and voters.’
‘He has been able to intimidate, coerce, uh the media into capitulating’ and ‘extract millions of dollars from those companies’ — using state and legal apparatus to suppress critical reporting.
The text notes that ICE’s expanded use of local authorities is ‘promoting fear and mistrust in communities,’ suggesting a chilling effect on affected populations.
The deportation drive ‘involves suppressing dissent’ and forces were deployed ‘in response to protests’ and against cities ‘perceived as hostile to his interests.’
Enforcement tactics ‘intensifying fear in their own communities’ — checkpoints, dragnets, and mass arrests create chilling effects on targeted communities and their willingness to move freely or engage publicly.
Federal officers shot a protester in the head with a rubber bullet and fired ‘less lethal’ weapons at nonviolent protesters exercising First Amendment rights against ICE raids; multiple claims filed for people whose First Amendment rights were violated during protests.
The administration’s explicit surveillance-like effort to ‘examine employees throughout the government’ and identify dissenters for ouster creates a chilling effect on internal dissent and whistleblowing.
The enforcement surge produces broad chilling effects: children ‘AFRAID TO GO TO SCHOOL,’ residents ‘SKIPPING MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS,’ businesses in Hispanic areas emptied because ‘CUSTOMERS ARE AFRAID TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES.’ While not direct suppression of political dissent, it reflects state action generating community-wide fear.
Description of surveillance-like fear and intimidation: ‘I feel like I’m being watched and as if ICE could show up at any moment,’ along with chilling effects that deter individuals from contacting police even in emergencies.

Analyses current to 2026-09-16. Page rendered 2026-09-16 19:36 UTC.