The legal storm of American collecting

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In less than three weeks, Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. Although much of his appeal stems from his contempt for convention, Trump is essentially a very predictable figure. In the year After losing the 2020 election, he promised to permanently use the tools of US justice to deal with enemies. The President’s response to this should be taken literally and seriously. The same is true of the attitude that officials owe their allegiance not to the US Constitution but to him personally.

In his first term in office, Trump He often lost his cool when his reckless ambitions were thwarted by government attorneys, Pentagon officials, intelligence agencies and other so-called energy ministries. At this time, it is very difficult to appoint people who can be trusted to do the bidding without involving the law and agreement. Former Attorney General Bill Barr has accused Trump of suggesting that rivals be “killed” during his first term. Barr said they weren’t worried because they knew Trump’s push would fail.

Such satisfaction is no longer appropriate. The Supreme Court significantly increased Trump’s powers last July by granting the US president immunity from prosecution for “official acts”. In theory This includes killing political opponents. In practice, it involves legal witch-hunts against Trump opponents in politics, the media, and civil society. Some, like Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman, and Mark Miley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, have repeatedly singled him out.

It is rash to think that punitive pressure stops at the water’s edge. Even before Trump took office He threatened to exploit In the year The 1999 return to Panama’s sovereignty that described the Panama Canal and its designs GreenlandLong under Danish sovereignty. While Democratic and Republican administrations have conveniently ignored international law, none have come close to Trump’s disdain for the concept. The world should prepare itself for Trump in his second term more than in the past.

Trump measure Top candidates It must mobilize minds at home and abroad. Among these, Kash PatelAs the head of the FBI Tulsi Gabbard As the Director of National Intelligence and Pete Hegsett As the US Secretary of Defense, make a loud noise. Patel is a Trump ultra-loyalist who has published his own enemies list. Gabbard was a staunch supporter of Bashar al-Assad, recently deposed in Syria, and a frequent admirer of Vladimir Putin’s Ukrainian propaganda. Fox News anchor Hegseth believes the top US military should be purged and replaced with Trump loyalists.

The US Senate may be the most effective check on Trump’s illiberal impulses. Republicans have a 53-47 advantage. It only takes four Republicans to block a nominee. Indeed, Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first choice to be the next attorney general; He had to leave When it was found that he lacked the votes. True conservatives surely know that the rule of law is at the heart of US culture and the market economy. The Senate should block the confirmation of Patel, Gabbard and Hegseth. Lower court judges, the media, and civil society have an important role to play in obfuscating Trump’s sinister impulses.

Like all strongmen, Trump fears the brave and has contempt for the sycophants. He has threatened to use his presidential powers to target those who block his path. Embarrassing Trump’s ambitions only accentuates them. The US system is about to adopt the mother of all stress tests. Courage, after all, will be a very valuable virtue in the coming months.