Category: Authoritarian

Trump Appoints Unqualified Receptionist to Arts Commission

President Donald Trump appointed 26-year-old Chamblerlain Harris, his receptionist-turned-deputy director of Oval Office operations, to the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday. Harris, who has served as an executive assistant and administrative staff member since Trump’s first term, lacks the art expertise traditionally required for commission membership, which historically advises on major design projects for presidential administrations.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the appointment by claiming Harris “understands the President’s vision and appreciation of the arts like very few others,” despite her absence of formal credentials in architecture, design, or urban planning. The White House characterized her as a “loyal, trusted, and highly respected advisor” to Trump, prioritizing loyalty over demonstrated professional qualifications.

Architects and past commissioners criticized the appointment. Harvard Graduate School of Design professor and former Obama-appointed commissioner Alex Krieger called it “disastrous,” stating that appointees “have no qualifications to evaluate matters of design, architecture, or urban planning.” Previous commissioners included architect Billie Tsien, who is currently working on Barack Obama’s library, and landscape architect Perry Guillot, who redesigned the White House Rose Garden during Trump’s first term.

Harris’s swearing-in occurs on the same day the Commission of Fine Arts is expected to vote on advancing Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project, which involved demolishing the entire East Wing. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has attempted to block the demolition and construction effort, citing preservation concerns.

Architect Witold Rybczynski, who served on the commission under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, acknowledged that past presidents have appointed some political figures and lesser-known experts to the panel, noting that “the degree of expertise … has varied.” However, the appointment of an unqualified staff member to oversee a major White House construction project demonstrates Trump’s pattern of prioritizing personal loyalty over institutional competence and expertise.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-appoints-his-26-year-old-ex-receptionist-to-commission-overseeing-white-house-ballroom-construction/)

Hegseth Forces Removal of Col Butler From Army Public

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army public affairs on Thursday, according to Fox News. Butler, who had served as public affairs chief under Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and was slated for promotion to brigadier general, had volunteered to withdraw his name from the promotion list to help unlock other pending officer advancements that Hegseth has blocked for nearly four months.

Driscoll, an Army veteran and close ally of Vice President JD Vance, resisted Hegseth’s pressure to remove Butler for months due to Butler’s contributions to Army transformation efforts. Butler has extensive experience in military communications, having served as public affairs officer for Joint Special Operations Command from 2015 to 2018 and as chief spokesman for all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan under Gen. Scott Miller. A former four-star commander described Butler as “the consummate professional” and “the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with.”

Hegseth entered the Pentagon in 2025 and immediately removed or forced into early retirement numerous senior military leaders without stated cause, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti (chief of naval operations), Gen. CQ Brown (chairman of the Joint Chiefs), Gen. James Mingus (vice chief of the Army), Gen. Douglas Sims (director of the Joint Staff), and others. This pattern of unexplained dismissals has created fear and reluctance among senior officers to speak openly.

Butler, who is retiring after 28 years of service, had traveled with Driscoll to Ukraine in November 2025 to help initiate peace negotiations. President Trump publicly recognized Butler by name during the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations in 2025 for organizing the Washington, D.C. parade. Driscoll stated in a statement that he “greatly appreciate[s]” Butler’s “lifetime of service” and his role in the Army’s transformation.

(Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scoop-hegseth-orders-removal-army-public-affairs-chief-amid-broader-pentagon-purge)

Trump Vows Executive Order Voter ID Mandate Bypassing Congress

President Donald Trump announced Friday via social media that he would issue an executive order mandating voter identification for midterm elections if Congress does not pass legislation to that effect. Trump stated, “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!” and claimed there are “legal reasons” supporting such an order, though he provided no specifics. The House passed the SAVE America Act on Wednesday with unanimous Republican support, requiring states to obtain documentary proof of citizenship before voter registration and imposing new mail-in ballot restrictions.

Legal experts directly contradicted Trump’s authority to unilaterally alter election procedures. Stanford law professor Nate Persily stated the Constitution explicitly grants election regulation power to state legislatures, not the president, and that “the Constitution is clear on this.” Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law, said any executive order requiring states to comply with Trump’s voter ID mandate would “similarly be found to be unconstitutional” based on a federal judge’s January ruling that permanently blocked a prior Trump executive order attempting to alter voting laws. Trump issued that sweeping order in March 2025 seeking to impose mail-in ballot deadlines and citizenship proof requirements, which a federal court determined exceeded presidential authority.

The SAVE America Act now faces a Senate vote requiring 60 votes to succeed—an unlikely threshold given Democratic opposition and Republican defections. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska became the first Republican senator to oppose the bill, noting that GOP colleagues claimed in 2021 to oppose federal election mandates imposed on states. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer characterized the legislation as imposing “Jim Crow type laws to the entire country” and declared it “dead on arrival in the Senate.” Democrats argue voter ID laws are designed to disenfranchise voters, emphasizing that voting by noncitizens is already illegal and exceedingly rare.

Persily connected Trump’s voter ID push to broader attempts to federalize election administration, including the FBI’s recent seizure of ballots and voter records from Fulton County, Georgia—a seizure Trump’s continued false claims about the 2020 election have motivated. Persily stated Trump’s push represents a coordinated effort: “It’s not an isolated tweet here, right? There’s a lot that’s going on. So you’ve got the action in the legislature, in Congress, you’ve got these, the earlier executive order, you have the seizing of the ballots and other materials from Fulton County, right? And so it’s all of a piece with the desire to have greater federal oversight of elections.”

Trump’s pattern of attempting to circumvent constitutional limits on presidential power reflects his stated goal to federalize election administration from states he deems incapable of running elections honestly, specifically targeting Democratic-led jurisdictions. His explicit threat to impose voter ID requirements “whether approved by Congress or not” contradicts the constitutional separation of powers and follows his documented history of pressuring state officials to overturn legitimate election results.

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-vows-voter-id-requirements-midterms-rcna259018)

Trump Threatens GOP Tariff Dissenters With Primary Challenges

President Donald Trump threatened Republican members of Congress with primary challenges and electoral defeat if they vote against his tariff policies, declaring they will “seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.” Trump made the threat on Truth Social after six GOP representatives—Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Dan Newhouse of Washington—joined Democrats in voting to block his emergency tariffs on Canada.

Trump justified the tariffs by citing stock market gains and claimed they reduced the trade deficit by 78 percent, asserting that tariffs provide both economic and national security benefits. He stated that “no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege” and framed opposition as disloyalty to the party and the administration’s economic agenda.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, countered that the vote was straightforward: “stand with working families and lower costs, or keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump.” Rep. Don Bacon defended his vote by writing that tariffs function as a tax on American consumers and that congressional debate should precede major trade policy decisions.

The nonpartisan Tax Foundation estimated that Trump’s tariffs imposed an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household in 2025 and warned costs could rise further if the policy continues. The tariffs have strained relations with major trading partners including Canada, Mexico, China, India, Brazil, and the European Union, triggering Canadian retaliatory boycotts of American goods.

Trump’s threat represents his pattern of weaponizing federal authority against officials and lawmakers who resist his demands, extending party discipline through electoral intimidation rather than policy persuasion.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-republicans-tariffs-threat-canada-b2918970.html)

DOJ Fails to Indict Six Democrats Over Military Video

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice attempted and failed to indict six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a November video urging military and intelligence personnel to refuse unlawful orders. The federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., rejected the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, with prosecutors unable to convince even a single juror that probable cause existed for charges, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The video featured Representatives Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Senators Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan—all with military or intelligence backgrounds—explaining that service members can refuse orders that are manifestly illegal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The prosecution, led by Trump appointee Jeanine Pirro at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, employed political appointees rather than career prosecutors, according to one source. Trump had publicly accused the lawmakers of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH” on his Truth Social platform following the video’s release. Legal experts widely rejected the prosecution’s theory, citing both First Amendment protections for political speech and the Constitution’s speech-or-debate clause, which grants lawmakers immunity from prosecution for legislative acts.

The failed indictment reflects a broader pattern of weaponizing the Justice Department against Trump’s perceived political opponents. The administration previously dismantled the Public Integrity Section, eliminating standard oversight requirements that normally govern investigations of sitting members of Congress, especially those involving free speech considerations. The Justice Department has also failed to secure indictments against New York Attorney General Letitia James before separate grand juries in Norfolk and Alexandria, and Pirro’s office has struggled to obtain convictions even in cases involving alleged assaults on federal officers.

Senator Kelly stated that the prosecution attempt followed administrative retaliation by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued a formal censure and sought to reduce Kelly’s retirement rank to punish his participation in the video. Slotkin condemned the effort as indicative of Trump’s authoritarian approach, declaring that “whether or not Pirro succeeded is not the point. It’s that President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies.” Other lawmakers rejected intimidation tactics, with Representative Crow stating that “Americans should be furious that Trump and his goons tried to weaponize our justice system again against his political opponents.”

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/doj-fails-secure-indictment-democrats-involved-illegal-orders-video-rcna258385)

NSA Detected Foreign Call About Trump Associate Gabbard Blocked

Last spring, the National Security Agency detected a phone call between two foreign intelligence operatives discussing a person close to Donald Trump. Rather than following standard protocol to distribute the intelligence report, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered a paper copy directly to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and subsequently instructed the NSA to transmit the classified details to her office instead of publishing the report.

On April 17, a whistleblower contacted the inspector general alleging that Gabbard blocked the classified intelligence from routine distribution. The whistleblower filed a formal complaint on May 21 detailing Gabbard’s actions. The NSA does not monitor individuals without justification, and the person discussed in the call is not understood to be an administration official or special government employee, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The intelligence community inspector general dismissed the complaint after a 14-day review on June 6, stating the office “could not determine if the allegations appear credible.” The watchdog’s independence may be compromised after Gabbard assigned one of her top advisers, Dennis Kirk—a co-author of Project 2025 and a first Trump administration official—to work in the inspector general’s office on May 9, two weeks after the whistleblower’s initial contact.

For eight months, the complaint remained classified and withheld from congressional intelligence committees, violating the law requiring agencies to relay whistleblower complaints to Congress within 21 days. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner stated the months-long delay reflected an effort to “bury the complaint.” Members of the “gang of eight” received a heavily redacted version on Tuesday night, with much of the complaint withheld under claims of executive privilege—a move Gabbard’s attorney said flags presidential involvement in the underlying intelligence concerns.

Gabbard’s office denied all allegations, stating “every single action taken by DNI Gabbard was fully within her legal and statutory authority.” House Oversight Committee Democrat Stephen Lynch warned that Kirk’s appointment raised “troubling questions about the independence” of the intelligence community inspector general’s office, compromising the agency’s ability to serve as an independent watchdog against weaponization of intelligence for political purposes.

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/nsa-foreign-intelligence-trump-whistleblower)

Trump Threatens Trevor Noah Lawsuit Over Epstein Grammy Joke

President Donald Trump threatened legal action against comedian Trevor Noah on Monday after Noah joked during the Grammy Awards that Trump spent time on Jeffrey Epstein’s island. Trump denied any connection to Epstein, calling Noah’s performance “lousy” and asserting he has “nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein.” Trump also attacked author Michael Wolff, describing him as a “sleaze bag” who conspired with Epstein to damage his presidency.

The president claimed that newly released Justice Department files containing 3.5 million Epstein-related documents “absolve” him of improper conduct. Trump stated the DOJ should move on from the Epstein matter and asserted the files instead reveal misconduct by Democrats, Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates, but not him. When asked directly by ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott whether he planned to sue Noah, Trump confirmed his intention and elaborated on his grievances.

Trump accused Democrats of weaponizing Epstein allegations against him politically. He stated that Democrats only pushed Epstein-related claims as a strategy to undermine his election chances, saying “The Democrats are pushing it” and “it’s turning out to be the Democrats that were with — and conspired with — Epstein.” Trump referenced emails between Wolff and Epstein obtained from the released files, including a 2016 message in which Wolff offered to “help finish” Trump before the election.

Released Epstein correspondence documented Wolff’s discussions with the deceased sex offender about targeting Trump, with Wolff writing in 2015 that Trump’s denial of visiting Epstein’s properties would give Epstein “valuable PR and political currency” to use against him. Trump claimed this email exchange demonstrated a coordinated effort to harm his political standing. He announced over the weekend his intention to sue Wolff based on these communications.

Trump ended his remarks by celebrating his return to the presidency despite what he characterized as a Democratic conspiracy to prevent his election. He said the released files proved Democrats “were working together to try and help me lose the election,” but acknowledged his presence in the Oval Office indicated that conspiracy ultimately failed.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-thrashes-lightweight-trevor-noah-and-democrats-pushing-epstein-claims-in-oval-office-rant/)

Trump Withholds $16B Gateway Funding Unless Hubs Named After Him

President Donald Trump conditioned the release of over $16 billion in frozen federal funding for New York’s Gateway Tunnel project on Senator Chuck Schumer’s agreement to rename Penn Station and Dulles International Airport after Trump, according to Punchbowl News. Schumer rejected the demand, stating he lacked authority to rename the transportation hubs. This follows Trump’s pattern of demanding Penn Station and other infrastructure be renamed after himself in exchange for federal resources.

Trump has leveraged his position to encourage Republicans and allies to rename the Kennedy Center, a fleet of battleships, and the Institute of Peace in his honor since returning to office. By conditioning critical infrastructure funding on naming concessions, Trump has weaponized federal resources to advance personal branding. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand characterized the demand as Trump prioritizing “his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs” the Gateway Project provides and called for the immediate unfreezing of all withheld projects.

Trump froze Gateway and Second Avenue subway funding in October under the pretext of reviewing DEI policy compliance, but officials warned the projects were rapidly depleting remaining resources. New York Representative Jerry Nadler labeled Trump’s naming condition as “extortion” and demanded immediate funding release. The Gateway Project’s oversight group filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the administration to release millions in construction payments as funding deadlines approached.

Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump’s extortion attempt as evidence of egregious abuse of executive authority. California Representative Eric Swalwell and Maryland Representative April McClain Delaney criticized the demand as demonstrating a complete lack of leadership on infrastructure competitiveness and national security. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office responded with an AI-generated image renaming Trump Tower to “Hochul Tower,” mocking the president’s narcissism.

Trump’s pattern of converting federal infrastructure into personal brand assets violates the public trust and institutional norms governing federal funding allocation. By withholding critical transportation upgrades unless officials agree to personalize federal property, Trump subordinates national infrastructure priorities to his self-enrichment agenda, demonstrating the systematic institutional capture characteristic of his authoritarian governance.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-penn-station-rename-funding-b2915414.html)

Trump Demands Penn Station Rename for Tunnel Funding

President Donald Trump demanded that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agree to rename Penn Station in New York and Dulles International Airport in Washington after himself in exchange for unfreezing $16 billion in federal funding for a rail tunnel project connecting New York and New Jersey, according to Punchbowl News. The Trump administration had frozen the funds during a government shutdown in the fall, and construction on the tunnel project faced potential shutdown as early as Friday due to lack of resources.

Schumer rejected Trump’s demand and told the president he lacked the legal authority to unfreeze the funds in exchange for renaming public infrastructure. A source close to Schumer stated that Trump could restart the funding unilaterally and that “there’s nothing to trade,” indicating the demand was a purely self-serving condition with no legitimate policy basis.

This episode reflects Trump’s pattern of using federal resources and public assets to promote his personal brand. In December, Trump announced the renaming of the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, though the venue’s official name is codified in law and cannot be changed without legislation; several artists subsequently canceled shows in protest, and Trump announced the Kennedy Center would close for “renovations” lasting approximately two years.

Additional recent examples include the State Department adding Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace and Trump unveiling a new “Trump-class” of battleships he claimed he would personally help design. These actions demonstrate Trump’s repeated attempt to repurpose federal institutions and taxpayer-funded infrastructure for self-aggrandizement.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment regarding the Penn Station and Dulles renaming demand. The lawsuit filed by New York and New Jersey against the Trump administration remains ongoing in federal court in Manhattan.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-reportedly-demanded-his-name-on-penn-station-in-exchange-for-unfreezing-tunnel-project-funds/)

Trump Claims States Are Federal Agents in Elections

President Trump declared on Tuesday that states function as “agents for the federal government in elections,” advancing his push to federalize election administration. During an Oval Office signing ceremony, Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the federal government should take over elections from states he deemed incapable of running them honestly, specifically naming Atlanta and other Democratic-led cities as sites of “horrible corruption.” Trump’s assertion contradicts the Constitution, which assigns election administration to state and local officials with limited federal involvement.

Trump framed federal takeover as necessary to ensure honest elections, stating that if states “can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.” When pressed by Collins on constitutional constraints, Trump dismissed them, declaring states “can administer the election, but they have to do it honestly.” This demand for federal control extends Trump’s pattern of weaponizing federal authority against election officials, mirroring his sustained efforts to delegitimize the 2020 election and intimidate state administrators into compliance with his directives.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later reframed Trump’s “nationalize the voting” language as advocacy for the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration. However, noncitizens are already barred from voting in federal elections, making the legislation redundant. The move represents Trump’s broader strategy to impose new voting restrictions ahead of midterm elections under the guise of election security.

The statement follows an FBI seizure last week of election materials from Fulton County, Georgia, in connection with alleged voter fraud claims that have been repeatedly debunked. Legal experts, including UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, characterized such federal intervention as a dramatic escalation in federal control over state-run election infrastructure and warned of further interference in 2026 elections. Trump’s repeated false claims of election fraud and his push for federal dominance over election administration establish the groundwork for authoritarian control over voting mechanisms.

Trump’s assertion that states are federal agents in elections directly contradicts established constitutional law and democratic practice. His pattern of attacking election officials who refuse his demands, combined with federal actions targeting state election materials, demonstrates his intent to consolidate power over election administration and establish federal override of state election systems, dismantling the institutional safeguards that protect democratic elections from executive manipulation.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/03/politics/trump-nationalize-elections-states?Date=20260204&Profile=CNN+Politics&utm_content=1770166729&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAPxrotleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe_TP6JxjJ8F0XeylqLLR_PnMmKiHjepIwMfFSOkoZjpuKIlcOuE0eA99g3Kc_aem_XKBW8wXEdeRvaH0xj02M9A)

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