This Week in Democracy – Week 17: Bribes, Bullying, and 'The Boss'
How can a sitting president accept a $400 million plane from a foreign government? Why is his administration threatening to suspend habeas corpus? And what did Bruce Springsteen do to upset Trump?
Trumpworld loves a scandal – especially an invented one that allows the Dear Leader to play victim while distracting the world from the harmful actions he is taking. And that’s exactly what we saw this week, with the faux outrage over a post from former FBI director James Comey depicting seashells forming the numbers “86 47.” As some people pointed out on social media, some of the same prominent Trumpists who have claimed Comey was calling for the assassination of President Trump - that’s not what 86 means! - and now want him imprisoned, have themselves posted some version of “86,” including in relation to Joe Biden. Oh, the hypocrisy!
This fake scandal didn’t distract us here at Zeteo – below, we continue to document and highlight a litany of awful actions the Trump administration has taken that harm democratic values, undermine the constitutional order, and hurt free societies in the US and around the world.
From threatening the arrest of House Democrats to rampant corruption to increased attacks from the president on the press and those who oppose him, here’s ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 17’:
Saturday, May 10
During an interview on CNN, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson warned that the Trump administration may seek the arrests of three House Democrats who visited a new ICE detention facility in New Jersey the day before to conduct oversight. Despite being disputed by video, the spokesperson accused the members of Congress of “assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer” – allegations Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman called “absurd.” Mehdi recently spoke to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested during the chaos.
NBC News reported that US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, relied on translators from the Kremlin in at least three high-level meetings with Vladimir Putin negotiating an end to the country’s war in Ukraine, breaking long-standing protocol in a move former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul called “a very bad idea” that put Witkoff “at a real disadvantage.”
Sunday, May 11
On Truth Social, Trump declared in an unhinged rant that “the USA will quickly and violently become a CRIME RIDDEN THIRD WORLD NATION, NEVER TO SEE GREATNESS AGAIN” because of a “radicalized and incompetent Court System” preventing his administration from removing and deporting undocumented immigrants without due process.
Trump attacked ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz, partially took credit for Pope Leo XIV’s election, and called on Disney CEO Bob Iger to “do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low rated shows.”
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the Trump administration is planning to accept "what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government” – a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family. The jet, which Trump is expected to use as the new Air Force One, would later be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation following his term in office. ABC News characterized the arrangement as “highly unusual” and “unprecedented.”
Trump confirmed the report about the luxury jumbo jet on Truth Social, calling it a “very public and transparent transaction” with the Defense Department.
A group of 59 white South Africans left their country on a flight to the US, where Trump has offered them refugee status – an exception to the president’s decision to suspend refugee resettlement programs in his first week in office.
Leftist political commentator and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was detained and questioned by US Customs and Border Protection agents at a Chicago airport. Piker, a US citizen who has been outspoken about the genocide in Gaza, said he was asked about his views on Trump and if he “like[s] Hamas.”
Monday, May 12
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced in a press release that the department is ending temporary protected status for Afghan nationals living in the US, as of July 12. Noem “determined that conditions in Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban, no longer meet the statutory requirements” for temporary protections, saying “notable improvements in the security and economic situation …. [do] not pose a threat to their personal safety.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was named acting Librarian of Congress. Blanche, who has no apparent experience in working in libraries, previously represented Trump during last year’s hush money criminal trial in which the president was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to Stormy Daniels.
Asked by a reporter why his government is welcoming Afrikaner refugees but not others, Trump baselessly claimed that there is a “genocide taking place” in South Africa where “white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated.” Trump’s claim has been disputed by a South African court as “clearly imagined.”
Trump temporarily walked back his administration’s 145% tariffs on China, reducing them to 30% for the next 90 days. The agreement resulted in China making a similar reduction in retaliatory tariffs it imposed on US imports.
The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) issued a statement noting that Trump’s trip to the Middle East marks “the first time since the White House press corps started traveling with American presidents abroad” that no reporter from a wire service was aboard Air Force One. The statement added that the WHCA is “disturbed by this new restriction on who can cover this White House and continued retaliation for independent editorial decisions.”
The FBI ordered agents to deprioritize investigations related to white-collar crime in favor of immigration enforcement, with field offices telling agents they need to begin spending one-third of their time on the crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, the agency’s Criminal Division issued new guidance narrowing the scope of white-collar cases and ordering prosecutors to “minimize the length and collateral impact” of investigations.
A federal judge rejected a preliminary injunction to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing sensitive tax records of immigrants with ICE.
An appeals court dismissed a legal challenge by the Trump administration of a temporary restraining order prohibiting the deportation of immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act in Colorado.
Tuesday, May 13
Twenty Democratic-led states filed a pair of lawsuits in an effort to block the Trump administration from cutting billions in federal grants to states that don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement.
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled the president can deport Venezuelan migrants accused of being part of the Tren de Aragua gang under the Alien Enemies Act in the western part of the state, but required the administration to give those deemed to be “alien enemies” 21 days to challenge their deportations in court.
Meanwhile, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act in Texas without a 30-day notice.
A federal grand jury indicted Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who the Justice Department accused of trying to help an immigrant evade arrest. Dugan, who pleaded not guilty, has been charged with obstruction and concealing an individual, faces up to six years in prison if convicted.
During a trip to the Middle East, Trump announced that the US signed an agreement to sell Saudi Arabia a nearly $142 billion arms package, which a White House fact sheet called “the largest defense sales agreement in history.”
Trump ordered the termination of sanctions against Syria that have been in place for nearly 50 years after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
On Truth Social, Trump posted about the luxury jumbo jet from Qatar, saying that “Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.”
The Trump administration cut another $450 million in grants for Harvard University, on top of the $2.2 billion already canceled by the federal government. In response, the school expanded its lawsuit against the administration, arguing the funding freeze was done without following proper procedures and that the federal government’s demands violated the First Amendment.
Lawyers for a 2-year-old US citizen who was effectively kidnapped by the Trump administration and expelled to Honduras with her undocumented mother announced the family was dropping its lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying the family is looking at “the best ways to proceed so the harms they have suffered can be fully addressed.”
On Fox, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the three House Democrats being investigated by DHS shouldn’t be allowed to serve on congressional committees and called for them to be censured.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired the acting chair and deputy of the National Intelligence Council, one week after the release of a partially declassified report produced by the council that concluded Venezuela is not directing Tren de Aragua gang, the excuse Trump used to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador.
The New York Times reported that the DOGE website removed dozens of contracts worth a total of $122 million from their “Wall of Receipts” after the news organization identified that they had been reinstated.
Wednesday, May 14
A federal judge ordered the immediate release of Indian Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri on bail after he was detained on March 17, saying it is “in the public interest to disrupt the chilling effect on protected speech” and finding the Trump administration did not provide evidence that he was a Hamas supporter.
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested after disrupting a Senate committee hearing to protest Congress funding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. As he was being removed, he shouted, “Congress pays for bombs that kill kids in Gaza and pays for it by taking poor kids off Medicaid.”
During a meeting in Saudi Arabia, Trump called Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former leader of al-Qaeda who remains on the State Department’s list of Globally Designated Terrorists, a “young, attractive” and “tough guy.” Al-Sharaa had previously proposed building Trump Tower Damascus to woo the president.
The Trump administration said it plans to rescind Biden-era limits on four toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water, despite being linked to health issues like developmental delays and cancer.
The top Democrats on the House Judiciary, Oversight and Administration Committees sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking for evidence regarding “the potential misuse of certain politically oriented fundraising ventures for fraudulent, corrupt, or other illegal purposes,” from Republican fundraising platform WinRed, political action committees like Musk’s super PAC, and the Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial crypto venture. [The move follows Trump’s April presidential memo calling for an investigation into the Democratic Party’s main fundraising platform, ActBlue.]
An appeals court cleared the way for the progressive watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) to probe Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, including records around its “organizational role, authorities and operational reach.”
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from canceling federal grants for the American Bar Association (ABA) to train lawyers who represent victims of domestic and sexual violence, finding that the move amounted to retaliation of free speech related to the ABA’s involvement in a separate lawsuit challenging the administration’s freeze on foreign aid.
The White House National Security Council banned federal agencies and departments from working on the G-20 conference in South Africa, as Trump ramps up his attacks on the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a House committee that she believes migrants crossing the US-Mexico border could qualify as a “rebellion or invasion” that could justify the suspension of habeas corpus, the right for people to challenge their detention in court.
Judge Hannah Dugan filed a motion to dismiss the federal charges against her by the Trump administration, calling her prosecution “virtually unprecedented and entirely unconstitutional,” citing her judicial immunity.
ProPublica reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million in Trump Media shares on the same day Trump implemented his “Liberation Day” tariffs that wreaked havoc on the stock market.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking collective bargaining rights for foreign service members.
The Trump administration walked back a plan to gut the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying his department would reinstate roughly one-third of the 900 employees who were set to lose their jobs. The reversal comes after a lawsuit was filed by a coalition of labor organizations to block its dismantling.
Thursday, May 15
In Qatar, Trump renewed his idea of the US taking over Gaza to make it a “freedom zone,” a plan that would constitute the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Judge Hannah Dugan pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security is in talks with the producer of “Duck Dynasty” to be part of a proposed ‘Hunger Games’-style reality television show that would feature immigrants competing for potential US citizenship. A DHS spokesperson said the proposal is “in the very beginning stages” of a vetting process, but said on Twitter that Noem “has not ‘backed’ or even aware of the pitch of any scripted or reality show.”
Noem said former FBI director James Comey is being investigated after he shared a since-deleted photo on social media that depicted seashells forming the number “86 47.” Conservative conspiracy theorists claimed “86” could be interpreted as to “kill” Trump, the 47th president. (To “86” something is generally known to mean nix or to throw out.) On Twitter, Noem accused Comey of calling for Trump’s assassination while Comey himself later posted that he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”
Republicans like Matt Gaetz and Jack Posobiec have used the term “86” in the past without controversy among conservatives.
On Fox, Gabbard called for Comey to be “put behind bars” for his post, accusing him of “issuing a hit” on Trump.
As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case, Trump took to Truth Social to falsely claim that the US is the only country with birthright citizenship (dozens of countries have it).
The Washington Post reported that Trump’s military parade and festivities scheduled for June 14 (the US Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday) will cost between $25 million and $45 million.
The Defense Department issued a new order requiring military commanders to identify trans troops in their unit and send them for medical checks to force them out of the service.
AP reported that the FBI is disbanding a Washington field office squad responsible for investigating members of Congress and other federal officials over allegations of fraud and public corruption.
A federal judge rescinded an order requiring the Trump administration to admit roughly 12,000 refugees into the US who had “arranged and confirmable” plans to enter the country before the president suspended the asylum system on Jan. 20. The judge determined that the administration should admit about 160 refugees who had plans to come to the US within two weeks of Trump’s executive order.
Friday, May 16
Zeteo’s Prem Thakker reported that the State Department is directing university officers to report international students and scholars who participate in certain campus protests, “proscribed antisemitic actions,” “terrorist activity,” or “endorsing or espousing terrorism.” University officials told Prem the new requirements place an impossible burden on them since they will have to determine what conduct or First Amendment-protected speech qualifies as a reportable incident.
On Truth Social, Trump once again accused Democrats of “playing the ref” with the Supreme Court, calling them “Radical Left SleazeBags” with “no cards remaining in its illegal bag of tricks.” In another post, he said the Supreme Court is “BEING PLAYED BY THE RADICAL LEFT LOSERS,” whose only hope “IS THE INTIMIDATION OF THE COURT, ITSELF.”
Trump also attacked musician Bruce Springsteen, who said two days earlier that the US “is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” In addition to insults about the singer’s appearance and support of Joe Biden, Trump said Springsteen “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country,” adding, “Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!” He also used his social media platform to attack Taylor Swift - again.
On Fox, Trump claimed Comey was “calling for the assassination of the president,” called him a “dirty cop,” and said it would be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi to determine if he should be prosecuted. Comey was later escorted by Secret Service agents for an interview about his post.
Reuters reported that more than 60,000 metric tons of food aid, which could feed 3.5 million people for a month, is mouldering in storage due to the Trump administration’s cuts to global assistance programs.
The city of Denver joined Chicago and Pima County, Arizona, in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for withholding millions in federal grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from cutting $11 billion in federal funds for public health departments to support COVID-19 initiatives, as well as programs for mental health and substance abuse.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the president to move forward with the downsizing of the federal workforce while a lawsuit challenging the effort makes its way through the court system.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the agency asked the Defense Department to provide 20,000 National Guard members to assist with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The unprecedented move, if approved, would mark the first time National Guard troops were used to enforce immigration in the US.
NBC News reported that the Trump administration is seeking to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, with the potential of the US unfreezing billions in funds for Libya that have been frozen for over a decade.
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act for a group of Venezuelan immigrants in northern Texas, finding that 24 hours’ notice of their removals doesn’t amount to due process.
An appeals court upheld a federal judge’s ruling blocking the Trump administration from deporting immigrants to countries other than their own without first providing due process.
Missed previous weeks? Catch up here.
Subscribe to Zeteo to make sure you get ‘This Week in Democracy’ in your inbox every week.
If you are already a Zeteo subscriber but would like to increase your support for our accountability journalism in this era of Trump and authoritarianism, please do consider a donation, too.
Thanks for providing these weekly recaps. With so many smoke & mirror distractions created by the orange plague and its repugnant invertebrates, its difficult to see the truth at times.
My cardiologist is letting me slowly get back to watching/reading the news after my five heart attacks this last March. Thank you for letting us all know what's going on. Now I think I need to meditate for a bit. 🥴