This Week in Democracy – Week 37: Trump Goes Full Fascist and Denounces 'Enemy From Within'
Another week of Zeteo's project to document the growth of authoritarianism in Trump's second term.
Week 37. Where do we even begin?
Donald Trump went full fascist, telling the country’s military leaders they need to confront the “enemy from within” (do you know who else warned of ‘internal enemies’?).
Government websites blamed the “radical left” for the shutdown (it’s not only a lie, but the message may have violated the law).
Trump officially told Congress the US is at war with the cartels (as if that suddenly makes using deadly force on boats that Trump says, without providing evidence, are carrying drugs to the US legal under international law).
And that’s just the beginning of what the president and his allies did this week that harms democracy, undermines the Constitution, and hurts free societies worldwide. We’ve got the rest of the list below.
Before you hop in, though, there was one great thing that happened for democracy – a courageous federal judge issued a truly stunning 161-page rebuke of the president and his assault on the First Amendment: “The president’s palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans’ freedom of speech.”
Here’s ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 37’:
Saturday, September 27
On Truth Social, Trump announced that he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, which he baselessly called “War ravaged” and “under siege” by antifa. In response, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said, “the number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city.”
Sunday, September 28
Oregon sued the Trump administration in an effort to block the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. The lawsuit called the move “provocative and arbitrary,” and argued it “threaten[s] to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.”
Monday, September 29
Reuters reported that the number of federal drug prosecutions dropped to its lowest number in decades after the Trump administration shifted the focus of enforcement agencies to its crackdown on immigration. Meanwhile, the number of people charged with money laundering also decreased by 24% this year.
The Guardian reported that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has taken a prominent role in the Trump administration’s strikes against suspected Venezuelan drug boats, sometimes exerting more influence than Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio.
MSNBC reported that the FBI investigation into Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, began after his colleague suggested to federal agents posing as businessmen that Homan could facilitate lucrative government contracts if Trump became president, in exchange for $1 million.
YouTube agreed to a $24.5 million settlement with Trump to end a lawsuit he brought after the platform suspended his account following the Jan. 6 insurrection. As part of the settlement, YouTube will provide $22 million to help fund the construction of the White House State Ballroom, and another $2.5 million that will go to a group of Trump’s supporters, including the American Conservative Union.
Politico reported that the Trump administration is planning to slash more than half of its federal funding for a homelessness program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which could put more than 170,000 people at risk of becoming homeless.
The New York Times reported that top Trump aides, led by Marco Rubio, are ramping up their push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, which could include escalating military pressure to force him out.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to the president of Harvard University, notifying the school that the Trump administration would refer it to a process called debarment, which could make Harvard ineligible for federal grants.
The New York City Bar Association issued a statement about the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, writing, “We are at a turning point in our history,” and adding that “the Supreme Court has long recognized that prosecutions animated by impermissible motives are unconstitutional.”
Trump welcomed Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for the fourth time since he took office in January. He also introduced a 20-point “peace plan” to end the war in Gaza, which would include putting Gaza under a “temporary” committee known as the “Board of Peace,” led by Trump and featuring former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The plan doesn’t appear to have included any official input from Palestinians. During a joint press conference, during which neither Trump nor Netanyahu took questions, Trump said if Hamas doesn’t accept the deal, Israel would have the “full backing” of the US to “do what you have to do.”
New bodycam footage was released that suggested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest at an ICE facility in May was ordered by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The video shows the arresting officer saying he would be placing Baraka under arrest at the direction of Blanche, and telling other federal agents to turn off their bodycams.
On Truth Social, Trump once again suggested he would withhold federal funds from New York City if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor, writing, “He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”
He also posted a vulgar and racist AI-generated video of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, with Jeffries wearing a sombrero and Schumer saying in the fabricated audio that Democrats “have no voters anymore because of our woke, trans bullshit,” and that “if we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us.” In response, Jeffries tweeted, “Bigotry will get you nowhere,” and Schumer said, “If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.”
The Trump administration deported dozens of Iranians back to Iran after striking a deal with Tehran. The move raised concerns among human rights advocates who fear for the immigrants’ safety. Later, a lawyer representing two of the immigrants said his clients were removed from the US without due process and are now at risk of persecution in their home country.
Trump signed an executive order vowing to protect Qatar, weeks after Israel’s attack on the country targeting Hamas leaders, which he reportedly received prior notice about. The order states that the US “shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the state of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”
Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng and Andrew Perez reported that some of Trump’s top government officials are concerned that the president’s outbursts could make it harder for his administration to charge, convict, and imprison his political opponents.
Tuesday, September 30
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered hundreds of top US military leaders at Quantico for a speech in which he slammed “woke” standards and promised a return to “the highest male standard” for combat positions. Hegseth announced he is “overhauling” the department’s Inspector General’s Office, which is currently investigating him over the Signal scandal, claiming the office “has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues, and poor performers in the driver’s seat.” He also said the department will be making changes to the retention of adverse information in personnel records.
Speaking to the military leaders, Trump went full fascist and warned about an unspecified “enemy from within,” saying, “We’re under invasion from within, no different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways, because they don’t wear uniforms.” He also suggested that cities like San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles could be used “as training grounds for our military.”
A Reagan-appointed federal judge issued a scathing opinion against the Trump administration, finding its effort to deport pro-Palestinian academics “continues unconstitutionally to chill freedom of speech to this day.” He went on to write, “The President’s palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans’ freedom of speech.” He added, “I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up for, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected. Is he correct?”
Politico reported that the White House is considering a primary challenge to Governor Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) if she continues to avoid efforts to redistrict a new Congressional map in her state.
Speaking to reporters, Trump blamed Democratic lawmakers for the impending government shutdown, but added that his administration “can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them, and irreversible by them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
Trump also repeated his false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election, saying, “We did win the election. We did great. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way from a practical standpoint.”
Fortune reported that approximately 100,000 federal workers who signed up for the Trump administration’s “fork in the road” Deferred Resignation Program were set to formally quit their jobs as the fiscal year came to a close, marking what the outlet calls the country’s “largest mass resignation in history.”
The acting inspector general for the National Archives opened an investigation into the release of Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s (D-N.J.) military records, which were almost completely unredacted, including her Social Security number, the addresses for her and her parents, and life insurance information. The investigation follows a request from ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who called the release “an illegal and likely politically motivated disclosure.”
The Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bright red banner on its website blaming the “radical left” for the impending government shutdown. The banner read, “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.” The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen subsequently filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, calling the banner a “blatant violation” of the Hatch Act.
Federal labor unions sued the Trump administration in an effort to block mass firings during the government shutdown, arguing the move is illegal and exceeds the government’s authority.
ICE agents allegedly assaulted three journalists at an immigration court in New York City, resulting in one of the reporters, L. Vural Elibol from Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, being removed from the building on a stretcher and hospitalized.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from reallocating $233 million worth of FEMA disaster assistance funds from 12 Democratic states, hours before the funds would have expired at the end of the fiscal year. During the hearing, the judge called the move to repurpose the funds “yet another case where the administration is saying … I’m going to do what I want to do and not what the law says and make the court make me.”
Trump said Education Secretary Linda McMahon is “finishing up the final details” on an agreement with Harvard University that he claims will see the school pay $500 million and begin operating trade schools.
The Washington Post reported that although the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program resumed just days after Trump signed an executive order suspending foreign aid, the decision caused months-long delays and disruptions of medications, rapid screening tests, and other life-saving supplies to more than 40 countries that ultimately led to the deaths of children.
A federal judge ruled that Trump’s acting US attorney for Nevada “is not validly serving” in her position and that her involvement in prosecutions “would be unlawful.” It marks the second time in Trump’s term that one of his acting US attorneys has had their authority stripped by the courts.
Trump withdrew his nomination of E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation who contributed to Project 2025, to serve as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner.
A class action lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration, arguing its efforts to aggregate the personal data of hundreds of millions of US citizens from federal agencies violate the Constitution and federal privacy laws, put sensitive data at risk of being hacked, and could disenfranchise voters.
Another lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration by a US citizen from Alabama who was detained twice by ICE in recent months while working at a construction site despite showing agents his identification. The lawsuit argues ICE’s warrantless raids and arrests are unconstitutional.
The Trump administration said it determined that Minnesota and its governing body for high school sports were in violation of federal law over their policies allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports, giving them 10 days to reverse their policies or risk enforcement action.
Federal agents conducted a massive late-night raid at a Chicago apartment building that resulted in the arrests of 37 people. The Chicago Sun Times reported that armed federal agents in military fatigues busted down doors, pulling residents, including women and children, some of them naked, from their apartments. After the raid, toys, shoes, and food remained in piles in the building’s hallways, and property managers were seen throwing mattresses and broken doors into dumpsters.
Wednesday, October 1
The federal government shut down after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to pass proposals to keep the government open. It’s the first government shutdown since Trump’s first term, which lasted 34 days between December 2018 and January 2019.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is planning to require more than 5,000 personnel, including many top officials, to sign strict nondisclosure agreements and undergo random polygraph testing in an effort to identify leakers and those who are deemed to be insufficiently loyal.
The Supreme Court ruled that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, whom Trump attempted to fire in August, can remain in her position for the time being, with arguments in her case scheduled for January 2026.
A coalition of 20 states sued the Trump administration in an effort to block a new Justice Department rule that would prohibit states from helping victims of sexual assault and domestic violence unless they can immediately prove their immigration status.
An immigration judge rejected a motion by Kilmar Abrego Garcia to reopen his asylum claim, ruling that the motion was filed beyond a 90-day deadline. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers argued he was eligible to apply for asylum within one year of his last entry into the US, which occurred when he was returned from El Salvador, where he was mistakenly deported. (Read more about the Trumpy immigration judge who made the decision here.)
On a podcast, former Trump campaign manager and current DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski suggested ICE agents will be at the Super Bowl for Bad Bunny’s halftime show, saying, “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else.” He added, “It’s so shameful they’ve decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much to represent them at the Halftime Show.”
On Twitter, Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought announced that the Trump administration is canceling nearly $8 billion in climate funding for 16 states, none of which voted for Trump in 2024.
Politico reported on a White House memo that found the US could lose $15 billion of its gross domestic product each week of a government shutdown, with a monthlong shutdown threatening to lead to 43,000 people losing their jobs. The job losses are in addition to the 1.9 million federal employees who are either furloughed or working without pay.
NBC News reported that a coalition of more than 150 US doctors, nurses, and other medical workers who volunteered in Gaza sent a letter to Trump urging his administration to end the country’s “military, economic, and diplomatic support” for Israel’s destruction of Gaza, writing that “with only marginal exceptions, everyone in Gaza is sick, injured, or both,” and adding that “the scale of violence directed at Gaza’s civilians is unlike anything any of us has ever seen.”
CNN reported that FBI Director Kash Patel fired a trainee for displaying a pride flag on his desk when he was working as an FBI support specialist in California last year. In a letter to the trainee obtained by MSNBC, Patel accused him of “exercis[ing] poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump recently signed off on providing Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, marking the first time, officials say, the Trump administration has done so.
ICE officials transferred the last 18 remaining immigrants awaiting deportation from the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, though their final destinations were not known.
The Trump administration sent an offer to nine major universities to receive more favorable access to federal funds if they sign on to an agreement that would involve gutting any transgender policies, ending the consideration of race, gender, and other student demographics in the admissions process, and requiring undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from withholding $34 million in federal funds to protect New York’s transportation system from terrorist attacks.
Thursday, October 2
Politico reported that while one-third of White House employees will be furloughed during the government shutdown, all 45 officials working for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will stay on the job.
CBS News reported that the director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library was forced to resign this week after he pushed back against Trump taking an original Eisenhower sword from the library’s collection to give to King Charles as a gift during his state visit to the UK. He told CBS News that he was directed to “resign – or be fired.”
On Truth Social, Trump announced a meeting with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to determine what “Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM” should be cut, and whether the cuts should be temporary or permanent. Trump bragged, “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.”
During an interview on One America News Network, Trump threatened to fire federal workers if a government shutdown continues. He also suggested his administration would permanently cut projects supported by Democrats, saying, “I am allowed to cut things that should have never been approved in the first place and I will probably do that.”
The New York Times reported that Trump sent a confidential notice to Congress, informing lawmakers that the US is formally engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels his administration has designated as “terrorist organizations.” The notice described individuals suspected of smuggling drugs for these groups as “unlawful combatants.” Under international law, declaring an armed conflict gives Trump the authority to target enemy fighters even if they pose no immediate threat. The move has experts questioning whether the notice itself is lawful, with a former Army senior adviser for law-of-war issues calling it an “abuse” that crossed a major legal line.
Wired reported that after Education Department employees set up their automatic out-of-office email responses following the government shutdown, the language of the response message was altered to blame Senate Democrats for the shutdown.
Asked by a reporter whether emergency room doctors should check the immigration status of a dying patient before treating them, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to answer, saying, “That’s a question for health care professionals and legal experts to answer.”
Apple said it removed ICEBlock and other similar apps that alert users to ICE agents in their area from its App Store after facing pressure from Justice Department officials, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, to take them down.
Friday, October 3
Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara, who has lived in the US for over 20 years, was deported after spending more than three months in ICE custody. Guevara, who had a work permit and is the father of two US citizens, was arrested in June while covering the “No Kings” protest. The Guardian called his imprisonment “among the longest for any reporter arrested in connection with their work as a journalist” in US history.
The FBI cut ties with the non-profit organization Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors right-wing extremism. On Twitter, FBI Director Kash Patel baselessly called the organization a “partisan smear machine.” The move comes two days after Patel cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League. Both organizations had named Turning Point USA, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, as a group affiliated with “extremism” and “hate.”
Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng reported that top Trump administration officials are furious with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for undermining the government’s narrative about Jeffrey Epstein in a New York Post podcast earlier this week. On the podcast, Lutnick, who was once Epstein’s neighbor, said he was shown Epstein’s “massage room” during a tour of his townhouse, claimed Epstein’s rich and famous associates “participated” in the late sex trafficker’s crimes, and called him “the greatest blackmailer ever,” something the Trump administration strenuously denies.
On Twitter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that, on Trump’s orders, he directed a strike on an alleged drug boat in the waters off Venezuela. According to Hegseth, four men were killed during the strike. Hegseth added, “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”
On Truth Social, Trump gave Hamas a deadline of 6 pm Sunday to accept the terms of his deal to end the war in Gaza. If Hamas rejects the deal, Trump warned that “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out” against them. Hamas later said it would release all Israeli hostages under Trump’s plan, and signaled its readiness to enter into negotiations. Hamas also agreed to transfer the administration of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats, “based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”
AP reported that the first group of Army lawyers the Trump administration tapped to serve as temporary immigration judges is set to begin training on Monday. Experts have warned that the move could harm both immigration and military courts.
Wired reported that ICE is looking to hire private vendors for a multiyear surveillance program that would involve employing 30 contractors to monitor social media platforms for content that could be used as intelligence to target people for deportation.
A veteran federal prosecutor who was abruptly fired this week after a pro-Trump writer, without evidence, linked him to internal pushback related to Comey’s indictment, left a note on his office door warning colleagues that the Trump administration “is more concerned with punishing the President’s perceived enemies than they are with protecting our national security.”
The Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration can move forward with terminating the temporary protected status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants living in the US.
A federal judge ordered discovery in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case after suggesting that his prosecution “may stem from retaliation by the DOJ and DHS due to Abrego’s successful challenge of his unlawful deportation in Maryland.”
A coalition of unions, employers, and religious groups sued the Trump administration to block its effort to impose a $100,000 application fee on new H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers.
AP reported that the Trump administration sent offers to migrant shelters to pay migrant children aged 14 and older $2,500 to self-deport to their home countries, giving them 24 hours to accept the deal.
A second federal appeals court ruled that Trump’s executive order to ban birthright citizenship is unconstitutional.
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Hi Mehdi: I know that all this weekly newsletter does is re-cap a week of the lies, crimes, corruption, and stupidity of this administration, but you deserve a Pulitzer Prize for keeping these stories in our consciousness. I really appreciate it very much! Donald
Thanks, as always, for the weekly summary. I really look forward to these, even though I get thoroughly pissed off from the first paragraph on.