This Week in Democracy – Week 78: Trump Lays the Groundwork to Steal Future Elections
Zeteo’s weekly round-up, documenting the growth of authoritarianism in Trump’s second term.
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Two separate speeches this week – one by the president and one by the arguably shadow president – were a crock of BS and could be ignored, if only they didn’t have real and devastating consequences for democracy and Americans.
First, there was White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and his whiny speech about the administration’s campaign against the scary “radical” left. Then came Donald Trump, and his “address to the nation” – aka lies, conspiracies, and already-known information – about the president’s greatest obsession of all: the election he lost. If you missed these speeches, we don’t blame you. Zeteo’s politics team endured both so you didn’t have to. We have more on both below, and here and here.
The speeches, and their expected consequences, are exactly why we maintain this project – Trump and his cronies’ efforts to harm democracy, undermine the Constitution, and hurt societies worldwide continue at a rapid pace. Here’s more from ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 78’:
Saturday, July 11 – Times Reporters Subpoenaed About Trump Coverage
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration subpoenaed several of the publication’s journalists last Friday to testify before a federal grand jury about their reporting on security concerns surrounding Trump’s new Air Force One, which was donated by Qatar.
David McCraw, the top newsroom lawyer for the Times, said the move should “shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.”
The Times later reported that the subpoenas followed a meeting at the White House where FBI Director Kash Patel was directed to lead a leak investigation into the newspaper’s reporting about the plane.
Sunday, July 12 – DOJ Investigating Head of Union Auto Workers
Bloomberg reported that Trump’s Justice Department launched a grand jury investigation into United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain over allegations that he pressured a top union official to secure special favors for his fiancée and her sister.
Fain denied the allegations and accused the union’s vice president, Rich Boyer – who had filed complaints to the UAW’s court-appointed monitor about Fain – of trying to influence its upcoming election.
Monday, July 13 – Trump’s IRS Settlement Voided by Federal Judge
A federal judge voided Trump’s $1.8 billion settlement with the IRS that included an “anti-weaponization fund” and immunity from tax audits, ruling that the president’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns was filed “to manipulate the judicial process.”
The judge sanctioned two of Trump’s personal attorneys, one of whom was banned from practicing in the Southern District of Florida for at least one year. She also suggested that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and associate Attorney General Stan Woodward could face investigations or disciplinary actions by state bar associations.
Tuesday, July 14 – Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Under KKK Act of 1871
Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE for more than 100 days last year and is currently challenging a deportation order, sued the Trump administration and pro-Israel groups, including Canary Mission, Betar, and the Heritage Foundation.
The lawsuit, which was brought under a statute of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, argues that the Trump administration conspired with the organizations to “terrorize and make an example of” Khalil to “intimidate and silence the growing movement for Palestinian rights and political freedom.”
Wednesday, July 15 – Trump Wants ICE Traffic Stops to Continue Despite String of Deaths
On Truth Social, Trump called for ICE officers to continue conducting traffic stops, calling the practice one of the agency’s “most important and effective Crime Fighting tools,” one day after administration officials told ICE to suspend most vehicle stops.
The move came after ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo last week in Texas. He had been living in the U.S. for 35 years. Another ICE officer killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine, letting him bleed out in front of his 3-year-old daughter on Monday. A third man died on Tuesday in Florida after he was hit by a tractor-trailer while trying to flee from immigration officers.
Thursday, July 16 – Trump Relitigates His 2020 Loss Live on Television
In an address to the nation, Trump delivered a sluggish speech chock-full of debunked lies and conspiracy theories about foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election, in an effort to pressure Republicans to pass the voter suppression bill, the SAVE America Act. He also called for ABC and NBC to have their broadcasting licenses revoked for refusing to air his propagandic tirade live on their networks.
Hours earlier, in helping launch the Trump administration’s global campaign against so-called “radical left terrorism,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller delivered a speech that Zeteo senior politics editor Andrew Perez described as “characteristically apocalyptic and authoritarian” and that only served to help Miller live out his “violent fantasy.”
Friday, July 17 – Election Officials Threatened With Jail Time
Speaking to reporters, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin escalated the Trump administration’s threats to jail election officials, warning that they could be criminally prosecuted if they refuse the federal government’s baseless demands to turn over their voter rolls.
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’? Catch up here. And check out more of Zeteo’s reporting from this week below:
Good for Kahlil, the racism and Anti Palestinian bigotry is out of control!