This week in democracy saw the president of the United States kick off the so-called “Trump-a-palooza” in Dallas with lies, and more lies, and a … bribe, a fake offer of $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms, as Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng wrote from Texas. It saw Trump end the event, a fascist rally complete with an on-stage freakout about his hair, with more incoherent rambling, and with the U.S. president making the audience pledge their allegiance to him and … promise to cheat in the November election. (Let’s not pretend that last part was a joke, Trump and his cronies have for months been setting the stage to rig the midterms.)
Such is how it goes in Donald Trump’s America; not a day goes by when Trump isn’t laughing in democracy’s face, undermining the Constitution, and hurting Americans and societies worldwide.
From once again trying to add a citizenship question to the U.S. census questionnaire to investigating chief election officials, here’s ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 86’:
Saturday, Sept. 5 – DOJ Investigates Virus Scientists, Including Fauci
The New York Times reported that Trump’s Justice Department has been investigating several virus scientists, including former COVID czar Anthony Fauci. Investigators have sought phone, email, grant, and payment records, as well as grand jury testimony by the scientists.
The status of the investigation is unclear, but Fauci is protected from federal prosecution for his official actions from 2014 to 2025 thanks to a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden last year.
Sunday, Sept. 6 – DeSantis Staffer Fired for Nazi Retweet Gets New State Dept. Gig
The Times also reported that Nate Hochman, a former staffer of Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign who was fired in 2023 after he retweeted a video that featured a Nazi sonnenrad symbol, is now working in the State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio.
Hochman was hired earlier this year to serve as deputy director of the State Department’s policy planning office. He’s also Rubio’s chief speechwriter, according to his email signature.
Monday, Sept. 7 – Corey Lewandowski’s Corruption Exposed
The Wall Street Journal reported that, during his time as a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security, Corey Lewandowski offered to help senior Qatari officials with any issues, including visas, if they would “hire [him] on the side.”
He also repeatedly tried to set up a one-on-one meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp after the company negotiated a $2.7 billion agreement with the agency, but the meeting never happened; the agreement was ultimately reduced to $1 billion.
Lewandowski denies any wrongdoing.
Tuesday, Sept. 8 – Border Patrol’s ‘Predictive’ Policing Units
404 Media reported that Border Patrol is using “Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams,” an idea ripped straight from the dystopia ‘Minority Report,’ to analyze Americans’ financial activity, along with other data, to determine whom local police should pull over.
The data isn’t used to help identify whether an individual is suspected of committing a crime. Instead, it’s being used to determine whether the government thinks the person may be worth searching, 404 Media wrote.
Wednesday, Sept. 9 – Trump, Once Again, Tries to Change Census
During a ridiculously long speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump made a desperate attempt to bribe voters into casting their ballots for GOP candidates this fall – pledging a $5,000 check for every U.S. adult citizen if Republicans win the midterms. It’s not the first time Trump has claimed Americans would receive a new check during his second administration. None have gone out, and no one in Trumpworld thinks the latest promise is real, either.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration issued a new proposal to add a citizenship question to the U.S. census questionnaire, a move that could exclude millions of people from the census and impact how congressional maps are drawn and how federal funding is allocated to states. The new rules would also bar the U.S. Census Bureau from asking certain questions about race and ethnicity, despite collecting data on these demographics since 1790.
Thursday, Sept. 10 – Chief Election Officials ‘Under Investigation,’ DOJ Says
The New York Times reported that Trump’s Justice Department sent letters to at least 30 senior election officials ordering states to retain all 2024 election-related records, despite laws allowing the destruction of voting records 22 months after an election takes place.
The letters indicated that chief election officials “are currently under investigation” and subject to “ongoing litigation,” though it’s unclear what is being investigated and whether it is a criminal or civil probe.
Friday, Sept. 11 – Trump DOJ Confirms Historic Deportation
Trump’s Justice Department announced that, for the first time ever, an individual was deported from the United States through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court – which has existed since 1996 but had never been used.
The court’s procedures allow for the use of secret evidence that the targets of deportation never see, a practice that has raised concerns among legal scholars about potential constitutional violations.
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:
