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Trump Is Behaving Like a Gang Leader. His Insignia? A Long Red Tie

Trump Is Behaving Like a Gang Leader. His Insignia? A Long Red Tie

The president of the United States is running a shakedown operation right out in the open.

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John Harwood
Jul 09, 2025
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Trump Is Behaving Like a Gang Leader. His Insignia? A Long Red Tie
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Trump at the White House on June 26, 2025. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

To scorekeepers who treat governance as a game, President Donald Trump has scored summertime “wins” from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. But consider how he won.

He used regulatory threats to extract $16 million from Paramount to settle his groundless lawsuit over an ordinary CBS interview with Kamala Harris.

He used political threats to bludgeon Republican lawmakers into passing his tax-cutting, healthcare-slashing, debt-ballooning policy bill, making an example of renegade GOP Senator Thom Tillis, who, after being attacked by Trump over his opposition to the legislation, announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.

Trump used legal and budgetary threats to compel the ouster of University of Virginia President James Ryan for supporting “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives.

By force rather than reason and proper authority – that’s why adversaries call him an authoritarian. Yet that description, though accurate, does not suffice.

In fact, Trump behaves a lot like the leaders of those Latin American gangs he claims imperil our way of life. Rather than tattoos, his insignia is the long red tie.

The criminals of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, whom the president has made famous, stake out territory where they profit from illicit enterprises. They crush rivals, snuff out snitches, extort protection money from bystanders, and intimidate others into acquiescence.

If the pattern sounds familiar, it may be because we’ve watched a political version all year.

Threats, Pressure, and Masked Strongmen in the Streets

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