#2 Persecution of Political Opponents
Trump reliably got applause throughout the 2016 campaign with by encouraging his followers to "lock her up", referring to his election opponent, Secretary of State Clinton. He never did, but it was a threat that always seemed to be hanging over the heads of his opponents.
From the Times article:
"In addition to restricting speech and dissent, autocrats use
the immense power of law enforcement to investigate and imprison people who
have fallen out of favor. Mr. Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer
of his personal interests, targeting people for legally dubious reasons while
creating a culture in which his allies can act with impunity.
Following the president’s demands, his appointees have
secured indictments of a few critics (including Attorney General Letitia James of New York and the former F.B.I. director James Comey and ordered investigations of others including Senator Adam Schiff
of California. Some of these appointees were once Mr. Trump’s personal
lawyers. Mr. Trump has also used executive orders to go after perceived
enemies, including law firms representing his critics. And he has systematically fired
government employees who played roles in earlier investigations of him or his
allies.
Mr. Trump has simultaneously shielded his own supporters from legal consequences for their actions, including through blanket pardon of the January 6 rioters.
True authoritarians go much further than Mr. Trump has, but he has already
targeted his opponents with legal persecution in shocking ways."
There's not much I can add to the words of the NY Times editorial, but it's getting worse, not better. Trump recently was quoted as saying, in regards to his political retribution:
"I hope they're looking at all of these people, and I'm allowed to find out. I'm allowed, you know, I’m in theory
chief law enforcement officer.”
Well yes, in theory, but predominantly in the Unitary Executive Theory, which imbues the president with almost monarchial powers. The Justice Department, while under the authority of the president, has been viewed by presidents of both parties as functionally independent, with the president uninvolved in prosecutorial decisions. Thus it's the Attorney General, not the President, who is in practice the chief law enforcement officer. Trump's remarks seem at odds with his other remarks stating that the law is what he says it is and his serial lawbreaking since being re-elected.
In addition to the targets named in the Times article, former Special Counsel Jack Smith and former FBI Director Christopher Wray have been threatened with investigations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton has been charged with retaining government documents. George Soros has been mentioned as a potential target, as well as an ill-defined number of liberal fund raising organizations. Just today, as Trump's name has featured prominently in thousands of emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein, Trump has ordered Attorney General Bondi to open investigations into Epstein links to several prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton.
Trump's campaign isn't some high-minded crusade against corruption and impunity by public officials. He is motivated by nothing more than a desire to get back at those who treated him "unfairly" or had the temerity to publicly criticize him.
He has turned the government into a vehicle to exact revenge upon those who he perceived as having wronged him.
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