Dictatorship updates

djt's enraged revenge lust is spreading everywhere now. This time he targeting banks who refused to do business with him. He claims the banks discriminated against him. Reuters reports that a draft of an executive order (EO) that instructs federal regulators to review banks for "politicized or unlawful debanking" practices. The order could authorize monetary penalties or other disciplinary measures against violators. Here, the president's personal slights and business interests are reflected in federal policies. That is another direct conflict of interest that djt simply ignores. Ethics simply do not apply much or at all to tdj or MAGA elites in government.

The EO, Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans, was signed on August 7, 2025. It is a highly significant regulatory and political development because it fundamentally reframes financial access as a civil rights issue rather than merely a business decision. Talk about interfering with business! This is government interference on a new level. The EO requires federal banking regulators to, (1) identify financial institutions with past or current policies promoting politicized or unlawful debanking within 120 days, (2) take appropriate remedial action including fines, consent decrees, and other disciplinary measures, and (3) refer cases of religious discrimination to the Department of Justice for civil enforcement.

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In view of (1) how resistant to scandals, crimes and criticisms djt has been, and (2) how weak and ineffective the rule of law has been, it is reasonable to think that no matter what he did in relation to Epstein, there will be no consequences, at least as long as he is in office. Tight now, djt owns the DoJ and FBI. Neither agency will make any move against him. Neither will the GOP. 

But what about the pro-Trumpo rank and file? According to fact checker Snopes, 47% of Republicans would still vote for Trump even if he is implicated in Epstein's crimes. 

The Epstein scandal is not going to dislodge djt.

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The NYT reports (not paywalled) that djt is secretly moving to politicize and weaponize the US military. The cover for his move is targeting Latin American drug cartels that he calls terrorist organizations. He secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against the drug cartels. 

djt's authorization of the military establishes a precedent for military force against broadly  and poorly defined national security threats. The expansion from traditional terrorism to drug trafficking could justify military action against other groups or individuals the executive branch deems threatening. This directive arguably undermines fundamental constitutional principles that separate military and civilian authority. That has been a bulwark that protected American democracy since the founding of the Republic. Treating social problems like drug trafficking as military rather than public health or law enforcement arguably amounts to a fundamental authoritarian shift, although research on this point appears to be limited, e.g., this, this and this.

Militarizing the war on drugs feels like a bad, authoritarian move. But that is just a personal opinion.