authoritarianism Trump's plan to deploy federal troops to suppress the 2026 vote Trump, Sept. 2020: "We're going to win four more years in the White House. And then after that, we'll negotiate, right? Because we're probably, based on the way we were treated, we're probably entitled to another four after that." Gerrymander
authoritarianism Trump's D.C. takeover: Standing armies in times of peace On August 11, former President Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to deploy the D.C. National Guard to the Capitol, ostensibly to combat an “epidemic of crime.” The decision followed the highly publicized assault of DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, aka ‘Big Balls’, by a
Monthly recap Every terrible thing the Trump administration did in July 2025 Florida’s detention camp Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the Trump administration opened an immigrant detention center in the middle of the Everglades on July 1. The facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republicans, consists of rows of bunk beds encircled by cages inside a collection of plastic tents. Detainees
authoritarianism Republicans are trying to rig the 2026 election in plain sight The 2026 midterms are just over a year away, and Republicans are showing no sign of moderating their deeply unpopular agenda. So how do they plan to hold onto power in an election year that historically favors the minority party? Simple: rig the election. Republicans already hold a disproportionate number
authoritarianism From campuses to newsrooms: Trump’s coordinated campaign to crush independent institutions Suppressing independent thought The Trump administration’s months-long campaign to assert control over higher education paid off this month as multiple institutions capitulated under mounting pressure. The strategy adheres to a now-familiar playbook: first, freeze federal funding over vague allegations of tolerating antisemitism, advancing transgender rights, or prioritizing diversity initiatives,
Project 2025 The GOP reconciliation bill completed 16 of Project 2025's goals On Independence Day, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) into law, stripping healthcare and food assistance from millions of Americans to fund massive tax breaks for the wealthy and the largest immigration enforcement budget in U.S. history. Many of the bill’s provisions mirror the authoritarian
Monthly recap Every terrible thing the Trump administration did in June 2025 June 2025 marked a turning point of America’s descent into fascism: secret police are grabbing people off the street, the military is performing civilian law enforcement functions in Los Angeles, Florida’s governor built a concentration camp in the Everglades, our institutions are folding before our eyes, and the
Police state Palantir's Surveillance Empire Grows Under Trump (June 25, 2025) “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel wrote in 2009. Thiel, who made his $21 billion fortune in venture capitalism, has described himself as a libertarian. But his political spending habits reveal his authoritarian ambitions. In 2016, at a time when many elites
Trump's war on women: How political violence and policy converge (June 19, 2025) Last week, a Trump supporter named Vance Boelter carried out a politically motivated double homicide in Minnesota, killing a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in what authorities describe as a targeted assassination spree. Found in his possession was a hit list containing dozens of potential targets, including abortion rights
Trump is laying the groundwork for using military force against civilians (June 11, 2025) Today is June 11th. The president is deploying the National Guard against the will of state governors to silence citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. Military tanks are being rolled into Washington, D.C., not for defense, but for a birthday parade in the president’s honor. And
Every terrible thing the Trump administration did in May (May 29, 2025) This week, we’re trying something new. With so many stories to cover, I’ll now be sharing a comprehensive roundup at the end of each month, featuring the most important news stories that relate to the Trump administration. While I can’t include every link imaginable, I’ll try
The hidden details in the GOP reconciliation bill (May 21, 2025) Over the past few weeks, House committees have unveiled their sections of the GOP’s reconciliation bill, with plans to bring it to a floor vote in the coming days. The proposed legislation would add trillions of dollars to the national debt while cutting critical benefits for low-income Americans in
Donald Trump attempts to take over an office of the legislative branch (May 14, 2025) Donald Trump is orchestrating a hostile takeover of the Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and research arm of Congress. The Library functions as the de facto national library and oversees the U.S. Copyright Office and Congressional Research Service, making it a cornerstone of legislative
Supreme Court allows Trump to expel trans military members | Plus: DOGE asks SCOTUS for access to Social Security data (May 7, 2025) Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 order allowing the Trump administration to purge transgender troops from the military. The case is one of fourteen brought to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket relating to Trump’s policies, and the eighth to be resolved. Nearly all of the resolutions so
Arrested judges, exiled citizens, and warrantless raids: ICE is turning into America's secret police (May 1, 2025) Immigration authorities (at one time made up primarily of ICE agents, but now accompanied by a myriad of federal officers) are quickly morphing into the Trump administration’s secret police force, operating covertly outside of the bounds of law, bypassing due process, and surveilling the population while cultivating fear and
Trump and Musk are building an AI-driven surveillance state. This doesn't end well. (Apr. 16, 2025) Last month, President Donald Trump issued a little-noticed executive order that directs agencies to eliminate “information silos”— data compartmentalized within one system that only certain qualified individuals can access. “Removing unnecessary barriers to Federal employees accessing Government data and promoting inter‑agency data sharing,” the order claimed, “are important steps
The Supreme Court allows Trump to use Alien Enemies Act to disappear people to El Salvador (Apr. 8, 2025) Today is the 78th day of Trump’s second term in office. The government is snatching people off the streets and shipping them to foreign prisons from which, the government claims, they can never be extracted. And the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court appears ready to bless
Trump's attacks on universities and law firms threaten the right to dissent (Apr. 2, 2025) A note on executive orders: It is important to remember that an executive order is essentially a memo, an instruction from the president to executive branch agencies and staff, on how to exercise the executive’s existing powers. Executive orders that impinge on constitutional rights, stray into the realm of
Trump disappears people to a Salvadoran prison: Due process exists for all of us or for none of us (Mar. 20, 2025) Today is the 59th day of the second Trump administration. The government is deporting people for liking pro-Palestine posts on social media and renditioning immigrants to forced labor camps in Central America. If this were taking place in a different country, American media would be decrying the “backsliding of democracy”
How Senate Democrats have voted so far (Mar. 17, 2025) This is not a post blaming Democrats for the actions of the Trump administration. That blame lies squarely with the Republican party, who could put an end to the insanity at any moment if they so choose. What this is, is a post begging the Democrats to organize, to strategize,
Privatization and patronage: How Trump sells off our government (Mar. 12, 2025) Patronage America is in crisis. An unelected billionaire is unilaterally hollowing out our government while the president takes revenge on his perceived political enemies. Our closest allies are alienated and left in the dust in favor of dictatorships and strongmen, while at home, the power of the state is wielded
Republicans advance Trump's agenda in state legislative sessions | Plus: Elon Musk spends big in Wisconsin election KeepTrack (Mar. 5, 2025) Keep Track’s coverage of the Trump administration will resume next week. Today, we will look at state elections and legislation, which often get overlooked during times of tumultuous national news. State Supreme Courts Voters in Wisconsin are a month away from a pivotal election that will determine ideological control
Trump consolidates control of the military and federal law enforcement (Feb. 26, 2025) Amidst the scattershot of unjust firings of federal workers and reckless cancellation of government contracts, Donald Trump is quickly and quietly consolidating control of three key pillars of American government: the military, law enforcement, and election infrastructure. These institutions once safeguarded American democracy, denying Trump tyrannical power during his first
The philosophy behind DOGE: Curtis Yarvin and the Butterfly Revolution (Feb. 19, 2025) Last week, KeepTrack documented the steps Elon Musk is taking to unilaterally shut down government agencies. Now, we’ll look at the philosophical underpinnings of his entire DOGE operation. Curtis Yarvin Curtis Yarvin is a relatively obscure figure among legacy media. Unless you’ve trawled the depths of the alt-right
The coup is underway: Elon Musk's playbook to destroy the federal government (Feb. 11, 2025) The playbook Elon Musk, a private citizen, has infiltrated multiple federal agencies, aided by a cadre of 20-something-year-old engineers and interns (some with racist and possibly criminal pasts) imported from his companies. Unconstrained by oversight or limits, the world’s richest man is conducting what can only be described as