AlterNet
In an article for Democracy Docket published Tuesday, election attorney Marc Elias argued that President Donald Trump has begun using the machinery of the federal government to target his political opponents, and that these actions threaten democratic norms.
"Trump is quickly changing the nature of politics from adversarial contests to weaponized governance. A president using the power of the state to punish critics — or to condition basic government services on political fealty — is not merely rough politics. It is aimed at crushing dissent and free and fair elections," he wrote.
Elias noted that as soon as Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election, he warned that the administration would use its various tools — political appointees, career officials, government contracts, IRS audits and criminal investigations — to harass those who opposed him. He added that what he predicted has begun to happen.
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According to Elias, there have been threats and intimidation of elected officials, journalists, institutions and media outlets. He also argued that universities, law firms, nonprofits and the media are being offered ways to gain favor or risk punishment, observing that prosecutors and federal agencies are bending toward political ends rather than functioning as neutral arbiters.
Elias reported that White House officials are discussing measures such as revoking tax‑exempt status for nonprofits, deploying anticorruption statutes, using federal agencies to target groups seen as hostile, and issuing executive orders that undermine voting rights.
Elias framed these steps as explicit efforts to suppress dissent and weaken opposition rather than merely an aggressive political strategy.
Elias claimed Trump’s broader goal is to prevent the political opposition, particularly progressive and Democratic groups, from gathering strength ahead of midterm elections. He pointed to efforts such as redrawing electoral maps, undermining voting rights through executive orders, planning to go after progressive groups and their donors, and using fabricated stories to divide opposition.
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He warned that democracy is already showing strain: guardrails are weakening, rule of law is fraying, the fabric of democracy is being torn. But he said the worst is yet to come: targeting of donors, organizations, opposition leaders, with lies intended to make each seem uniquely bad, to divide supporters.
"The idea of an explicit government crackdown on thought and speech would have been unthinkable in the past. A president doing so as part of an election strategy would have been so extraordinary at any other time in our nation’s history it would have led to calls for impeachment," Elias wrore.
He added: "It’s as close to Orwellian as we’ve come. The 'Thought Police' is no longer a fictional warning, but our new, stark reality."
Elias called on those who defend democracy to treat attacks on any Democratic campaign, group or organization as attacks against all, to refuse division among progressive actors, and to stand together in defense of free and fair elections. He argued that preserving elections is the greatest vulnerability of the administration’s efforts to consolidate power, and that these must be protected at all costs or democracy itself may fail.
"Donald Trump’s attack on free and fair elections has only just begun. It is not only his biggest target, but also his greatest vulnerability. We must protect them at all costs. If we succeed, we will likely survive this dark period with democracy weakened but intact. If we fail, we may not have a democracy to come home to," he warned.
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