MORE ON TRUMP’S AUTOCRACY PLAYBOOK

FIVE DAYS AGO HERE AT SIMANAITISSAYS, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy shared the autocracy playbook employed by Putin in Russia, Orbán in Hungary, Erdoğan in Turkey—and Trump before our eyes. 

In less than a week, Trump has acted overtly on several of the playbook’s six elements. Here are tidbits gleaned from a variety of sources.

Element 6. Cut Off Opposition Funding. In The Guardian, April 24, 2025, Rachel Leingang writes, “The Republican president is taking aim at a Democratic fundraising platform, issuing a presidential memorandum to crack down on supposed foreign contributions to elections, an unsubstantiated claim from the right.” 

Recall, Senator Murphy advised, “Autocrats like Orbán allow the opposition to exist, but starve it.” And, of course, how often have we read the words “unsubstantiated claim from the right”?

Leingang recounts, “ActBlue, the largest online donation platform on the left, has anticipated the presidential action. Its CEO and president, Regina Wallace-Jones, sent an email this week saying the organization expected an executive order targeting it, and that the threat of these investigations had ‘caused many in the ecosystem anxiety and distress.’ ” See also autocracy’s “Element 1. Instill Fear.”

Wallace-Jones continues, “If we look past rumors and innuendo, here is what we know to be true: Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy. There is an ongoing and persistent effort to weaken the confidence of the American people in what’s possible. This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’ ” 

Element 5. Control the Private Sector. Related to this is an increasing loss of trust in Trump and his administration.  As an example, Ana Swanson and Jonathan Swan write “Trump Claims He’s Negotiating With China on Trade. China Says Otherwise,” The New York Times, April 25, 2025. 

Swanson and Swan recount, “Mr. Trump’s comments appeared aimed at creating the impression of progress with China to soothe jittery financial markets, which have fallen amid signs that the world’s largest economies are in a standoff. The S&P 500 is down 10 percent since Mr. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.” 

Swanson and Swan continue, “But the president’s claims of talks have been rejected by Chinese officials, who have repeatedly denied this week that they are actively negotiating with the United States.”

“ ‘We’re meeting with China,’ he [Trump] said. ‘We’re doing fine with everybody.’ “

Swanson and Swan continue, “Mr. Trump also said, without evidence, that he had ‘made 200 deals.’ He claimed that he would finish and announce them in the next three to four weeks.”

Ah, “without evidence,” another familiar phrase. Recall also the Queens felon’s things to be accomplished in the first 24 hours of his release er… inauguration.

Element 3. Silence the Lawyers. Related and even more frightening is attacking the judges: The New York Times reports, “Wisconsin Judge Charged With Obstructing Immigration Agents,” April 25, 2025: “F.B.I. agents arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on Friday, accusing her of helping an immigrant evade federal authorities.”

In a linked article, Devlin Barrett writes, “The charges against a sitting state court judge are a major escalation in the Trump administration’s battle with local authorities over deportations. The administration has demanded, under threat of investigation or prosecution, that local officials not impede federal efforts to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.” 

At issue, it would seem, is the concept of Sanctuary as invoked by cities, counties, and states. Curiously, states include Utah and North Dakota together with Illinois, Colorado, the West Coast, and much of the Northeast. Also involved are the Trump administration’s botched actions of ignored or flawed due process and “administrative error.”

Geez. 

Element 2. Silence the Press. If the recent Trump “100 Days” interview with Time magazine is any example, Trump is presenting a variation of dealing with the press: not silencing it, but plastering it with bullshit. Fortunately, thus far fact-checking continues to exist.

From a transcript of the interview, the Times staff began, “You know better than anyone that the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. At the same time, it seems like you are expanding the power of the presidency. Why do you think you need more power?” 

Trump responded, “Well, I don’t feel I’m expanding it. I think I’m using it as it was meant to be used. I feel that we’ve had a very successful presidency in 100 days.” 

What an autocrat’s perfect response!

Among other matters, the interview touches on international trade, immigration, inflation, grocery prices, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, DOGE, the 2020 election, and even being victimized. It speaks well of Time to append “Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His ‘100 Days’ Interview with Time.”

You’re encouraged to read both the transcript as well as its fact-checking. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025