In California, a state long celebrated for its progressive spirit and diversity, a chilling scene is unfolding. Protesters in Los Angeles, opposing stringent immigration laws are facing aggressive force from authorities, a response that feels less like governance and more like a deliberate flex of authoritarian muscle. As President Trump’s administration tightens its grip, I suspect California is being used as a testing ground – a template – for a broader, more oppressive vision for America – one where dissent is crushed, and control is paramount.
The images are stark: peaceful protesters met with militarised police, tear gas, and arrests. These aren’t isolated incidents but part of a pattern. The administration’s rhetoric on immigration – framing it as a national security crisis – has fuelled policies that prioritise enforcement over humanity. In California, where sanctuary state policies once stood as a bulwark against federal overreach, local law enforcement is increasingly pressured to align with Trump’s agenda. Emboldened federal agents are reportedly targeting protesters with tactics that echo authoritarian regimes: disproportionate force. This isn’t just about immigration; it’s about signaling that resistance will be met with an iron fist.
California, with its history of defiance against federal mandates, is the perfect stage for Trump to project power. By turning a progressive stronghold into a battleground, the administration tests how far it can push before the nation recoils. If dissent can be silenced here – through fear, force, or compliance – what’s to stop this model from spreading to Texas, Florida, or beyond? The state’s diverse population and vocal activism make it a high-stakes proving ground. Crush California’s spirit, and the rest of the country may fall in line.
This isn’t speculation – it’s a playbook. Authoritarian regimes thrive by normalising control. First, they target a scapegoat – here, immigrants. Then, they erode civil liberties under the guise of order, using protests as an excuse to deploy heavy-handed tactics. The Department of Homeland Security’s reported use of unmarked vehicles and unidentified agents in California mirrors tactics seen in places such as Portland during 2020’s unrest. Each step desensitises the public, making the extraordinary feel routine. If America accepts this in California, it risks accepting it nationwide.
My concern is not just for California but for the soul of America. If America allows dissent to be criminalised and communities to be policed with military precision, they will surrender the very freedoms that define them. They must resist this slide into authoritarianism by amplifying the voices of those protesting, demanding transparency from their leaders, and holding law enforcement accountable. California’s struggle is a warning – a call to protect their democracy before the template of control becomes the law of the land.
As I watch from Australia and see LA’s streets fill with both courage and tear gas, I’m haunted by what this portends. President Trump’s vision for America seems to hinge on division and domination, with California as the first domino. America cannot let it fall. This is not just a policy debate; it’s a fight for the kind of nation they want to be – one where dissent is a right, not a risk. Let’s stand with California, not out of pity, but out of resolve to stop an authoritarian tide before it engulfs them all.
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Not just the crack downs, aggression, cruelty or kicking down that energises the far right and conservatives who follow Tanton Network, but like the faux fight against anti-semitism (see Project Esther led by Atlas Koch Heritage) playing out on university campuses, using allegations of anti-semitism*.
The long game is not just replicating Weimer era NSDAP attacks on ‘cultural Marxism’ and the Frankfurt School, but anything diverse, enlightened, educated and science based progress.
*Bit rich as many Jewish groups complain to have WASPS and MAGA white Christian nationalists running this ‘psyops’ for their own PR, by ‘wagging the dog’.
For example, locally Murdoch with (newish Russian Jewish) wife, and Andrew Bolt, turning up at the synagogue in an arson attack; Murdoch’s wife sure, but he and Bolt with their history?
Excellent article.
“President Trump’s vision for America seems to hinge on division and domination,…”
Exactly. Because that’s how liberalism maintains control.
When Trump was re-elected I made the point here that he is a consequence of an extended period of liberal dominance; that he is, in fact, a liberal. Not in every aspect of course. No-one can be a liberal in every aspect. He is a liberal because he is protecting the liberal order as he sees fit.
Michael rightly calls for a nation where “where dissent is a right, not a risk.”
This comes back to the way liberals dominate.
How many of us at school learned of the Manchester massacre in 1819 when a cavalry charge, drawn swords and all, was used to disperse protesters demanding political reform?
These events are kept hidden for a reason.
The liberal order desperately wants dissent to be seen as the work of outsiders, not ordinary folk.
And so today, when protests are a threat to the liberal order, protesters are routinely referred to as far-right, or radical, anything at all to give the impression that dissent is abnormal behaviour.
We can protest about trivialities without fear, in fact, they love that because it adds to the lie of tolerance.
But we take a huge risk if our protest threatens the liberal order.
Is it any surprise that this is happening under Trump’s appalling level of autocratic rule? Trump is a rusted-on fascist with a stratospheric (undeserved) ego who truly believes that it is HIS way or the highway. The unspeakably depraved, totally corrupt Trump is not only a notorious megalomaniacal political psychopath with the dangerous combination of having a HUGE ego with a small IQ and zero foresight, he is a pathological liar. What is even worse is that Trump is not only a rusted-on racist and an internationally-condemned misogynistic predator, he is a CONVICTED CRIMINAL! How BAD, how depraved and how corrupt does someone have to get before deluded, Murdoch-manipulated Americans STOP elevating them into world domination? On WHAT planet do the misguided Americans – who were foolish enough to elevate that criminal into the most powerful position in the world with his shaky, racist finger poised over the Doomsday Button – truly believe that a corrupt, self-serving, totally depraved, narcissist like Trump would act with any level of integrity, credibility or compassion?
Everything – absolutely EVERYTHING – that Americans once believed in, ie equality and egalitarianism, the fair treatment of ALL Americans no matter where they were born and what colour or creed they are, respect for women, the truth and the rule of law – ALL of these important values have been held to ransom and decimated by a repugnant, totally depraved, born-to-rule and dangerously undemocratic political psychopath who truly believes that he now has FULL autocratic control of the world and everyone in it!
Trump’s total and diabolical lack of respect and, indeed, condescending contempt for (once) loyal allies of America, eg Canada, Australia, the UK and other parts of Europe – even to the point where Trump is now cuddling up to the unconscionable ex-KGB killer, Vladimir Putin – is the last straw and proves just how treacherous, deceptive, deluded and totally inappropriate Trump is to (mis)lead America with any level of integrity or credibility! The fact is that if there was EVER a deluded, mentally unhinged political sociopath likely to throw away all reason and logic in order to stay in autocratic power, it is the convicted criminal, Donald Trump, who ticks every box as a totally irrational, power-obsessed, megalomaniacal psychopath whom the world fears is the most likely deranged POTUS more likely to start WW3 than any other President in America’s history! God help us all!
Trump has been responsible for the civil disruption occurring in LA by usurping the authority of the California Governor and deploying the National Guard, something that is only done at the request of and with the concurrence of the state administration.
Trump has done this wilfully knowing that it would cause civil unrest and provoke a State response.
Governor Newsom is sticking to the rule of law and calling for the judiciary to bring Trump to heel : Trump is threatening to arrest the California Governor.
Make of that what you will but what seems clear is that Trump’s actions in trade internationally and various issues domestically (Harvard and other learning institutions) including LA all have the appearances of a megalomaniac who is committed to bringing down democracy, corrupting the international rule of law and devastating global trading norms – hard not to think of the fictional Manchurian Candidate movie where vested interests seek to influence a President to make global finance and trade unstable and ensure that war and weapons manufacture and distribution stays alive and well.
On the local scene in Australia, coalition nut jobs have chastised Albanese for not having flown of to Washington to do a deal on trade with Trump; they say that Albanese has been tardy after six months of the new Trump administration not to have taken that initiative. Just consider for a moment, when Trump first introduced his tariffs various world leaders (I’m thinking of Japan and S.Korea in particular) hurried to Washington to protect their interests: Trump said that they were coming to kiss his Ass. Trump then bailed up two world leaders in the Oval Office and considerably embarrassed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ukraine President Zelenski. Do we really want the Australian Prime Minister subjected to this behaviour ?
In Australia we do not kiss ass no matter what the IPA, News Corp and James Paterson say!
Trump did say that sending in the National Guard or the military would be the appropriate response to “the enemy from within”.
The real question is whether protests about ICE activities are that “enemy”?
“all the appearances of a megalomaniac who is committed to bringing down democracy and the rule of law.”
Terry all that you say about Trump is true, but we must avoid the trap of thinking that this is all there is to the issue.
Trump is a product of liberal democracy, and what we are seeing is the degeneration of liberal democracy, a degeneration that is inevitable given its foundational principles and contradictions.
When Trump is gone, the problems will remain.
could this crackdown, along with the attack on welfare programmes lead to civil war?
There are more guns than people in the US. Will civilians return fire?
Can some be organised to stand up to the authoritarian?
Stranger things have happened.
Political over-reach has led to revolutions such as the war of independence, the french revolution, the Russian revolution, even the collapse of communism, suppression of groups has led to civil actions such as the race riots of the 1960’s, the Arab Spring…. whether these uprising will solve, have solved the repression which caused them is another question, but ‘The People’ will fight back when their rights are threatened.
I saw this comment on Threads:
I think he’s on the money.
ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a legitimate federal agency but it has to work hand in hand with the judiciary and the courts to correctly enforce the laws and ensure that innocent people are not deported as unlawful aliens……Hello !
The procedures and safeguards exist but somebody….looking at you Donald….is trying to shortcut the system and inevitably this leads to civil unrest.
Good points, Roswell.
This article is a stark reminder that it’s well past time for Australia to seriously reconsider its relationship with the United States. When an ally begins deploying military force against its own citizens—against the will of elected state officials—it signals a dangerous descent into authoritarianism.
Australia must prioritise its own safety, sovereignty, and democratic values. Remaining tied to a rogue administration that increasingly acts with impunity puts us at risk—strategically, morally, and politically. We should not allow our nation to be complicit by association.
It’s time to step back and forge an independent foreign policy rooted in peace, diplomacy, and respect for human rights—not blind loyalty to a government drifting toward tyranny.
Denis,
The way the Orange Emperor is going it could well become a case of, “You are either with us, or against us.” and be placed on his enemies list if Australia decided (can’t see that happening in the slighest though) that being tied to the US is way past its use-by date.
Thank you Denis for pointing out again that we Australians ‘must prioritise our own safety, sovereignty and democratic values’.
And dare I add that the US should do the same, look after their own.
Reading and hearing constant carping about what the government is and should be doing, that somehow a knee-jerk response or a knee-bowing to Trump is needed, I am reminded that the world has about 8.2 billion people, 350 million of which are American. How come the world should submit to the USA or Trump?
Or even be all that excited about their political puppet show?
It does not make sense at all.
We are an independent, wealthy nation with much to offer many of the 7.9 billion people other than Americans.
Listening to the Albanese Press Club address earlier today, he reiterated that he and his government are committed to the campaign manifesto presented and endorsed by the Australia electorate. Nothing fancy in that, just a promise to make a better, fairer Australia. Surely that should be the focus of our political discussions, not angst filled bullshit about what is happening in the USA. Not bending the knee to Trump.
Oz political brainstrust is well aware of the tightrope it’s walking. We’re in a pickle with AUKUS, Pine Gap and Tindal+, and they all know it, it’s finally realized as a Catch22 especially now that T-Rump is at the helm.
At the G7, Albo needs to be on his toes and at his very best. As at the G7, following the Shangri-La Dialogue bullhorn from Hegseth, and now the LA business, it is likely to be on the shakiest chaotic ground ever. Anyone from anywhere could burst a valve whilst facing the nightmare of T-Rump’s capricious implementation of Project2025 – especially with his desperate narcissistic hubris now on a roll.
Project2025, the endgame of neoliberal / neoconservative wreckage, off the back of liberalism – property & capital vs labour. With T-Rump, the arch ducker and weaver and bone-spurred avoider, not giving a hoot about the country being built by the sweating bodies of the enslaved Blacks, Latinos, Irish and Chinese etc, with the majority of the rest being British and European toffs, freebooters and opportunists, murdering, thieving and carpetbagging their way across the land – such were the times.
T-Rump will go down as the all-time loser by only backing-in the freebooters (his MAGA ‘Holywood’ heroes). The big questions remain, who is going to tell him, and how?
America has a long history of protest, turning to civil unrest and moving rapidly to armed revolution. It seems a strong possibility, and the rest of the world would likely opt to stay well clear of it.
Thanks Michael for a timely article; you have summarized much in a short space.
Your description of matters as: a deliberate flex of authoritarian muscle is right on the money and indicates part of a sinister pattern – of worse to come – and all under the rubric of the maintenance of public order, and/or protection of the State, its institutions and employees – in this case the militarized police, the (federalized) National Guard and now components of the Armed Forces – all arrayed against protesting US citizens and “unlawful immigrants”.
That different parts of the modus operandi are emerging is beyond doubt, even if one considers only the weaponizing of the US Department of Justice (DoJ) – about which Trump complained bitterly during the Biden administration – especially over the 34 felony charges and moves to indict him on charges relating to the Capitol attack in January, 2021.
During his campaign he referred to a politically motivated “witch-hunt” and repeated that claim during his first speech to the Congress. Also, whilst campaigning he vowed to “get his own back”, and upon attaining office he proceeded to do just that, and in the process politicizing the Justice Department.
On his first day in office he granted clemency to all persons convicted of charges arising from that attack and ordering those in jail be released, and a short time later attempting to dismiss or sideline anyone at the DoJ who was involved with prior investigations and prosecutions of the now-president.
The DoJ’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) has this year been effectively neutered from its oversight responsibilities for the prosecution of criminal abuses of the public trust by government officials, to a position where now, (severely understaffed thanks to DOGE), effectively being ordered what to do by Trump’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, who does not deny receiving instructions “from the top”.
As this report notes:
Created after the Watergate scandal, the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section has fought political corruption for nearly half a century.
Five months into President Donald Trump’s second term, it has been stripped of power.
The unit has lost its authority to file new cases. Its staff has been reduced from more than 30 attorneys to five. And its once-powerful gatekeeping role – reviewing potential cases against members of Congress and other public officials to prevent politically motivated prosecutions – has been suspended
Those changes, confirmed by three people familiar with the department’s operations, are part of an overhaul of the Justice Department by the Trump administration that is dismantling guardrails designed to stop political interference in criminal investigations involving politicians, federal judges and other public figures. https://www.reuters.com/investigations/how-trump-defanged-justice-departments-political-corruption-watchdogs-2025-06-09/
As this next report notes, the arrest and charging of a Democrat Senator
… is one of several instances where the Trump-led Department of Justice has brazenly defied the tradition of independence from the White House that (PIN) agency officials typically follow. Under Bondi’s leadership, the agency has quickly transitioned into an arm of the White House, focused on the president’s priorities and willing to target his political enemies. https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/trump-neutered-justice-department-watchdogs-that-were-there-to-prevent-politically-motivated-prosecutions/
As one critic noted, the DoJ is now “Trump’s law firm”.
A further sign of what else might be over the horizon is this:
Donald Trump has made false claims about voter fraud central to his political identity and issued a sweeping anti-voting executive order in March (2025). Now he’s weaponizing the Justice Department to advance his voter suppression agenda. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/donald-trump-justice-department-voting-rights-north-carolina/
As the report notes, it’s no accident that a case has been chosen in which the Republican candidate lost.
Lastly, in among the thousand plus pages of the “Big Beautiful Bill” recently passed by Congress (and the subject of disagreement between Trump and Musk), there is hidden away a small section that: takes direct aim at the federal judiciary, and if implemented would undermine federal judges’ authority to enforce court orders by limiting their ability to hold government officials in contempt, a key tool for compelling compliance with court orders.
As the following report makes clear:
Following court rulings is not optional. If federal officials defy a court order, judges have the authority to hold them in contempt, which is a power that judges exercise to address threats to the integrity of judicial proceedings. When officials fail to follow a court order, judges may hold them and their attorneys in civil contempt, imposing fines, jail time, or other penalties to induce compliance. Judges can also punish past disobedience by holding government officials and their attorneys in criminal contempt.
Section 70302 would forbid federal courts from issuing such contempt penalties against anyone who disobeys preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders if the party seeking the order did not put down “security,” a financial guarantee such as a cash bond that would cover damages if a party is found to have been wrongfully enjoined.
https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-budget-bill-would-gut-the-judiciarys-power-to-enforce-court-orders/
The huge irony in all this is that on Trump’s first day in office, one of the many Executive Orders he signed was Order Number 14147: ‘Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government’ The order promised (inter alia) accountability for the previous administration’s weaponization of the Federal Government against the American people.
I’m sure that Michael Taylor would agree that it is vital for us to study what’s happening in the US, if only because we are but a Dutton clone away from similar strife in our own backyard.
Some excellent trolling from Russia — “It is important to understand that Russia supplying weapons to People’s Republic of California, does not make Russia a party to the conflict.”
I am expecting Trump to order the removal of the poem featuring at the foot of the Statue of Liberty :
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
It doesn’t seem quite appropriate any more !
“Give me your money, you obeisance,
You cowed masses yearning to be ruled,
The wretched refuse of my beaten enemies,
Send these scum and illegal criminals far me,
I raise my tiny fists at the borders!”
I know it doesn’t rhyme, but it only took me two three minutes to slap it together.
“Send these scum and illegal criminals far me,” should have read, “Send these scum and illegal criminals far away from me,”
Superb piece Michael, gracias.
And to the good folks in America – wake up! This ain’t a tv show, it’s real!