Trump is halfway to making America a police state

US President's refusal to accept a Supreme Court ruling on illegal deportation is a turning point.

- Edward Luce

At around noon on April 14, 2025, America ceased to have a law-abiding government. Some would argue that had already happened on Jan 20, when Donald Trump was inaugurated. On Monday, however, Mr Trump chose to ignore a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling to repatriate an illegally deported man. He even claimed the judges ruled in his favour.

The US President's middle finger to the court was echoed by his attorney-general, secretary of state, vice-president and El Salvador's vigilante president Nayib Bukele. The latter is playing host to what resembles an embryonic US gulag.

In terms of clarifying moments, Mr Trump's meeting with Mr Bukele compares with his dressing down of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in late February.

Mr Zelensky was berated for being insufficiently thankful for US military aid and for failing to wear a suit. A tieless Mr Bukele, by contrast, got royal treatment. Mr Trump's team nodded when Mr Bukele said he would not consider returning the wrongly deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. All baselessly agreed that Mr Garcia was in fact a terrorist.

The Oval Office drama offered a civics lesson to the world: the US government pays greater respect to a foreign strongman than its own Supreme Court.