"The testing hour is here' Trump's plot to normalise the death of American democracy

Entering the magnificent great hall of the US Department of Justice, Donald Trump stopped for a moment to admire his portrait, then took to a specially constructed stage where two art deco statues, depicting the "Spirit of Justice" and "Majesty of Justice," had been carefully concealed behind a blue velvet curtain.

- David Smith

The president, who since last year is also a convicted criminal, proceeded to air grievances, utter a profanity and accuse the news media of doing "totally illegal" things, without offering evidence. "I just hope you can all watch for it," he told justice department employees, "but it's totally illegal."

Trump's breach of the justice department's traditional independence last week was neither shocking nor surprising. But future historians may regard it as a milestone on a road leading the world's oldest continuous democracy to a once unthinkable destination.

Eviscerating the federal government and subjugating Congress; defying court orders and delegitimizing judges; deporting immigrants and arresting protesters without due process; chilling free speech at universities and cultural institutions; cowing news outlets with divide-and-rule.

Add a rightwing media ecosystem manufacturing consent and compliance in advance, along with a weak and divided opposition offering feeble resistance. Join all the dots, critics say, and America is sleepwalking into authoritarianism.

"These are flashing red lights here," said Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director turned Trump critic.

"We are approaching Defcon 1 [maximum alert] for our democracy and a lot of people in the media and the opposition leadership don't seem to be communicating that to the American people. That is the biggest danger of the moment we're in now: the normalization of it."

Much was said and written by journalists and Democrats during last year's election campaign arguing that Trump, who instigated a coup against the US government on 6 January 2021, could endanger America's 240-year experiment with democracy if he returned to power.