Trump’s actions show he wants to reorder society

In just 10 weeks in office, Donald Trump has imposed his will on perceived adversaries in business, politics and media and has redrawn lines by leveraging power ways no other modern US president has tried.

- James Oliphant and Jeff Mason, Reuters

His administration has sought the arrest and deportation of student protesters, withheld federal funds from colleges, scrutinized law firms that like to file political complaints, threatened judges and tried to pressure journalists. At the same time Trump has downsized the federal government dramatically and purged it of workers who could stand in his way. Central to his efforts has been Trump’s use of power, making executive orders a target of opponents as never before. He has been unafraid to employ lawsuits, public threats and the power of the federal purse to bring institutions to heel.

“What unites all these efforts is Trump’s desire to shut down every potential source of resistance to his ‘MAGA’ agenda and to his personal power,” said former Obama professor at New York University. Some targets have rushed to placate the president, a few have fought back and many are still trying to figure out how to respond and Trump’s actions are being challenged in courts, where some judges have tried to slow him down.

The stunning speed and breadth of the Republican’s actions have caught corporate, public-sector unions, CEO’s and the legal profession off guard. Trump’s support say he is simply using the full reach of his presidency to achieve the goals he set as a candidate.

“He laid out these broad battlelines, whether it’s with people that he thinks have tried to ruin him personally, whether it’s with people he thinks are trying to ruin Western civilization,” said Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell. “Everything he said he was going to do on the campaign, he’s doing.”