By Mohammad Alloush
Donald Trump, the US president, appears to have carried his businessman mentality with him into the Oval Office. Known for his catchphrase “You’re fired,” Trump has turned the White House into a stage for self-promotion—at the expense of an entire nation. Behind the slogans “America First” and “Make America Great Again” lies a brand of right-wing populism that cloaks discrimination and racism in the guise of patriotism, as if citizenship were a hereditary privilege reserved only for “authentic White Americans.”
Trump’s administration is openly practicing racial discrimination. This is evident in the dismissal and exclusion of officials of color—not for professional reasons, but for ideological disagreement. Charles “C.Q.” Brown Jr., the second Black officer to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was abruptly fired in February 2025 as part of a major shake-up of the Pentagon’s top military leadership—targeting those who supported diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black chairwoman of the National Labor Relations Board, was also “illegally” dismissed, according to federal judges. Her firing was deemed a “blatant violation” of the NLRB’s independence and an attack on the integrity of the agency itself.
Trump’s team demonstrated a striking lack of professionalism in its public responses. When a Huffington Post reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt who had suggested Budapest as the location for the Trump-Putin meeting, she mockingly replied, “Your mom did.”
It is no longer surprising that Trump shows open contempt for half the country, treating some American cities as rebellious colonies to be subdued by force. “We should use some of our cities as training grounds for our military,” Trump once suggested as he deployed federal troops to instill fear in Los Angeles and other urban centers. His efforts to treat residents of Democratic-leaning states as subjects have become so routine that they rarely make headlines anymore.
Hate speech in the Trump era was not enough; he also transformed government institutions into instruments of his personal will. Trump shut down the federal government as one might close a failed business—simply because Congress refused to fund the construction of the U.S.–Mexico border wall—leaving tens of thousands of federal workers unpaid. He has consistently sought to undermine judicial independence through threats and insinuations, reshaping the law to serve his own desires and beliefs. Thus, American democracy has been left at the mercy of an egocentric man who sees himself as the law, history, and destiny.
Trump even called for the impeachment of a federal judge who ordered a halt to the deportation of more than 200 immigrants to El Salvador, whom Trump had labeled “Venezuelan gang members.” He has previously derided federal judges as “fools” attempting to limit his power. The tension escalated when Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public statement rebuking Trump’s attacks on the judiciary—highlighting the growing rift between the White House and the courts. Watchdogs warn that this conflict could evolve into a full-blown constitutional crisis, as the Trump administration seeks to sidestep judicial rulings to advance its political agenda. While the administration has not yet openly defied court orders, many fear that such a move may be imminent.
Erez Reuveni Exposes Justice Department Misconduct During the Trump Era
Erez Reuveni, a former attorney at the Department of Justice, revealed that he witnessed government lawyers lying in court, defying judicial orders, and deporting detainees without allowing them to defend themselves.
Reuveni refused to sign a legal brief that falsely labeled a deportee as a terrorist, describing it as a flagrant violation of due process. His refusal led to his dismissal from the Department of Justice after 15 years of service.
Choosing truth over complicity, he spoke publicly to defend the rule of law and expose the dangers of authoritarian abuse within the Justice Department.
Legal experts note that these unprecedented violations have eroded judicial trust in the Department of Justice, sparking a nationwide debate over the limits of executive power and the rights of individuals facing government overreach.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
