A step-by-step guide to becoming a dictator

A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive, and the deployment of internal security and police forces play a heightened role in governance. A police state is characteristic of authoritarian, totalitarian or illiberal regimes. – Wikipedia

During his 2024 campaign for president, Donald Trump began his move to replace our democracy with a police-state dictatorship.

Move 1: He demonized the undocumented by declaring that undocumented border crossings represented a threat to democracy, and he promised to institute “police state” programs to curtail them. He made those claims in spite of the clear fact that border crossings had been in steep decline for some time, and strong evidence promised further declines.

Move 2: He demonized inflation in his campaign appearances by overstating the extent and the effects of the actual rate of inflation, again even though the inflation rate had dropped dramatically and the downward trend was highly likely to continue.

Move 3: As president, he created a series of chaotic circumstances through executive orders and actions. He also introduced widespread uncertainty regarding the government’s size, cost and efficiency by unleashing Elon Musk and his DOGE toadies on a mission to fire government employees, thus “disemboweling” the government. He also tried to “get rid of” some departments.

Move 4: He unleashed a national program of rounding up the undocumented by using masked ICE operatives in an unselective and probably illegal campaign against any person who might look like an undocumented person, which sounds like racial profiling to me. He also ordered the California National Guard and other forces into Los Angeles against the wishes of the California governor and the mayor of Los Angeles.

Move 5: He arbitrarily and unilaterally announced that crime was “out of control” in our nation’s capital, took control of the police and brought in the FBI and the National Guard to augment the regular police. He did that in spite of documented statistics indicating substantial decreased crime in the District of Columbia over the past two years.

The above moves are right out of the authoritarian police-state handbook! Only massive public resistance can stem the tide toward the total loss of our democracy to this “wanna be” dictator.

Because of Trump’s dictatorial and nondemocratic orientation, all demonstrations and rallies must be legal, huge, peaceful and coordinated. This must happen soon and repeatedly through the 2026 congressional midterm races and through the 2028 presidential campaign.

– Hal Mansfield, 94 years young, Green Valley, Ariz.