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Trump 2.0: State of Emergency
We’re 90 days into Trumps’s chaotic second term. The Trump regime has careened from one crisis to another and overused the notion of “state of emergency.”
Trump began his presidency by declaring a state of emergency at the southern border. ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-emergency-at-the-southern-border-of-the-united-states/ ) “Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America. This invasion has caused widespread chaos and suffering in our country over the last 4 years… This assault on the American people and the integrity of America’s sovereign borders represents a grave threat to our Nation. Because of the gravity and emergency of this present danger and imminent threat, it is necessary for the Armed Forces to take all appropriate action to assist the Department of Homeland Security in obtaining full operational control of the southern border.” The effect of this order has been to shut down the southern border, mostly eliminating illegal transit but also curtailing tourism and commercial transit.
On January 20th, Trump also declared a national energy emergency ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/ ) “…to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources.” He followed this with an order to increase mineral production ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-measures-to-increase-american-mineral-production/ ): “It is imperative for our national security that the United States take immediate action to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent.”
On April 2nd Trump declared an economic emergency ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/ ): “foreign trade and economic practices have created a national emergency, and [Trump’s] order imposes responsive tariffs to strengthen the international economic position of the United States and protect American workers.”
On April 19th Trump signed an order militarizing a stretch of the southern border ( https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/04/trump-oks-military-occupy-federal-land-along-southern-border/404527/ ) “The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past.”
Recently, Trump invoked the ”Alien Enemies Act” ( https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/ ) to curtail a supposed invasion by a Venezuelan gang: “Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with thousands of members, many of whom have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”
Trump 2.0 has declared more national emergencies than any other president. He’s done this to bypass Congress and facilitate his Fascist power grab. The results are not good:
1.Chaos: While Trump has striven to be decisive, his efforts have often resulted in more harm than good. Friends and foes do not trust his judgment.
2. Because of Trump’s chaotic decision-making, the economic outlook has worsened. Trump was elected primarily because of his promise to “fix” the US economy. He hasn’t tamed inflation, and most economists believe Trump is pushing us into a recession.
3. Conflict with the judiciary. Trump’s hostile takeover has led to widespread conflict with the judiciary. Trump’s use of the “Alien Enemies Act” resulted in the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) kidnapping suspected aliens and sending them to concentration camps. The Trump regime’s denial of due process has been universally condemned, and the Supreme Court has ordered the Trump regime to halt use of the “Alien Enemies Act.”
4. Destruction of federal government: Trump’s hostile takeover has been facilitated by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Although Trump/Musk promised that DOGE would find billions in waste, fraud, and abuse the results to date have been underwhelming. Many US households have been disrupted by DOGE activities and Musk’s image has soured. Many citizens now believe that the true function of DOGE is to enrich Trump and his billionaire friends.
5. Patronage to Billionaires: There are many examples of DOGE agents gutting agencies that were studying Musk-rum companies. NPR’s Jenna McLaughlin ( https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/nx-s1-5355896/doge-nlrb-elon-musk-spacex-security?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email reports that a DOGE task force appears to have looted sensitive data from the National Labor Relations Board.
On April 17th, ProPublica’s Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro ( https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/nx-s1-5355896/doge-nlrb-elon-musk-spacex-security?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email )reported that the Trump regime plans to replace the federal government’s $700 billion internal expense card program (SmartPay) with a contract awarded to the private company “Ramp” whose investors include Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Donald Trump, and J.D. Vance.
Writing in Common Dreams ( https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-corporations-inauguration?utm_source=Common+Dreams&utm_campaign=bacf85ff67-Top+News%3A+Tues.+4%2F22%2F25+w%2F+fundraiser&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-5cab4589e1-600586967) Jake Johnson notes: “An analysis released [April 21] in the wake of new Federal Election Commission filings shows that the Trump administration has dropped or paused federal enforcement cases against at least 17 corporations that donated to the president's inaugural fund.”
Yes, Trump 2.0 is a state of emergency.
