The Politics of Cruelty Starts With the Vulnerable

This opinion article argues that President Donald Trump's actions, including reposting a racist attack on Somali kindergarteners in Minneapolis, escalating ICE raids resulting in two deaths, doubling daily immigrant arrest rates to over 2,000, subpoenaing New York Times journalists, and announcing a plan to seize the Strait of Hormuz for toll collection, form a coherent authoritarian project. The author contends that these actions target vulnerable minorities, undermine the rule of law, and resemble a protection racket. However, the article notes that voters and courts are pushing back against these measures.