Several weeks ago, Donald Trump threatened to blockade New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, ostensibly to protect the rest of the country from the coronavirus pandemic. Trump soon pivoted away from that position.
Most mainstream observers and other members of the American news media mocked Trump for his threats and took them (again) as evidence of his ignorance about the Constitution and the rule of law. But Trump was testing norms and boundaries, with the goal of shattering them later.
Last week, Donald Trump took the next step in his escalating war against democracy and the rule of law, commanding his cult members to “liberate” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia from the “stay-at-home” public health measures that have been enacted in an effort to slow down the rate of infection and death from the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading.