This past week, the Trump regime continued to take a battering ram to existing norms, rules, even laws in order to reshape the “justice” system, the military, education, government civil service, healthcare and more into instruments of brutal fascist rule. What follows is a summary of just some of these steps taken this past week by Trump.

Stepping Up Attacks on Opponents, Radically Reshaping the “Justice” System to Advance Fascism

This week Trump accelerated his campaign to target his opponents and potential opponents, unleash his fascist supporters, and turn the U.S. “Justice” Department (DOJ) into a weapon for consolidating and enforcing fascism. 

Removing Secret Service Protections. Trump removed Secret Service protection from a number of high-profile figures he had clashed with in the past, and who had received numerous death threats from Trump/MAGA fascists. They include General Mark Milley, former head of the Centers for Disease Control Dr. Anthony Fauci, and even his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Milley was chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s first term and later described Trump as “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.” Revoking protection sends a very ominous message, potentially a death threat to any high-profile officials who even think about crossing Trump, as well as against Trump opponents more broadly. 

Purging Officials Who Investigated Trump. On January 24, the DOJ fired more than a dozen officials who worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigations into Donald Trump. Trump’s Acting Attorney General said they couldn’t be trusted to “faithfully implement” Trump’s agenda. This move came hours after the DOJ’s most senior career official was reassigned. The New York Times reports that the DOJ has been “marked by dismissals and dread” during these early days of the Trump regime.

Shaking Up FBI. A number of top FBI officials have been told to resign within days or be fired. These senior FBI employees had been promoted under former director Christopher A. Wray, who Trump recently forced to resign. 

Prosecutors Who Charged January 6 Rioters Now Being Investigated. The interim Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., has now launched an investigation of the prosecutors who brought obstruction charges against some 250 January 6 Capitol rioters. Those charges ended up being tossed after a Supreme Court ruling last year. Relatedly, the Justice Department has now removed from its website a database detailing the crimes and convictions from the January 6 Capitol insurrection and attempted coup.

Paralyzing Independent Rights Watchdog. Three of the four sitting members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board who had been selected by the Democrats were fired, leaving the Oversight Board unable to act as Trump begins transforming U.S. intelligence agencies to serve his fascist agenda.

Unleashing Violent Anti-Abortion Fanatics 

Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion fanatics and clinic invaders who had been prosecuted under the 1994 FACE [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances] Act, which offered some protection to abortion clinics and those seeking an abortion. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, "[t]hose pardoned physically blocked patients from entering health care facilities, stole fetal tissue from clinics, and injured patients and health care workers." Meanwhile, the “Justice” Department announced it will now only prosecute those who illegally block abortion access and reproductive health centers in “extraordinary circumstances,” such as causing death or serious bodily harm or property damage. This is a bright green light for MAGA/Christian fascist fanatics to step up their assaults with impunity. Trump also reinstated and expanded the “global gag rule” (the so-called Mexico City policy) which blocks U.S. aid to any overseas group providing abortion services, information or advocacy. 

Threatening Pro-Palestine Non-Citizen Protesters with Deportation 

On January 29, Trump signed an executive order demanding colleges and universities monitor and report on the activities of international students and staff. Any actions critical of Israel and its genocide in Gaza and the West Bank could be labeled antisemitic and be grounds for deportation. This includes protesting for Palestine or in opposition to Israel.

Uniting the Military Around White Supremacy 

This past week the Trump regime quickly moved to cohere the U.S. military around open, aggressive white supremacy. On Monday, Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reshaping the military, including an order banning DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion—from the military; and one to review the Pentagon’s policy on transgender military members, which is thought to be a first step toward banning transgender military members.

The U.S. Senate, now controlled by the Republi-fascists, confirmed the virulent Christian fascist and white supremacist Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. He quickly ordered the creation of a task force to ensure no DEI programs remain in the Pentagon. Hegseth threatened, “We’re not joking around. There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”

On Tuesday, January 28, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) issued a memo announcing a “pause” on celebrating the annual observances of 11 events, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, Pride Month, and Holocaust Days of Remembrance.¹

The Air Force has already begun shutting down its diversity and inclusion offices and boards. Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary A. Ashworth directed the “disestablishment of all Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Groups (DAFBAWGs) effective immediately.”

Racist, Anti-Trans Ethnic Cleansing of U.S. Education 

On January 29, Trump issued two executive orders targeting K-12 education across the country. One titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” threatened to withhold funding from schools teaching that the United States is “fundamentally racist, sexist or otherwise discriminatory,” in other words anything close to an accurate history of the U.S. It also threatened federal funding for any schools that protect transgender students, recognize transgender identities, or teach about transgender issues.  Instead, it demanded education be “patriotic,” presenting a whitewashed picture of America’s founding as “unifying, inspiring and ennobling.” 

Another executive order directs the Department of Education and a number of other agencies to redirect taxpayer funds from public education to private school vouchers to fund children's education at home or at private or religious schools. This order aims at strengthening Trump’s social base of right-wing, white supremacist and Christian fundamentalist forces throughout society. It would further rupture the separation of church and state by allowing public funds to pay for religious schooling. 

Freezing Funding for Basic Necessities of Millions, Attacking Healthcare 

On Tuesday, January 25, the Trump regime froze trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans, and other spending. The regime claimed it was targeting “illegal DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs.” In reality, it was taking an axe to all kinds of programs which help millions and millions of people, particularly the impoverished and oppressed. In all 50 states online Medicaid reimbursement portals went down, cutting off funds for clinics and hospitals providing healthcare to children, low-income families and people with disabilities. Funding for rural health centers, housing, early childhood education, food assistance programs, assistance for disabled veterans, and much more.

This move was completely illegal, as Congress had already allocated the funds. A federal judge quickly blocked the freeze, and the Trump regime later rescinded the memo that announced the freeze. But the financial aid pipeline had already been disrupted, and schools, hospitals, non-profits, community organizations and others were left scrambling to restore their funding, and uncertain about their futures. And Trump’s press secretary declared ominously that a federal funding freeze was still on the table and the White House would continue to find ways to eliminate funding for “woke ideologies.” 

Halting Global Health Funding, Threatening Millions Around the World

On Monday, January 27, Trump issued a stop-work order for all global health funding that goes through USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development). All foreign health organizations were ordered to stop administering medicines for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis that had been paid for with U.S. aid, even if the medications were at hand. The next day, Secretary of State Rubio issued a waiver allowing such drugs to be used under the PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program. However, Rubio’s waiver may not stop Trump’s freeze on funding for drugs for HIV/AIDS prevention, outreach and testing, and other programs. PEPFAR has reportedly saved more than 25 million lives worldwide, and now Trump’s global health funding freeze would endanger many millions. 

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Workers Ordered to Stop Work with World Health Organization (WHO)

One of the executive orders Trump signed on inauguration day mandated that the U.S. withdraw from taking part in WHO—which health experts warn would have dangerous consequences for the health of people in the U.S. and worldwide. The withdrawal supposedly requires a one-year notice and the approval of Congress. But on January 27, workers at the CDC, the U.S.’s top public health agency, were ordered to immediately stop communicating with the WHO. Many CDC employees were shocked by the directive because they had been working with WHO colleagues to prevent major diseases outbreaks, including of mpox, bird flu and Marburg virus. 

Trump’s Wholesale Assault on Government Services 

Since taking power, the Trump/MAGA fascists have launched one attack after another aimed at gutting the federal government’s civil service bureaucracy and the needed services they provide millions of people. 

Among other things, the Trump regime has frozen hiring. It has called for an end to remote (out of the office) work, which would likely force many to resign. It has attempted to strip some civil service job protections. It has threatened to disband FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), which employs 20,000 people. Most recently, it sent out a notice to all 2.3 million civil service workers pressuring them to resign early in return for a buyout. The federal government is the country’s largest employer, and some 20 percent of its employees are Black. These moves would likely stack agencies with MAGA fascists and gut the services these agencies provide, which millions count on—from managing emergencies to preventing disease epidemics to ensuring the safety of transportation and the food supply, and much more.²