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Dear Reader,

Donald Trump has seized control of Washington, D.C.’s police force.

Claiming a made-up “crime emergency,” Trump activated the National Guard and declared that police in the nation’s capital can now “do whatever the hell they want.” Then he warned other “very bad cities”—Chicago, L.A., New York, Oakland—that they could be next.

What do those cities all have in common? They are run by Black mayors.

This isn’t about crime. It’s about control. And it’s about race.

Trump’s show of force is a revival of one of America’s oldest traditions: using “law and order” as a weapon against democracy. Against dissent. Against Black self-governance.

The New Republic is covering this story for what it truly is: an authoritarian power grab. And we need your help to keep reporting it.

Trump says the police are powerless “because of woke.” His solution? A military occupation of our capital. His justification? Statue removal. His audience? The same far-right forces who brought tiki torches to Charlottesville, Virginia, and stormed the Capitol on January 6.

This is not just an abuse of power. It’s the redefinition of power: Crime is fine—if it’s for Trump.

That’s the logic of dictatorship.

We’ve reported on the secret memos, the pardons for January 6 rioters, and the militarization of immigration enforcement. Now we’re sounding the alarm on the police power Trump is building to use against American citizens at home.

Every donation fuels the reporting needed to shine a light on authoritarian power plays like this one. For U.S.-based donors giving $100 or more, we’ll send you a TNR tote bag to carry the truth with you.

We don’t answer to billionaires. We answer to readers like you. If you can, make a donation to help fund fearless journalism that tells the truth—before it’s too late to stop what’s coming next.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Michael Tomasky, editor

The New Republic

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