Frustrated by reports of his falling approval ratings, Trump tests several lines of attack. “I will STRIKE back against the STRIKERS, trust me.” When news of a shaky economy emerges, he blames your actions, “We could be a GREAT COUNTRY if people WORKED, NOT STRIKED.” Amidst threats and taunts, he jeers that the strike was ineffective and writes, “I call it the LAZIEST STRIKE IN HISTORY.” You wonder if his mind is slowing down.
The Supreme Court allows him to proceed with replacing 50,000 government workers under Schedule F with loyalists. His installs make life excruciating for government workers — but also for each other. Resignations and purgings are commonplace. With control of multiple levers of government, Trump installs judges across the country who gerrymander election maps in multiple states to give Republicans long-term power.
It’s not all loss. Trump floats a bill outlawing abortion after 16 weeks. “Hands off my body.” Congress halts the bill. Analysts point to Trump’s decreasing approval ratings in the polls. And the courts hand Trump another setback when they rule, for the second time, against his bill to close the border with Mexico. As a result, the military again withdraws from policing the border.
But Trump doubles down on everything. He vows to return the military to the border. Emboldened right-wing militias echo ICE’s mass deportation plans with frightful scenes of armed men strolling through immigrant neighborhoods. Trump opens up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. He vows to “introduce an abortion bill that everyone will love.”