Few things have animated President Donald Trump and his supporters as much as his promise to build a wall on the southern border. Debate has been vigorous about the wisdom of the project.
But there is no debate regarding the latest development in this border war. Trump wants aides to act aggressively to seize private lands, fast-track construction contracts worth billions of dollars and disregard environmental rules governing that construction, and he's told them he'll pardon them in the likely event they must break the law to deliver on his demands.
This is conduct befitting a despot, not the president of the United States.
