Donald Trump’s theatrics have metastasized. His mask of democratic leadership has slipped, and we see a man increasingly comfortable posing as a strongman. This week, he openly marketed military presence in American streets, as if the United States were an imperial empire.
At a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Trump proudly described Washington, D.C. as “beautiful again.” But not because of long-term investment, community trust, or accountable governance. Because of “massive numbers of federal law enforcement officers and the National Guard” deployed in the streets. He lingered on the imagery, savoring it:
