Words matter. When describing a government, they inevitably carry moral weight.

Over the past 16 months, Trump and his appointees have so profoundly undermined the United States government that different words should be used to describe them than have been used to describe all previous administrations.

To begin with, they shouldn’t be called an “administration” at all. They should be referred to as a regime.

A regime flagrantly defies court orders, as have Trump and his appointees.

In February 2026, a federal judge, appointed by George W Bush, identified some 200 orders from the district of Minnesota that ICE had defied, concluding that it had “likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence”.

A regime also vilifies judges who rule against it and demand their impeachment, exactly as the Trump regime has done.

A regime usurps a legislature’s powers to declare war, issue tariffs and appropriate public funds – which is what the Trump regime has done to Congress.

A regime seeks to stifle speech and silence criticism in universities, law firms and the........

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