We are now witnessing the start of what might be seen as phase two of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to eradicate political opposition.

Phase one has centred on silencing criticism. It has featured retribution toward people Trump deemed personal “enemies” – not just Democrats who led the criticisms and prosecutions of him in his first term but also Republicans and his own first-term appointees who subsequently criticised him, such as John Bolton.

Phase one also entailed an assault on universities that utilise so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, harbour faculty members and students who speak out critically against Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocide in Palestine, or offer classes critical of the United States’s history toward black people and Native Americans.

Finally, phase one has gone after media that criticised Trump by withdrawing funding for public radio and television and relying on the billionaire owners of The Washington Post, US ABC, CBS, and X to suppress criticism of Trump on their media platforms.

Phase two, it appears, will entail a more direct attack on all Trump’s political opponents, including the entire Democratic Party.

Trump has vowed to order troops into cities run by Democrats — Washington, DC, Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans.

He posted a video last week assailing Democratic mayors on crime, although crime rates have fallen sharply in recent years.

“For far too long, Americans have been........

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