Trump's Domestic Crackdowns Mirror El Salvador's Authoritarian Playbook
The Guardian reports that US President Donald Trump is increasingly adopting the authoritarian tactics of El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, including mass detention and military deployment. While Bukele’s state of emergency has jailed 100,000 people, critics argue Trump’s recent federal raids and anti-terror definitions follow a similar 'rolling coup' strategy to suppress dissent ahead of midterms.
Key points
- El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele has maintained a state of emergency since March 2022, suspending civil liberties and detaining approximately 100,000 people, with rights groups estimating at least half are not gang members.
- Trump welcomed Bukele to the White House in April 2025, praising his methods and adopting similar rhetoric regarding crime and 'liberation' through incarceration.
- The US administration has deployed federal agents in unmarked vans to Democratic-leaning cities, mirroring Bukele’s use of military and police to siege communities and instill fear.
- Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, designating 'antifa' as a domestic terror threat, leading to harsh prison sentences for protesters, including those who did not commit violence.
- Critics, including former House leader Richard Gephardt, warn that these actions constitute a 'rolling coup' aimed at ensuring Trump never loses an election, potentially involving the suspension of habeas corpus or seizure of voting machines.
Background
This development follows earlier concerns about federal overreach, such as the FBI’s investigation of suspicious mailings to election offices ahead of the 2026 midterms. It also aligns with broader tensions between federal and state authorities, exemplified by Texas’s recent disbanding of the Trinidad Police Department for failing to meet standards, highlighting a fragmented landscape of law enforcement and civil rights protections.
Why it matters
The synthesis of US and El Salvadoran tactics suggests a potential shift toward authoritarian governance in the US, where legal frameworks are being used to criminalize political opposition and suppress voter turnout. This could fundamentally alter democratic norms and civil liberties.
What to watch
Watch for potential declarations of national emergencies by Trump, further federal deployments in urban areas, and legal challenges regarding the suspension of habeas corpus or the seizure of election materials in key states.
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