In theory, everybody is equal under the law. In practice, that has rarely been the case – the rich and influential are much less likely to be held accountable, while the poor and minorities are much more likely to be arrested and convicted.

But what we are seeing right now has gone beyond that. President Trump is setting new precedents every day. It has little to do with what is legal or constitutional – it is all about what he can do without people stopping him (or how much damage he can cause before he is eventually stopped). As congress has abdicated their role in the constitutional checks and balances, the courts are all that remain, and although he has yet to openly defy a supreme court ruling (although he did obstruct the ruling for Kilmar Abrego Garcia), a recent study by the Washington Post found that he has defied one out of three federal court rulings. It’s no wonder that he is always attacking the courts, and even filed a lawsuit against all 15 federal judges in Maryland (which was thrown out).

Am I exaggerating? Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What has become normal right now that was not normal 10 years ago? Following this trend, what will be normal in another 3.5 years? We are bombarded daily with things that Trump either did or says that he will do, much of which would have been considered illegal and/or unconstitutional in the past. It’s impossible to guess what will or will not be considered legal for him to do in the future. He is wearing us down.
2. While Trump is mostly protected from his actions, does the law protect us from Trump’s anger? If he truly hates a person, what is the likelihood that obedience to the law will protect that person from serious hardship?
3. If legal protections can be stripped away from people on Trump’s whim, are our rights truly inalienable, or are they merely privileges that can be revoked from anybody at any time?

The president has taken a very tough stance on crime, but it seems to only apply to people that he does not like. He seems fine with crime if he likes the criminals (or if they say that they like him). For example:

• He granted clemency to five of his former campaign members and political advisors and to many other corrupt politicians.
• He pardoned all the Jan 6^th insurrectionists – even those charged with attacking and killing police officers.
• He is very concerned with crime in big cities (which tend to lean democrat) and calls out blue states with much lower crime rates than red states.
• He considered pardoning Sean “Diddy” Combs, but apparently decided against it.
• He has weakened the FBI because they had the audacity to investigate his crimes.
• He wants to fire the Fed Governor, and as a pretext for firing her, claims that anybody who lists more than one primary residency on a mortgage loan deserves jail time (this is often legal and rarely prosecuted). Meanwhile, at least three of his cabinet members have done the same thing (Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and EPA administrator Lee Zeldin). He has no plans to punish them.

And let’s not forget that Trump himself has a disdain for the law. As a felon, he isn’t even allowed to vote (but he’s still eligible to be the president).

People that Trump likes also enjoy broad legal protections. For example, Elon Musk was given full reign to fire the regulators who oversaw his government contracts and was allowed to collect all of our personal data. But when they had a falling out, suddenly there was talk of deporting Musk, revoking his citizenship, cancelling all government contracts, etc.

Trump claims that his tough on crime stance is making America safer, but it’s just very costly political theater. He wants to be seen as a strong man that can control everything that he wants. When he sent the military and National Guard to California and to Washington D.C., the soldiers didn’t investigate crimes and arrest dangerous criminals – they were merely props. And while it is true that crime was down during this time, it was a temporary dip due to people not going out.

And Trump knowingly broke the law by sending the military and National Guard to California.

• In 2020, Trump said the following regarding the protests in Portland: “We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there’s no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case, we can’t call in the National Guard, unless we are requested by a Governor.”
• Kristi Noem said the following about Biden in 2024 when she thought he might do something that he never did: “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

In a recent cabinet meeting (8/26/2025) Trump said:

“You have a guy in Illinois, the governor of Illinois, saying that crime has been much better in Chicago recently, and Trump is a dictator. And most people say, `If you call him a dictator, then … If he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants.’ I’m not a dictator, by the way. But he can be whatever he wants.”.

“Not that I don’t have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the President of the United States. If I think our country’s in danger, and it is in danger in these cities, I can do it.”

While I agree that Trump is more of a wannabe king than a full-on dictator at this point, the attitude that he can do whatever wants as president is dangerous. But what do I know – the people knowingly voted for this.