In what can only be described as another whirlwind week in Washington, the Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of actions that have sent financial markets into turmoil and dramatically reshaped American policy both domestically and abroad.
The Economy Strikes Back: Tariff Wars
The most immediate impact felt by Americans this week came from President Trump's aggressive tariff strategy, which has now escalated into a full-blown trade war with multiple fronts. China has raised duties on US goods to a staggering 125%, calling Trump's own tariff hikes a "joke" while global markets convulsed in response. China's Finance Ministry warned that further increases would have no economic significance, while Beijing continues to explore other forms of retaliation.
The effects are already being felt across industries. Volkswagen's Audi is holding back cars that arrived in U.S. ports after April 2 due to the newly imposed 25% autos tariff, according to a memo sent to dealers. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has taken a confrontational stance, stating that China's escalation was a "big mistake" as they're playing with a "losing hand."
The Trump administration has further tripled tariffs on packages valued under $800, effectively ending the "de minimis" exemption that allowed foreign online retailers like Shein and Temu to sell cheap items to American consumers. This means your $15 fast fashion finds are about to get a lot more expensive.
The Great Purge: Government Downsizing
The administration's federal workforce reduction continues at breakneck speed. The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent employees an email titled "Reshaping the DHS Workforce" offering three voluntary exit options: deferred resignation with paid administrative leave, buyouts of up to $25,000, or early retirement with reduced benefits, all with an April 14 deadline.
In one of the most controversial moves, the Social Security Administration has entered over 6,000 mostly Latino immigrants into the "Death Master File" database, rendering them effectively dead in government systems despite being alive. This cancels their Social Security numbers and eliminates their ability to work legally or receive benefits in the United States, as part of a Trump administration effort to pressure undocumented immigrants to "self-deport."
Additionally, the IRS and Department of Homeland Security have signed a data-sharing agreement allowing ICE to request taxpayer information on suspected undocumented immigrants for deportation purposes. This has sparked significant internal controversy with multiple IRS officials refusing to sign the agreement due to legal concerns, including the acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause who announced her resignation.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to operate with unprecedented access to sensitive government systems. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is auditing Elon Musk's DOGE, which has been granted access to sensitive data at multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Labor, Education, and Homeland Security.
Even more concerning, Trump administration officials have reportedly told some U.S. government employees that Musk's DOGE team is using artificial intelligence to monitor federal agency communications for hostility toward President Trump and his agenda, with EPA managers specifically warned about AI surveillance looking for "anti-Trump or anti-Musk language" in workplace communications.
The DOGE team has also "heavily" deployed Musk's Grok AI chatbot as part of their federal government reduction efforts and is using the Signal app for communications, potentially violating federal record-keeping rules.
Homeland Control: The Militarization Of The Border And Signs Of The Insurrection Act
But our main story for this week involves President Trump directives that take a dramatic step toward militarizing the southern border through a new national security memorandum that builds upon his January national emergency declaration, which could wind up upending what remains of the rule of law in America.
On April 11, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum that dramatically expands the military's role at the southern border, setting the stage for what many legal experts fear may be an unprecedented use of the Insurrection Act of 1807.
The new memorandum directs the Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security to "take all appropriate actions" to provide for military use and jurisdiction over federal lands along the southern border. This includes the construction of border barriers and the installation of monitoring equipment, essentially creating military installations under Department of Defense jurisdiction along the border — effetively sealing off our border with Mexico.
What makes this development particularly alarming is how it builds upon the foundation laid in Trump's January 20th proclamation, which declared a national emergency at the southern border and invoked section 12302 of Title 10, allowing for the call-up of military reserves. That proclamation explicitly required the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a joint report within 90 days about "whether to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807."
The timing here cannot be ignored. The 90-day deadline from the January 20th proclamation falls on April 20, 2025 – a date with multiple concerning associations. April 20th is both Hitler's birthday and "420," a reference to cannabis culture frequently referenced in DOGE's titular head and Trump donor and advisor, Elon Musk's social media posts. While the date may be coincidental, the pattern of symbolic timing has become a trademark of this administration.
Military Leadership Overhaul
This border militarization comes after weeks of systematic removal of military leadership who might oppose such extreme measures. U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee and one of only a handful of female Navy three-star officers, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials.
This dismissal follows recent removals of other high-ranking military leaders including General Timothy Haugh of the NSA and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's top officer and first woman to become Chief of Naval Operations.
At the same time, Trump loyalists are being installed in key positions. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine was confirmed by the Senate in an early Friday morning vote of 60-25 to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with 15 Democrats supporting his confirmation, following his nomination by President Trump after the dismissal of his predecessor Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. in February.
The Senate also confirmed Elbridge Colby as the undersecretary of defense for policy, the Pentagon's third-highest position, with a vote of 54-45. Colby faced scrutiny during his confirmation process regarding his views on Russia, Iran, and Taiwan.
Isolating Legal Opposition
The administration has simultaneously worked to isolate legal professionals who might challenge these actions. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memo on April 9 barring Justice Department attorneys from traveling to or speaking at American Bar Association events, stating that department employees may not participate in ABA events on official time while accusing the organization of engaging in "activist causes" contrary to the department's mission.
The American Bar Association President William R. Bay responded that the administration is attempting to "tip the scales of justice" through a pattern of targeting judges and lawyers who make decisions it disagrees with.
The administration has also sought to restrict judicial oversight of its actions. The House passed the "No Rogue Rulings Act" in a 219-213 vote, which would restrict district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions that block federal policies. The bill would limit judges to providing relief only to parties directly involved in lawsuits, significantly diminishing courts' ability to block President Trump's policies across the country.
Punishing Opposition
Perhaps most disturbing is the administration's targeting of specific individuals who opposed Trump's claims about the 2020 election. President Trump signed executive orders on April 9 revoking security clearances for former CISA director Christopher Krebs and former DHS official Miles Taylor, ordering Department of Justice investigations into both officials, and instructing agencies to suspend clearances for individuals at entities associated with Krebs.
Trump's directive against Krebs specifically cited that he "falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen."
Project 2025 Connections
Many of these actions align directly with the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 playbook for a second Trump term. The border militarization, federal workforce reductions, expansion of executive power, and targeting of opposition all follow the project's recommendations. Particularly concerning is the Project 2025 blueprint for using the military domestically, which appears to be unfolding through these border actions.
What This Means for America
The stage appears set for an invocation of the Insurrection Act on or around April 20, which would allow the president to deploy federal military troops to respond to what he deems "unlawful obstructions" or "rebellions" within the United States.
With military leadership now stacked with loyalists, judicial oversight being constrained, legal opposition being isolated through the targeting of the ABA, and a steady drumbeat of rhetoric characterizing immigration as an "invasion," all pieces are in place for an unprecedented expansion of executive and military power.
This is not simply about immigration enforcement. It represents a fundamental reshaping of the balance of power in American government and a anotehr dangerous step toward authoritarianism.
Call To Action
So what can we do? First, pay attention. These individual actions may seem disconnected, but together they form a clear pattern of power consolidation that threatens American democracy.
Second, contact your representatives, especially if you have Republican senators or representatives who have shown willingness to break with Trump on issues like the tariffs. At least a dozen House Republicans are considering co-sponsoring Rep. Don Bacon's bill to restrict President Trump's ability to impose tariffs unilaterally. This shows that pushback from within the party is possible.
Third, support organizations fighting these actions in court. The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Bar Association, and various immigrant rights groups are bringing legal challenges that will be crucial in the coming weeks.
Fourth, stay informed about your rights. If the Insurrection Act is invoked, knowing your legal protections becomes even more important.
Finally, remember that autocracy doesn't arrive all at once — it creeps in through a thousand small changes that seem reasonable in isolation but together form something monstrous. The time to recognize and resist that pattern is now, before the machinery of democratic backsliding becomes too entrenched to dismantle.
Because at this rate, we're not just facing a border crisis or an economic disruption from tariffs — we're facing a constitutional crisis that could fundamentally reshape American governance for generations to come.