Trump’s Authoritarian Streak Grows Stronger

“A five-alarm fire tore through the economic establishment Friday after President Trump ousted the government’s top labor statistician, accusing her — without evidence — of ‘rigging’ a weak jobs report,” Axios reports.

“It’s just one glaring example from a week that bore many authoritarian hallmarks — purging dissenters, rewriting history, criminalizing opposition and demanding total institutional loyalty.”

“The overwhelming, all-consuming nature of Trump-driven news cycles makes it difficult to discern partisan hysteria from true democratic backsliding.”

“But apply any of these five storylines from the past week to a foreign leader — or even a past U.S. president — and it reads like an authoritarian playbook.”