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As Trump’s Poll Numbers Fall, His Authoritarian Instincts Grow More Extreme

Increasingly unpopular and facing a fracturing coalition, Trump is using government power to punish his critics, take political revenge, and revel in his own cruelty.

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Nation Magazine
May 01, 2026
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by Sasha Abramsky

An image of a proposed Trump passport as posted by the White House on X.

Even as President Donald Trump’s hold over the electorate wanes, his administration’s naked authoritarian tendencies intensify. If you can tell a man’s mettle by how he behaves under pressure, Trump—mired in a ludicrous standoff of his own making with Iran and crate…

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