The Police State Isn’t Coming — It’s Here

Trump’s Newest Executive Order Opens the Door to Authoritarian Policing

By Graham E. Whitaker | Big Mouth Media | April 28, 2025

This week, Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens.”

It sounds boring enough — if you’re not paying attention.

But for those of us who understand how authoritarian governments tighten their grip, this order isn’t boring.

It’s a battle plan.

No, it’s not a formal declaration of martial law.

It’s something quieter — and just as dangerous.

It’s the construction of a system where resistance can be criminalized, crushed, and erased without ever needing to suspend the Constitution.

A New Era of Militarized Policing

The executive order directs the federal government to flood state and local police forces with military equipment, surveillance tools, and national security assets.

This isn’t about making communities safer.

It’s about making sure law enforcement is ready to meet protests, strikes, and civil unrest with overwhelming force.

If you think this gear is meant for “violent criminals,” remember:

It’s the same playbook that’s always been used against labor movements, civil rights marches, immigrant communities, and Indigenous protectors.

Shielding Abuse, Not Protecting the Public

Instead of creating stronger oversight, Trump’s order tells the Attorney General to help law enforcement officers dodge lawsuits and legal accountability.

Officers who harm civilians during protests or raids will have a legal defense team already waiting for them.

It sends a clear message to law enforcement:

Do whatever it takes. We’ll cover you.

And we already know who bears the brunt of that freedom — the poor, the marginalized, the ones who dare to stand up.

Targeting Cities and States That Refuse to Fall in Line

If your local government has diversity initiatives, reforms to policing, or basic civil rights protections — watch out.

Trump’s Justice Department now has a green light to sue or punish states, cities, and counties that “obstruct” law enforcement.

This isn’t about fighting crime.

It’s about punishing resistance.

It’s about telling every progressive mayor, city council, or sheriff:

If you don’t join the crackdown, you’re the next target.

Treating American Citizens Like Enemy Combatants

By merging Homeland Security assets with domestic policing, Trump’s administration is preparing to treat political dissent — not just crime — as a threat to national security.

That’s how you turn local protests into “threats.”

That’s how you justify surveillance, no-knock raids, and mass arrests — all while claiming you’re keeping the country “safe.”

What It Means for the Rest of Us

If you’ve ever marched in the street, spoken out at a city meeting, helped organize a strike, or simply stood up for the vulnerable — you are not paranoid.

You are exactly who this executive order is being built to neutralize.

• Mass protests will be met with militarized force.

• Marginalized communities will be further criminalized and surveilled.

• Cities and states trying to protect their people will be sued, defunded, and threatened.

• Legal pathways to hold abusive officers accountable will be eroded.

This is a blueprint for authoritarian policing — and it’s happening right now, in the open.

We Still Have Power — But Only If We Use It

They are counting on fear to break us apart before they even move.

They want us scattered, second-guessing ourselves, waiting for a “better time” to act.

There won’t be a better time.

The only antidote to this kind of repression is connection, preparation, and solidarity:

• Build tight networks rooted in trust, not social media clout.

• Train together. Know your rights. Know first aid. Know how to move and organize securely.

• Take care of each other. Mutual aid isn’t charity. It’s survival.

• Create independent media. Don’t rely on corporate outlets to tell the truth about what’s coming.

If they want to make resistance costly, we have to make solidarity priceless.

This executive order isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a very deliberate escalation.

1. The Police State Isn’t Coming — It’s Here

It doesn’t look like martial law because it’s more sophisticated than that.

It’s the slow tightening of power until you wake up one morning and realize protest itself has become a criminal act.

We see it. We know it. We aren’t backing down.

Get ready.

Get loud.

Get free.

Read this new executive order here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/strengthening-and-unleashing-americas-law-enforcement-to-pursue-criminals-and-protect-innocent-citizens/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR7_S3Rqc_sIUUmq99busM_uY8w0IpK3hQX9Ctu7ch0KJYA42R4Q7Ymvcykghg_aem_9ogzbj0dPJazLpgcN8ubjA

Graham E. Whitaker is a journalist, organizer, and contributor to Big Mouth Media, writing on authoritarianism, grassroots resistance, and the working-class fight for democracy.