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Will Bunch on Trump's DC takeover as a prelude to dictatorship
"It’s critical for his whole authoritarian project."
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Last month, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch wrote a column characterizing Donald Trump’s federal occupation of DC thusly: "Not distraction. Dictatorship.”
“While some deflection from Epstein news might be a side effect, it’s silly to claim that a military occupation on a major American city heavily populated by Democrats is any kind of distraction,” he wrote. “It’s arguably been the plan for a Trump presidency all along.”
These are notable words coming from Bunch, who has been observing and writing about the GOP’s descent into authoritarianism going back to the Watergate years. (We got into some of Bunch’s storied background the last time we chatted with him for Public Notice, which two years ago as the Republican Party was pursuing an evidence-free impeachment of then-president Biden.)
With Trump now talking about sending troops into Chicago and other major cities under the pretext of “crime,” we connected with Bunch to get his take on what Trump is really up to in DC, his frustrations with how Democrats and elite pundits are responding to it, and much more.
“Crime in Washington DC or other large cities can be a significant issue, but it doesn't excuse fascism,” he said. “Just because crime exists doesn't mean the solution is military occupation.“
The full conversation between Bunch and Public Notice contributor Thor Benson, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows.
Thor Benson
You wrote an article about how Trump’s occupation of Washington DC is a move towards dictatorship, and not a “distraction.” Could you explain that?
Will Bunch
One of the more annoying things I’ve seen over the past seven months is the number of times