What Trump’s escalating behavior actually reveals about him behind closed doors

Defenders of President Donald Trump often accuse his opponents of having "Trump derangement syndrome," but Salon's Chauncey DeVega has a much different viewpoint. DeVega believes that some of Trump's critics aren't critical enough and make the mistake of underestimating what he is capable of — especially when he is feeling threatened.

In an article published by Salon on February 5, DeVega stresses that Trump's weak approval ratings in countless polls and large demonstrations against his policies don't make him less "dangerous" — they make him even more dangerous.

"As 2025 came to a close," DeVega explains, "mainstream liberal and centrist commentators were boldly declaring, often with visible relief, that Donald Trump's authoritarian power grab had exhausted itself. The tide, they insisted, had finally turned in favor of American democracy and its resilient institutions. That relief was premature. One month into 2026, Trump is striking back with the strength of a tsunami. The authoritarian tide is rising again — faster than before."

The Salon journalist continues, "It began in earnest on January 3 when the U.S. military attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores…. Trump's lawlessness abroad reflects a profound contempt for the rule of law and democratic institutions at home. Despite Wednesday's announcement that around 700 federal immigration officers would be withdrawn from Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities remain effectively under occupation by thousands of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol in an effort to enforce the Trump Administration's mass deportation campaign."

DeVega notes a long list of troubling developments in 2026.

"DHS (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) is building dozens of detention centers around the country, with a combined capacity of approximately 80,000 people," the reporter warns. "On January 28, the FBI raided Fulton County's election office ostensibly to 'prove' the Big Lie conspiracy that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from Trump. Many legal scholars suspect the action is part of the president's plan to nationalize elections ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election."

According to DeVega, the fact that "resistance" to Trump is "growing" makes him increasingly desperate.

"Like other autocrats and aspiring dictators," DeVega observes, "Trump's escalating behavior reflects not absolute strength and power, but a deep-seated fear that he may instead lose it. This makes the president and the MAGA movement all more dangerous."

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