The threat of a coup in the US: how Trump could gain absolute power

The unrest in the American city of Minneapolis, which broke out after the killing of a local resident by a federal agent, may lead to the introduction of emergency measures at the state level, and instead of the usual democracy, the United States risks getting a model of governance with unlimited powers for the head of state.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by Oleksandr Krayev, an expert of the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

According to him, the current American administration actively supports the actions of law enforcement officers, ignoring the growing dissatisfaction of civil society and criticism from state governors.

“Trumpist Republicans are calling this an insurrection, because essentially their idea now is to escalate the situation to the point where Trump can invoke the so-called Insurrection Act, which allows the President of the United States, in the event of a threat to the constitutional order and in the event of a direct threat of open rebellion, to use federal armed forces to suppress an insurrection on the territory of the United States of America,” the political scientist noted.

As Krayev explains, this legal provision, adopted after the end of the civil war, grants the head of the White House exceptional powers. Its activation means the de facto suspension of any legal political activity, including the holding of elections.

According to the analyst, such steps provoke a deep crisis of trust not only in individual institutions, but also in the country’s constitutional system itself, because instead of the usual democracy, the country risks receiving a governance model with unlimited powers for the head of state.

As a reminder, a wave of protests swept major US cities after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretty in Minneapolis on January 24. Protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were held in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities amid widespread calls for an investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the likelihood of a partial government shutdown in the United States has sharply increased after a man was killed during an operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. Senate Democrats have said they are prepared to block the budget due to demands for reform and funding cuts to the agency.

In addition, as “Pryamy” reported, on January 20, thousands of Americans across the country left their jobs and schools to participate in a large-scale protest against the policies of the Donald Trump administration. The mass action, called “Free America,” is timed to coincide with the first anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration as president.

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