To gauge the speed of America’s third-world-ization, economist Noah Smith pointed out, consider just the past few weeks. Generalissimo Trump deployed troops to the capital, moved to seize power over setting interest rates, partially nationalized another American corporation, purged a few more high-ranking military and intelligence officials, issued a decree purporting to ban flag burning (sort of), and watched the FBI he commands search the home of one of his political nemeses for reasons that may or may not turn out to be justified.

He also put a henchman on the federal bench, instigated an irregular redistricting push to weaken the opposition’s chances of reclaiming power, and fired the federal bureaucrat in charge of calculating employment numbers because the July data made him look bad. His choice to replace her is exactly the type of person you’d expect.

Those are things that happen routinely in “sh-thole countries,” to borrow the president’s preferred terminology. Draw your own conclusion about America in 2025 from the fact that they’re happening here.

Nick Catoggio