The U.S. hasn’t “won” the trade war with China, and strategic pressure is rising; it isn’t facing imminent insolvency, but higher debt and interest costs are tightening room to maneuver; China’s export controls on refined rare earths don’t incapacitate the U.S. military, but they do create bottlenecks that can degrade readiness and surge capacity over time; in that climate, Trump is using aggressive tactics to gain and hold power, leaning on crisis framing and institutional pressure; and the oldest move returns: scapegoating minorities and stoking division to justify “exceptional” measures like emergency powers, expanded policing, reduced accountability, and, if unchecked, erosion of democratic constraints.