Trump’s Strategic Assault On US Federalism Risks Fragmenting The Republic

By Uriel Araujo

Trump’s federal takeover of Washington DC police marks an unprecedented power-grab. Targeting Democratic ethnic minority cities is part of a broader effort to reshape the US federation while asserting neo-Monroeist dominance abroad. Rising ethnopolitical tensions however could threaten the American empire from within.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump — declaring a “public safety emergency” — announced a federal takeover of Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, while deploying 800 National Guard troops. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been placed in charge of operations, with DEA Administrator Terry Cole named interim commissioner.

Just a couple of months earlier, Trump had sent California’s National Guard to Los Angeles to address immigration protests — after the unrest had largely ceased, by the way. Rather than just a series of domestic manoeuvres, such moves mark efforts to recalibrate the US federative framework, with global impacts.

The latest federal intervention, as a matter of fact, is quite unprecedented. No President had invoked the so-called Home Rule Act in this fashion before. Despite Trump’s claims of rampant criminality, violent crime in DC has fallen sharply enough — 26% in 2025 compared to the previous year, following a 35% drop from 2023 to 2024, bringing crime levels to a 30-year low. It is no wonder DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb condemned the recent move as “unprecedented, unnecessary and unlawful”.

In any case, the President has stated: “other cities are hopefully watching this.” It is quite clear then that crime is a pretext for expanding presidential power.

One may recall that, during his first presidency, through Operation Legend in 2020 and others, Trump dispatched federal agents from the DOJ, FBI, ATF, DHS, DEA, and the US Marshals to cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, Memphis, and Indianapolis.

All of these are, as a matter of fact, historically Democratic strongholds — no surprise given that they are home to large Black and/or Latino populations, demographics that have, historically, tended to vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party. Trump’s pattern (now emboldened) in fact suggests a strategy — to “take back” these urban centres from Democratic control and establish Republican hegemony. The American leader has hinted at also sending federal forces next to Baltimore, New York, and Oakland. Plans for federalizing their local police forces this time should thus not be dismissed as a possible scenario.

These Democratic-leaning cities are densely populated by ethnic and racial minorities that, as mentioned, traditionally vote Democrat. Yet, in the latest 2024 elections (Trump took office in January 2025) the Republican markedly increased his appeal across these groups, capitalizing on “Democrat fatigue” over rising crime, illegal immigration, and the excesses of “woke” culture.

Pew Research data shows Trump’s support among Hispanic voters nearly reached parity (48% to 51%), up from a significant deficit in 2020. Among Black voters, his share doubled — from 8% to 15% — though the majority of them still backed Kamala Harris. Be as it may, Trump’s aggressive federalization and tough immigration rhetoric may alienate these very voters.

His hard-line stance on mass deportation and Mexico risks backfiring, as I noted before, just as heavy-handed policing in minority communities carries the very real spectre of racially targeted police brutality. Here, ethnic and racial tensions could erupt — and riots and unrest are not out of the question.

In any case, beyond targeting Democratic cities, Trump’s manoeuvres point to a deeper ambition: to remake the American republic. As I’ve written, his very “war” against the Deep State” is about consolidating presidential power, as outlined in Project 2025. His southern border policies and mass deportation plans — often stretching or sidestepping legality — are yet another element of the same trend. This is why his $45 million June military parade has been largely seen as illiberal power winking at Caesarism.

Such is the larger context for the ongoing federalization and militarization of one third of the US southern border (largely seen as unconstitutional), plus the secret directives to militarily target Latin-American cartels abroad, among other measures.

This brand of “Caesarism” at home, paired with neo-Monroeism abroad best defines the current American regime. As I’ve argued, Trump’s revised Monroe Doctrine, asserting Washington’s dominance over the Americas, is one of the few consistent features of US foreign policy today. His tariffs on Brazil over Bolsonaro and BRICS, plus the aggressive posture toward Mexico are part of that same strategy.

Yet, such overreach risks overextending an already burdened superpower — especially as Washington grapples with conflicts in the Middle East and an emerging missile arms race in the Pacific. In practice, this is not about focusing “either” on the American continent “or” on the Middle East plus Eurasia, but rather about doing  one thing “and” the other: a recipe for strategic overload.

The problem is that the Atlantic superpower now faces its share of converging pressures: political polarization, ethnopolitical unrest, and economic disruptions.

Donald Trump seems to fashion himself as a modern Lincoln — who, through war, transformed a loose federation into a centralized American empire; expanded federal authority; and even shaped the nation’s global authority. Unbeknown to him, to cement his version of a remade republic — via national emergencies, executive orders, militarized borders, and plans for mass deportations — Trump may be courting disintegration, not unity.

In conclusion, the latest federal takeover of D.C. local police epitomizes a broader strategy: to assert federal control over Democratic strongholds, expand presidential power, and reframe the US as an imperial republic in a distinctly (albeit erratic) neo-Monroeist fashion. Yet, all of this faces serious domestic challenges.

By alienating minorities through draconian policies, Trump risks squandering his electoral gains and further igniting ethnopolitical unrest. History offers sobering reminders: major states and empires of the not-so-distant past — Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and others — have fragmented, while some today question the future of Israel even.

The United States is no exception. All empires end. The polarized Atlantic superpower, balancing on the verge of overextension, may therefore find that its greatest threats lie not abroad but within its own borders.

Uriel Araujo, Anthropology PhD, is a social scientist specializing in ethnic and religious conflicts, with extensive research on geopolitical dynamics and cultural interactions.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.

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Categories: Analysis, International Affairs

Tags: Democracy, Democrats, Donald Trump, Republicans, USA