Donald Trump’s efforts to silence political opponents are outlined

The article lists people Trump has punished or threatened since returning to office and reports a democracy scholar saying such attacks on opponents can signal democratic decline.

The article describes a range of people Donald Trump has punished or threatened since returning to office. It names former officials and elected opponents and notes public actions taken against them. The piece reports Trump has described Democrats as an internal threat he views as comparable to foreign adversaries. A University of Toronto democracy scholar is quoted saying attacks on opponents can have a silencing effect and indicate democratic decline. Key points: - The article lists officials and politicians who have faced investigations, lawsuits, audits or public attacks since Trump returned to office, including both former officials and members of the opposition. - It reports that Trump has used strong language to describe political opponents and has compared them to external adversaries. - Lucan Way, a professor of democracy, is cited saying such behaviour by a leader can produce a broader silencing effect on critics. - The piece notes mechanisms reported in the episode include investigations, audits, lawsuits and personal attacks that can raise the costs of opposing a leader. Summary: The reported pattern is described as making opponents more reluctant to engage and as having a broader silencing effect, according to the quoted scholar. Undetermined at this time.