Seizing the Capital, Seizing the Country
The federalization of D.C.’s lawl enforcement is not about crime. It’s a national test case for keeping Trump in power beyond 2028.
Trump’s federal law enforcement takeover in D.C. is the national playbook for election control. I am not sharing this to frighten or discourage you. I just want to share what my research shows we are up against. Because, the playbook isn’t new. It has been used by authoritarian regimes around the world and throughout time. I will never give up, and I hope you agree. Please read to the end for resistance and hope.
“The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it.” — John Hay
This is a Test
The federalization of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department is being sold as a simple “crime control” initiative. However, the Constitution does not allow Trump to send troops to our states and towns, and crime is down in D.C., just as it was in Los Angeles when he “militarized” that city. In reality, it’s the pilot for Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership, a Heritage Foundation blueprint that explicitly calls for consolidating executive control over local law enforcement, replacing non-aligned officials with loyalists, and “acting first” without waiting for legislative or judicial approval.
Layer that over the Supreme Court’s July 1, 2024 Trump v. United States decision, which grants presidents broad immunity for “official acts,” and you have a legal shield against immediate court challenges.1
D.C. was chosen for a reason: it has no governor to stand in the way, and its symbolic role makes federal control both visible and normalized. If the model succeeds here, with loyalists embedded and local decision-making overridden, it becomes a template for swing states and major cities in 2026, much like how Marcos’s use of martial law in the Philippines in 1972 became a precedent for future elections until the regime was overturned 11 years later. 2
D.C. will be the model to scale nationally for 2028.
How the Playbook Unfolds Nationwide
This strategy unfolds in calculated phases, drawing from both policy blueprints and historical playbooks, from Florida 2000 to Belarus 2020, and beyond.
Set the Stage (now through spring 2026)
Designated “problem cities,” primarily those with majority Democratic voters, are framed as crime or border hotspots justifying tailored emergency declarations. In those places, the National Guard and other federal enforcement agencies are sent to “restore order. Federal agencies then insert loyalist leadership into local law enforcement structures, echoing Project 2025’s directive to replace officials who might not toe the line. 3
Trump sent U.S. Marines and the National Guard to Los Angeles, and militarized one-third of the southern border in Texas, California, and Arizona by declaring them Army bases. Today, Trump announced he is sending National Guard troops, FBI, and other federal agencies to D.C. under the direction of U.S Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump’s actions are typical of authoritarians around the world, and he has demonstrated those characteristics since his attempt to use the military against protestors during his first presidency. But, it is still shocking that it is happening in the United States.
“We are just getting started.” — Donald J. Trump
Simultaneously, state Republican leaders around the country will continue and intensify their attacks on voting rights through new laws, gerrymandering. and partisan appointees to election boards and voting centers.
Pre-Election (summer–fall 2026)
The “Election Integrity” operation launches, mirroring DOJ’s Operation Legend deployments. At the same time, the definition of “threat” expands, echoing Turkey’s 2018 crackdown on political opposition.4 Media narratives of impending fraud and unrest are seeded, a tactic seen during the Trump campaign and outlined in conservative media playbooks⁷.
The Supreme Court’s ruling for presidential immunity, combined with the snail’s pace of court appeals makes it impossible to stop Trump’s illegal acts of election interference in real time.
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” —Henry David Thoreau)
Election Week (November 2026)
Federal agents are posted at polling sites and ballot counting centers, reminiscent of the police presence in Florida’s 2000 election crisis.5 In opposition-heavy districts, “credible threats” slow down voting, echoing tactics used by the Marcos regime in the Philippines in 19866 Officials begin casting doubt on results before counts are finalized, echoing Trump’s post-2020 rhetoric.7
Contest & Nullify (days 1–10 post-election)
Certification is refused in unfavorable jurisdictions - mirroring Belarus’s 2020 crisis.8 Legislative bodies may be barred from convening under “security” pretexts, as in post-coup Turkey.9 A heavy law enforcement presence in D.C. will counter any citizen protest of election results or attempts to stop certification of the presidential election. Any legal challenges are stymied by presidential immunity delays.10
Suppress & Normalize (weeks 2–6 post-election)
Permits for protests vanish, if they haven’t already, and policing intensifies, reminiscent of federal deployments in Portland in 2020.11 Federal control is justified as an “extended emergency,” setting a precedent for permanent oversight in “at-risk” jurisdictions, just as Marcos’s did under martial law in the Philippines.12
From 2026 to 2028: The Endgame
If the 2026 midterms are compromised, the result is structural, not temporary. A loyalist-controlled Congress could rewrite election law, dismantle oversight, and cement executive power - a trajectory envisioned in Project 2025’s permanent reorganization proposals. 13
By 2028, the infrastructure to control elections, protest, and policing will be fully institutionalized. With a Supreme Court-backed “unitary executive” and broad immunity in place, no meaningful constitutional check remains. What begins as a public safety operation in D.C. may conclude as the dismantling of democratic governance nationwide.
Resistance and Hope
“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” —Thomas Jefferson
The takeover of D.C. law enforcement is not the endgame; it’s the opening move. Authoritarian regimes depend on shock, fear, and the belief that nothing can be done. That’s a lie. Every power grab can be challenged: in the courts, in the streets, in the press, and at the ballot box - if those ballots are protected. Document everything. Support independent media. Build local alliances that can mobilize faster than the regime can respond. Demand that your elected officials, especially those in Congress, publicly oppose federal takeovers of local police. Remember: the tools of repression only work if people obey without question. History shows that organized, sustained resistance can crack even the most entrenched regimes. We’ve stopped power-hungry men before. We can do it again, but only if we start now.
Footnotes:
It's both depressing and insane.