Power, Imagery, and Political Dynamics

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced striking questioning from Democratic Senator Elyssa Slotkin on Wednesday. She grilled him on whether he had given an order allowing members of the military to shoot unarmed protesters if necessary. She also pressed him on whether the military has the authority to arrest protesters. Hegseth stonewalled. What his obfuscation ended up revealing, though, is this: He knows that in response to Democratic questioning, he cannot be seen reassuring the broader public about the military’s intentions toward civilians and especially toward Blue America. Trump would perceive this as weakness and as capitulation. Which itself reveals something deeply unnerving about the Trump-MAGA threat. We talked to Guardian columnist Moira Donegan, author of a great new piece about Trump’s military parade. about Trump’s military parade. She digs into the darker implications of Hegseth’s testimony and explains why the sheer spectacle of authoritarianism is so central to the Trump-MAGA project. 

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