As he was running for another term in the White House in 2024, President Donald Trump made it clear that he was not a fan of the government’s electronic spying powers contained within the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
“KILL FISA,” he wrote in an all-caps message on Truth Social. “IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS.”
It’s been two years and five days since Trump wrote that, but it might as well have been another lifetime. On Wednesday, Trump again took to Truth Social as Congress was debating a possible extension to Section 702 of FISA, which allows intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications between Americans and individuals overseas.
Now, Trump says he’s willing to “risk” the rights of Americans in order to keep those spying powers intact.
“I am willing to risk the giving up of my Rights and Privileges as a Citizen for our Great Military and Country!” he wrote. “We need to stick together when this Bill comes before the House Rules Committee today to keep it CLEAN!”
The context here is the April 20 deadline for reauthorizing Section 702. As Reason’s Joe Lancaster detailed a few weeks ago, that deadline provides opportunities for members of Congress to demand changes to how FISA works.
Trump doesn’t stay in power by broad appeal to voters; it’s illegal for him to run again to begin with.
Speaking of which, it’s absolutely pants-on-head bonkers that everyone isn’t treating him like the lame duck he is. Just putting that out there as a reminder.
Anyway… Trump doesn’t stay in power based on democratic broad appeal; he stays in power by radicalizing his base enough to do a coup. Again.