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.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety - Benjamin Franklin
This quote is insane after this last week…
- Attacks Pope, angers Catholics
- Jesus photos, angers Evangelicals
- ”Give up rights for great American military!”, will anger Libertarians (they are single issue here)
It feels like someone is giving him terrible advice, like trying to actively sabotage his base. The Daily Show had a bit about him looking tired and not trying to lie anymore. It sort of feels like that too. Maybe he just really doesn’t care.
Bonkers week on this front.
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.
You’re asking America to let you take away their rights and privileges, and your argument, as the person that would be holding the power is that you’re willing to take the risk to your rights and privileges?
The king’s sales pitch for why his peasants should be ok with handing over even more rights and civil liberty, is that he (the king) is willing to take the non-existent risk to his own rights, in exchange for even more authority and power being given to him.
And somehow, the king having even more domestic spying power is for the benefit of the king’s military… Who are currently fighting a foreign war that was started by the king despite having no support from the peasants.
Setting the unjust foreign wars aside for just a min, it seems kind of important to ask why a king (and his military) would somehow benefit from increased domestic authority?
It’s not like he views the rights and liberties of the American people living under his
regimeadministration as some kind of threat. Or like he considers American citizens to be hostile enemies…, right? 😅