This is not a joke. This is not hyperbole. Trump is openly calling for 20-year prison sentences for people he deems “terrorist thugs” for actions against Elon Musk and Tesla—and he is suggesting they be sent to El Salvador’s infamous prisons, known for their extreme human rights violations.
This is the language of an authoritarian leader consolidating power.
It is no secret that Trump and Musk are deeply intertwined, with Musk being granted unprecedented influence over government functions through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But now, Trump is not just calling for harsher penalties—he is advocating for punishment that mirrors the worst authoritarian regimes in history.
There are clear historical parallels here.
Putin criminalizes opposition under the guise of “terrorism”, jailing political enemies, protestors, and journalists under extreme sentencing laws.
Erdogan has systematically used mass incarceration to silence critics and those who oppose his consolidation of power.
El Salvador’s Bukele has turned his prison system into a dystopian nightmare, locking away thousands in inhumane conditions under a vague “anti-gang” crackdown, which critics say is being used to imprison innocent people and consolidate his rule.
And now Trump is invoking these same methods, explicitly praising El Salvador’s brutal prison system as the model for his vision of justice.
This is not about vandalism. If it were, he would advocate for the standard legal consequences for property damage. Instead, he is laying the groundwork for a state of exception—one where political enemies, protestors, and dissenters are labeled as “terrorists” and locked away under extreme sentencing.
We need to be crystal clear about what this means.
This is the public justification for mass political imprisonment.
It starts with those deemed criminals.
Then it’s the protestors.
Then the journalists.
Then anyone who dares to oppose his administration.
There’s a fascist playbook for a reason. Repression doesn’t happen all at once—it happens step by step, always justified, always framed as necessary. People don’t willingly give up their freedom unless they are made to believe there is no other choice. This is the only way it works, because no other way would people logically let their rights be taken away.
And once they realize what they’ve lost, it’s already too late.
Originally Posted By u/transcendent167 At 2025-03-21 01:28:09 PM | Source
