For anyone who doubts President Trump’s authoritarianleanings, look no further than the Department of Justice headquarters and its new banner with PresidentTrump’s image. It’s a declaration of political control over what should be an independent department.

While similar banners have been hung from other governmentbuildings, the one created for the DOJ is particularly concerning. Since Watergate, efforts have been made to shield the DOJ from White House interference and pressure campaigns. The Trump Administration, however, has nosuch compunctions to follow this path.

Further, if any other president in any other age hung such abanner, the public outcry would have been deafening, with criticism from both sides of the aisle. So, where is the public outrage today? There has been criticism, but not, I think, at the level this act demands.

The full text for the podcast and the Notes can be found at:https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-episode-trumps

NOTES:

(1) “Trump’s New Banner Accidentally Exposes the Truth Aboutthe DOJ,” by Edith Olmsted, The New Republic. February 19,2026. https://newrepublic.com/post/206803/donald-trump-department-justice-banner-face

(2) “New Trump Banner Hung on Justice DepartmentHeadquarters,” by Ashley Ahn, The New York Times. February 19,2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/us/politics/trump-banner-doj.html

(3) “13 controversial redactions from the Epstein files —and what we’re learning about them,” by Aaron Blake, CNN. February11, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/09/politics/redacted-text-jeffrey-epstein-files

(4) “US justice department joins lawsuit to blockCalifornia’s new electoral map,” by Lauren Gambino, The Guardian,November 12, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/13/california-electoral-map-lawsuit-justice-department#:~:text=Trump%20administration-,US%20justice%20department%20joins%20lawsuit%20to%20block%20California’s%20new%20electoral,of%20Californians%20will%20not%20stand.%E2%80%9D

(5) “Presidents Can’t Use the Justice Department as TheirPersonal Law Enforcement Agency” by Lauren Miller Karalunas, BrennanCenter. February 14, 2025. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/presidents-cant-use-justice-department-their-personal-law-enforcement