Andrewski (@Andrewski)

Justin Amash (https://nitter.net/justinamash/status/1323422282505748480) Donald Trump wants to win the support of libertarians, but his actual record on expanding the federal government and eroding liberty is appalling. After claiming he would wipe out the national debt in eight years, he signed massive spending increases and created the highest ever federal debt—even before the coronavirus pandemic began. Despite repeating over and over that he wants to end wars and bring home the troops, Trump actually increased our military presence in the Middle East and launched attacks in multiple countries without congressional approval—record strikes in places like Afghanistan and Somalia. He also vetoed measures passed by Congress to limit U.S. involvement in Yemen’s civil war, block weapons sales that support it, and prevent war with Iran. More than half of Trump’s vetoes (five of eight) have been against measures trying to limit U.S. military aggression abroad. Trump sometimes acts like he’s opposed to the military-industrial complex, even suggesting the Pentagon wants “to do nothing but fight wars” in order to keep defense contractors happy, but no one has been a bigger booster of the defense industry than Trump. Trump has overseen a significant increase in U.S. military spending and brags about how much is being spent on military equipment. He also bypassed Congress to push through weapons sales to foreign countries, including billions of dollars in arms to Saudi Arabia—and he used the prospect of lucrative arms sales to excuse the Saudis after their government’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump loves to tout his record on criminal justice reform, but he appointed attorneys general that have expanded civil asset forfeiture and ended Department of Justice policies that were intended to limit marijuana enforcement and reduce harsh criminal sentencing. Trump’s AGs have also worked to impose the federal government on state and local criminal justice systems by attacking local efforts at reform. He has fought federal policing reform, and he sent federal police to interfere in matters within local officials’ jurisdictions. Trump also revived the federal death penalty. He’s executed more people in the last few months than his predecessors had in more than 60 years. He detained an American citizen without charge or trial for over a year. Trump rails against surveillance of his own associates, but he signed FISA 702 and a Patriot Act reauthorization, hired DoJ leadership that supports warrantless surveillance, and attacked private companies for refusing to build government backdoors into every person’s phone. He says he will “always protect your Second Amendment right,” but he banned bump stocks, expressed support for red flag laws, and declared that we should “take the guns first, go through due process second.”