The Signs of a Police State: Trump’s Quiet March Toward Martial Law

Why Waiting for Trump to Say “Martial Law” Is the Surest Way to Wake Up Living Under It

The Signs of a Police State: Trump’s Quiet March Toward Martial Law

Why Waiting for Trump to Say “Martial Law” Is the Surest Way to Wake Up Living Under It

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #510: Friday, August 29th, 2025.

The Smell of Smoke Before the Fire

Freedom never dies with a press release.

No dictator ever stands at a podium and announces: “Ladies and gentlemen, today democracy ends.”

Instead…it dies the same way a house burns down…first with the faint smell of smoke. The kind you dismiss. The kind you think is coming from somebody else’s stove.

By the time you look again…the walls are already smoldering. And then…suddenly… flames are licking the ceiling.

America is at that moment right now. We smell the smoke. We see the sparks. Yet most people still shrug. They say, “Surely it won’t get that bad.”

That’s the exact delusion Trump is banking on.

Because Trump isn’t just stumbling forward. He’s laying track…clue by clue…sign by sign…building a machinery that can turn this country into a police state overnight…and set the table for martial law before the 2026 elections.

The Shock Move Playbook

Trump never plays by the rules of normal politics.

When George W. Bush wanted to invade Iraq…there were months of speeches… intelligence briefings…congressional debates.

When Trump makes a power move…it doesn’t come with process. It comes with a gut punch.

Think of Lafayette Square. Peaceful protesters were standing with signs…and in the next instant…federalized troops with batons and gas grenades shoved them out so Trump could hold up a Bible. No hearings. No buildup. Just…boom.

Think of Portland. Protesters pulled into unmarked vans by unbadged federal agents. Nobody voted for it. Nobody debated it. One day…it was rumor…the next…it was happening.

That’s the playbook. Float the idea. Downplay it. Deny it. Then spring it when the cameras are least ready and the opposition is most unprepared.

It’s not incompetence. It’s strategy.

The National Guard Gambit

Which brings us to Chicago.

Right now…Trump is openly talking about sending the National Guard into a major American city…against the wishes of the state’s governor…against the warnings of constitutional experts…against every tradition of federal restraint.

Understand what that means: if he pulls the trigger…it’s not about “crime.” It’s not about “order.” It’s about precedent.

If he can roll into Chicago without permission…he can roll into any city.

If he can frame a political opponent as “harboring criminals” by refusing federal troops…then the mere act of standing up to him becomes “evidence” of lawlessness.

And if protests erupt in response…as they will…that’s his ticket to escalate.

From Portland to Pritzker: The Precedent Is There

People tell themselves, “He would never really do it.”

But that’s the exact same thing people said before:

• He’ll never fire Comey.

• He’ll never pressure Ukraine.

• He’ll never storm Lafayette Square.

• He’ll never try to overturn an election.

And then he did. Every time.

The precedent is already established:

• 2020, Portland: Federal agents grabbed Americans off the streets, masked and unbadged, in clear violation of the Constitution.

• 2020, D.C.: He ordered active-duty military to prepare for deployment against citizens.

• 2020, “Operation Legend”: He used federal officers to occupy cities under the guise of crime control.

Nobody stopped him then. Nobody drew the line. And because the line wasn’t drawn, he’s ready to redraw it again…only further out.

The Insurrection Act as His Golden Ticket

Here’s the key: Trump doesn’t need to declare martial law outright. He just needs the excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act.

That act is the golden ticket. It allows a president to deploy military force domestically…bypass governors…and claim “emergency powers.”

Normally…it’s reserved for extreme cases…rebellions…coups…crises so large that states beg for help.

But Trump doesn’t need an actual rebellion. He just needs the appearance of one. And nothing creates that appearance faster than sending troops into a city where they aren’t wanted.

The cycle is predictable:

1. Federal troops arrive.

2. Protests erupt.

3. Conflict turns violent.

4. Trump declares, “See? I had no choice.”

That’s how he turns a provoked crisis into a pretext for nationwide crackdowns.

Martial Law Without Saying the Words

Here’s the trick: he doesn’t have to say “martial law.”

If you wait for that phrase…you’ll miss it.

Instead…he’ll call it “restoring order.” He’ll say it’s “temporary.” He’ll frame it as “protecting law-abiding Americans.”

Meanwhile:

• Troops will patrol the streets.

• Civilian protests will be suppressed as “insurrections.”

• Opposition voices will be targeted as “domestic threats.”

It will functionally be martial law…just under different branding.

Remember: Trump is a marketer. He doesn’t need to change the substance. He only needs to change the label.

2026: The Election He Can’t Afford to Lose

Why now? Why 2026?

Because Trump understands this election may be his last shot.

If Democrats regain their footing…if independent voters sour on him…if investigations finally corner him…he loses not just power…but immunity.

And he cannot afford to lose immunity.

So what does a cornered man do? He builds a cage around himself. He locks down the streets. He makes sure that when ballots are cast…the machinery of force is already in motion.

2026 isn’t just another midterm. It’s the firewall. If he controls the environment around that election…through intimidation…occupation…or suppression…he tilts the table.

That’s why Chicago matters. It’s the dry run.

The Machinery of Fear

Every authoritarian uses the same tools:

• Enemy lists: branding dissenters as traitors.

• Propaganda: flooding the airwaves with “crime” and “chaos” stories.

• Fear of the Other: migrants…protesters…journalists…all painted as threats.

• Hero narrative: only the strongman can restore order.

Trump is already using every piece of this machinery.

• He calls Democrats “enemies of the people.”

• He paints immigrants as “invaders.”

• He warns of “American carnage” in cities.

• He positions himself as the only one tough enough to handle it.

That’s not random. It’s conditioning. It’s getting Americans to the point where they’ll accept extraordinary measures because they’ve been primed to see everything as an emergency.

Lessons From History: Authoritarians Always Telegraphed Their Moves

History repeats because people refuse to read the first act.

Hitler told us exactly what he would do in Mein Kampf.
Mussolini spelled it out in speeches about “order” and “renewal.”
Pinochet framed his coup as “restoring stability.”

They always telegraphed their moves. But people dismissed the signs.

Trump is telegraphing his now.

Every talk of National Guard.
Every accusation of “traitors.”
Every photo-op staged with soldiers behind him.

These are not random flourishes. They are clues. They are signals.

What the Clues Mean for You and Me

Here’s the harsh truth:

If you dismiss these signs because Trump hasn’t yet said the words “martial law,” you will wake up one morning and find you’re living in it.

If you wait for a formal proclamation…it will be too late.

The only defense is vigilance. The only defense is seeing the smoke and recognizing it before the fire breaks out.

We cannot shrug and say, “He wouldn’t dare.”
He’s dared before. Every single time.

The Duty to Act

And that brings us to you.

I make no apologies for pushing this message hard. If I know the steps that put these warnings in front of more committed eyes…I have a duty to take them.

Because this isn’t just about subscriptions. It isn’t just about readers. It’s about action takers.

Democracy is gasping for air. And Trump knows it. He is banking on the passivity of the public.

But if we build a community of committed readers…people who see…share…and act…then we flip the script.

Substack promotes the newsletters with the most paid subscribers harder than the rest. That’s the game. And it matters. Because the more this work spreads…the more citizens are prepared.

This isn’t just about me writing. It’s about you reading…and acting.

Finally….

You’ve seen the signs.
You’ve smelled the smoke.

You can tell yourself it’s nothing. You can tell yourself it’ll pass. You can turn the page and go back to sleep.

Or you can recognize what’s in front of your face: Trump is setting the stage for a police state…laying the groundwork for martial law…and timing it to the 2026 elections.

There are no stakes higher.

This is our moment to decide whether we stand idle…or whether we stand together.

The only way out….is through.

One More Thing Before I Leave You

I’ve shown you the smoke. I’ve laid out the signs. I’ve connected the dots that say…plain as day…Trump is setting the stage for martial law ahead of 2026.

But here’s the truth most people don’t want to face:

Knowing it isn’t enough.

If he pulls the trigger tomorrow…if troops hit the streets…if curfews and crackdowns become the new normal…you won’t have the luxury of “thinking it through later.”

You’ll either be prepared… or you’ll be caught flat-footed.

That’s why tonight…for paid subscribers only…I’m releasing a special issue that cuts through the noise and gets down to brass tacks:

The personal preparations you should be making right now.

Not pie-in-the-sky theory. Not “someday when things get worse.”
Step-by-step actions you can take today that give you a head start if martial law is ever declared.

Because when the lights go out…when movement is restricted…when speech is policed…there’s no time left to “figure it out.”

The only advantage you’ll have is the one you prepared in advance.

So if you’re serious…if you want more than headlines…if you want to be ready…make sure you’re on the inside for tonight’s drop.

This isn’t about fear. It’s about survival.
And survival favors the prepared.

I’ll be back soon. I must. I will.

By your side,

-Jack