A chilling strategy is unfolding in the United States, reminiscent of authoritarian regimes. Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic senator from Michigan, has become a target of investigation by the Trump administration, and she believes it's an attempt to silence critics and deter potential dissenters.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst with extensive experience in national security, draws parallels between the current situation and the tactics employed by dictatorships worldwide. In a phone interview with The Guardian, she described the administration's approach as a deliberate effort to intimidate and chill free speech, a tactic she has witnessed firsthand in her career.
"They're employing a well-known playbook, using physical and legal intimidation to silence critics and deter others from speaking out against the president's actions," Slotkin explained. "This strategy is sadly familiar to me, having served in and studied authoritarian governments throughout my career."
Slotkin's journey is an impressive one. After serving three tours in Iraq with the US military, she transitioned into national security roles under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2018, she entered electoral politics, winning a Republican-held seat in Michigan and helping Democrats regain control of the House. Her political ascent continued, securing re-election in 2020 and 2022, and delivering the Democrats' rebuttal to Trump's joint congressional address in 2025.
However, it was a 90-second video, released in November, that sparked controversy and led to investigations. In the video, Slotkin and five other congressional Democrats, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, cited the Uniform Code of Military Justice, urging service members to refuse illegal orders. Trump branded the video "treasonous" and called for the Democrats to be hanged.
The fallout from the video has been significant. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is attempting to demote Senator Mark Kelly, a former navy pilot and astronaut, from his retired rank of captain. Meanwhile, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro has requested an interview with Slotkin, adding to the pressure on the Democrats involved.
Despite the backlash, Slotkin stands by her actions. "We released the video because we received an overwhelming number of private messages from service members expressing their concerns and fears about the orders they were receiving," she explained. "The president's extreme response, threatening investigation, arrest, and even death, only reinforced our need to send a clear message to the troops."
Slotkin's focus on national security issues has now expanded to the home front. Last year, she proposed an "economic war plan" to rescue the middle class, and more recently, introduced a Senate bill to address the national housing crisis. With home prices and rents skyrocketing, Slotkin believes the Trump administration should take bold action to increase housing supply, particularly for the middle class.
"The average American is struggling to make ends meet, and buying a home is becoming an unattainable dream," Slotkin said. "The Trump administration should be utilizing its full power to address this supply problem. We need more housing, especially single-family homes, and we need to make it easier and less costly to build them."
Slotkin's emergency plan includes freezing regulations that burden housing development, rewarding communities that promote growth and reduce regulations with federal funding, and using the Defense Production Act to direct industries to produce essential materials for housing.
Housing has become a hot-button issue, with Trump announcing measures to stop large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, and proposing that the federal government, through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to make houses more affordable. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, has also unveiled a plan to provide rental relief, boost home ownership, and build more houses.
Slotkin applauds these efforts but believes they are not enough. "I'm not against what President Trump or Chuck Schumer are proposing, but it's not nearly ambitious enough. The president has had a year to declare emergencies, but why not on housing? It's a missed opportunity."
Slotkin argues that Trump's focus on foreign policy, with military operations in nine locations during his first year in office, has diverted attention from domestic issues. "He ran on lowering costs and preserving the American dream, but he's done very little on that front. He's become a foreign policy president, neglecting the domestic issues that most Americans consider critical."
Trump's recent actions, including bombing Venezuela, capturing its leader Nicolás Maduro, and threatening to seize Greenland by force, have raised concerns among Slotkin and her fellow Democrats. "As someone who has worked alongside our NATO partners, I'm embarrassed by the idea of the United States considering military action against a fellow NATO country. It's beyond the pale."
Slotkin believes that democracy itself is at stake, and she plans to deliver a speech next month to make the case that democracy is a kitchen table issue, affecting the everyday freedoms of Americans. "Democracy isn't just an abstract concept. If the rules of our democracy are broken or manipulated, it will fundamentally impact our freedom at home."
Slotkin's criticism of her own party has been unwavering, accusing some Democrats of lacking the necessary energy and resolve to tackle the challenges facing the nation. She believes the media's narrative of a divide between moderates and progressives is outdated and that the real division is between those who see Trump as an existential threat to democracy and those who believe he is simply a bad president who will eventually leave office.
"I'm in the camp that sees Trump as a threat to democracy, and I believe that's where the real energy and momentum lie, regardless of one's political label."
The controversy surrounding Slotkin and her fellow Democrats highlights the tense political climate in the United States, where even a simple video can spark investigations and intense debate. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold, but one thing is certain: the battle for free speech and democracy is far from over.
