The ‘unprecedented global offensive’ against ‘radical left terrorism’ that was set in motion is part of a carefully prepared plan of action. A loss of Republican control over the legislative bodies would be politically disastrous for the Trump administration. The extreme impatience with the restrictions imposed by bourgeois democracy that the Trump administration displays are by no means confined to the US. The idea is to leave an empty shell of democratic rights in place, while imposing ever more severe restrictions that make it impossible to exercise such rights in practice. It appears increasingly unlikely, however, that the Trump administration is prepared to even leave the empty shell in place.