Politics / Column / Trump Dials Up the Authoritarianism to 11 When Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his enemies and she didn’t resign, it was a sign that we’ve already passed into strongman rule. Trump signed two executive orders, establishing the “Trump Gold Card” and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. Once Trump was inaugurated, the Department of Justice shut down the investigation. Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche released a statement saying that the Justice Department “must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. The entire career staff of the Justice Department would have walked off the job the moment Trump’s missive to Bondi went public.