At every stage, Trump and Miller have pursued things that an aspiring dictator in a declining state might do to stave off further decline. But those very same acts from a country with what had been the best economy in the world, currency hegemony, and unsurpassed scientific know-how have the opposite effect. They make the aspiring dictator weaker, first externally and then, as a result, internally.
This is a great point. Following the failing-country dictator playbook in a strong world power on-the-rise is having the opposite effect: weakening rather than strengthening their positions.
Emptywheel