Rhetoric Versus Reality: The Growth of the Surveillance State Across the Trump Administrations
Published: 09/22/2026 During political campaigns, candidates often criticize government overreach. However, an administration’s actual policies can differ significantly from its public statements. This pattern has been clearly visible in the management of federal surveillance across both Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2021) and his current second term. On the campaign trail and in public statements, Trump
