Growing tensions signal Trump moving closer to 'martial law': analysis

The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis was followed by large protests all over the United States, from Portland, Oregon to Philadelphia (where a crowd of demonstrators gathering outside City Hall).

Allies of President Donald Trump are aggressively defending the agent and claiming that he acted in self-defense, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance. Noem even described Good as a "domestic terrorist." But many others on both the left and the right are attacking the shooting as excessive force, and former Judge Andrew Napolitano — a right-wing libertarian/conservative legal analyst for Newsmax — believes that the agent should face criminal charges.

Good's death came four days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to a federal detention center in New York City. And Salon's Brian Karem, in an article published on January 9, draws a parallel between the two events — both of which, Karem argues, show that Trump is feeling increasingly emboldened.

"(Trump) Administration officials used nearly the same language in describing Renee Nicole Good as they did the alleged narco-terrorists," Karem notes. "Trump said she was 'very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.' He also blamed the death on the 'Radical Left' and said they are 'threatening, assaulting and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis.'"

Karem fears that Trump will use the outrage following Good's death as a pretext to impose martial law and cancel the 2026 midterms.

"Trump is hell-bent, along with those who work for him, on total control," Karem warns. "Good's death is likely to foment more anger and hatred, both of which Trump bathes in. Should something nasty befall ICE officers, Trump would gladly declare martial law. And speculation is rife that he could cancel the midterm elections — since he's scared to death he’ll be impeached should the Democrats regain control of Congress in November…. Renee Nicole Good is an example of how Trump villainizes American citizens. Maduro shows how Trump exploits the villainy of other villains. The oil tankers are symbolic of his greed and reality-show tendencies."

Karem adds, "All three of these examples show that the consequences of Trump are very real and increasingly acute. At this point, they are painfully and terrifyingly obvious. Be prepared for martial law."

Brian Karem's full article for Salon is available at this link.