Henry II of England, in a moment of anger, asked rhetorically "Will nobody rid me of this turbulent priest"? Some in his court took him both literally and seriously and killed Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral. Trump used this device when he summoned his supporters to the Capitol on January 6th and encouraged them to disrupt the lawful transfer or power to the next administration. He claimed that he never actually instructed them to storm the Capitol but anyone reading between the lines could see that was what he wanted, a view reinforced by his unwillingness to intervene while he watched the violence from the Oval Office.
When the Supreme Court in its 2024 decision Trump v. United States granted the president immunity from criminal prosecution for "official acts", the need for such plausible deniability is moot. If, as Justice Sotomayor asked, "the president decides that his [political] rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military or orders someone to assassinate him, is that within his official acts for which he can get immunity?"
In reply Trump's lawyer, D. John Sauer, argued that the President has absolute immunity from prosecution for all official acts unless successfully impeached and convicted by Congress. But with Congress now irrevocably divided along a hyper-partisan party lines, impeachment and conviction is no longer a threat if the President's party holds one or other of the two houses.
We we now have what is to all intents and purposes a medieval monarchy. The King aka. the President can threaten violence against his enemies with impunity and no one can rein in his powers. The only distinctions between medieval times and the present day are term limits (which Trump is working to change) and the inheriting of high office. That aside, Trump's acolytes are already paying obsequious deference and flattery as plainly as members of Henry II's court.
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