President Trump has portrayed his first term in office as a fight against the so-called “deep state,” a shadowy cabal of unelected elites that runs the government. He blames the deep state for the Russia investigation and his impeachment, uses it to rally supporters, and derides it as a threat to his presidency — and by extension — the country.
Author David Rohde says the Trump administration has used the manufactured threat to increase presidential power and weaken Congressional and judicial oversight.