Member-only story
Trump Administration, News, Prisons
Return to Alcatraz?
What the call to reopen the penitentiary says about Trump.
Since January 20, 2025, even those who followed Donald Trump’s first presidential term have been surprised by the chaos of his second. What will he do next? Where are those bizarre ideas coming from? Why all the gold?
Yesterday, President Trump proposed reopening the infamous Alcatraz penitentiary. The prison will be rebuilt and opened. Trump calls it a “symbol of Law, order, and JUSTICE.” I would call it a symbol of autocracy and inhumanity, because the “new Alcatraz” is likely to treat prisoners harshly and is the type of prisoners that dictators seem to like.
I would also note that Alcatraz's isolation may be part of its appeal to Trump. I can hear him say, “What happens in Alcatraz stays in Alcatraz.”
Will Alcatraz host a new generation of famous (infamous) criminals?
Since well before his first inauguration as president, Donald Trump has called for his political opponents to be jailed. Remember, “Lock her up!” I…
