There’s little doubt the resistance to President Trump has scored some significant victories in recent weeks. Federal courts have repeatedly ruled against his administration. Elon Musk, once Trump’s most important ally in reshaping the executive branch, has been sidelined. And despite full control of Congress, Republican lawmakers have struggled to pass even a single major piece of legislation.

But while the legal and legislative fronts tell one story, a battle for power is playing out elsewhere—and Trump is winning. The president is methodically remaking federal law enforcement into a tool of political loyalty. He’s wielding the pardon power not as an act of mercy, but as a means to reward allies who used violence in support of his cause. At the same time, he’s purging the upper ranks of

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