What makes you think Trump needs a real reason to declare martial law?

He doesn't. Just something that gives a shred of plausibility.

That could absolutely be the smarter way to do it. But I think it would have to be rigged HARD, and that could be a problem, because that could make it to obvious.
Where a declaration of Martial Law could seem more plausible to the average American. Just create a lie big enough as they say.

I like that analogy and will be stealing it.

No more taxes.

I've been thinking about this as the orange idiot keeps punishing states he doesn't like.

We need to rework taxes so that states take federal income tax and hold it in escrow or something so that this kind of shit can't happen anymore.

And if red states get pissy and start withholding their contributions over gay marriage or something, well, they're mostly dead weight anyway.

He tried five years and two days ago. Virtually nothing was done, and he pardoned the ones who were convicted at all.

Under Martial law Trump can prevent that, and even use the military to prevent it!

I don't think they will, I have also written many posts that reflect that, I use the same numbers to say two thirds either voted for Trump, or were OK with him winning.
If they weren't OK with it they would have voted.
So I think a very large portion of the population is actually OK with all the shit that is going on, or they don't care.
I also think the risk of American democracy ending with Trump is very high.
How high IDK, maybe 20-30% or maybe higher. Certainly not below 20% And that's an insanely high number for a country that has had democracy since 1789, although it was a very limited democracy, and it is still a deeply flawed democracy.
But still many Americans have trusted the checks and balances, but Trump has shown several times that they don't work.
And the American population hasn't shown nearly enough will to do anything to prevent it. And now we are at a point that even if they do, they may be playing directly into Trumps hands.