Washington (CNN) There's nothing more fundamental to President Donald Trump's political philosophy than a vision of the relentless and uncompromising enforcement of law and order .

Trump waited only until the second paragraph of a stark convention speech in Philadelphia last year before hitting on the theme. He went on to describe a nation threatened by "attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities" and promising that as soon as he became President, "safety will be restored."

Now, flexing his presidential power, Trump is acting to implement that promise, even if his perception of a nation under siege to crime and violence is one not recognized by his critics or necessarily backed up by facts.

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled Trump's plan to reverse Obama administration curbs that prevented local law enforcement agencies from receiving surplus military gear, including including armored vehicles, grenade launchers, high-caliber weapons and camouflage uniforms.

The previous White House introduced the measures following violent clashes in Ferguson, Missouri, in the belief that police forces touting military-style gear came across as an occupying force in a way that heightened community tensions.

But on Monday, Sessions raised the specter of a war against police on America's streets as he addressed the Fraternal Order of Police.

"(W)e are fighting a multi-front battle: an increase in violent crime, a rise in vicious gangs, an opioid epidemic, threats from terrorism, combined with a culture in which family and discipline seem to be eroding further and a disturbing disrespect for the rule of law," Sessions said.

The attorney general also suggested that those who use individual violations of rights by officers to tarnish police services as a whole are effectively inciting attacks against them.

"Their divisive rhetoric treats police officers like the problem, instead of the crucial allies that you all are. So it can come as no surprise when we see rising levels of violence against law enforcement," Sessions said.

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Arpaio pardon

The administration's new plan, which could lead to the further "militarization" of police, was announced three days after Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- a vehement supporter and lightning rod for claims of police brutality and racial discrimination.

While the pardon raised constitutional and political questions , it was also clearly a show of support for ruthless law enforcement, since Arpaio was convicted of contempt in a case that involved racial profiling against Latinos.

Trump made little attempt to disguise his motives. Previewing his move last week in Arizona, he asked supporters whether "Sheriff Joe was convicted for doing his job?"

A White House statement confirming the pardon meanwhile made little attempt to lay a legal foundation for a ruling that opponents said was the latest sign of the way Trump views the implementation of justice largely through a political lens and in the context of how it affects himself or his base of supporters.

And on Monday, he was unapologetic about his decision -- though again did not offer a legal justification.

"He is very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona. I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly."

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'Tough' policing

A vision of "tough" policing and was at the center of Trump's campaign. It's also closely linked to the issue of immigration enforcement and how to handle undocumented immigrants, animating concerns for Trump's most loyal voters that helped power him to the White House last year.

And although Trump has expressed extreme frustration over Sessions' decision to recuse himself from oversight of the Russia investigation, an uncompromising stance on law enforcement unifies both men.

In May, for instance, Sessions issued a new directive to prosecutors to pursue the stiffest charge available in every criminal case that likely will result in more prosecutions of non-violent drug offenders and tougher sentences, rolling back measures introduced by the Obama administration designed to alleviate the societal costs of mass incarceration that fall disproportionally on minority communities.

Trump's stressing of a nation besieged by crime and depiction of those suspicious of law enforcement as merely too politically correct appears to be in line with his long-term political beliefs. But his decision to hit these themes hard now appears to be no coincidence. It comes at a moment when his presidency is in deep political peril, as he feuds with Republicans, deals with the worst approval ratings of any modern president at an equivalent moment and is hugging his base voters close. By promoting his tough guy persona on policing and societal issues, he may risk further dividing the country.

And some critics believe that Trump is bent on advancing the reach of the government in subsidizing military equipment for police.

"The militarization of our law enforcement is due to an unprecedented expansion of government power in this realm," said Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Twitter on Monday.

I will oppose this move by the AG and administration. And I will continue to fight for our civil liberties and criminal justice reform. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 28, 2017

But Trump is also on solid political ground with a tactic that helps him speak directly to his own most faithful supporters and the Republican voting block as a whole.

Trump, under fire for his reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and what even many Republicans saw as his unacceptable decision to draw equivalencies between white supremacists and counter protesters is also hitting hard on other themes that often take on a racial dimension.

Last week, in the explosive rally in Arizona, Trump implied that American history, "culture" and patriotism was under threat, and criticized the drive to remove "beautiful statues" designed to commemorate the Confederacy.

Such rhetoric appears designed to communicate a tough image to Trump's political base, and to recreate the contempt for what his supporters see as rampant liberal political correctness -- that echoes his law and order rhetoric.

Photos: Donald Trump's rise President-elect Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From developing real estate and producing and starring in TV shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the White House. Hide Caption 1 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump at age 4. He was born in 1946 to Fred and Mary Trump in New York City. His father was a real estate developer. Hide Caption 2 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump, left, in a family photo. He was the second-youngest of five children. Hide Caption 3 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the New York Military Academy in 1964. Hide Caption 4 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the New York Military Academy in 1964. After he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. He started at Fordham University before transferring and later graduating from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school. Hide Caption 5 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating college in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City. Hide Caption 6 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the New York Convention Center in 1979. Hide Caption 7 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump wears a hard hat at the Trump Tower construction site in New York in 1980. Hide Caption 8 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric. Hide Caption 9 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise The Trump family, circa 1986. Hide Caption 10 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump uses his personal helicopter to get around New York in 1987. Hide Caption 11 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump stands in the atrium of the Trump Tower. Hide Caption 12 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump attends the opening of his new Atlantic City casino, the Taj Mahal, in 1989. Hide Caption 13 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump signs his second book, "Trump: Surviving at the Top," in 1990. Trump has published at least 16 other books, including "The Art of the Deal" and "The America We Deserve." Hide Caption 14 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump and singer Michael Jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit Ryan White, a young child with AIDS, in 1990. Hide Caption 15 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, Tiffany. Hide Caption 16 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump putts a golf ball in his New York office in 1998. Hide Caption 17 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Tower in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice." Hide Caption 18 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004. Hide Caption 19 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump attends a news conference in 2005 that announced the establishment of Trump University. From 2005 until it closed in 2010, Trump University had about 10,000 people sign up for a program that promised success in real estate. Three separate lawsuits -- two class-action suits filed in California and one filed by New York's attorney general -- argued that the program was mired in fraud and deception. Trump's camp rejected the suits' claims as "baseless." And Trump has charged that the New York case against him is politically motivated. Hide Caption 20 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005. Hide Caption 21 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon. Hide Caption 22 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007. Hide Caption 23 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump appears on the set of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with two of his children -- Donald Jr. and Ivanka -- in 2009. Hide Caption 24 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump poses with Miss Universe contestants in 2011. Trump had been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996. Hide Caption 25 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise In 2012, Trump announces his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Hide Caption 26 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was shortly before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa. Hide Caption 27 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump appears on stage with singer Nick Jonas and television personality Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant. Hide Caption 28 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise In June 2015, during a speech from Trump Tower, Trump announced that he was running for President. He said he would give up "The Apprentice" to run. Hide Caption 29 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump -- flanked by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, left, and Ted Cruz -- speaks during a CNN debate in Miami on March 10. Trump dominated the GOP primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in May. Hide Caption 30 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise The Trump family poses for a photo in New York in April. Hide Caption 31 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump speaks during a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana, on April 28. After Trump won the Indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the GOP race. Hide Caption 32 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, accepting the party's nomination for President. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people." Hide Caption 33 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump faces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the first presidential debate, which took place in Hempstead, New York, in September. Hide Caption 34 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump apologizes in a video, posted to his Twitter account in October, for vulgar and sexually aggressive remarks he made a decade ago regarding women. "I said it, I was wrong and I apologize," Trump said, referring to lewd comments he made during a previously unaired taping of "Access Hollywood." Multiple Republican leaders rescinded their endorsements of Trump after the footage was released. Hide Caption 35 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on November 9. "Ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in New York. Hide Caption 36 of 37 Photos: Donald Trump's rise Trump is joined by his family as he is sworn in as President on January 20. Hide Caption 37 of 37

Civil rights concerns

Trump has repeatedly used the law and order theme to project strength.

He repeatedly warned of out-of-control and rising crime during his 2016 campaign, even if crime showed that over the last quarter century violent crime on the whole had fallen. The FBI however did report a 3.1% rise in violent crime in 2015.

In July, the President traveled to Long Island, and vowed to wipe out the MS-13 street gang, and appealed to police not to worry about getting too tough with suspects that he referred to as "animals."

"When you see these towns, and when you see these thugs being thrown in to the back of a paddy wagon -- you just see them thrown in, rough. I said please don't be too nice," Trump said.

The President's rhetoric on crime has sparked deep concern among civil rights groups, who worry that he is deliberately playing on the racial fault lines revealed in the criminal justice system for political gain.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said Monday that the move to relax curbs on the militarization of the police will carve fresh divides between law enforcement officers and African-American and Latino communities.

"Once again, this administration is making clear its intent to revive ill-conceived policies that perpetuate racial disparities in the criminal justice system, hurt families and communities, and exacerbate the mass incarceration crisis across our country," Kristen Clarke, the group's president and executive director, said Monday.

There is clear evidence that while Trump's tough stand is politically divisive, it plays well with his base, and cements his role as an antagonist of what supporters see as a liberal approach to law and order that is steeped in political correctness.

In election exit polls last year , for instance, 73% of Trump voters said that the criminal justice system treats everyone fairly. But 72% of those who sided with Democrat Hillary Clinton said that the system treats African-Americans unfairly.

And in a Quinnipiac University poll this month, 73% of Republicans said there was too much political correctness in American life, compared to only 21% who believed there was too much racial prejudice.

And Trump may also be plowing fertile ground on law and order even when he addresses voters who don't always agree with him, underlining the potency of using law and order as a political tool.