(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Because of my health, I haven’t been up to doing major posts about the situation here in the United States.
Condensed version: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are leading an internal administrative coup, trying to end our Constitutional democracy and install an autocratic oligarchy. Despite court orders, they have fired vital staff in agencies, fired those in charge of oversight and investigations, tried to overturn birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 13th Amendment to our Constitution, cut aid to poverty-stricken people around the world, and abandoned our allies, including Ukraine, turning instead to supporting Russia and far-right European parties like Germany’s AfD. Congressional Republicans, who are in the majority in both houses, have mostly ignored this disaster, allowing their own constituents and the fate of our allies to suffer.
There are many organizations and prominent, principled individuals who are calling out these outrages and resisting, as well as ordinary folks who have been voicing opposition to their members of Congress, protesting in state capitals and other cities and towns, and organizing boycotts against oligarchic companies.
The level of public corruption is staggering. Trump is blatantly profiting from the presidency, including by cryptocurrency schemes. He has suspended enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Elon Musk is cutting jobs and programs in multiple agencies while protecting his businesses’ extremely lucrative government contracts and eliminating those who were investigating him for violations.
Trump’s popularity has already fallen but there is no sign that he will change his ways, even with his shameful behavior in turning against Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal, immoral, and indefensible invasion of their country. It’s also helpful to note at this point that Trump and the Republicans do not have a mandate from the voters for any of this. Trump won less than half of the votes cast in November and an even larger number of eligible voters did not vote at all. There are also a number of things that Trump has done or threatened that were not part of his campaign rhetoric at all.
Anyone who was familiar with Project 2025 realized that some of these executive directions were coming and that the administration would push for all power to be concentrated in the presidency under the controversial “unitary executive” theory, which flies in the face of the systems of checks and balances established in our Constitution.
Still, the avalanche of executive actions and pronouncements by Trump, Musk, Vance, and other high-ranking officials has been staggering. Part of their plan was to overwhelm the courts and anyone in government or not who opposed their efforts.
I wish I could say those of us supporting democracy, the public good, and our traditional allies were bound to succeed but I don’t know what will happen. I’m afraid that some of the damage will be permanent. Actually, we know that some of the damage is irrevocable, as some recipients of USAID have already died because medical care and famine relief were abruptly ended.
I do want people to know that Donald Trump and his administration do not speak or act for me and for the majority of Americans. I am deeply sorry for the damage and harm that have befallen millions of people at home and abroad. Admittedly, my part in the resistance is tiny but I will continue to be part of it. Please, all defenders of democracy, do whatever you can within your own sphere of influence to help reverse the slide toward autocracy and oligarchy. We the People must assert our rights and rebuild a country that respects our freedom and liberty.
Joanne Corey 