Trump’s America is moving forward with its war on the United States’ courts, colleges and universities, and law firms. It is playing a cat-and-mouse game of divide and conquer and was logging meaningful success while encountering little resistance from any of them until Harvard University decided that enough was enough. Harvard said an emphatic no to Trump! I mention Harvard before the courts and law firms because the courts would be the final piece needed to finalize the construct of Trump’s America’s linchpin to its plan to center all the government’s power in the executive branch of government.
Harvard’s “no” to Trump seems to have triggered the domino effect of courage to resist him. To be clear, although I included the courts when I said that Trump’s America was encountering little resistance “from any of them” in its cat-and-mouse game to divide and conquer America as we know it, it is important to acknowledge that the courts contributed to slowing the Trump’s America momentum. And now, their efforts have increased dramatically as they witness the lawlessness of the Trump administration and its disdain of the courts, including the United States Supreme Court, and their power. These courts have watched in horror and virtual silence while Trump has pardon criminals, his administration has arrested at least one sitting judge, and he continues to test the grit of U.S. courts while ignoring their rulings.
America is in a very precarious and peculiar situation. It is easy to see the precariousness of the situation because of the fight that is being waged for the soul of America. This fight is fueled mainly by Trump’s America’s desire to end democracy in America, and replace it with an authoritarian leader. The peculiar piece of this situation is a bit more subtle so requires deeper scrutiny. The peculiar thing is that while the message from all elected officials is that if Americans want to keep our democracy, we must remain strong and fight for it; at the same time, Republican elected officials are not fighting for democracy. Instead, they are saying publicly and privately, mostly privately, how afraid they are of retaliation by Trump and that is why they are reluctant to resist him at all, let alone publicly. Now, Isn’t that special?!
A good example of this Republican fear was showcased by Senator Lisa Murkowski while she was addressing a summit of nonprofit and tribal leaders in Alaska when she said “we are all afraid… The retaliation is real; …and that is why there is so much fear.” While I recognize that the retaliation is real and empathize with Senator Murkowski, she and her Republican colleagues took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. It is arguable that most Americans under this Trump administration are afraid. But none of us can afford to be frozen by that fear to the point where we do not act to protect the American democracy!
Senator Murkowski and her Republican colleagues ran for office and won. They chose their jobs! They must know that their jobs consist of more than just wrapping all the power and adulation around them like a warm cozy blanket while receiving a paycheck when things are easy during their tenure and then receiving a regular paycheck when they complete their “service” to their country upon retirement! They must know that they have a fiduciary responsibility to the American people to be there and fight for them, fight for America, when the rubber meets the road!
Soldiers and policemen take an oath before they are given their jobs. They know ahead of time that their jobs, somewhere along the way might involve dangerous or even life-threatening situations and that they have a responsibility to run toward that danger rather than away from it. And the record reflects that in the great majority of cases, they have done that. It does not reflect that they were never afraid. Just like those soldiers and policemen, all these elected senators and representatives, especially now and especially those at the federal level of government, have a responsibility to run toward the danger. Nothing says that they must not be afraid, but their oath, everything in the Constitution, and everything meaningful and worth fighting for in the American way of life says that they must run toward that danger!
Most of what Trump is doing right now is destroying America. He has ruined America’s credibility and alienated all of our allies to the point where they no longer trust America. He and his administration are relentlessly chipping away at the foundation of America by attacking the Department of Education at the federal level, which is causing K-12 schools in all states to struggle to survive. They are attacking our colleges and universities by trying to control their curriculum and dictate to them personnel policies that fit the Trump administration’s agenda, so they too are struggling to survive.
Trump has driven the stock market down to a level that America hasn’t seen since 1932. He has taken an economy that was the envy of the world when he took office and has now greatly increased the potential that it will slip into a recession. Instead of bringing prices down on his first day in office as he said that he would, Trump has driven prices up. Yet, while all of this is happening, he says that “[he] couldn’t care less” if the price of cars goes up. Finally, it seems that, because of his policies, America is a lot less safe now than it was before he took office.
At the end of his first term, Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, said that if he was not able to remain in office he would, and I paraphrase here, burn the place down on the way out rather than leave peacefully. Evidently, American voters did not take her admonition seriously. If they had, one would think that they would not have elected him to a second term; giving him another chance to “burn the place down.” Based on what Trump has done to America so far during his second term, he is starting early to make sure that he will finish the job this time in case that things do not work out for a third term.
Even if his intention is not to burn the place down but to “make America great again,” the effect will be the same. However, based on Trump’s record and his declaration “I am your retribution” before he took office this time, it is reasonable to believe that it is his intention and he will “burn the place down.” Not to worry though, since “[he] alone can fix [America’s problems], if this third term thing should happen to work out in his favor, he will, if he decides to do so, just fix all the stuff he messed up during his second term. Then, in Trump’s mind, America will be great again until he leaves office… if he ever does leave office.
Whether it is due to fear, personal political goals, the hope of personal financial gain, or some other nefarious reason unknown to the American people, except for a few Republican dissenters, the Trump Republican Party is not going to help save democracy. The expression on Senator Lisa Murkowski’s face said it all when she said the words, scarcely above a whisper, “we are all afraid… retribution is real.” Her face was riddled with fear! The courts and we the people are all that stand between the end of democracy as we know it in America and the establishment of Trump’s America and an authoritarian government. The American people have been painted into a corner and so are faced with a binary choice; will we fight for democracy or will we not fight for it?! The time to decide is now! There is no time to lose!
During his 2025 State of the State address, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said; “Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the tragic spirit of despair overcome us when our country needs us the most.” I am going to borrow Governor Pritzker’s message to his constituents and address it to all Americans, and especially to Senator Lisa Murkowski and all the rest of those Republican congresspersons who continue to be intimidated by Trump. America needs you! So, step up and speak up despite your fear. And always remember, there is nothing wrong with harboring fear; the important thing rests in how you handle that fear!
Eulus Dennis – author, M2: Street Cop To Top Cop; Operation Rubik’s Cube, and Living Between The Line