In all of American historical past, there has by no means been something like the primary 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency. No president in historical past has asserted such sweeping, unchecked powers. It isn’t hyperbole to say that if there’s a path towards authoritarianism on this nation, that is it.
In his first three months, Trump has asserted powers and brought actions by no means earlier than seen in the USA. He has tried to override the Constitution by eliminating birthright citizenship. He has asserted the power to eradicate federal businesses created by statute and to refuse to spend federal funds allotted by federal regulation. He has claimed the facility to fireplace anybody who works within the govt department, however federal legal guidelines limiting elimination.
He has withheld cash from universities with out following procedures mandated by regulation and with out authorized justification. He has violated the First Modification by revoking visas solely due to a person’s private views expressed. He has imposed sanctions on law firms that might doubtless put them out of enterprise solely out of retribution for the attorneys they’ve employed or purchasers they’ve represented. He has claimed the power to imprison individuals, together with U.S. residents, in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador and has repeatedly asserted that no court docket has the authority to supply them any reduction.
These are simply some of the president’s blatantly unconstitutional and unlawful acts within the first 100 days of his second time period.
To not point out different outrageous Trump actions, together with imposing tariffs that may exceed his authority as president, which have created financial chaos in the USA and overseas; working aggressively to finish all federal efforts to cope with local weather change, defying science and exacerbating an existential menace to the planet; largely abandoning Ukraine and emboldening Russia; and inserting individuals in control of federal businesses — together with Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel — whose solely qualification is loyalty to the president.
It’s crucial that this not been seen as inside the bounds of the traditional or acceptable. It’s unprecedented. It isn’t about objecting to conservative insurance policies, however relatively to the lawlessness of Trump’s actions.
Certainly, if there’s a theme that unites all of this, it’s a full disregard for the Structure and legal guidelines of the USA. Trump has mentioned precisely this when he remarked over social media, “He who saves the country violates no law.”
This have to be condemned. The core of the rule of regulation is that nobody — not even the president — is above the regulation. If the president can violate any regulation, and even ignore court docket orders, then we’re now not a constitutional democracy. The phrase for that may be a dictatorship, and it’s chilling to understand how shut we’re to that.
We should do all we are able to to battle again in opposition to unconstitutional and unlawful acts. We want the courts to proceed to enjoin the violations of the regulation.
When the courts have dominated in opposition to the Trump administration, the president and his supporters have lashed out: They’ve referred to as for the impeachment of judges who rule in opposition to them, and Home Speaker Mike Johnson has called for eliminating entire courts that rule in opposition to presidential insurance policies. That’s what occurs in totalitarian international locations, not in the USA. But on April 24, the FBI arrested a Wisconsin state court judge, clearly attempting to ship a message of intimidation to all judges within the nation. Such assaults on the courts needs to be roundly and broadly denounced.
In the meantime, Democrats in Congress have been far too silent. I hope that there can be a degree when sufficient Republicans will be part of them and say this has gone too far. However till that occurs, Democrats must act. They’ll maintain unofficial hearings to convey to gentle what is occurring. They’ll take part statements of rules. They’ll converse individually and collectively in opposition to the usurpation of Congress’ powers and in opposition to unconstitutional acts.
Individuals want to make use of their voices — by means of their organizations, in petitions and at rallies — to precise that the actions of the Trump administration in undermining constitutional democracy will not be acceptable.
Trump’s unlawful acts will trigger grave hurt to many individuals. Cutoffs of funds for worldwide support will trigger individuals in different international locations to die from lack of medical care and meals. Cuts in medical analysis can have devastating penalties for locating cures for illnesses. Important layoffs within the Social Safety administration will imply many individuals will be unable to get vital advantages.
The guardrails of our democracy are being challenged as by no means earlier than. It’s beautiful how a lot the primary 100 days have revealed the weak point in our system. However the nation has confronted critical challenges to democracy earlier than and overcome them. It could actually occur once more.
