Americans Fight Back Against Trump’s Authoritarian Actions - Horowitz

Americans Fight Back Against Trump’s Authoritarian Actions - Horowitz

 

More than five million people crowded streets and parks in cities, suburbs, and rural communities throughout our country on Saturday to declare their strong opposition to President Trump’s authoritarian actions and to stand up for our democracy.  This nationwide “No Kings” day served as a proud American counterpoint to the Trump-ordered military parade in our nation’s capital that was all too reminiscent of ones regularly conducted in countries run by dictators, such as Russia and North Korea. These parades are designed as much to send internal messages of power, control, and intimidation as to showcase formidability to foreign adversaries.  

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The professed purpose of Saturday’s military parade was to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army. It was no accident, however, that it was scheduled on the president’s 79th birthday.  Precisely because of our strong democratic tradition, these kinds of military parades have been few and far between in our nation’s history and are generally frowned upon by military leaders.  The most recent one was held nearly 35 years ago to celebrate the success of Operation Desert Storm, liberating Kuwait from Iraq’s invasion and occupation of that sovereign country.

 

Viewed in isolation, one could write-off Saturday’s parade as just one more example of the president’s love of spectacle—particularly displays where he is the center of attention.  Earlier in the same week, however, he ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to quell demonstrations in Los Angeles against stepped-up ICE raids in that city. He did so despite the fact that neither Governor Newsom nor Mayor Bass requested nor wanted the assistance of the military.  This was the first time since the mid-1960s--during the civil rights era when southern governors were refusing to carry out desegregation orders-- that the National Guard was removed from state authority and put under the command of the federal government against a governor’s wishes.

 

There was and is no need for the National Guard or the Marines in Los Angeles. While there was some violence, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is more than capable of handling it. In fact, Governor Newsom, as well as law enforcement experts have pointed out that the president’s militarization of the situation and refusal to coordinate has been a provocation, spurring more demonstrations and --if anything-- hindering law enforcement efforts.

 

Yet, the president and some of his advisers apparently like what this use of the military on American soil without a compelling reason symbolizes. In a Sunday evening Truth Social post, Mr. Trump promised to bring this same approach to more American cities. 

 

The use of the military over the objections of local elected officials is only one component in Mr. Trump’s increasingly authoritarian playbook.  He continues to employ naked and often lawless intimidation tactics to discredit and silence colleges and universities, media outlets, law firms, and individuals who refuse to get in line and dare to stand up to him. 

 

Fighting back against President Trump’s all-out effort to rollback democracy was at center of Saturday’s “No Kings” protests. The impressive turn-out reflects a growing and intensifying belief in the nation as measured in recent national polls that Mr. Trump is simply going too far, well-exceeding the powers of his office and governing more as an authoritarian than a democratic leader.

 

We all have a stake in fighting back—and it is heartening to see more people doing exactly that.