In his first six weeks back in power, Donald Trump betrayed democracy, the rule of law, neighboring trade partners as well as our allies overseas, his own supporters at home and the principles that have kept the United States a beacon of hope at home and abroad over the past century.
It is time for defenders of democracy to challenge the Great Betrayer, as well as Republicans who enable his power grabs.
The challenge was brought March 4 with Trump’s speech before the joint session of Congress, where Republicans celebrated the return of their leader, who had spent the past four years fighting criminal charges for his attempt to rig the 2020 election — while baselessly claiming Democrats had stolen the election from him — and his attempt to mount an insurrection with a violent assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election — an insurrection that cost the lives of five police officers and injured 174 more. Trump has pardoned the assailants.
Trump also was found liable in separate cases in New York courts for fraud and for sexual assault and later he was convicted on 34 felony counts involving his use of business funds and documents to cover up his adulterous affairs before the 2016 election. A partisan majority on the Supreme Court obstructed the work of a special prosecutor who had brought indictments in Florida and D.C. involving the alleged insurrection and Trump’s refusal to return classified documents he had taken from the White House.
After his inauguration, Trump proceeded with his plan to rule as a dictator, issuing executive orders setting aside acts of Congress, congressional appropriations and at least one article of the Constitution. He let centibillionaire Elon Musk set up an independent Department of Government Efficiency, operating under White House authority, as young computer hackers with sketchy backgrounds were sent into federal agencies to search computer files and, apparently arbitrarily, identified areas of potential “waste, fraud and abuse” that had escaped the attention of actual government auditors, such as inspectors general, whom Trump had summarily and illegally fired.
One of DOGE’s first moves was to shut down the US Agency for International Development, which was authorized by Congress in 1961 to unite several programs that provided humanitarian assistance for underdeveloped countries and counter the Soviet Union’s influence during the Cold War. It earned a good reputation for providing food and medical care to stop epidemics from spreading, as well as socioeconomic development. But USAID’s inspector general had initiated a probe of Musk’s Starlink satellite business. Musk said USAID was a “criminal organization” and that it was “beyond repair” and needed to be shut down. Trump ordered USAID merged into the State Department, despite warnings the move was illegal, and blocked payment of $2 billion to contractors for work that already been done.
The Supreme Court provided a glimmer of hope March 5 when it ruled 5-4 that US District Judge Amir H. Ali had the authority to order the administration to restart the payments. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the ruling, which stirred hope the court won’t endorse Trump’s dictatorial powers, but it apparently shows four justices would give Trump whatever he wants.
DOGE has continued to call for thousands of federal workers to be fired, with the main targets being those who have been working less than a year, since they generally have less civil service protection.
Former Social Security commissioner Martin O’Malley predicted the slashing of 7,000 jobs in the agency would cause disruption within three months of payments to some of the 73 million Americans who rely upon Social Security benefits. He also told Rolling Stone the gutting of employees and offices will also prevent Americans from easily applying for benefits and delay processing of disability claims.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to cut 80,000 jobs from the agency that provides health care and other services for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press. That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees hired in a VA expansion during the Biden administration, including those who care for veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.
In the week before his speech to Congress, Trump had brought Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on Feb. 28. But instead of negotiating to continue supporting Ukraine’s three-year-long attempt to defeat Russia’s invading army, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance tried to browbeat Zelenskyy into capitulating, while news crews, including the Russian news service Tass, broadcast the debacle, as Vance lectured Zelenskyy on how he had not been properly thankful for everything the U.S. had done for Ukraine (while Trump was negotiating with Putin on the terms of “ungrateful” Ukraine’s surrender). Trump ended up stopping intelligence sharing with Ukraine and left other support to NATO allies in Europe.
Democrats faced a challenge in how to respond to Trump’s March 4 speech to Congress. Democratic congressional leaders favored maintaining decorum at Trump’s speech to Congress, though many carried paddle-sized placards with messages of opposition.
US Rep. Al Green of Houston played the role of Old Testament prophet, pointing his cane and calling out Trump’s lies and Republicans for moving to slash Medicaid, which provides health care for many of Green’s working-class constituents. When Green refused to sit down and shut up, House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the sergeant at arms to remove Green and let Trump continue with his lies.
Green went peacefully, and many Democrats applauded him for at least demonstrating resistance, but Republicans later moved to punish Green for his behavior.
Green was brought up for censure by the House, despite a history of Republicans heckling Democratic presidents Obama and Biden without retribution. Biden actually turned the heckling to his advantage in 2024, when Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) yelled out “Liar!” after Biden chided Republicans for floating the possibility of cuts to Social Security and Medicare. When others echoed Greene’s objections, Biden responded, “We all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? ... We’ve got unanimity.” But Trump is not sharp enough to engage in a conversation that extends beyond his limited vocabulary of insults, and he had no answers to Al Green’s accusations.
Ten Democrats joined Republicans in voting to censure Green, but dozens of fellow Democrats accompanied Green to the well of the House and sang “We Shall Overcome” in a show of solidarity, causing Speaker Johnson to declare a recess.
Democrats at home may grumble that their congressmembers are not aggressive enough in their resistance to Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, but the best thing Democrats can do is remain unified, hoping for cracks in the Greedy Oligarch Party, and prevent bad things from getting passed, at least until next year, when Republicans can be called to account for enabling Trump and his oligarchs in their attempts to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other programs for working families.
Until then, Democrats must hold the line in Congress and keep voters informed. In the meantime, don’t despair. Organize. —JMC
