Repairing Trump's social damage
One act of courage can inspire others
If you believe America is fallen and wish to restore white Christian male supremacy, there is no point in pretending you support democracy. If you fashion yourself an alpha male, you should own what you are doing and not look for others to blame.
Having decided four years ago to incite an insurrection and seize power, you should not then claim it was Antifa — rather than your supporters — who stormed the Capitol, attacked police officers, and smeared feces on the walls.
Donald Trump, now in the midst of his second coup attempt, had his press secretary say that the federal judges who have ruled against him are the ones provoking a constitutional crisis. That is the mark of a first-class weasel. But it is what bullies often do when people stand up to them; they point fingers at anyone and everyone except themselves.
Democrats are pushing back against Trump's oligarchic putsch in Congress, in the courts, in the streets, and in media, both old and new. Rather than wring our hands, we should join in the pushback.
Trump and his supporters brought "shock and awe" by attacking on multiple fronts from the moment he returned to office. But they have shown a good deal of stupidity, carelessness, and recklessness in the process. That is their vulnerability.
From its outset, America has had a conflict between its high ideals and its often low behavior. We talk about liberty and justice for all, then engage in racist bank redlining and try to erase transgender people. We boast of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, then make billions from government contracts. We invoke Christian values, then deny food and medical care to sick children.
There are signs of hope. In opposing vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) noted that he was a survivor of childhood polio. He wrote, "I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures."
Point taken. But had McConnell voted to convict Trump on impeachment for inciting an insurrection four years ago, we might not now have an anti-vaxxer as head of DHHS. We need people who stand up for the truth when they're in power, not as they're heading out the door.
A flashpoint in the resistance against Trumpism was the resignation of several top Department of Justice officials over the decision to drop criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for his support of Trump's anti-immigrant crackdown. The resignations included Danielle Sassoon, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Notably, she has extensive conservative Republican credentials. It is not so easy to dismiss her as a partisan Democrat when she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and is a member of the Federalist Society.
Contrary to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Justice Department attorneys are not the president's personal lawyers. They represent the American people and are sworn to uphold the Constitution. The DOJ's culture is one of respecting the law and the evidence without regard to party lines. Bravo to the Justice officials who refused to participate in Trump's lawlessness and disorder.
It is not enough to fight back against Trump and his minions. We must communicate about our larger purpose while recognizing that some people are not receptive to anything we might say. Trump has poisoned our public discourse to an extent that will take many years to heal.
It is not enough to focus on people's self-interest, such as the price of eggs. We must earnestly strive to rebuild trust and cooperation despite our differences. Our nation cannot endure if we are constantly at one another's throats. Fascism grows and thrives in chaos.
Just as Trump does all he can to blast away any sense of the common good, we must work to nurture it. This includes respecting the evidence Trump routinely disregards. For example, the price of eggs has been affected by an outbreak of avian flu, not political policy.
A penchant for destructiveness as a display of power is a sign of arrested development more than leadership. We need to uplift people; Trump doesn't know how. We must appeal to one another's better angels, not succumb to his transactionalism.
The rash of resignations at DOJ over Eric Adams is a reminder of shared values that Trump cannot sweep away. One act of courage and principle can inspire others. Make it a trend and we can begin to restore our embattled republic.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist at [email protected].
Copyright © 2025 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.