Battling the broligarchs
Our weapons are truth and the courage to speak it
The calculated ambush of Volodymyr Zelenskyy by Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office on February 28 was the starkest demonstration yet of the threat Trump poses to America and the free world.
While the Ukrainian president remained composed, Vance accused him of disrespect, and Trump accused him of "gambling with World War III."
Hardly. Zelenskyy has stood at the vanguard of freedom for three years against Russian aggressor Vladimir Putin. One of Putin's key attractions for Trump's base is that he appeals to the same reactionary sentiments — including hostility toward LGBTQ+ people — as Trump.
Trump is openly siding with his pal Putin. Ronald Reagan would roll in his grave.
The evil emanating from the White House is too extensive and multifaceted to summarize here. Instead, let me cite an example that highlights the growing resistance: Maine Gov. Janet Mills recently challenged Donald Trump on his anti-transgender sports order, saying her state was following state and federal laws. Trump's response: "We are the federal law."
Nice use of the royal we, but equating yourself with the state does not make it so, whether you are Benito Mussolini or Donald J. Turmoil. Trump's 49.8% of the popular vote was no mandate for anything, much less the dismantling of our government.
Our country remains closely divided. Democrats can win by showing up on election day and avoiding all-or-nothing demands. Inherent in a diverse society is the need to work in coalitions, which requires compromise.
We are not powerless. We have votes and voices. We can talk to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, as well as contact our elected representatives. If we cannot donate to campaigns, we can volunteer.
Trump's recklessness is already having consequences for him. His poll numbers are underwater and opposition is growing. Government services are not improved by destroying government. Trump has quickly shown that reducing government to his personal patrimonial network only creates chaos.
Ed Martin, the interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, brazenly called himself "Trump's lawyer." Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) replied, "You didn't pledge an oath to a President, you pledged it to the Constitution. This statement alone is reason enough for you to resign." But Martin and Trump's other minions will not go quietly.
Battling the "broligarchs" begins with refusing to cooperate in harming our country and our fellow citizens.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental American values that are not rendered evil by lying about them. Our country's diversity is not changed by demonizing and disenfranchising portions of the population. Turning these values into a scary bug called "DEI" is the opposite of pledging "liberty and justice for all."
The thriving of a diverse society requires mutual respect and cooperation — not treating accomplished people of color as unqualified regardless of their résumés while white nepotism and cronyism are dubbed as meritocracy.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired extensively qualified Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti as if they were "diversity hires." What are Hegseth's qualifications other than loyalty to a lying demagogue?
Tellingly, Hegseth not only persists in the false claim that diversity weakens our military, but he also fired JAG lawyers for prosecuting war crimes.
This is part of a pattern. Trump in 2019 pardoned war criminal Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL platoon leader described by fellow Iraq veterans as "freaking evil" and "OK with killing anything that moved." Indeed, by seeking the ethnic cleansing of Gaza to build a resort, Trump is advocating war crime himself.
Erasing people, whether by genocide or denying them healthcare, is no sign of national greatness.
What would it cost the MAGA mob to stop calling trans women men in dresses? God made some people in a way that doesn't fit our easy categories. Why does that deserve cruelty or an accusation of menace without evidence?
We need leaders who see themselves not as kings or agents of retribution but as public servants. We do not have to let destruction wash over us. We can choose to build a stronger nation by seeking the common good rather than diminishing others.
Trump's blitzkrieg of demolition is designed to overwhelm us so we give up and let the fascists win. We all need an occasional mental health break; but we must not go numb.
If we tune out and do not play our part in pushing back against tyranny, we will lose more than crucial government services. We will lose our freedom.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist at [email protected].
Copyright © 2025 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.