In all of American history, there has never been anything like the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency. No president in history has asserted such sweeping, unchecked powers. It is not hyperbole to say that if there is a path toward authoritarianism in this country, this is it.
In his first three months, Trump has asserted powers and taken actions never before seen in the United States. He has attempted to override the Constitution by eliminating birthright citizenship. He has asserted the ability to eliminate federal agencies created by statute and to refuse to spend federal funds allocated by federal law. He has claimed the power to fire anyone who works in the executive branch, notwithstanding federal laws limiting removal.
He has withheld money from universities without following procedures mandated by law and without legal justification. He has violated the First Amendment by revoking visas solely because of an individual’s personal views expressed. He has imposed sanctions on law firms that would likely put them out of business solely out of retribution for the lawyers they have employed or clients they have represented. He has claimed the ability to imprison people, including U.S. citizens, in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador and has repeatedly asserted that no court has the authority to provide them any relief.
These are just some of the president’s blatantly unconstitutional and illegal acts in the first 100 days of his second term.
Not to mention other outrageous Trump actions, including imposing tariffs that might exceed his authority as president, which have created economic chaos in the United States and abroad; working aggressively to end all federal efforts to deal with climate change, defying science and exacerbating an existential threat to the planet; largely abandoning Ukraine and emboldening Russia; and placing people in charge of federal agencies — including Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel — whose only qualification is loyalty to the president.
It is imperative that this not been seen as within the bounds of the normal or acceptable. It is unprecedented. It is not about objecting to conservative policies, but rather to the lawlessness of Trump’s actions.
Indeed, if there is a theme that unites all of this, it is a complete disregard for the Constitution and laws of the United States. Trump has said exactly this when he remarked over social media, “He who saves the country violates no law.”
This must be condemned. The core of the rule of law is that no one — not even the president — is above the law. If the president can violate any law, and even ignore court orders, then we are no longer a constitutional democracy. The word for that is a dictatorship, and it is chilling to realize how close we are to that.
We must do all we can to fight back against unconstitutional and illegal acts. We need the courts to continue to enjoin the violations of the law.
When the courts have ruled against the Trump administration, the president and his supporters have lashed out: They have called for the impeachment of judges who rule against them, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for eliminating entire courts that rule against presidential policies. That is what happens in totalitarian countries, not in the United States. Yet on April 24, the FBI arrested a Wisconsin state court judge, clearly trying to send a message of intimidation to all judges in the country. Such attacks on the courts should be roundly and widely denounced.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have been far too silent. I hope that there will be a point when enough Republicans will join them and say this has gone too far. But until that happens, Democrats need to act. They can hold unofficial hearings to bring to light what is happening. They can join in statements of principles. They can speak individually and collectively against the usurpation of Congress’ powers and against unconstitutional acts.
People need to use their voices — through their organizations, in petitions and at rallies — to express that the actions of the Trump administration in undermining constitutional democracy are not acceptable.
Trump’s illegal acts will cause grave harm to many people. Cutoffs of funds for international aid will cause people in other countries to die from lack of medical care and food. Cuts in medical research will have devastating consequences for finding cures for diseases. Significant layoffs in the Social Security administration will mean many people will not be able to get critical benefits.
The guardrails of our democracy are being challenged as never before. It is stunning how much the first 100 days have revealed the weakness in our system. But the country has faced serious challenges to democracy before and overcome them. It can happen again.