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It has only been three weeks since the last No King’s Day protest, but we are badly in need of No King’s Day 2.0! Trump entered full “Mad-King” mode on Thursday. Although Trump long ago took leave of his senses, Thursday’s actions portrayed the president in a pitched battle with reality. Reality always wins; it’s just a question of “when.”

Before reviewing Thursday’s events, it is worth reminding ourselves why it matters. Trump’s second term has been a continuous violation of the Constitution. He has destroyed long-standing norms of presidential ethics and respect for the rule of law. He has compromised the independence of the DOJ, FBI, and agencies designed by Congress to operate free from presidential influence. He has transformed the presidency into the cashier of a cryptocurrency scam. He has leveraged America’s global standing and military might into a deal-making platform for the Trump Organization golf resort empire.

All of the above (and more) undermine American democracy. Unfortunately, most of the legacy media have normalized or under-reported Trump’s abnormal behavior. They are either intimidated by his bullying or besotted with their flawed commitment to “fairness” and “balance” in an asymmetrical world where one party is defending democracy and the other is doing its best to destroy it.

Here’s my point: Somebody needs to say the important part out loud, repeatedly and with vigor. That is us. We must speak for the rule of law, for democratic norms, for checks and balances, and integrity, honesty, and decency. If we don’t, no one will. If we raise our voices long enough and loud enough, others will notice.

Professor Erica Chenoweth of the Harvard Kennedy School has published a study on what it takes for resistance movements to succeed in saving democracies. See Harvard Magazine, The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy. Take some time over the weekend to read the article in a moment of calm reflection. It will inspire confidence that if enough of us resist in a disciplined way over the long term, the odds favor our eventual success.

Professor Chenoweth’s study found that four conditions helped resistance movements to succeed:

· They mobilized mass participation by diverse groups of people, who stayed involved over time.

· They induced defections among those with power in the regime—economic and business elites, state media officials, security forces, and sometimes even members of the opposition party.

· They varied their methods to keep the pressure up, relying not only on protests but also strikes, boycotts, work slowdowns or outright stoppages, sit-ins, civil disobedience, and other forms of noncooperation.

· They were able to maintain discipline in the face of escalating repression without falling apart or turning to violence.

Chenoweth’s studies emphasize the need for increasing scale, persistence, and discipline. As I see it, the grassroots base is meeting each of those metrics in resisting Trump.

Trump’s most recent efforts to exercise imperial authority over a constitutional democracy should spur us to greater action. Rather than looking away in fear and disgust, we must look forward with determination and confidence. If we do that, others will follow.

So, with that spine-stiffening perspective in mind, let’s take a look at the autocratic actions of an out-of-control and out-of-touch wannabe king.

Trump tells pharmaceutical companies that they must lower US prices to match prices in Europe.

US presidents do not control retail prices or the terms on which private participants in commerce conduct business. But Trump believes otherwise. On Thursday, he told US pharmaceutical companies that they must reduce the cost of some of their drugs to match European prices by September. See NYTimes, Trump Demands That Drugmakers Lower Some of Their U.S. Prices by September. (Accessible to all.)

Per the NYTimes, in a letter to pharmaceutical companies, Trump wrote

If you refuse to step up, we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices.

In an egregious understatement that attempts to normalize unconstitutional and illegal demands by the president, the Times writes,

His administration has not put forward a clear legal authority to compel them to lower their prices.

Uh, let me rewrite that sentence for the Times: “Trump’s demand is illegal and unconstitutional. Moreover, the president is suggesting concerted action to fix prices among competitors, a violation of US antitrust laws.”

Trump has no authority to order companies to change prices simply because he believes they are too high. He is detached from reality. That’s the story, legacy media!

Smithsonian removes references to Trump’s two impeachments in exhibit on impeachment.

Trump is forcing the Smithsonian to remove references to his impeachments in an exhibit discussing impeachments. See Irish Star, Smithsonian gives in to pressure and removes references to Trump’s impeachments from exhibit. (I am citing to the Irish Star so I can provide a link to the story other than the Washington Post, which is the original source.)

Per the Irish Star,

References to Donald Trump’s two impeachments have been stripped from an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

A source with knowledge of the exhibit plans told the Washington Post that the modification occurred during a content review the Smithsonian agreed to conduct after White House pressure to oust an art museum director.

Trump is forcing a world-leading museum to rewrite American history to conceal his disgrace. Trump is out of touch with reality. And the Smithsonian has just destroyed its reputation as a trusted source for interpreting US history. What a disgrace.

The Smithsonian says that it will “update” the exhibit at some point in the future. Spare us, please! We know that the update will attempt to minimize, exonerate, and excuse the underlying criminal behavior that resulted in Trump’s two impeachments.

Trump plans to build a $200 million “ballroom” at the White House.

Trump is attempting to remake the White House in the image of Mar-a-Lago, the once classic home of Marjorie Post, now a trashy “golf resort” that boasted Jeffrey Epstein as a member. (According to Trump, Epstein “stole” a sixteen-year-old intern, Virginia Giuffre, from the Mar-a-Lago spa. No reputable spa requires the services of a sixteen-year-old girl.)

Trump has already removed the iconic White House Rose Garden and replaced it with a sterile plaza of interlocking concrete paver stones featured prominently in driveways across America. See photo included in Talking Points Memo, President Trump Actually Paved Over the Rose Garden.

Trump is now proposing the construction of a $200 million ballroom at the White House—a feature appropriate for a convention hotel or a European palace, but not “the People’s House” in America. See ABC, Trump is building a new $200 million ballroom at the White House.

Worse, the ballroom will be larger than the existing White House! See Forbes, Trump’s $200 Million Ballroom Addition Is Larger Than The Existing White House.

The ballroom will radically change a building that is instantly identifiable as a symbol of America. Instead of symbolizing stability and strength, the White House will reflect opulence and entertainment—a slap in the face of the Constitution and the American people.

Trump wants to be a king. Congress must stop him. No president should have the authority to change a national landmark to assuage personal feelings of insecurity and deficiency.

Trump’s tariff frenzy

The president has no constitutional or statutory authority to unilaterally impose reciprocal or punitive tariffs. On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave Trump’s arguments to the contrary a frosty reception. See Politico, Trump’s tariffs get frosty reception at federal appeals court.

The Federal Circuit judges were hearing arguments on the appeal from a ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which ruled in May that Trump’s tariffs violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The Court of International Trade issued a preliminary injunction preventing the implementation of the tariffs. That preliminary injunction was stayed, pending appeal.

Based on the reaction of judges during oral argument on Thursday, it appears that the ruling of the Court of International Trade will be upheld. Accordingly, the only colorable statutory basis for Trump’s tariffs will be eliminated. Thus, the gallons of ink spilled and trillions of electrons sent discussing Trump’s tariffs are for naught. Trump’s tariffs are illegal in the first instance, and accordingly, they are null and void. The discussion that follows must be qualified by the fundamental fact that Trump has no authority to impose tariffs unilaterally.

For once, the NYTimes’ headline captures the inanity of Trump’s actions. See NYTimes, White House Forges Ahead with Global Trade War. Per the Times,

The order set tariff rates, ranging from 10 to 41 percent, for 67 countries, Taiwan and the European Union. In an unexpected move, Mr. Trump said the tariffs will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 7. He had established an Aug. 1 deadline months ago.

Trump singled out Canada for harsh treatment because of the Canadian government’s plan to recognize the state of Palestine later this year. See AP News, Trump using Canada’s recognition of Palestinian state in trade talks

Likewise, Trump is imposing punitive tariffs on Brazil because that country is prosecuting its former president for corruption.

Using tariffs to force compliance with Trump’s foreign policy converts an already illegal tariff into an indefensible tariff.

We will likely hear from the Federal Circuit soon, telling us that all of Trump’s tariffs are invalid.

Concluding Thoughts

A proximate cause of the American colonists’ rebellion against King George III was “taxation without representation.” Trump is following in the footsteps of the Mad King—in more ways than one. Trump is devoting substantial time and effort to negotiating trade deals featuring illegal tariffs.

There will be a collision at some point in the future between Trump and reality. Reality will win. In the meantime, we must raise our voices in protest and indignation so that others understand that Trump is acting without the consent of the governed.

We must convince others to join us in resisting Trump’s illegal actions. When enough of us come together, we can redeem democracy for all of us. Let’s get moving on No Kings Day 2.0 so that we can hasten the day when the rule of law will once again reign supreme in the United States.

Daily Dose of Perspective

The Gamma Cygni Nebula is 4,900 light years away from our solar system and 100 light years in diameter. The star that appears to be at the center of the nebula is “12 solar masses and 150 times the Sun’s radius, [and] about 33,000 times more luminous than the Sun.” Gamma Cygni Nebula (Sadr Region) – Constellation Guide.

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