Friends,

I know many of us are discombobulated. Some of us are dismayed. Some of us are excited. Some of us are plain freaked out about the first two weeks of the current administration.

I myself am a firm believer in the process of American democracy and our government. I have to believe that the Constitution and the good sense of the American people will prevail.

But. just. damn.

I feel compelled to give us all some brief information (ahem, legalese) that may assuage some of our fears and doubts—or make them worse, regarding the executive branch.

Per the American Bar Association website, the definition of an executive order is:

An executive order is a signed, written, and published directive from the President of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. Proclamations, which are also signed [by the President] communicate information on holidays, commemorations, federal observances, and trade. Both executive orders and proclamations have the force of law, much like regulations issued by federal agencies. Executive orders are not legislation; they require no approval from Congress, and Congress cannot simply overturn them. Congress may pass legislation that might make it difficult, or even impossible, to carry out the order, such as removing funding. Only a sitting U.S. President may overturn an existing executive order by issuing another executive order to that effect.

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/publications/teaching-legal-docs/what-is-an-executive-order-/

Said another way, by Eric Kashdan and Maha Quadri of the Campaign Legal Center:

The President is not a king nor dictator, and executive orders are not a blank check for the President to exercise his will without Constitutional checks and balances….Executive orders (or EOs) are presidential instructions that direct executive branch agencies and staff to take (or stop taking) specific actions….To be permissible and have legal effect, an executive order must be rooted in one of the president’s powers as outlined in the Constitution or in a law passed by Congress.The authority of executive orders is not final. Federal courts can be called on to review an orders’ lawfulness and determine whether it is a valid exercise of the President’s power. No President can issue an order that contradicts or violates the Constitution, federal laws or Americans’ fundamental rights.

https://campaignlegal.org/update/what-are-executive-orders-and-how-do-they-work

Take heart friends. If you are concerned about recent EOs, know that a) you have recourse through our country’s system of checks and balances—it’s a slow slog but doable, and b) these EOs will likely be rescinded on January 20, 2029 as approximately 78 EOs of former President Biden were on January 20, 2025. Incoming Presidents have been issuing, revoking, amending, terminating, expanding, and consolidating each others’ and their own EOs since George Washington first became President. The difference is past Presidents didn’t hold a casual, but calculated press conference on television from the Oval while doing it. Perhaps if EOs had been more visible we wouldn’t be in such a panic? I’m not really sure to be honest. I used to think EOs were rare until I looked them up. Google executive orders of past Presidents.

More importantly, we have to pay attention now more than ever. We have to show our Congressional representatives of both houses that we are not unaware of the changes going on in our government. Call, visit, write, email your elected officials about what you agree with and certainly with what you disagree. Vote! Early, often, and every time. Your vote continues to be the strongest voice you have in changing or maintaining the direction of the country.

In 2018, Charles Krauthammer wrote in his book, “The Point of it All”:

“The good news of the early Trump presidency [the first one] is that America’s political institutions, so decried as weak and pliant, have proved a resilient and powerful check on antidemocratic tendencies in the executive. The courts, the states, the Congress, and the media have provided a resistance few would have predicted.” (p. 312)

Let’s not lose that power America. We cannot lose our voice unless we give it away through apathy, acquiesence, or fear. We cannot fall prey to rhetoric, nor can we give into vitriol because it makes us feel better. We the People are the ultimate check on our government—and each other.

I, like you, am justifiably worried about the current administration’s “shock and awe” aimed at the citizens and the previously protected legal immigrants of our country and our historic friends abroad. My main question continues to be, what is the purpose of this action/reaction? “Make America great again” is a slogan not a platform.

What’s the end game? Revenge against the opposition seems out of step with the desire to be great again. Petty flexing is one thing (albeit in poor taste), but firing everyone who is not in lock step is dangerous.

I am not accusing President Trump of morphing into an elected autocrat. I am concerned that his brand of American “greatness” is a shot from the hip with no real agenda other than to blame, dismantle, and destroy anything with which he does not agree.

And I have questions.

Is it possible that President Trump is trying to serve two masters? His own desire for wealth and power is absolutely at odds with both the best interest and the will of the American people regardless of how he articulates (or doesn’t) his agenda.

In her latest book, “Autocracy, Inc.”, Anne Applebaum writes:

“modern autocrats need to be able to take money and hide it without being bothered by political institutions that encourage transparency, accountability, or public debate.” (p. 41)

Sound familiar?

The creation of the DOGE with Elon Musk in charge—outside of the reach of Congress—is a perfect example. Is the DOGE really out to cut unnecessary wasteful spending? Perhaps. Is it likely that this gross overreach of the executive branch will, intentionally or not, create avenues for siphoning money from the treasury down the line? Who knows? The lines between Musk’s personal interest, this administration’s purported interests, and national interests just got blurrier for me.

Manipulating the message by exploit the emotions of the populace by picking fights with a country’s push button issues —immigration, LGBTQ rights, abortion, religion, minority populations—anything to fan the flames of “us versus them” is a well-worn textbook manuever in politics used by all sides. However, “autocratic information operations” go a step further by exaggerating the normal divisions and anger in politics using what Applebaum calls, “the fire hose of falsehoods” (p. 97):

“Given so many explanations, how can you know what actually happened? What if you can never know? If you can’t understand what is going on around you, then…[ultimately] you will avoid politics all together.” (p. 79)

Sound familiar?

Autocracies worldwide are becoming stronger and democracies (America included) are, for whatever reason—oil, gas, foreign investment, natural resources, the devil you know—looking the other way (Krauthammer, pp. 293-295). The revival of President Trump’s “zero-sum game approach to foreign policy” from his first term (Krauthammer, p. 290) combined with a growing penchant for isolationism in our country will create a perfect storm of trouble for America over the next four years.

President Trump likes to play hardball. He appears to enjoy being the bully. But what happens when the other guy doesn’t blink? What happens when his tiresome tirades cease to work? Who knows? Please read a history book friends.

So what do we do now?

We remember what does make America great.

• Our people.
• Our belief in democracy.
• The understanding that we live out each day constantly redefining the tension between what is good for me versus the greater good of my fellow Americans.
• We stay informed as neutrally as we can.
• We talk to each other.
• We love each other.
• We help each other.
• We defend each other.
• We call our Congressional reps on behalf of each other.
• We believe in and call for checks and balances.

Our democratic experiment is almost 250 years old. We’ve been in trouble before and we will have trouble again in the future. To quote from one of my favorite movies:

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

From the 1995 movie “The American President”

This speech from the press room of fictional president Andrew Shepherd goes on to galvanize his own political team and presumably the American people into action.

I still believe in our American Republic and I still believe in you dear readers, advanced citizens. Red, blue, purple, or indifferent, I still love y’all so much.

Marla

Bibliography:

Applebaum, Anne. “Autocracy, Inc. The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.” 2024. NY: Doubleday, Inc..

Kashdan and Quadri, “What are Executive Orders and How do they Work?” January 31, 2025. https://campaignlegal.org/update/what-are-executive-orders-and-how-do-they-work.

Krauthammer, Charles. “The Point of it All.” 2018. NY: The Charles Krauthammer Trust.

“The American President.” 1995. Written by Aaron Sorkin. Directed and produced by Rob Reiner.

“What is an Executive Order?” January 25,2021. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/publications/teaching-legal-docs/what-is-an-executive-order-/.

P.S. Apologies if my bibliography is not perfect APA format. It’s been a minute.