In an article critical of the so-called hypocrisy of the No Kings protest in The Campus last week, Ignacio Gamero ‘26 accused protestors of “cheapening authoritarianism.” He argued that other presidents had previously taken similar oversteps of executive power, and that Trump’s activities were not unusual for a president. This is a wildly unfair portrayal of previous executive overreach, and trades a disciplined evaluation of democracy for baseless accusations of hypocrisy.
Of the examples provided, one stands out. The Covid-19 pandemic is portrayed as unnecessary and excessive overreach by governors across the country. This accusation ignores decades of public health policy and gives into pseudoscientific narratives that question the danger of a pandemic that killed over 1.2 million Americans. A new, highly contagious, potentially fatal illness constituted an emergency, and the executive branch took appropriate action by following best public health practices. Of all the examples of overreaching executive power to emphasize, the Covid-19 pandemic is not one of them.
What the MAGA base fails to understand is that there is a fundamental difference between restrictions on individual behavior to protect the general population and targeting specific minorities for the enrichment of a wannabe king and his oligarchs. Trump justifies his immigration policy with the same emergency powers used during the pandemic. However, unlike the pandemic, immigration does not endanger Americans' physical safety. It does not constitute a national emergency, nor does it justify the violence and terror used to “solve the problem.” People are being taken from their homes, workplaces, and schools in unmarked vehicles by masked officers and moved in secrecy through the immigration system without documentation or due process — all this at the behest of the executive branch. Further, Trump has repeatedly suggested that he will not leave office after his term expires. If that doesn’t constitute authoritarianism, then what does?
Trump faces so much dissent because he is a cruel and regressive leader. His many trials, controversies and scandals are not merely vindictive. Look at the U.S.’s Polity score (a way to measure democracy) in Trump’s first term: It dropped from a 10 (fully democratic) to a five (anocracy/semi-democracy). Despite evidence of his abuse of power, Trump has retained office and expanded his ability to act outside the checks and balances established by our constitution.
Just because No Kings is not censored does not mean that there is freedom of speech under the Trump administration. Protected political speech, especially pro-Palestinian or anti-Zionist speech, is being censored across the country. International students may not finish their studies because universities are handing their names over to the Trump administration as it pressures institutions to comply with its ideology.
We agree that we should become more critical of our executive leaders and their oversteps of power. However, the claim that actions like Japanese internment were not and are not criticized is not a fair one. Activists condemned Executive Order 9066 and recognized its discriminatory and overreaching nature; Middlebury College even hosts Service Translation, a program that creates accessible media about the Japanese internment process. Activists criticized Obama for his overly harsh immigration policy that increased deportations to record levels, perpetuating inhumanity and violence. Presidents have consistently weaponized government powers to reinforce US imperialism and maintain structural discrimination in domestic affairs. These actions deserve critique and are not justly highlighted in public discourse today. However, our failure to hold past leadership accountable should not justify the failure to do the same for current leaders.
All true overreaches of executive power reinforce global systems of oppression that we seek to dismantle. Regardless of past failures or accusations of hypocrisy, we will always stand up to preserve democracy and create a more equitable world. We have always been outraged, and these systems are just beginning to buckle. Leaders who do not believe in the humanity of all their constituents deserve critique. We will always stand by that principle.
