So far, the incoming Trump Administration has asked a possible sex trafficker to enforce federal law, a quack doctor to oversee healthcare systems, a wrestling executive to administer education, and a man who wants to abolish the income tax to run the most powerful 21st century economy. It is a horrifying list that just seems to get worse the further down it goes. The longer Trump’s nominees for major cabinet posts and key positions are reviewed, the clearer it becomes that none of these people are the least bit qualified, that they are wildly unsuited to the roles they are being tasked with performing, and that they might, in fact, represent the antithesis of the agencies they’re supposed to serve. Add in the blatant disregard for security clearances and background checks, the open flouting of ethics laws, and the unthinking fealty all of these nominees display, and it doesn’t look like Donald Trump is building an administration at all.
It looks like he’s preparing a regime.
The distinction between a regime and a presidency isn’t a small one. A president is constrained by governance and the limits of the executive branch. Their role is to maintain continuity — to hand over what they receive in equal or better shape than when they got it. The mission of any president is supposed to be set and shaped by Congress, and it’s all overseen and responsible to either the House or Senate (or both). The office of the president is the most powerful single role in Washington, but it’s still contained by checks and balances. A regime is something else altogether.
You can tell which one Donald Trump is preparing for by how seriously he takes this assignment. Already, he has foisted unqualified, controversial, and (likely) criminal picks on the incoming GOP Senate, setting them up to either reject his choices and face his ire, or to comply and abandon the safety, health, equality, and justice owed to the American public. Trump has also pulled multiple House Republicans for a future administration, despite the razor thin margin in that chamber, assuming that he can simply have Speaker Mike Johnson do whatever he wants anyway. None of the basic protocols for the safe and responsible transfer of power are being followed in any meaningful way, and instead we’re getting reports that rather than allow the FBI and law enforcement to run background checks and secure sensitive data, Trump and his team are thinking that they’ll just gift security clearances to his flunkies to do an end run around national security.
So while Trump is plotting his regime in Washington, we need our elected officials to plan their resistance. This government isn’t supposed to operate at the whims of one man; it’s supposed to serve the well-being of the people, to be accountable to us, and to make our lives safer and more prosperous. Despite limited options once a new Congress is sworn in, Democrats can loudly and vociferously protest the current nominees to key posts, reveal the irresponsibility of their backgrounds and approach, and put Trump and Republicans on the defensive as often as possible. Force every appointee through a brutal gauntlet; make every effort to comply with Trump’s dictatorial posture come at a cost. Declare what consequences should fall on a President-Elect who refuses to comply with the simple requirements for the transfer of power.
And remind all of us that we didn’t revolt against a monarchy two and a half centuries ago just to end up with a king. This government is still ours, while we demand it.
