An unintended consequence of Trumpian authoritarianism is a massive awakening of citizens to the values and benefits of American democracy, and a determination to protect it. In June, under the banner of “No Kings,” more than 5 million people, in more than 2,000 cities and towns, in all 50 states, participated in one of the largest protests in U.S. history. Every week since, protests have continued with thousands of participants in small and large cities, blue and red states, across the nation. On October 18 an even larger nationwide mobilization is being planned under the banner: “No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
It turns out that Americans value their constitutional rights and will act to protect them. These include respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, free and fair elections, equality before the law, freedom of speech and expression, and freedom of association and assembly. Americans don’t like being threatened by their own military. They don’t like seeing their neighbors treated cruelly and denied due process. They’re appalled by masked agents who force people into unmarked vehicles and disappear them to prisons here and abroad.
The resistance to Trumpian authoritarianism is rooted in defending democratic principles and institutions contained in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As this administration flaunts the law and elevates the executive branch above the Congress and the Supreme Court, protesters call for reaffirmation of the rule of law, the separation of powers, the centrality of the judiciary, and the significance of due process. Signs being carried by anti-Trump protesters emphasize these core values: “No kings since 1776,” “Defend Democracy,” “No one is above the law,” “Due process is the law.”