What To Do About the Tinpot Dictator He can be stopped only with people power Robert Reich Jul 8 Credit: MacKaycaartoon Friends, Never before in American history, not even in wartime, has one man exercised such unbridled discretion affecting the lives of so many of us, while simultaneously preventing others — Congress, the courts, the American people — from having a say or even knowing what he’s going to do next. Yesterday he sent ICE agents and National Guard troops into Los Angeles, over the objections of the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles. He is also sending 200 Marines to Florida to aid ICE. Where will he next direct ICE, National Guard, and active duty military? He isn’t saying. But it’s our country. He has targeted undocumented agricultural and hospitality workers for arrest and deportation, after saying he would not do so. What’s the policy here? He isn’t telling us. But it’s our country. Meanwhile, he said yesterday that he’d subject imports from Japan, South Korea, and a dozen other nations to new 25 percent tariffs — which will, of course, translate into additional taxes on American consumers — effective August 1. He threatened to impose even higher tariff-taxes on countries that align with BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) after that group expressed “serious concerns” over any country imposing unilateral tariffs. I remember a time when American presidents had to go to Congress to impose tariffs. How can he tax us without our consent? It’s our country. He is consulting with Benjamin Netanyahu about the next stage of the war with Iran, but not consulting Congress, yet it’s our country. He is targeting universities that he believes haven’t adequately eliminated DEI, or have allowed transgender athletes to compete, or failed to stop demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza. Last week, his regime forced a major university president to resign. Which universities are next, and for what reason? He isn’t saying, even though it’s our country. He intends to go after more law firms and media companies that have crossed him. But which, and why? Will he let TikTok continue to function in the United States even though Congress has passed a law prohibiting it? He hasn’t said. He says it’s all a “bargaining strategy” to make better deals. But deals for whom? Rubbish. It’s not a bargaining strategy. He doing all this because he loves to display his power. He relishes it when powerful people plead with him, prostrate themselves before him, beg him, and submit to his whims. He delights in changing his mind and keeping everyone else guessing. Some who seek his favor are pouring money into TV ads for his eyes only in West Palm Beach, where he resides at Mar-a-Lago (according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of advertising data). Some who seek his favor are buying his crypto coins. Some are sending him lavish jet airplanes. Some who seek his favor are speaking publicly of his brilliance, his insight, his daring. They talk of putting his face on Mount Rushmore. Many are afraid to criticize him. This, my friends, is called a dictatorship. The chief executive of a democracy doesn’t say — as Trump did recently — “I may or may not, nobody knows what I’ll do.” The chief executive of a democracy doesn’t say this because power in a democracy belongs to the people. This is why Congress enacted a War Powers Act, so presidents have to gain Congress’s consent before sending the United States to war. It’s why the Constitution gives Congress the power to set the terms of international trade, including tariffs. Why the Constitution gives Congress the power to appropriate funds. Why laws bar a president from sending active military troops into a state without the permission of the state’s governor. And why there’s no basis in law or the Constitution for a president to single out specific law firms, universities, or media companies for penalties because they have angered him. So how do we take our democracy back? The federal courts are playing a crucial role. Across America, judges — appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents — are stopping the tinpot dictator from taking over entirely. They deserve our gratitude. But you and and I are playing the most critical roles — marching, organizing, demonstrating, boycotting, demanding, supporting leaders who stand up to him and criticizing those who won’t. It may seem like months ago, but on June 14, some 6 million of us protested against him — the largest civil demonstration in American history. It showed the power of the people. It gave many of us hope. We must follow that extraordinary event by an even larger nationwide demonstration on July 17, Good Trouble Lives On Day. On July 17, five years since the passing of Congressman John Lewis, communities across the country will take to the streets, courthouses, and community spaces to carry forward his fight for justice, voting rights, and dignity for all. On July 17, we must DOUBLE the number of us who turned out June 14. Because it’s our country. And we must also appear in town halls that any Republican senators and representatives are holding, to tell them we refuse to live in a dictatorship. And tell them that we’re going to make sure they aren’t reelected. Democracy is not a spectator sport.