We Are Not at the Beginning of an Authoritarian State; We are Right in the Middle.

Will the No Kings Day protests make a difference?

Photo by Barbara Burgess on Unsplash

With the No Kings protests taking place this Saturday, October 18, and expected to be the largest in U.S. history, I can’t help but wonder if they will come too late. Along with other resisters, I am hopeful that the demonstrations will send a clear message to Congress, the Supreme Court, the Heritage Foundation, and Donald Trump and his regime that Americans will not stand by and allow our constitutional democracy to be taken over by a fascist dictatorship.

But I fear that we are not merely moving toward an authoritarian government; we are already in the midst of one. The Trump regime has been moving much faster than expected in dismantling the government and usurping power from Congress and the Justice Department. Since his inauguration, we have witnessed an almost daily barrage of executive orders undermining the fiscal authority of Congress, attacking the Constitution, and eroding our rights and freedoms.

Every member of his cabinet had no qualifications other than blind loyalty to Donald Trump, and each was confirmed by the Republican controlled Senate to dismantle the very department they were appointed to lead. Almost immediately, Trump named Elon Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and tasked him with eliminating “waste” in government which, in reality, meant cutting personnel from departments and agencies vital to foreign aid, public health and safety programs, and poverty relief efforts.

Don’t think the government shutdown wasn’t planned. Career government employees who were not affected by the DOGE cuts are now being fired, with thousands more expected to lose their jobs as the shutdown continues. This is one of the main tenets of Project 2025, to dismantle the government, particularly by targeting Democrat-sponsored social programs. During a shutdown, it is the responsibility of Congress to manage government employees, but the MAGA Republicans have handed that authority over to Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget and one of the chief architects of Project 2025.

Trump promised lower grocery and gas prices, as well as a reduction in inflation once he was elected, but the opposite has occurred. People are struggling as a result of Trump’s tariffs, which have caused dramatic increases in the cost of everything from food and medicine to automobiles. Yet he continues to insist that the tariffs are paid by the exporting countries, and sadly, the poorest of his supporters believe him as they struggle to find ways to feed their families.

Gone are the days of honest, respectful journalism; the days of Walter Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley, and Peter Jennings. Today, the major network news outlets are owned by billionaire conservatives who ensure that nothing negative about Trump is reported. The once open presidential press conferences have become staged displays of flattery and ass kissing, where journalists are handpicked by Trump and are too afraid to ask questions that might displease the Führer. These press conferences now resemble those seen in Russia, China, or North Korea.

Not only is the news becoming regulated, but entertainment as well. The right-wing controlled networks canceled comedian Stephen Colbert’s show after Trump was continuously upset over the comedian’s jokes at his expense. Late-night roastings of the president have been an American tradition for decades, until the thin-skinned Orange Turd ascended the throne. Trump also demanded that another late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, be fired, which did happen, but the decision sparked massive complaints against ABC and its parent company, the Walt Disney Company. Kimmel was later reinstated, but Colbert’s show has not been renewed and will remain on the air only until his contract ends in April.

Billionaire media owners kowtow to Trump for one reason: he can use presidential power to ensure their enterprises remain profitable. If they refuse his demands, he will destroy them financially. Freedom of speech is no longer a right for every American under the First Amendment; that right now belongs to Trump loyalists, for a price.

Our rights and freedoms, as well as the rule of law, are slowly being eroded with every Trump pronouncement. Democracy has had some victories in our attempts to preserve it, thanks to decisions by the lower courts, but the ultimate decisions will be made by the Supreme Court, which has often sided with Trump and the Federalist Society in past rulings.

As I struggle with which Medicare plan to choose for next year, realizing that my premiums and prescription drug costs are increasing, I know that next year and the year after, it will be even worse. Then I find out that Trump is giving his friend, the right-wing president of Argentina, $20 billion to shore up his government, which provides its citizens and foreign residents with free healthcare. This act by Trump is not a humanitarian gesture. His Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has friends who hold significant investments in Argentina and will benefit from the gift. This does not look like “America first.”

I am excited about the upcoming No Kings protests, but I also have my fears and reservations. I know that the White House and MAGA are afraid of these protests, with the House Speaker calling them “hate America” rallies. I also know that they will go to great lengths to disrupt the rallies and create chaos and violence in order to portray them as antifa and anti-American.

Hopefully, there will be no violence or unrest at the thousands of protests across America and around the world. But I do not feel very hopeful that the protests will lead to real change. With Trump so far able to do whatever he wants without regard for legality or the Constitution, I find it difficult to see anything improving. He has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to the resistance his regime continues to face, and I fear he may do just that on October 18 or shortly afterward. Ultimately, he would love to place the country under martial law and declare himself “Supreme Leader.”

Are we too far along the road to authoritarianism to save our democracy? Have we ceded our rights and freedoms to white supremacist Christo-fascist oligarchs and become pawns who exist only to serve the wealthy few? Time will tell. But let us hope that No Kings Day is massive, beyond anyone’s imagination, and scares the hell out of Trump and his regime. If we can continue these rallies and manage to keep our elections free and fair, we have a chance to take back our democracy.

Check out my new publication, Stephen Sovie’s Blog, the Other Side of My World