'Punch in the face': How anti-MAGA resistance can show it’s 'not afraid' of Trump

On Saturday, April 19, large demonstrations protesting against President Donald Trump's policies were held in major U.S. cities ranging from Boston to New York to Portland, Oregon. And a recurring theme is that the Trump Administration, from mass deportations without due process to bullying universities and law firms, is pushing the United States into authoritarianism.

The Washington Monthly's David Atkins, in an article published on April 23, emphasizes that the Democratic Party can play a key role in preventing the U.S. from sinking into "authoritarianism" but will need to be a lot more forceful in its efforts.

"When pressed, (Democratic) Party leaders often respond that they can do little substantively," Atkins explains. "That protests are performative. That voters are tired of drama. But that's not the point. The point isn't what Democrats can do today. It's what they're signaling they're willing to do when they return to power. If Trump and his allies face no meaningful consequences, they have no reason to stop."

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Atkins continues, "If Republicans don't believe that Democrats will act with equal force to protect democracy —legally, aggressively, unapologetically — then there's no deterrent to further escalation. As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker put it, 'Bullies respond to one thing only: a punch in the face.'"

Democrats, Atkins argues, "don’t need to mimic MAGA's tactics" but "must prove they have the spine to make authoritarians pay."

"Otherwise," Atkins warns, "they're not a political opposition but a speed bump…. MAGA doesn't fear Democrats because history tells them they need not. They don't believe that future Democratic presidents will use the IRS to crack down on Project 2025 architects, the (U.S. Department of Justice) to investigate Christian nationalist groups, or the FBI to follow foreign influence trails back to their political donors. But they should."

Atkins continues, "Democrats don't need to become liberal authoritarians. But they need to show they're not afraid to use the levers of power to defend democracy, not just in lofty speeches but in institutional terms: subpoenas, audits, investigations, regulation, and prosecution…. If MAGA believes it can consolidate power without consequence, then why not roll the dice on permanent minority rule?"

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David Atkins' full article for The Washington Monthly is available at this link.