.Coup d’Etat: Trump, Musk, Mayhem

The consequences for the United States of a coup d’etat are catastrophic. 

But that is what President Donald Trump and his unelected shadow president, Elon Musk, are now rapidly carrying out. The sooner we recognize this intention, the more likely it is that we will be in a position to put an end to it and, in the process of doing so, to preserve our liberal democratic institutions. 

But we cannot meet this civic responsibility unless we call a coup a coup. In condemning Trump for instigating a coup, we will put him, and those who support him, on notice that the battle is on, and that we—the citizens of this democracy—will not forfeit our liberty, now or ever. In contrast, the coup plotters will be remembered as the thieves in the night who in their hunger for ever greater wealth, sought to destroy our democracy and to harm the citizens and residents of our country.

The news media will only serve the public interest if they are clear about the coup that is rapidly transpiring. The Constitution guarantees freedom of the press. A free press is precisely one of many democratic institutions under assault by Trump and his administration. And in the case of the press, the attack comes because the press permits the public to know about the government and to criticize it. 

How many wealthy owners of news media, social media and other important enterprises are already bending the knee to Trump, despite the clear danger to our democracy and to the wellbeing of our citizens and residents? We recall that the billionaire owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, and the billionaire owner of the LA Times, Patrick Soon-Shiong, would not permit their editorial boards to endorse Kamala Harris for president. 

Soon-Shiong has made favorable comments about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of Health and Human Services—a man with a long record of attacking vaccines that have saved so many lives, a man who is utterly unfit to serve as the guardian of public health. Bezos and other tech billionaires were at Trump’s inauguration to show their support for him, even though they knew his plans.

Project 2025 alerted us to what the Republican plan was, and it is being rapidly put into action, against law and against precedent. People loyal to Trump, without qualifications for running government programs, are being nominated by Trump as heads of government departments, and some have already been confirmed. Government web pages from multiple government agencies that are critical to the public welfare here and abroad have been taken offline. 

Trump’s appointees have suspended funding for many programs that support the welfare of U.S. citizens, as well as programs that promote global health and security. Employees who are seen as disloyal to Trump have already lost their jobs. And employees of the FBI and the Department of Justice who investigated the insurrection of 2020 have been fired. Many other government employees are being pressured to retire or stand to lose their jobs. 

Two of the great patriots during Trump’s first term are Gen. Mark Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Since Trump took office in January, they have been insulted, and their security has been canceled. We should be protecting these and others who served our nation honorably. 

Further, while purging employees who have safeguarded the nation, Trump has pardoned all those convicted of crimes during the insurrection of January 6th, thus encouraging political violence in the name of the leader.

Vice President J.D. Vance has written on X that federal judges can’t be allowed to “control the executive’s legitimate power.” He is a graduate of Yale Law School and surely knows that he is perverting the truth. 

We have a system of checks and balances. And, yes, the federal courts can decide that an executive action is unconstitutional. Attacking judges, prosecutors and plaintiffs is a page in Trump’s playbook. It is designed not only to confuse the public, but perhaps even worse, to stimulate threats and actual attacks against judges, prosecutors and plaintiffs. This is the bully work of dictators. 

Perhaps most alarming is that Musk has been given access to an enormous trove of government databases, compromising government programs and our personal data. How will Musk use this data? How might he corrupt it? What wouldn’t some foreign governments and other actors do to get this data and then blackmail or cripple our government? 

We implore our news media to help us save what is valuable about our nation, including the free press and freedom of speech and assembly. There is not much time to save what we love about our country.

Steven DeLue is a Petaluma resident, professor emeritus of political science at Miami University and author of ‘Political Obligation in A Liberal State,’ ‘How the Liberal Arts Can Save Liberal Democracy’ and ‘Political Theory, Political Thinking and Civil Society.’

Beverly R. Voloshin is a Petaluma resident, professor emerita of English at San Francisco State University and a former Fulbright fellow. She has also taught American studies abroad.