It’s all right there in black and white, isn’t it? If you’re a Trump-backing Republican, there is nothing you can say vile enough that the party will cut you loose. If you’re publicly opposed to Trump, on the other hand, it doesn’t matter how peacefully and patriotically you express that opposition—it’s an article of faith on the right that you’re an America hater at best and a literal terrorist at worst. How can this go on? It’s not just that the president of the United States looks at literally half the country with the purest disdain and hate—it’s that he has now built a movement around himself that makes that disdain and hate its organizing principle. 

I think has been two rounds of hundreds of No Kings protests previously. Both of them attracted a minimum of hundreds of thousands of people nationwide. I dont recall hearing about significant violence at any of them. 

It is time for Americans to go out and peacefully and patriotically speak their minds against the continuing corruption of democracy and its replacement with totalitarian methods and actions.

You may be concerned by all of this BS coming from the government. It is designed to make people stay home, make them be afraid that something bad is going to occur. Don't stay home. Find a no Kings rally near you and go to it. Bring your friends. Bring your whole family. Bring a positive and joyous attitude.

Here are some good tips from the organizers of the rallies and the ACLU.

Be there. Be aware. Have fun and most of all stay safe.

While I would still much rather prefer huge mass rallies at a few locations to smaller rallies more geographically spread out, a turnout in the millions nationwide will send a message and give people confidence they can have a say. 

It is designed so that people not only can turn out in numbers, but so that people can see that there are like minded people around them and not only far away and in large cities. 

There is a visual that would be present in 5 rallies of a million each that you just cant get from hundreds of rallies. 

But I will take what I can get. 

I'm not sure who is making the outrageous claims, but I'm stuck on this one:

a bunch of regular people taking to the streets to exercise their right to object to the ongoing depredations of an authoritarian administration.

Andrew Egger never explained what made the current administration "authoritarian."  Can anyone explain?

Andrew Egger never explained what made the current administration "authoritarian."  Can anyone explain?

I think Google still works. Do you want me to do it for you? 

Do you want me to do it for you? 

I want to hear it from you. I don't need another opinion piece.

There have been dozens of articles on this site about Trump authoritarianism. Educate yourself. 

Then you must be able to cite one example?

I could cite a lot of examples. I'm trying to get you to do something. 

I did do something. I voted for Donald Trump. Three times.

Neither the author of the article nor the person who posted it can give us a single example of Trump acting as an authoritarian ruler.

Thus, I'll leave it there. Everyone have a nice afternoon.

your comments are a joke

[ deleted ]

[ ✘ ] That said, I asked chatGPT to list some actions that are considered to be authoritarian in nature and scope

Here are specific actions by the current (2025) presidential administration that have been criticized by scholars, journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts as having authoritarian traits (i.e. concentrating power, undermining oversight, targeting dissent). Some are already challenged in court or under debate:

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Key Actions Cited as Having Authoritarian Features

1. Mass Dismissal of Inspectors General (IGs) / Watchdog Officials

   • In January 2025, the president ordered the immediate firing of at least 17 inspectors general across federal agencies, often via late-night emails, bypassing usual procedures. ( Reuters )

   • Critics argue this violates the Inspector General Act, which requires 30 days’ notice to Congress and a valid stated reason for removal. ( Reuters )

   • Many of the IG offices remain vacant, diminishing independent oversight. ( Default )

   • The administration has also cut funding, resources, or cooperation to remaining IG offices, delaying or obstructing investigations. ( Government Executive )

2. Large-Scale Layoffs / Reclassification of Federal Employees

   • The administration issued an executive order (“Schedule F&rdquo stripping many federal employees of civil-service protections, making them more vulnerable to political removal. ( Wikipedia )

   • A “deferred resignation” program was offered, encouraging voluntary departures. ( Wikipedia )

   • Probationary employees (those with less tenure) were systematically dismissed, often with no documented cause, citing “performance” without evidence. ( Wikipedia )

   • These layoffs are intended both to reduce institutional capacity and to install more politically aligned personnel. ( Wikipedia )

3. Creation / Use of the “Weaponization Working Group” at DOJ

   • Shortly after the start of the administration, Attorney General Pam Bondi established the Weaponization Working Group to review and reassess prosecutions alleged to be politically motivated. ( Wikipedia )

   • Critics see this as a tool to politicize the Department of Justice, using prosecutorial power against political opponents under the guise of “anti-politicization.” ( Wikipedia )

   • The group has been associated with threats of investigations into high-profile political figures (e.g. former CIA or intelligence officials) for retaliatory reasons. ( Wikipedia )

4. Issuance of NSPM-7 (National Security Presidential Memorandum 7)

   • In September 2025, the administration released NSPM-7: “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” . ( Wikipedia )

   • The memorandum leverages broad and vaguely defined notions of “domestic terrorism” and political violence, raising concerns that it could be used to surveil, target, or suppress dissenting political groups or activists. ( Wikipedia )

   • Critics argue it lacks clear statutory or constitutional authorization, and that it gives the executive branch sweeping leeway to label groups or individuals as threats without due process. ( Wikipedia )

5. Targeting of Political Opponents / Use of Investigations

   • The administration has directed the Justice Department to investigate entities associated with political opposition, e.g. a presidential memorandum ordering investigation into ActBlue (a Democratic fundraising platform). ( Wikipedia )

   • After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the administration announced a broad crackdown on liberal groups and donors, alleging (with little publicly disclosed evidence) that they were tied to organized violence. ( The Guardian )

   • The administration has threatened or initiated prosecutions against former officials (e.g. James Comey, Letitia James) in a way that critics see as retribution rather than strictly law enforcement. ( The Guardian )

   • Revoking or threatening visas of foreign nationals for online speech critical of the administration has also been flagged as a mechanism of silencing opposition. ( Wikipedia )

6. Undermining Judicial Authority / Noncompliance with Court Orders

   • Some observers claim the administration has, in certain cases, failed to fully comply with court orders or rulings, signaling a willingness to disregard judicial constraints. ( Center for American Progress )

   • The administration and its supporters have publicly attacked judges who issue decisions contrary to their wishes, and there have been calls for impeachment of certain judges. ( Center for American Progress )

7. Assertions of Expansive Executive Authority (Unitary Executive, Loyalty Tests)

   • The administration has adopted interpretations of the unitary executive theory — the view that the president should control all executive-branch functions without interference — to justify sweeping control over independent agencies. ( Center for American Progress )

   • The administration reportedly has instituted or considered loyalty tests or political screening for federal employees, intelligence, and law enforcement candidates — i.e. evaluating whether they align with the administration’s ideological or political commitments. ( Wikipedia )

   • In its internal memos, the administration has at times asserted that the executive branch’s interpretation of law is final, diminishing the role of independent legal or regulatory bodies. ( Wikipedia )

8. Resource Starvation / Obstruction of Oversight Bodies

   • The administration has been accused of undercutting inspectors general by limiting access, delaying responses, or refusing to cooperate with investigations. ( Government Executive )

   • Oversight committees in Congress have warned that the executive is stalling, not fulfilling information requests, and imposing unnecessary obstacles on watchdog functions. ( Government Executive )

---

If you like, I can organize these actions by date and legal status (which ones are subject to court challenges) or compare them with similar patterns in other countries. Do you want me to build a timeline?

We'll see who's laughing when the Court rules on racial gerrymandering.

I think every president has to be somewhat 'authoritarian' , it comes with the office. It becomes more pronounced these days thanks to the rigid divide between the two "sides".  It's also I believe part of Trump in that he was used to being the sole leader of his company and what he said goes, it's a rather big change to be the President where you have three equal but separate bodies to head the government. He doesn't like sharing. Republicans in Congress are less likely to call him out as he is the leader of the Republican party which can primary against anybody they don't like. 

He's never sounded like a politician because he's never been one, he's been in charge for a very long time. 

He doesn't like sharing

WGAF ? 

The president not following norms and using that to his own benefit is authoritarian. 

By a drip drip drip drip process we have enabled this travesty. 

One person was killed at a no kings rallly, the same as j6.