The Trump Crime Spree
This is a particularly hard moment to live through, but it is not the last word on what will happen
Elect a criminal and get someone who commits crimes. Elect an insurrectionist criminal and get someone who commits crimes against the government he pledged to serve.
That’s where we are in the third week of the Trump sequel, during what we knew would be a chaotic and overwhelming start to the administration. At its core, what Trump is doing should not be surprising. We knew we would have to brace for an unprecedented flurry of attacks on the political process. But that doesn’t make it easier to experience. Something can be predictable and shocking at the same time.
Because you follow the news, you don’t need me to recount all the things Trump is doing in his effort to grab power, so I will focus on two of his most egregious and unprecedented actions. He has permitted Elon Musk access to Treasury Department computers—essentially the nation’s checkbook—which gives Musk proximity to the sensitive personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans.
Meanwhile, Musk has moved to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while Trump ordered a freeze on international foreign assistance. An act of Congress is required for the former, while the president does not have the authority to do the latter.
None of this is constitutional and none of it is legal.
But Trump, as expected, is doing it anyway, daring anyone to make him stop.
In a functioning democracy, impeachment hearings would already be underway and they would have bipartisan support. But in the degraded democracy Trump inherited, there was never any chance of this happening. We knew congressional Republicans would not provide a guardrail against his actions, and we are seeing this play out.
We also knew coming into the new administration that the courts and federalism would likely be the only remaining institutional obstacles to Trump’s lawlessness. And we are seeing this happen as well, although it may not feel like it is effective because legal action takes time while Trump and Musk are destroying things at a dizzying pace.
Three federal workers’ unions have sued to block Musk’s access to the Treasury database. The dismantling of USAID will inevitably face court challenges. A federal judge has blocked all vestiges of a spending freeze Trump ordered then reversed course on last week. On the political front, House and Senate Democrats rallied in front of USAID offices yesterday to draw attention to the extra-legal efforts of the Trump administration. Said Rep. Jamie Raskin: “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk, and that’s going to become real clear.”
Given the imbalance between the swift execution of illegal executive authority and the slower judicial response, it should not be surprising that Trump holds the offensive initiative right now. And real damage is being done as a consequence. But we also need to give the forces pushing back time to get established.
It can also be helpful to remember that Trump will fold when challenged. Just look at how quickly he gave in on his tariff threats against Canada and Mexico when the market and some investors registered their concerns. Or, as the Wall Street Journal put it, Trump blinked.
It is also the case that the unhinged start to the second Trump presidency isn’t helping his public standing. And he didn't have much standing to begin with.
Like the courts, public opinion can move at less than lightening speed. It takes time for people to notice what’s happening and form an opinion. Sometimes their personal situation has to get really bad before they do. But Most Americans already have an unfavorable view of Musk and his DOGE project. It’s unlikely to comfort them when they learn that he’s rummaging around in their personal data.
If the person who swore to uphold the law wasn’t the one violating it, we would have avenues for swift action that could halt this crime wave in its tracks. Instead, we are forced to rely on the slower mechanisms that remain available to us. It can be hard to feel good about this when so much damage is being done, although it is also the case that the destruction we’re seeing was baked into the results of the election. We knew this—and more—would happen back in November. We’re just living through it now.
How things develop will depend on how effectively the opposition can come together and leverage legal and political tools to push back on the bully. Trump is determined to upend the global order and our national stability, but there are plenty of people invested in the status quo who will not stand by and let him have his way without a fight.
Trump has an enormous advantage right now in the executive power he wields, and in his willingness to abuse his office knowing his party will not stop him. But we are not without tools. This is an exceedingly challenging moment, and it can feel like all is lost, but the opposition is not helpless.
If you want to do something now—and even taking a small action can feel better than sitting around waiting for others—consider signing this petition supporting Hakeem Jeffries’ vow to use the upcoming government funding negotiations to stop Trump’s illegal funding freezes.
In my head I know that there are ways to challenge what is happening in the government right now, but it is hard to stay focused on that with all the commotion. Trump and Musk are like two bulls in a china shop with only a few people there to fit and super glue the pieces back together. I'm still worried that some of the things they're doing are irreparable.
The progressive non-profit Indivisible has rallied 45,000 people via a Zoom program on Sunday to organize resistance to this hostile takeover of our federal government. Lawsuits are moving forward to stop this destruction. I suggest contacting indivisi.org/choosetofight.