The United States was founded on the principles of democracy and the fight against authoritarian rule. Throughout our time as a country we have stayed true to this initial vision, being lucky enough to always have our presidents uphold this standard of democracy. This was true until the November 2024 re-election of President Donald Trump.
As a high school student in the United States, I have grown up immersed in a culture where people have legal protections to say and do what they please. Our First Amendment ensures this reality. Yet I fear that many others my age and I will not live in this reality for much longer.
Since his election, Trump has attacked American democracy and freedom. These attacks fall into two distinct categories: direct attacks on freedom of speech and neglect of American checks and balances.
Trump’s targeting of free speech is clearly seen in his attack on parties opposing him. Since his election, Trump has regularly targeted law firms that represent parties trying to investigate or sue him for illicit behavior. According to the Cato Institute, Trump has been blacklisting law firms from federal services and threatened them in the event of their opposition to his rule. This is a clear violation of American freedom, as he is actively punishing his opponents for simply exercising their right to free speech, despite the First Amendment of our Constitution directly stating the right to free speech.
Similarly, Trump has been attacking American freedom of the press. PBS reports Trump suing multiple media organizations for coverage he dislikes. By penalizing media coverage that opposes him, Trump clearly shows a lack of care for the tenets of American democracy, which advocate for protected freedom of the press.
A clear show of Trump’s blatant violation of American freedom is in his illegal detainment of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil for engaging in protests. Many of the Columbia protests have indeed preached antisemitic rhetoric, rhetoric which was the ground for his deportation, yet at the same time, it is important to stay true to the fundamental values of America and maintain the right to free speech, allowing people to protest without the risk of being detained. Khalil was detained on the grounds of supporting terror, however evidence was insufficient and Khalil was detained without a trial or evidence, a violation of United States principles demanding a fair trial and allowing free speech among green card holders.
Trump has also neglected the checks and balances in his abuse of the immigration system. According to the New York Times, following the wrongful deportation of legal American resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Supreme Court demanded his return from the El Salvadoran prison CECOT, yet Donald Trump denied the order to pursue his immigration policy. By blatantly ignoring the orders of the Supreme Court, a body designed partially to prevent the overstepping of Presidents, Donald Trump inherently violated his constitutional obligations to answer to other bodies, showing his disrespect for American checks and balances.
Trump has similarly shown his disrespect for checks and balances in his statements of intention for another presidential run. A third presidential term violates the 22nd Amendment, stating that each president can only be in office for two four-year terms, yet Trump has repeatedly stated his intent to run, according to NBC News.
The Trump administration is even currently floating the idea of the suspension of Habeas Corpus, the right to challenge one’s detention, according to CNN. If this suspension were enacted, it would put every single person in this country at the risk of being jailed with no way to escape.
The United States is truly in a tumultuous time, unlike anything it has ever seen before. The country is in a time that has the potential to crumple everything that Americans know and care about. The combination of President Trump’s actions during the beginning of this term, paired with his intentions and threats about the future of his term should be truly terrifying to any person who values their freedom.
Yet there is still more we can do. Donald Trump can’t destroy the American government without the consent of the people. If people decide to be vocal in their opposition, lobby for further opposition and contribute to organizations set on keeping Trump in check, we can truly keep America as the democracy it has always been.
