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This week President Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to control what he preposterously called a “violent occupation.” Sending U.S. troops to act against citizens exercising their right to free speech is a chilling betrayal of American democracy. The rebellion Trump claims to be fighting is simply nonexistent. In fact, reporters and on-site […]
Donald Trump is treating the presidency as his own personal domain, not as a public trust. This is not new, of course. We saw strong evidence of this throughout his first term, culminating in the violence of his Jan. 6 coup attempt. But now, just four months into his second term, Trump is out of […]
Last week, House Republicans passed – by one vote – what President Donald Trump calls his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” A more accurate title would be Trump’s “One Big Heartless Bill.” The bill, which now awaits Senate action, embodies Trump’s apparent “Reverse Robin Hood” approach to governing – take from the poor and middle class, […]
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer The provision in the House Republicans’ reconciliation bill to restrict the ability of the federal courts to enforce their decisions through contempt of court findings is an outrageous attack on the judiciary and our constitutional system of government. It is a blatant power grab. With the cooperation of […]
On the other side of President Donald Trump’s governing approach of doing whatever the hell he wants, are three potent forces pushing back: passionate citizens, courageous lawyers, and rule-of-law judges. The Resistance is strong and growing. When you ask, “What can be done?” look to these role models. ➡️ Passionate Citizens Resistance to Trump’s authoritarian […]
President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he intends to accept the gift of a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, dubbed a “Palace in the Sky” and reportedly worth $400 million, from the ruling family of Qatar. Trump said Qatar is making a gift of the luxury jet to the United States to be used by […]
More than 300 organizations, including Democracy 21 Education Fund, have joined together in a statement against the government’s attack on Harvard University and improper efforts to remove its tax-exempt status. In recent weeks, President Trump has repeatedly called for Harvard’s tax-exempt status to be revoked. According to the statement: When the federal government tries to […]
In China, “Princelings” are the children and other relatives of powerful government leaders who amass enormous wealth by trading on their family relationships. As Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump rack up huge financial deals around the world for the Trump business portfolio, they have become America’s own Princelings. A New York Times investigation, detailed a list of new […]
On Wednesday, April 30, Democracy 21 President Wertheimer received the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government for 2025. Previous recipients of the nonpartisan award include President Barack Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Senator John McCain, and Representatives John Lewis and Liz Cheney. The following are excerpts from Fred’s remarks at the […]
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Democracy 21 President Wertheimer received the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government for 2025. Previous recipients of the nonpartisan award include President Barack Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Senator John McCain, and Representatives John Lewis and Liz Cheney. The following are Wertheimer’s remarks at the award […]
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