From a beacon of democracy to authoritarian rule

Resilience of federal courts

The federal courts must persist in blocking any unconstitutional executive orders. The Supreme Court must put the country above the interests of a criminal, conspiratorial, and cunning president. Every Supreme Court Justice must remember that history records every vote they cast, because their final judgment will directly affect Trump's and future presidents' power, with profound implications for our democracy, which they have sworn to protect.

The Court will be deliberating on a score of lawsuits against many of Trump's executive orders, deemed unconstitutional or against democratic norms, over which lower courts have issued stays. These include cases that involve Trump's authority to deploy federal troops to certain cities, denying due process to immigrants before deportation, imposing sweeping tariffs, and freezing congressionally approved funds.

Bipartisan collaboration

Bipartisan dialogue across party lines is critical. A majority of Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate must fully and unabashedly collaborate to save America. It will take only 30 courageous, patriotic Republicans divided between the House and the Senate to stop Trump's ominous scheme and prevent America from sliding into authoritarianism. They must awaken to the historically unprecedented threat to our democracy, put the country's future democracy before their personal and party interests, and be prepared to sacrifice their political careers to stop Trump from sealing America's fate.

A new, visionary Democratic leader

Finally, it is time for the Democratic Party to find a new narrative that will resonate with a majority of the American public. They need visionary and courageous leaders with a new, alternative message to Trump's demagoguery and lies that appeals to a larger swath of Americans looking for constructive change to address their daily struggles and enjoy a greater sense of security. There is no day to spare for the Democrats to rise to this fateful challenge.

For 250 years, America has championed democratic ideals and values, the centrality of which is that every human has the inherent right to be free and treated as equal before the law. Many nations around the world have aspired to emulate these ideals and values because they respond to the basic human desire for freedom and democracy.

Democracy is the most fragile political system and cannot be taken for granted. It must be zealously protected by the people to withstand the threats and manipulations of those who seek to control and subjugate others to their whims and whose hunger for power is insatiable. As Thomas Jefferson famously said: "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."