Which Side of History Are You On?

That question becomes more critical as Trump's authoritarianism escalates

The militarization of the streets of our nation’s capital. (Photo by Win McNamee via Getty Images)

The evidence of Donald Trump’s desperation and failure is mounting. The question for each of us and each of our leaders is: Which side of history will I be on?

We saw Trump’s pitiful betrayal of America with his kowtowing to Vladimir Putin this weekend: American troops rolling out a red carpet to the murderous war criminal’s aircraft. The White House occupant clapping as Putin approached him, then warmly shaking his hand and welcoming him into the backseat of the presidential limousine for a private session. A beaten-looking Trump emerging after multi-hour discussions to share his failure to reach any agreement, followed by his support for Putin’s rejection of a ceasefire. It was a disgraceful encounter by a weak man who reminded the world that he is an empty, unprincipled clown spurring a tragedy for a once-great nation.

Meanwhile, National Guard troops roam the streets of Washington, D.C., linger around Union Station and set up checkpoints in safe neighborhoods, underscoring the lie that this federal takeover is intended to rid our nation’s capital of crime. This was another pathetic display by a weak man determined to prove that he’s a powerful authoritarian strongman. The announcement by Republican governors in Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia that they would send National Guard troops to D.C. to augment Trump’s spectacle makes clear which side of history they are on.

So we have Trump capitulating to Putin while exploiting our own military to threaten residents in our nation’s capital. This is not the behavior of an American president, who swears to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States. These are not the actions of a strong man, but a sweaty imposter who yearns to be taken seriously by proudly hosting a deadly autocrat while cosplaying as the dictator of a lawless banana republic, complete with combat vehicles and uniformed soldiers.

Today the much-maligned Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is returning to Washington, which tells us how deeply he cares about his nation’s well-being; after the repulsive assault by Trump in the Oval Office in February, no one would misunderstand if he chose not to come again to engage with America’s enemy of democracy.

But, wisely, this time he’s coming with friends: European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump will have a tough time demeaning the elected leader of a sovereign and democratic nation in this company.

This show of leadership—on short notice after this weekend’s humiliating spectacle in Alaska—is cause for celebration. The meeting doesn’t promise that Putin’s puppet will change his mind and rediscover reasons to support Ukraine in its fight for survival, but it should remind all of us on the freedom-loving side of history that democracy has real allies who will jump on airplanes to express their commitment. It’s a tragedy that they are doing so because none of them trusts the intentions of the man holding America hostage, but we can take strength from their show of force.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is demonstrating his recognition that America is facing a five-alarm fire and the need to take new measures to confront it. Yes, that includes his plan to redraw Republican districts and increase Democratic Congressional seats in response to Texas, assuming California voters support this in November.

But it’s also his and his team’s daily trolling of Trump by mocking his childish communication style in their online posts. His social media is now filled with ALL CAPS posts, language that copies Trump’s idiocy (“Sad!” “Total Beta!!”) and images of Newsom’s head atop muscle-bound bodies. What an irony that Republican critics have complained that this is not becoming of the governor of the nation’s largest state. “America deserves better than this,” one laughably commented.

I don’t have time for commentators who are quick to dismiss Newsom’s attack as his play for the presidency in 2028. We are over three years from that election, and it should be obvious that we need every powerful Democrat to use their platforms creatively to confront and overcome Trump and his fascist regime.

In general, I’m reluctant to criticize Democrats at a time when the opposition to Trump needs as much solidarity as possible rather than internecine warfare. But as the authoritarian spectacle plays out day and night in D.C, we should expect every elected Democrat to be out on the streets expressing their outrage. Congress may be on break right now, but that shouldn’t slow them from stopping the Trump regime from controlling the narrative.

This dangerous and desperate authoritarian escalation demands a visible and ongoing pushback. A growing contingent of protestors in D.C. are displaying their commitment to our democracy, but the elected officials are failing right now to do their fundamental job to preserve our democracy and defend our rights. This must change; we cannot afford business-as-usual thinking and behavior.

They—like each of us—need to ask themselves over and over: Which side of history will I be on? That’s not a rhetorical question to be posed occasionally. It can and should be a daily mantra as they—and we—reflect on whether we are doing enough in expressing our opposition to a weak man desperate to be seen as strong and unbeatable.

Yes, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, these first seven months have been exhausting and feel like they’ve lasted a lifetime. But every day we have the ability to chip away at Trump’s lies and false narratives—including by speaking out, calling our representatives, joining public protests, acting with compassion and kindness.

Trump’s house of cards will eventually come tumbling down if enough of us grasp its weakness and form a human hurricane to knock it over.

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