Don't Act Like It Was Anything Other than What We Saw With Our Own Eyes

I have repeatedly stated that we are not going to chase every tweet this time around. We will not breathlessly report every outrageous action they take. Instead, we’ll focus on what truly matters. A lot happened yesterday, and it’s impossible to rank the horrors, but here’s where my attention is:

Birthright Citizenship

The President signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants. This is absolute nonsense. An executive order cannot override the Constitution. The 14th Amendment explicitly states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Several organizations — including the ACLU, ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Maine (which my wife runs), ACLU of Massachusetts, Asian Law Caucus, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and the Legal Defense Fund — have already filed a lawsuit challenging this order. Despite Justices Alito and Thomas, they will win.

January 6th Pardons

In my view, this was the most alarming action of Trump’s first day: he pardoned 1,600 individuals involved in the January 6th coup attempt, including those convicted of violent crimes against police officers. This is chilling. The message is clear: as long as people commit violent acts on Trump’s behalf, they are free to do so without consequence.

These pardoned individuals will return to their communities, and many will commit further violence — some against the very friends and family members who reported them.

There’s no silver lining here. However, most Americans — even Republicans — did not support pardoning the January 6th criminals. Let’s hope the inevitable backlash to their future violence is severe and resolute.

TikTok

Trump signed an executive order postponing legislation that would have banned TikTok in the U.S. While TikTok probably shouldn’t have been banned in the first place, that’s beside the point. The real issue is that Trump’s EO attempts to override an act of Congress.

The executive branch enforces legislation, so this order is essentially symbolic. Trump has mentioned something about the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok, though it’s unclear whether he means a private entity or the government itself.

Regardless, TikTok’s reputation has taken a massive hit in recent days, leaving it irreparably damaged. It’s now state-run, a tool of both the U.S. and Chinese governments. If you still want to use TikTok, fine, but understand: you’re now a pawn of the Establishment. You are working for The Man.

Trans Rights

Trump also signed an executive order stating that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes: male and female. While this EO is legally toothless, it’s cruel, petty, and harmful on an emotional and psychological level.

Trans rights are human rights. As my wife says, the way to argue for trans rights is through inclusivity: “Trans people have a right to privacy, just as everyone else does — just as the President of the United States does.”

Musk’s Nazi Salute

It was a Nazi salute. End of story. If anyone tries to argue otherwise, shut it down. When a man who supports Germany’s far-right party — the closest thing the country has to a Nazi party — makes a gesture resembling a Nazi salute, it is a Nazi salute.

Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League, the man tasked with protecting Jewish people, is completely useless. The ADL has proven itself as irrelevant as legacy media and can no longer be trusted.

It’s going to be a difficult week, month, and year. Don’t take the bait on everything they throw at us. Yesterday, they threw a lot at us. A lot of it was scary and real. Some of it was toothless. As the dust begins to settle, we will respond to their chaos with chaos of our own designed to make it difficult for them to get anything passed. Look out for the people around you. Resist. Do not comply. Throw sand in their eyes.