We have a president gone rogue. If you already agree, feel free to jump to the next section.

What’s the Problem?

While it’s not unprecedented for a president to assume more power than the constitution allows, President Trump is using unprecedented power to illegally invoke drastic tariffs, sinking our economy and creating a global crisis. He has shuttered government agencies like USAID, which only Congress can shut down, and crippled others, like Social Security and NIH, that are essential to providing protections and services for citizen and residents. He is defying court orders to “disappear” immigrants – both illegal and legal – to a prison in El Salvador, with “cruel and unusual punishment” that would never be allowed for even the worst criminals in the US. Note, we’re not talking about deporting people. Trump is putting them in prison. And he threatens to do even more. He wants to disappear US citizens to CECOT in El Salvador. Never mind that his actions are immoral, they’re illegal. He threatens to take over the land of allies such as Greenland and Canada by whatever means necessary. We used to laugh at such wild aspirations, but no more. Believe him. He’s dead serious.

When candidate Trump told campaign rallies he would be all about retribution, we chuckled. We didn’t think he was mad at us. But it has become clear that the president is angry at just about everyone and has declared war against many – immigrants, journalists, justice department lawyers and judges, fraud investigators and, of course, Democrats. I don’t know what poor Americans did to hurt him, but he has taken dead aim at all of us. Our most vulnerable are faced with losing their health insurance. Middle class Americans are facing rising costs and are losing value in their retirement funds. Trump’s tariffs are clearly a tax – a steep tax, mainly on poor and middle class Americans. Then there’s foreign policy. Trump can’t seem to remember who started the war in which Russia invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation, to steal their land.

We have a president who constantly lies. The biggest and most repeated lies have to do with the 2020 election which he claims was stolen from him and the January 6 attack on the capitol and police which he says was a “day of love.” Moreover, He requires his cabinet officials to agree and repeat his lies. Trump is ill-informed and uninterested in learning about the issues he is disrupting. His confidence far exceeds his competence.

We don’t even talk about conflicts of interest and outright corruption. What kind of deals are nations and large corporations having to make to avoid tariffs? The president has suggested that they should buy his meme coin and his $DJT stock. (Trump’s family … created a cryptocurrency business, World Liberty Financial, that could, in practice, serve as a vehicle for anyone to pay him indirect bribes. Read Kleptocracy, Inc. in the Atlantic)

Trump’s policies, even in the first three months, are far-reaching. Few of us are unaffected. We’ve lost money in retirement accounts. We’re facing rising prices and inflation and, probably, recession (job losses and stagnant growth). Friends and family members have lost jobs. More importantly, we are living now in an age of uncertainty and fear. The cruelty of Trump’s policies are intentionally on public display. We’re afraid of what’s to come in the remaining 3 years and 9 months of Trump’s presidency. The promised “dictator for a day” has made America an authoritarian bully of its people and nations – both enemies and allies.
There seems to be no stopping Trump. He has filled Executive branch appointments with people whose only competency is loyalty and praise for their leader. There’s no push back from his advisors, only obsequious and zealous support for his hair-brained ideas. Congress is not pushing back. The courts are powerless to do anything but ask questions and threaten to issue a statement. With all three branches of our government under Trump’s aggressive power, it looks like nobody is riding in on a white horse to rescue us. Leaders of our ally countries are reduced to bowing down and begging for mercy from Trump’s tariffs.

What Can We Expect?

Psalm 72 gives a clear picture of what is expected of government leaders.

1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
    your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
    and save the children of the needy;
    may he crush the oppressor.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
    for precious is their blood in his sight.

These are to be the values of the King, but they apply to any form of government and the leaders therein. We can think of these values as biblical, godly expectations of our president. He should protect the vulnerable. He should rescue the oppressed. He should judge fairly. He should ensure that the hard work of the people results in prosperity of the people. These are the Judaeo-Christians values that undergird our nation and theists, atheists and agnostics are rightly incensed when these values are so clearly discarded.

I don’t know anyone who would suggest that unbiased justice and mercy are the priorities of Donald Trump. Read Psalm 72 and Proverbs 31:1-9. You’ll find nothing about retribution. You’ll find nothing about taxing the poor so billionaires can add to their stash. You’ll find nothing about dehumanizing and instilling fear in immigrants and foreigners.

What Can We Do?

We voted. And we’ll vote again. in the meantime, who knows what havoc will be wreaked by this toddler president.

Followers of Jesus Christ are given two clear instructions on relating to our leaders. We are to submit to them and we are to pray for them (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13–17). I have to admit, I want to do neither, but I find the reasons for prayerful submission compelling. Paul says in Romans we are to submit because our leaders have the power and we do not. Like it or not, our leaders have the power, whether they were voted in, appointed, inherited the office or usurped power that does not belong to them. Submit for your own good and the good of your family and friends. Don’t fight them; You can’t win. Follow the speed limit because they can take away your driver’s license. Pay your taxes because they can take your property. Don’t assault your mean neighbor, because the government can take your liberty. You can scream into the void, but they have the power.

Next we’re told to pray for our leaders. It’s good for your emotional health for one thing. Prayer helps us to acknowledge the One who truly has the power. Righteous leaders come and go. Despots come and go. God remains on the throne. Prayer helps us to reset our perspective, reclaim our values and re-construct our strategies.

Which brings me an important point. We need to take responsibility for our part in the government of our nation.

We Are the King!

You can read about God’s requirements of a King and think that applies to the president and the governor, but not to me. I’m afraid that this is how we often teach folks in our churches.

But, in times like these, we need to be reminded that our US Constitution begins, “We the people…” Remember, we fired our king (King George of England) and took over his job. We did not appoint a new king; we are the King! We elect leaders to serve us. They serve only with our consent.
That is the government into which we were born or immigrated. So, when the Bible says the king is to love justice, show mercy and respect the rights of every child of God, it’s talking about every American.

Don’t think that Donald Trump is the one sending immigrants to life imprisonment in El Salvador without due process. We are. Don’t think that Donald Trump is threatening Ukraine, Canada and Greenland. We are the threat. Don’t think that Donald Trump is robbing the poor and middle class to fatten the wealthy. We are doing that. If you’re reaping the benefits of injustice and say nothing, you’re complicit.

What if our leaders are leading us to steal land and money, abuse children of God, release criminals and imprison innocent people? What if our leaders are undermining our Judaeo-Christian values? Then, I believe God requires that we stop them. We must resist. We must fire those leaders.

Prayer is not enough. So, says the Bible. When we see someone in need, it is irresponsible to simply pray as if God will send angels to do what he sent us to do.

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. – James 2:15–17

The Bible says to pray, encourage, and get to work. It’s not just our right; it’s our responsibility as citizens and certainly as Christians. Here are some suggestions: legal and non-violent ways you can have a positive influence in our government.

1. Contact your representatives in Congress. Be specific about what you want them to do. Choose an issue. Ask them what you can do to help. Some representatives have succeeded in convincing the president to undo some of his policies, at least in specific and temporary ways. Some USAID projects were re-instituted. Some tariffs have been changed or delayed. I’m asking my representatives – they’re all Democrats – to find Republicans they can befriend and find common cause with. Find the Liz Cheneys and Adam Kinzingers and support them. I’m encouraged to see the independence of Rep. Don Baker (R-Nebraska). We need a few more.
2. If you have any power or privilege, use it to stand up for those without power or privilege. Don’t wait until you’re harmed. Speak out for those who are harmed now. Imagine the number of oldsters who would hit the streets if their social security check was a week late. Imagine if all those same folks, rather than waiting for Trump’s attacks to affect them, hit the streets now on behalf of the vulnerable who are losing jobs, benefits and healthcare.
3. Be an American first, not a Republican or Democrat. Take immigration, for instance. Both parties agree our immigration system is broken. Our economy is dependent on immigrants, but legal immigration is exceedingly difficult or impossible. Illegal immigration has gotten out of control. Undocumented workers endure mistreatment for fear of being deported. Both parties have used immigration as a campaign issue, but neither party has fixed the system when they had the power to do so. Insist that our representatives pursue a just and sensible immigration reform.
4. Be a world citizen. There is nothing gained for the US if our tariffs crash the economy of Mexico. Cutting off USAID efforts to reduce AIDS, E. coli outbreaks or malaria in Africa does not put money in our pockets or assure us of health. Remember, the corona virus pandemic in China was on our doorstep within weeks.
5. Vote with your spending. Money gets more attention than words with this administration. This may happen even without coordination and planning. During uncertain times, such as today’s economic chaos, people tend to put off spending. You can do that purposefully. Avoid companies that are kowtowing to the president (such as Apple, Tesla, Facebook and some law firms) and support small businesses, which don’t have the lobbying power.
6. Join forces with those who are also committed to peace and justice, even if they have other issues in mind. Coordinated protest is more effective than individual efforts.
7. Sure, use social media. Post, like, repost. But, most of us are just howling into the wind. Get out, stand up, speak up, make a sign, march. Get active. You’ll feel better and you’ll get more attention.
8. Be a St. Francis, an instrument of God’s peace, seeking to understand before expecting to be understood. Let’s find common ground with those with whom we disagree. You want someone to apologize for voting a certain way? Forget it! It’s a fool’s errand.
9. And pray more. It’s not a last resort. It’s the starting place.