The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog.

Trump world is giving us the “madman theory of foreign policy” and a reign of terror domestically. Around the world, he is fashioning himself as unpredictable and irrational, which comes naturally to him and doesn’t have to be “fashioned.” Just ask Greenlanders and Panamanians, fearful that he said he’d use force if necessary to take them over. Or ask our NATO allies. Or the millions worldwide whose survival from disease and starvation depends on US foreign aid. Or our neighbors and market traders in Canada and Mexico who as of today must deal with 25 percent tariffs ( a US consumer tax which could wreak havoc on our economy.)

Trump II is equally dangerous on the home front, where he is, sadly, completely predictable. Here’s just the top of the list: pardoning January 6 convicts who plotted and committed violent crimes against police defending our Capitol; performatively implementing his promise of mass deportations, not necessarily limited to criminals; eliminating across the board all programs that smack of any diversity, equity and inclusion. (This was the DEI, for which – without any evidence – he blamed the lethal air crash tragedy in D.C, conveniently ignoring that the FAA diversity program was initiated under Trump I.)

Add to these offenses his impounding federal funds authorized by Congress (temporarily put on hold by courts); kowtowing to tech giants and oligarchs who are also major contributors; sweeping firings of top DOJ and FBI officials involved in any investigation of Trump and cronies; putting on probationary status countless career civil servants; naming a cabinet made largely of the supremely unqualified, chosen solely because they are loyalists. If you work for government, especially as part of the apolitical civil service, this has the feel of a Reign of Terror like that of the Jacobins under Robespierre or the Great Purge under Stalin. No mass murders yet, but don’t forget that those January 6 insurrectionists, sentenced and jailed for up to 20 years for viciously assaulting police officers, are now back on the streets, armed and boastful. They include leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who consider themselves to be Trump’s de facto private paramilitary warriors.

Well-informed, intelligent and rational people say they are frightened. With good reason. Our President is a mendacious convicted felon and a thug. He files baseless lawsuits against large and powerful corporations that cave and make substantial financial settlements to protect their business interests. Innocent individuals are targeted, forcing them to lawyer up, risking bankruptcy to defend themselves. Maybe I’ve been watching too many crime procedurals, but this seems nothing less than extortion or a protection racket.

Trump may start out with an historically low favorable rating for a new president, but his supporters are happy he’s at least “doing something.” And opinion polls indicate more Americans support Trump’s policies than support him. So, how do we fortify ourselves? strengthen our backbones? resist without taking up arms or embracing the sometimes-meaningless theatrics of “the resistance?” effect needed change?

It’s too early to tell whether the reorganized DNC, with its new chair Ken Martin, will make any difference. I have doubts. I’ve written before about relying selectively  on discriminating news sources. Some non-profits and other organizations are turning to well-informed, strategic minority members of the House and Senate, whose staffs have the research and access to legal resources to mount the most effective pushbacks.

We as individuals can join in those efforts but also learn better how to discourse civilly with those with whom we disagree, trying to find areas of common ground. Bringing about change through persuasion can take time. At what point will Trump’s overreach turn those supporters off and perhaps around? When will the intended and unintended consequences of Project 2025 bite? Remember the fierce pushback and immediate pullback after the Trump administration froze all 3 million of federal grants and loans. It’s a slender reed, but some hope may lie with those currently-cowed Republican Senators and Representatives who privately differentiate between right and wrong but need to find the courage to step into the daylight.

There are 21 months before the midterm elections, and there’s much that must be done to overturn the slim margins by which the Republicans hang on to power in the legislative branch. This branch is accorded preeminence in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Sadly, too many members of Congress see their role not as an independent branch of government but as cheerleaders for their cult leader, our demagogic President, regardless of his position. It may be naïve, but I also cling to the hope that there are enough members of the Trump-dominated Supreme Court who will support the language of the Constitution when some of these democracy-rattling matters ( from impoundment to birthright citizenship and more) come before it.