Stop folding the knee to Trump: it’s time for early non-compliance | David Kirp

DUring the more than 100 days and more of its presidency, Donald Trump did its best to redo the United States in its image. Fearing Hurricane Donald, a multitude of universities, law firms, newspapers, public schools and fortune companies 500 rushed to make his auctions, bowing even before he calls. Other institutions are curled up, in the hope that they will go unnoticed.

But this behavior, which specialists in the social sciences call “early conformity”, smooths the way for autocracy because it gives the Trump regime an unlimited power without having to lift the finger. Stopping autocracy in its traces requires counter-back-let’s call it anticipated non-compliance.

Examples of early conformity are the legion.

Goodbye, academic freedom: Trump means imposing his anti-intellectual ideology on higher education. He uses unhewed allegations of anti -Semitism and claims of discriminatory diversity of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as an excuse to punish private leading universities – initially unhappy Columbia, then other schools, including Harvard, Princeton, Cornell and Northwestern – retaining billions of dollars in Harvard, Federal. My own university, the University of California in Berkeley, plans to be added to this list when Trump attracts his attention to national universities in national renown.

“To be afraid” is the message for each university – threats of restraint of school funds which use the “awake” language have prompted some which are not even under the pistol to censor, Excision of words Like “race”, “gender”, “class” and “equity” of the titles and programs of course.

Early compliance also affects public school actions. Worried that due to their alleged “sensitivity”, they will lose the federal dollars who will provide additional help to those who need it most, school systems have changed their study program to launder the historic file and restrict the literature available for students. Farewell, Toni Morrison and Rosa Parks.

Goodbye, free press: Disney and Meta landed A combined $ 40 million To settle the baseless defamation proceedings brought by Trump, and Paramount negotiates to make Trump’s trial disappear by 60 minutes.

On the eve of the 2024 elections, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, drew an approving editorial Kamala Harris, to stay in the good graces of Trump. Los Angeles Times too, whose owner is a billionaire businessman.

Goodbye, legal representation: Nine main law firms succumbed to blackmail to get rid of the decrees of the president who punished some companies for having moved him. Collectively, they agreed to provide more than $ 1 billion in Pro Bono legal work to the causes of Trump’s choice. Now, they are asked to defend the coal industry and the prices, which is certainly not what they expected.

In addition, some leading companies have ceased to provide professional work on immigration prosecution and other hot topic problems. Instead, they make their talent available to Trump, out while the White House is the viola of the rule of law.

Hello, Toading: For curry promote and avoid ridicule in a Trump tweet, dozens of large companies, ranging from Amazon in PepsiTreat the president as if he were king, reducing or abandoning their Dei programs without being specifically threatened.

Those who fold the knee rationalize their actions as a simple prudent survival strategy. But it is illusory, because the historical file shows that early conformity opens the path of autocracy. Intimidators like Trump always require more of their begging – more money, more principles of abandonment, more loyalty behavior. Early compliance nourishes the beast, showing the authorities with how much they can get away with it.

Here is the good news – early non -compliance is increasing. The challenges of Trump’s unconstitutional actions have emerged in higher education and kindergarten in the 12th year, the legal profession and the business world. Citizens now make his voice heard.

Forged by the provocative pose of Harvard, an increasing number of colleges and universities repel the scandalous requests of Trump. A recent declaration Hundreds of university administrators have declared that “we are talking with one voice against the overcoming and political interference of the unprecedented government now endangering American higher education”. The Senates of the Faculty of Big 10 Academic Alliance have designed a “Mutual Defense Pact»; Behind the scenes, the presidents of about 10 elite private universities Decide what red lines they will not cross.

Rather than gently complying with Trump’s monarchical demand that public schools eliminate Dei’s initiatives or are likely to lose federal funds, 19 states have gone before the courts, challenging the distorted reading of the administration of the civil rights law.

The CEOs that have reduced the diversity programs of their businesses have misunderstood the market and suffered the consequences. Diversity is a popular objective that many investors and consumers take into account in their decisions. When Target made it go back, the company had to face a boycott of consumers and a decrease of 17%. Meanwhile, companies like Costco and Apple, which have been firm, are on the list of good guys for buyers and investors.

Several law firms refused to cave Faced with Trump blackmail tactics, rather Carry the administration before the courts. Not only is it the right thing to do; This could prove to be the profitable course. The judges are unequivocal on their side. And when Microsoft dropped a business that went to Trump, sign With a company that shoots the administration, he indicated that virtue can be rewarded financially.

After months of quiescence, with the population overwhelmed by the tsunami of the outrages, a popular opposition emerges. May, tens of thousands Protesters participated in almost 1,000 anti-Trump demonstrations.

The restoration of democracy is not an easy task, because it is infinitely easier to destroy than to rebuild. It will take a fight of several years which deploys an arsenal of tactics, ranging from mass demonstrations and boycotts of consumers to dispute and political organization. It is an exhausting work, but if the autocracy must be defeated, there is no option. “Everything that is confronted can not be changed; but nothing can be changed until it faces,” observed James Baldwin, in an article in the New York Times in 1962. Half a century later, this message still sounds true.

What gives me hope now

The courts were firm in their defense of the rule of law, repelling the executive decrees of Trump. Americans participate in mass demonstrations at the national level and vote for democratic candidates in the local elections. In addition, the Americans vote with their portfolios – stimulated by a boycott of consumers, the value of Tesla’s shares plunged almost $ 700 billion from its peak a year ago.

• David Kirp is professor emeritus at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley