Trump deports the Constitution

You’ve probably already heard about the fight between Donald Trump and federal Judge James Boasberg over the weekend. Boasberg blocked Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport undocumented Venezuelans, who allegedly belong to a criminal gang, to El Salvador. Trump deported them anyway. Then, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele taunted the judge on X/Twitter when he unsuccessfully ordered the flights turned around. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared the video Bukele posted, as did Elon Musk. And Trump thanked him, saying, “We will not forget!” Really classy stuff.

Do I think criminal gang members here illegally should be deported? Absolutely. Get them the hell out. But here is the issue: in America, we have a process for this. Why does that matter? Because shit happens. And with this administration, a lot of shit is happening. Green card holders, visa holders, tourists, even U.S. citizens are getting nabbed by ICE; detained for long stretches of time, often in undisclosed locations; subjected to harsh conditions; and deported without due process.

The men sent to do hard labor in a Salvadoran prison with no due process include a tattoo artist seeking asylum who entered legally, a teen who got a tattoo in Dallas because he thought it “looked cool,” and a 26-year-old whose tattoos his wife says are unrelated to a gang. Are they undocumented? Are they involved in gang activity? We have no idea. They never got to make their case. Next time, your son or nephew or friend’s kid could be disappeared because he posted a picture of his tattoo online. That’s not fearmongering. It’s just the sickening new reality we’re in where nothing matters anymore.

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UNCONSTITUTIONAL AF. Trump called for Judge Boasberg to be impeached, and the sackless GOP immediately introduced a measure to do just that. Why? Because they are authoritarians and patently un-American. A president can’t demand a judge be “impeached” simply because he doesn’t like a ruling the judge issued. Again, there is a process: You appeal the ruling. That’s how our system of checks and balances works. And in a rare rebuke today, Chief Justice John Roberts said the same thing.

But Trump hates the Constitution. He hates freedom of the press, he hates birthright citizenship, he hates the separation of powers. And he hates Voice of America, too, which he just shut down. By silencing our voice and cutting off our charitable arm to the world (USAID), Trump is literally killing America’s global brand.

A judge today found that the shutdown of USAID—and specifically Elon Musk’s role in it—is likely unconstitutional. Well, no shit. But it’s nice to hear someone in an official role say it in a courtroom, rather than on Bluesky. (Btw, Musk’s “DOGE” gangsters also broke into the U.S. Institute of Peace. They were unauthorized. They had no reason or right to be there. The DC Metropolitan police were even called. But this is what happens when you elect a lawless president. Lawlessness pervades.)

FOR WHO? FOR WHAT? So why is Trump actively neutering us as the voice of democracy around the globe? C’mon, do I even have to spell it out? It’s all for Vladimir Putin, of course. He and Trump are “very good friends,” according to Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

And remember, Trump👏🏻 is👏🏻 a👏🏻 Russian👏🏻 asset.👏🏻

I cannot say that forcefully enough.

For all the Code Pink conservatives out there who think Putin is honorable, and Trump is a man of peace, listen up. Putin wants everything he can get out of a Trump-brokered ceasefire. And Trump is prepared to give it to him: no NATO membership for Ukraine, no U.S. peacekeeping force, eased sanctions for Russia, a terminated DOJ program targeting oligarchs, a disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force intended to keep Russia from meddling in our elections, the withdrawal of the U.S. from of the international body investigating the Ukraine invasion, a nixed contract to help kidnapped Ukrainian kids, even possibly recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. And naturally, Trump is making up bullshit about Ukrainian soldiers, so he can come off looking like a hero. To reiterate, Donald Trump = Russian asset.

DOJ? LOL. More like DODJT. It’s wrong for any American president to give a political speech in the Department of Justice’s Great Hall, as Trump did on Friday. It contaminates the independence of the institution. It’s also wrong for any American president to call himself the “chief law enforcement officer.” Because he’s not. And it’s fucking psychotic for Donald Trump (or anyone) to say this: “I was attacked more than anybody in the history of our country. Alphonse Capone—the great Alphonse Capone, legendary Scarface—was attacked only a tiny fraction of what Trump was attacked.” Shame on this country for electing a mobster-admiring perpetual victim, who not only believes he is above the law, but also that he should have complete power over the system of justice.

ONE MORE THING. I hope those on the “anti-woke” left are proud of themselves. Their woke derangement syndrome, which led them to sit home on Election Day or even vote for Trump, has given us an administration that removes references to Black, Hispanic, and women veterans; holds disaster relief assistance back from towns in need over DEI policies and language; investigates universities; brings rapists into the White House; and hires people who absolve Hitler, Stalin, and Mao of genocide. It’s a slippery slope, folks. Next thing you know, you’ll have lawmakers saying people should be imprisoned for their gender identity. Oh wait…that already happened.

Well done, guys. Really.

So what can you do? Here are some ideas…

1. Join the growing #NOKINGS community! Let’s build a community right now of Americans who rally around and identify with that basic truth: we don’t have kings in America. We’re figuring out in real time where we go from here. I’ve changed all my profile pictures to #NOKINGS, and you can too. Grab the #NOKINGS graphic below and go to www.oneflaginitiative.org for instructions on how to change your profile pics.

2. Post this on your social media! We are building the fiery, grassroots resistance to King Donald right here at the Social Contract. We are open to everyone and welcome diverse viewpoints. Please let your network know we’re here!

3. Give The Washington Post a hand if you can…

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