David Arbeitman: Not conservative, reactionary

Donald Trump is not a conservative but a reactionary and the press needs to make this important distinction. Whereas true conservatives are supportive of traditional values and democratic institutions, President Trump’s disregard for the U.S. Constitution, federal court orders, and his aggressive expansion of the executive branch at the expense of the Congress and the judiciary shows contempt for our democracy.

Fortunately, the courts have stepped in. But Trump could take his VP’s advice and emulate Andrew Jackson by ignoring federal and Supreme Court decisions, resulting in a constitutional crisis. Trump is not a conservative in any sense, but rather a “reactionary,” a person who “is opposed to political and social change” (OED). Trump wants to take us back to the 1950s, before civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Given his packing his cabinet with far-right billionaires, he may actually want to take us back to the days of the “robber barons” of the 19th century, when the Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Rockefellers used their extreme wealth, like Elon Musk, to enrich themselves by exploiting workers and creating an oligarchy, a government by the wealthy for the wealthy.

The courts need to block Trump’s egomaniacal drive to monopolize power and destroy our democracy. With Republicans’ razor-thin majority, voters can actually flip the House of Representatives by electing Democrats to the seats left vacant by Elise Stefanik, Matt Gaetz, and Mike Waltz, enabling Democrats to stop Trump from enacting Project 2025 and start needed investigations.

David Arbeitman

Florence