At this point, I feel like I should just start a weekly “What Did Trump Destroy Today?” newsletter. If the last seven weeks weren’t horrifying enough, this week he upped the ante on voter suppression, women’s rights, and—because why not—military power.
It’s like he’s checking off every authoritarian to-do list item he can before someone dares to stop him. Democracy? Crushed. Civil rights? Torched. The rule of law? LOL, what’s that?
Let’s dive in.
1. The “Fair Elections” Executive Order (March 10, 2025)
What it does: Creates a national voter roll “audit” to remove “ineligible” voters, mandates strict voter ID laws nationwide, and bans mail-in voting except for military personnel.
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: This directly violates several sections of the Voting Rights Act. You cannot just start purging voters en masse.
- Ethical: “Ineligible voters” is code for “poor people, Black people, and anyone who doesn’t vote Republican.”
- Constitutional: Voting is a right. Making it harder for people to vote is literally the opposite of democracy.
2. The “Life Begins at Conception” Order (March 11, 2025)
What it does: Recognizes fetuses as full citizens under federal law, banning abortion nationwide without Congress even passing a law.
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: This is not how laws work. The president can’t just declare something legal or illegal by fiat.
- Ethical: This sets the stage for criminalizing miscarriages, birth control, and IVF. Welcome to The Handmaid’s Tale.
- Constitutional: Roe v. Wade may be gone, but states still have the right to set their own abortion laws. This violates state sovereignty in the most dystopian way possible.
3. The “National Morality in Education” Act (March 12, 2025)
What it does: Cuts federal funding to schools that teach “radical gender ideology” (translation: anything LGBTQ+ related).
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: Title IX exists, and it explicitly protects LGBTQ+ students.
- Ethical: This is straight-up erasing LGBTQ+ people from schools.
- Constitutional: First Amendment. The government can’t dictate what ideas are allowed in schools.
4. The “Protecting American Businesses” Order (March 13, 2025)
What it does: Eliminates the federal minimum wage and lets states set their own, without federal oversight.
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: This guts the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets a federal wage floor for a reason.
- Ethical: So we’re just… bringing back sweatshops? Cool. Great. Love that for us.
- Constitutional: Congress sets labor laws, not the president. This is not within his power.
5. The “Restore Law & Order” Executive Order (March 14, 2025)
What it does: Authorizes the National Guard to be deployed against protests deemed “threatening to public order.”
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: The Posse Comitatus Act literally bans using the military for domestic law enforcement.
- Ethical: Deploying armed troops against civilians for protesting? That’s authoritarianism 101.
- Constitutional: First Amendment. Protesting is a right. Using the military to suppress it? Yeah, that’s called a dictatorship.
6. The “Religious Liberty in Healthcare” Order (March 15, 2025)
What it does: Allows healthcare providers to deny services based on religious beliefs.
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: This violates the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees non-discriminatory healthcare access.
- Ethical: What’s next? Doctors refusing to treat women, LGBTQ+ people, or non-Christians?
- Constitutional: You cannot use religious beliefs to deny someone medical care. Period.
7. The “Expanding Military Authority” Order (March 16, 2025)
What it does: Grants the president expanded war powers without requiring congressional approval for military actions.
Why it’s a problem:
- Legal: The War Powers Act exists for a reason. The president does not get to just start wars without Congress.
- Ethical: What’s the over/under on how soon he starts bombing countries at will?
- Constitutional: The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war. This? Blatantly unconstitutional.
Final Thoughts
Trump’s turning the presidency into a monarchy at an alarming rate. We’re now at the point where he’s declaring war, erasing LGBTQ+ rights, criminalizing abortion, purging voter rolls, and sending troops to silence protesters.
At this rate, Week 9 will probably feature an executive order making Trump President-for-Life. Because let’s be real—that’s exactly where this is going.
Sources:
- List of Executive Orders – Wikipedia
- Voting Rights – Brennan Center for Justice
- Reproductive Rights – Planned Parenthood
- LGBTQ+ Rights in Education – GLSEN
- Labor Laws – Department of Labor
- Military & War Powers – Congressional Research Service
