The Trump-Musk breakup was predictable. The petty, self-interested, vindictive, cruel, and childish behaviors that characterize their public actions have burst into open conflict. Economist Robert Reich provided an apt summary of the affair saying, “That any of us have to care about the messy breakup of these two massive narcissists—and that they both individually wield such massive power—is an indictment of our political system and further proves the poisonous influence of Big Money on our democracy.”

Five years ago, on May 29, the people of Detroit took to the streets in a massive outpouring of grief and rage at the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. They joined what was to become the largest social movement in the history of this country. For 100 consecutive, contentious days, Detroit Will Breathe provided leadership for marches, meetings and teach ins.

The first “Decoration Day” was proclaimed by Gen. John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, and organization of former Union soldiers and sailors.  States and finally the federal government followed in establishing the last Monday in May as a time to remember those who lost their lives in war. This official recognition came because of the thousands upon thousands of people who gathered at the end of every May to decorate the graves of those people lost to war.  After the Civil War, this practiced touched every community. People marked the loss of loved ones with graveside visits, parades, and speeches.

The first weeks of May 2025 mark an escalation in actions by the Trump administration toward fascist rule. The White House deputy chief of staff, Steven Miller told reporters that they are “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, the centuries old right of individuals to challenge detentions in court. Miller described basic human rights to due process as a “privilege.”

The number of executive orders and social media posts flowing from this administration makes it difficult to discern initiatives central to the establishment of fascism. Often, the titles of the executive orders simultaneously attack people and ideas while obscuring their real impact and intent.

The face of American fascism is clear in just 13 short weeks. In the 140 executive orders and 5 legislative acts issued in this time Trump-Musk have established a values framework that represents the worst moments in our history. They celebrate the most destructive vices in western culture and mock its virtues.

Protests and creative action against the forces of fascism are growing. Millions of people celebrated Earth Day by taking to the streets. Following the Hands Off mobilizations, there is a visible shift in the opposition to Trump and his billionaire buddies.

This opposition has been growing steadily. As Waging Nonviolence documents:

I have spent much of my life in universities. It did not surprise me that their leadership quickly caved in to the demands of fascism. I am well aware of the weaknesses of these institutions.  But I am also well aware of their strengths.  Fascists do not attack educational institutions because they are weak. They attack them because they fear their strength. That is why the emerging resistance to these assaults is important.

In the chainsaw version of change brought to us by the forces of fascism, it is difficult to get beyond the noise of destruction. But the global shifts that are feeding this frenzy require careful consideration. The chaos and anxiety provoked by the Trump tariff follies obscure important questions for us to consider.  Especially as resistance to Trump grows, those of us committed to a better world need to think beyond protecting what is being destroyed. Much of it, like the institutions of the global economic order, are the source of the most difficult problems we face.

Fascism is not an abstraction. It invades our most intimate moments. It becomes real not only through the policies of faceless bureaucrats but through the actions of people we know. Fascism depends on disrupting normal relationships to induce fear. That is part of its power. But that is also its vulnerability.

Over the last two weeks we have seen cruelty directed at some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.  Somewhere in the future people will look back at the pictures of men shackled in chain gangs, doubled over with heads shaved, and rank it with those of the early days of the holocaust, where elder Jewish men and women were forced to clean streets, while being publicly humiliated. Such images capture the depravity of power, the powerlessness of onlookers. They are the early warning signs of brutalities to come.

Commentators are debating whether or not the US is in a constitutional crisis. Certainly, the actions of the Trump administration have moved us toward a confrontation between the executive and judicial branches of government. Court after court is finding the actions of Trump and Elon Musk to be “illegal.” Yet the power of the courts is unclear when those with executive authority refuse to comply. 

Under fascism truth and lies have a complicated relationship. Small lies about specific facts are not as important as the larger truths essential to establish and maintain a fascist regime. 

In his discussion of Hitler, Mussolini and Goebbels, historian Federico Finchelstein observes:

Understanding this moment as a period of emerging fascism enables us to look at historical, systemic trends, rather than focusing on the personality characteristics of individuals. Trump’s outsized capacity for cruelty and his perpetual lying can seduce us into thinking that he is the problem, rather than a symptom of much deeper structural shifts.

Somewhere on East Jefferson Avenue, there is the ghost of a sign. In uneven, narrow script the words “NO CONSENT” once stood out boldly, red on a low gray wall.  The letters have long faded. But their spirit remains to guide us.

The declaration embodied the resistance to the drive toward Detroit bankruptcy. As much loved activist and City Council member JoAnn Watson often reminded us: Detroit did not file for bankruptcy. An unelected, illegitimate, anti-democratic emergency manager did. It was all a ruse to shift public wealth to private hands. It was a practice case for what is now happening on a national scale.

Our ability to construct a better future depends on naming this moment with as much care as possible. We are in the midst of a fundamental, global transformation marked by ecological collapse and grotesque inequalities of wealth and power. Systems that defined daily life and gave it meaning are collapsing, incapable of responding to the magnitude of the challenges before us.

Relationships around the globe are shifting rapidly. These shifts are not because of Donald Trump.  Although his policies are likely to make things worse for everyone, the reality is that the American Empire is declining.  All the bluster over tariffs  and territorial expansion from Greenland to Gaza will not restore it. The ability of the U.S.A. to dominate others has been diminished by economic and political realities far beyond this current administration.  Whatever moral influence we represented was lost long ago. The cruel ending of humanitarian aid is the latest act of a country that has given up all sense of compassion.

The chaotic, cruel actions of the Trump administration are designed to obscure the real shifts taking place in our country. It should be obvious that Trump, with the aid of Elon Musk, has staged a coup, rendering the congress, courts, and constitution meaningless. In the pursuit of “government efficiency” the necessary functions of collective life are being destroyed.

People across the country are responding to the attack on immigrants. Faced with a militarized assault on our communities, people are demonstrating a courage rooted in compassion.  They are refusing to cooperate with federal officials, drawing upon constitutional protections, faith, and local support.

I am grateful to writer/activist Rebecca Solnit for her thoughtful discussion “The way we get through this is together.” Held on Martin Luther King Day, the conversation with Liz Ogbu, Akaya Windwood, Bill McKibben, Charlie Jane Anders, and Anand Giridharadas offers ways to “celebrate community and cultivate a pathway for hope in these dark times.” It is a rich, thoughtful discussion, reflecting expansive experiences by people deeply engaged in efforts to create a just and peaceful world. 

As the first week of Trump’s presidency unfolds, I have been thinking about key ideas they explored. One that I have found helpful is to consider the distinction between reaction and response.