Prince or Tyrant?
“A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
By Rainy Martin
On July 4th, 1776, The United States of America officially gained its independence from Great Britain after years of tyranny. As of January 20th, 2025, Trump began his second term as President.
The Declaration of Independence houses shows the multitude of wrongdoings by King George III, giving reason as to why the thirteen colonies had viable reasons to declare independence from Great Britain. As I was reading them, some felt shockingly familiar. Below, I compare the list of grievances from 1776 to some of the things our dear President Donald Trump has accomplished in his second term thus far. Surprisingly, 250 years doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to tyrants.
1776 Grievance: “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”
Trump’s Presidency: Almost immediately after starting his second term, President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an effort to reduce the amount of government officials in order to enact his “small government” ideologies. Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are being deployed into coincidentally liberal cities all over the nation to forcefully stop groups from protesting Trump and his administration.
1776 Grievance: “He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither…”
Trump’s Presidency: The Trump Administration has done anything they can to limit immigration into the United States. They have introduced increasingly strict requirements for legal naturalization, including a broader range of criteria to deny applicants based on “good moral character,” and an even more difficult civics test. Not to mention the huge effort to end birthright citizenship and the entire wall he built in his first term.
1776 Grievance: “For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.”
Trump’s Presidency: In a process called “expedited removal,” ICE can just deport immigrants without a trial. Some immigration rights advocates claim that ICE has plans to people who have currently pending cases, even if the process has been completely legal. Reappearing 228 years after its original debut, The Trump Administration has also officially invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which makes it legal to deport any person without due process simply based on suspicion alone. This is starting to sound like the Salem witch trials.
1776 Grievance: “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
Trump’s Presidency: In response to an ICE officer shooting and killing Renee Macklin Good, Vice President J.D. Vance said the following: “The precedent here is very simple…that guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job.” While ICE is not military, it is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. Renee Macklin Good was a legal observer of recent ICE actions in Minneapolis. While The White House and homeland security have both claimed Good was a domestic terrorist and aimed her car at an ICE agent, many recordings of the incident clearly show Good steering away from the agent while attempting to leave the area. This deadly shooting couldn’t have been in self defense; the gunshot wounds entered Good from the side of her body. Regardless of the intention of the driver, why would you shoot somebody in a moving vehicle, which will keep moving even after the driver is dead, instead of moving out of its path of travel? (NPR.org)
1776 Grievance: “For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.”
Trump’s Presidency: Trump made a statement regarding his stress about a likely loss for the republican party in the upcoming midterm elections. Boasting about his alleged success thus far in his presidency, Trump stated: “‘When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.’” Not only does this show that he is invested in his own potential power to hold legislature over all of us, it shows the potential for a grim future where elections are a thing of the past.
How is it that we, as a country, have elected a man that directly mirrors the very system we escaped? How have we elected a tyrant to protect and represent our constitution? To represent the same constitution our founding fathers wrote almost 250 years ago to avoid men like him?
Is he a prince, or is he a tyrant?