Republicans against Trump must stand up

Over the past several months, I have become more and more concerned about the state of our increasingly fragile democracy. 

The Trump administration has run roughshod over our democratic norms, taken power from our Congress and is pushing hard on the foundation of our courts. And this happens as many of my Republican friends sit back and watch. 

It’s interesting because most of the Republicans I know renounce Trump — they don’t like his approach or his morals or quite frankly anything about him — and they are keen to say this. 

The problem — they think that by stating they don’t like Trump gives them a free pass to take no further action and let democracy drift away.

They hate Trump — but they are OK to watch the Big Beautiful Bill flow through Congress — cutting Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP while generating tax savings, and making gun silencers more affordable.

Hurting the poor and underrepresented while helping the wealthy — not to mention blowing out the deficit. They sit idly by and watch Trump shower the world with his misunderstanding of tariffs that rattle and tank global financial markets. 

It’s OK because they have denounced Trump. 

They’re comfortable with ICE stomping all over due process and the rule of law as immigrants are hauled off in unmarked cars and flown to countries with known human rights violations — because they have said that they don’t like Trump. 

DOGE can take a sledgehammer to our governmental agencies — those that protect us now and into the future through research and intelligence gathering, ensuring aircraft fly safely because they don’t like the Donald. Corruption?  

Not a problem with pardons for cash, business deals in the Middle East, a $400M jet, or Bitcoin — because they have told us they don’t like Trump.

These Republicans must stand up and engage with their/our U.S. Reps and Senators or they are complicit in the demise of our democracy and our country. We need their action not their words, to take power back.

Stating that one despises Trump does not give Republicans a free pass to be silent on other issues, for if they do, their true colors are showing and our country may never recover.  

–Jeff Spalter, Longboat Key