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Breaking their oath / Enabling two dictators [1]
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Date: 2025-03-03
Trump’s recent treatment of Zelenskyy, the most consequential war leader since Winston Churchill, reveals a troubling pattern of disrespect. On February 28, 2025, Trump’s need to undermine Zelenskyy has harmed America and its values. It is obvious and unacceptable that Trump favors Putin over Ukraine, a democracy that Russia invaded three years ago, leading to the deaths of approximately 45,100 Ukrainian soldiers and 12,605 civilians. Trump could detest Zelenskyy and still care about Ukraine, but it seems that he only cares about the country’s resources, such as rare earth minerals, rather than the lives of Ukrainians. It almost appears as though Trump wants to “Gaza” Ukraine by allowing Russia to kill or drive out all Ukrainians. If that were to happen, could Trump gain control of Ukraine’s resources? In light of this, it’s clear that Trump’s approach to Ukraine is not about protecting a nation but exploiting it for economic gain. Vance asked, “Have you said thank you?” For what. Trump has done nothing for Ukraine. His deal is, “We want 50% of all of your resources, and in return we will give you nothing, no security, nothing.” Thank you?
We now face the dynamics of disrespect.
Who, then, believes that Trump respects his oath of office? It is not the congressional Republicans whose actions demonstrate a profound disrespect for their constitutional duties. The oath they swear states: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
There is much to unpack in this oath.
“Solemnly swear?” The solemnity of the oath appears to be a mere formality for Republicans. While the act of taking it seems to be serious, the oath carries no influence on the behavior of most Republican lawmakers. The likes of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep. James Comer, Sen. Roger Marshall, Sen. Josh Hawley, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sen. John Curtis, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and many more are neither serious nor sincere. Their disregard for the oath substitutes hypocrisy for duty.
“Support and defend the Constitution?” Here, we see a distressing dereliction of duty. The Republican House has surrendered its Article I power of the purse to Musk and Trump. The Republican Senate abandoned its advice and consent power by affirming clearly incompetent and dangerous Trump nominees.
“Enemies, foreign and domestic?” The domestic enemy is now occupying the White House. By ignoring this, Republicans themselves have become enemies of America. Instead of challenging Trump, they have fawned over him. And what of foreign enemies? Trump abandons Ukraine to the invader, Russia. In just five weeks, we see Trump destroying America in order to achieve his coup. The “enemy within” is America’s first dictator: Donald J. Trump.
“Bear true faith?” There is little truth left in their words. Republicans have proven themselves incapable of bearing up to Trump. They betray their oath for the sake of power and money. Their faith lies in personal gain rather than in the principles of democracy or the Constitution. Judas-like, they are selling out their country.
“Faith in what? Democracy?” For Republicans, by undermining democracy, they are able to maintain power. They win elections by engaging in voter suppression tactics— gerrymandering, purging voter rolls, passing legislation to make it harder to vote, restricting or eliminating vote by mail, decreasing or eliminating ballot drop-off boxes, restricting early voting, eliminating polling places, restricting voter registration, reducing the number of voting machines at a polling location to increase wait times to vote, eliminating or thwarting ballot curing, i.e. helping to fix ballot errors so a vote counts, making it harder for college students to vote, and more.
Taking “this obligation freely?” An obligation is far more than a wink and nod. It often calls for courageous actions to which a congressman is morally and legally bound, yet Republicans ignore their obligation through their complicity with a corrupt President. Republicans avoid their duties out of fear of losing their office to extremist candidates funded by billionaires.
“Without any mental reservation?” Republican lawmakers have employed mental gymnastics to justify their support of Trump. They evade their constitutional responsibilities with no regard for their duty to defend the nation from its adversaries, both foreign and domestic. We saw this in one town hall after another as Republicans were tongue-tied or speechless in their defense of Trump. In many “the emperor has no clothes” moments, their Republican constituents were not having it.
“Without purpose of evasion?” Republican leaders evade the truth and their responsibility to America. Their inaction in the face of Trump’s abuses is a betrayal of everything they pledged to uphold. Under Trump, there is no future greatness for America. All her greatness lies in the past. When Trump ambushed Zelenskyy, he abandoned Ukraine, democracy, Europe, all of our allies, our long-cherished commitments, and America’s values. The high-five praise of Trump that followed by virtually every Republican member of Congress and official was cringeworthy and dangerous.
The oath includes a promise to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office.” The Republican Congress is clearly doing the opposite out of cowardice, personal gain, or both. This failure is endangering our nation for political expediency.
“So help me God?” To swear an oath before God with no intention of keeping it is a profound sacrilege, a sin. In breaking their oath they are enabling two dictators: Putin and Trump.
The language of the oath is plain, and the expectations are clear. Failure to keep this oath requires expulsion from Congress. The “charges” for expulsion include violation of their oath of office, complicity in the abuse of power and the obstruction of justice by the President and his administration, dereliction of duty through the willful neglect of responsibilities, and corrupt obstruction because their actions are directly related to preventing being primaried by someone funded by Musk. Since the likelihood of expulsion is unlikely, we must defer to the people to deny them re-election.
The Republican Congress disrespects America. Trump disrespects America. Why is there any reason to respect either?
Trump will address a Joint Session of Congress on March 4, 2025. Democrats are deliberating whether or not to attend. It would be wise for them to go as a sign of respect for the institution of Congress, but they should do so strategically. Every few minutes during the entire address, a few Democrats should get up and leave, making a powerful statement that Trump is unworthy of respect and emphasizing the importance of holding elected officials accountable. This show of disrespect will resonate across the nation, sending a clear message that America will not tolerate Trump’s disregard for democracy, the rule of law, and our allies.
Respect is earned through actions and words. As it stands, both Trump and his Republican supporters have shown a blatant disregard for the very principles they swore to uphold. The nation deserves leaders who embody integrity, honesty, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of America and all Americans. Only then can respect be restored to the Office and the Oath of Office in Congress and the Presidency.
Time left to January 20, 2029: 1,418 days
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