Trump’s constitutional violations and Abbott’s election rigging demand immediate action from lawmakers who swore an oath to defend democracy
America is witnessing the systematic dismantling of constitutional government, and the very people elected to stop it are sitting in silence. Since January, President Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on the Constitution, violating fundamental principles of separation of powers, due process, and basic democratic norms. Meanwhile, Greg Abbott is openly rigging elections five years ahead of schedule to ensure Republican control regardless of what voters actually want. Yet where are the Republicans in Congress who swore an oath to defend the Constitution? They’re cowering in fear, allowing authoritarianism to take root rather than risk Trump’s wrath.
The evidence of constitutional violations is overwhelming and undeniable. Trump has attempted to end birthright citizenship through executive order, directly violating the 14th Amendment. Federal courts immediately blocked this blatantly unconstitutional action, but Trump continues to push forward anyway. He has illegally impounded congressionally appropriated funds – the exact same violation that got Nixon in trouble and led to the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Trump is freezing billions in foreign aid, infrastructure projects, and domestic programs simply because he disagrees with how Congress chose to spend taxpayer money.
This isn’t just bad policy – it’s a fundamental assault on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse. When the president can unilaterally decide which laws to enforce and which funding to release, we no longer have a democratic republic. We have an elected dictatorship.
Trump has also weaponized the Department of Justice in ways that would make authoritarian leaders proud. He’s targeted law firms that opposed him, including suspending security clearances and terminating government contracts for WilmerHale simply because they were associated with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. He’s threatened to make criticism of his administration “illegal,” openly stating that independent media outlets like CNN and MSNBC are “corrupt” and that their coverage “has to be illegal.” He’s launched campaigns against elite universities, accusing them of harboring “anti-American” values for allowing dissent and debate.
Most alarmingly, Trump has used the Alien Enemies Act – a wartime law from 1798 – in peacetime to suppress dissent and target immigrant communities. He’s conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorization, violating the War Powers Resolution and the Constitution’s clear requirement that Congress declare war. He’s even hinted at running for a third term, selling “Trump 2028” merchandise in direct violation of the 22nd Amendment.
These aren’t partisan talking points or political spin. At least 39 federal judges appointed by five different presidents – including Trump himself – have ruled against his unconstitutional actions. When judges appointed by the very president issuing these orders are blocking them as illegal, we’re not dealing with political differences. We’re dealing with clear violations of the law and Constitution.
Yet Republican members of Congress remain silent. House Speaker Mike Johnson dismisses concerns about constitutional violations as “gross overreaction in the media.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune focuses on passing Trump’s agenda rather than checking his power. Where are the supposed constitutional conservatives who spent decades lecturing Democrats about executive overreach? Where are the small-government Republicans who claimed to oppose presidential power grabs?
They’re terrified. They know Trump will destroy their careers if they stand up to him, so they’re choosing personal political survival over their constitutional duties. This cowardice is enabling the destruction of American democracy.
What they don’t realize is that their cowardice will destroy their careers anyway. Voters are watching these MAGA representatives choose Trump over the Constitution, and we won’t forget. Every congressman who stays silent while democracy burns will be voted out of office. Every senator who enables authoritarianism will face primary challengers and general election opponents who actually believe in constitutional government. Their dishonest fealty to Trump will be their political downfall.
Americans didn’t elect these people to be Trump’s lapdogs. We elected them to be our representatives, to defend our Constitution, to check executive power when it threatens our democracy. When they fail in these basic duties, they prove they don’t deserve our trust or our votes. We will replace them with candidates who understand that their oath is to the Constitution, not to Donald Trump.
But Trump’s constitutional violations pale in comparison to what Greg Abbott is doing in Texas. Abbott is attempting to rig elections on a scale that would make banana republic dictators jealous. Under direct pressure from Trump, Abbott has called a special session to redraw Texas’s congressional maps in the middle of the decade – something that’s only supposed to happen every ten years after the census.
This isn’t normal redistricting. This is pure election manipulation designed to steal up to five additional Republican House seats through gerrymandering. Abbott is using a transparently fake justification from Trump’s Department of Justice, claiming that four majority-minority districts are “unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.” This is the same state that just spent four years in court insisting these exact districts were race-blind and constitutional.
The timing exposes the lie. Abbott was initially resistant to this redistricting scheme until Trump personally called him and pressured him to comply. Suddenly, the DOJ produces a letter claiming constitutional violations that need immediate attention. The Republican Party of Texas didn’t even bother pretending this was about constitutional concerns, openly stating that redistricting is “an essential step to preserving GOP control in Congress and advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.”
This is cheating, plain and simple. Abbott is breaking a 240-year norm of redistricting only after the census to gain partisan advantage. He’s doing it five years early to lock in Republican control regardless of how Texans actually vote. The proposed maps would deliberately dilute the voting power of Black and Latino communities by “cracking” them into multiple districts or “packing” them into fewer districts.
This sets a catastrophic precedent. If Texas can redraw maps whenever they want for partisan gain, every state controlled by either party will do the same. We’ll have permanent gerrymandering wars that make elections meaningless. Politicians will choose their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians.
Abbott’s scheme is particularly insidious because it targets centrist Democrats and moderate Republicans who represent competitive districts. By eliminating swing seats and creating more partisan districts, Abbott is ensuring that only the most extreme candidates from both parties can win. This destroys any possibility of bipartisan cooperation or reasonable governance.
Where are the Republicans in Congress condemning this assault on democratic elections? Senators like John Cornyn are actually supporting Abbott’s gerrymandering scheme. House Republicans are celebrating the prospect of stolen seats rather than defending election integrity. They’re proving that they care more about power than democracy.
The silence from congressional Republicans enables both Trump’s constitutional violations and Abbott’s election rigging. When lawmakers refuse to check executive power or defend election integrity, they’re abandoning their most basic constitutional duties. They’re allowing authoritarianism to take root in American soil.
But here’s what these MAGA loyalists don’t understand: Americans are watching, and we will remember. Every Republican congressman who stays silent while Trump shreds the Constitution will face the voters’ wrath. Every senator who enables Abbott’s election rigging will be held accountable at the ballot box. We will vote them out for their dishonesty, their cowardice, and their blind fealty to Trump over country.
This isn’t a threat – it’s a promise. The American people elected these representatives to defend democracy, not to serve as Trump’s personal servants. When they choose loyalty to a man over loyalty to the Constitution, they forfeit their right to represent us. We will replace every single MAGA congressman who puts party over country, every senator who values Trump’s approval over their constitutional oath.
This cowardice has real consequences. Every day Congress fails to act, Trump consolidates more power and Abbott gets closer to rigging elections permanently. Federal agencies are being weaponized against political opponents. Immigration law is being rewritten through executive fiat. Constitutional rights are being trampled. Democratic norms are being shredded.
Democrats have begun fighting back, but they need help from principled Republicans. California Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened retaliatory redistricting if Texas proceeds with its gerrymandering. Democratic attorneys general are filing lawsuits challenging Trump’s constitutional violations. But this shouldn’t be a partisan fight – it should be a defense of democracy itself.
The solution requires both immediate action and long-term strategy. Congress must immediately investigate Trump’s constitutional violations and consider impeachment for his clear abuse of power. The House has already introduced impeachment articles citing Trump’s illegal impoundment of funds, attempts to end birthright citizenship, weaponization of the Justice Department, and creation of unlawful offices. Republicans should join these efforts instead of obstructing them.
Congress should also pass legislation to prevent mid-decade redistricting except when ordered by courts. Representative Marc Veasey has introduced the Anti-Rigging Act of 2025 to stop Abbott’s election manipulation, but it needs Republican support to pass.
For Texas specifically, Democrats and principled Republicans need to start playing the same game Abbott is playing. If Abbott can rig elections through gerrymandering, opponents need to use every legal tool available to stop him. This means aggressive litigation, ballot initiatives, and yes – finding a Republican challenger who will take Abbott on in the primary.
This is where Elon Musk could play a crucial role. Musk has the resources to fund a primary challenger who would defend election integrity and constitutional governance. Abbott is vulnerable on multiple fronts – his energy grid failures, his property tax increases, his authoritarian overreach, and now his blatant election rigging. A well-funded primary challenger who ran on restoring constitutional government and election integrity could expose Abbott’s hypocrisy and give Republican voters a real choice.
Musk has already criticized Abbott indirectly through his opposition to fiscally irresponsible policies. Abbott’s gerrymandering scheme costs taxpayers millions while ignoring real problems like flood preparedness and infrastructure. A principled Republican challenger could argue that Abbott is wasting time and money on political games while Texans suffer from his failed leadership.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. If Congress continues to enable Trump’s constitutional violations and Abbott succeeds in rigging elections, American democracy may not survive. We’re watching the slow-motion collapse of democratic institutions, enabled by politicians who put party loyalty above constitutional duties.
But it’s not too late. Congressional Republicans still have time to remember their oath of office and defend the Constitution they swore to protect. They can stand up to Trump’s authoritarian overreach and Abbott’s election rigging. They can choose democracy over authoritarianism, constitution over party, and country over personal political survival.
The question is whether they have the courage to do what’s right when it matters most. History will judge them harshly if they continue to enable the destruction of American democracy. The time for excuses and political calculations has passed. The Constitution is under assault, elections are being rigged, and democracy hangs in the balance.
Where are the Republicans in Congress when America needs them most? They’re hiding, when they should be fighting for the very system that gave them power in the first place. Their silence isn’t just cowardice – it’s complicity in the destruction of constitutional government. And unless they find their courage soon, there may not be a democracy left to defend.
-Megan Walsh