There’s a chasm between Dictator Trump and Democracy

Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 25, 2025

Donald Trump — like all dictators — feels seriously threatened by educated voters. In fact our current President acts like his greatest enemies are educated citizens.

Professor, attorney and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich reminds us that slaveholders interrupted their slaves from learning to read. Further Reich reminds us that Nazis burned books. He further states, “That’s why Trump is attacking education, science, museums and the arts.”

Ignorance and tyranny go hand in hand. Trump’s Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller has said, “The powers of the president will not be questioned.” But wait a minute — while quoting let’s bring in Theodore Roosevelt. He said: “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” And you might recall Miller also is Trump’s lead architect of this administration’s racism.

Sorry, I can’t help it, but more quotes are coming. Anne Applebaum has spent an immense portion of her career studying dictators. Ms. Applebaum has written a Pulitzer Prize winning book on this subject. Her winning book is titled Autocracy, Inc. She states that autocrats are not linked by common democratic ideas … “but by a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity.” Now, doesn’t that fit Trump?

From day one of Trump’s second term as president he has been on course to cut federal funding to public schools. Typical of autocracies this administration’s primary threat has been focused on cutting funds —particularly those schools focusing values on diversity and inclusion.

Public education has proven itself to be the cornerstone of American democracy. Education is an obvious creator of leaders in a free society. Therefore dictators feel compelled to restrict education. So it is that Trump’s administration starts by abolishing the Department of Education — cancelling nearly $1-billion funding for local school lunches.

And that’s also the reason Dictator Trump slashed another $600 million in public school funds typically used for training teachers to deliver Black history. Trump and his supporters are leading the charge to dilute (whitewash) Black history in public schools. In fact in some red states right-wingers are prosecuting teachers and school principals who allow students to learn Black history. And to be a “safe dictator” Trump’s attacks on our nation’s undiluted history also includes encouraging GOP governors to ban books. In fact, Trump encouraged Republican-led Florida’s governor to ban as many as 300 books.

Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower said many years ago, “Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing the evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go into your library and read every book”

Among banned books are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. And would you believe it the Harry Potter series is among those banned.

Addressing this important subject the late John F. Kennedy said, “Libraries should be open to all — except the censor.” Further Kennedy said, “We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms, let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors.”

Of course Dictator Donald Trump disagrees. Why else would he place programs like Head Start on the chopping block? Dictator Trump also is escalating his assaults on free speech and political journalism. Free speech is viewed by all dictators as intolerable.

Dave Gauger is a past president of Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, and a former newspaper publisher and radio broadcaster in Raymond.