Trump’s War on the Constitution
This letter to the editor, by Kerry Kittel, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on February 5, 2026.
People often say “elections have consequences” to justify the policies and actions of the winner. In terms of respecting and preserving the Constitution, no elections produced worse consequences for America than Donald Trump’s.
Trump lied by insisting the Constitution gives him the power “to do whatever I want as president.” His claim is nonsense, since the Constitution clearly created a system of checks and balances. Congressional Republicans have, so far, allowed Trump to do whatever he wants. He has taken their silence as permission to destroy the Constitution.
Free speech, protected by the First Amendment, was first to go. Trump called for the arrest and imprisonment of critics without a trial. Press was next, when he sued news outlets that did not censor themselves or produce content that he did not like. He finally carried out his threats to arrest journalists by arresting Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.
Trump has used poorly trained, violent federal troops to prevent Americans from assembling. Masked, unaccountable agents have gassed, beaten and killed people to stifle opposition to Trump and his policies.
The Fourth Amendment requires that a warrant, based on probable cause and signed by a judge, be shown before federal agents can legally enter a home. Under Trump, federal agents have ignored that requirement.
The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee that due process rights belong to all people in America. They use inclusive phrases like “all persons” or “any person.” If they meant for those rights to be limited to citizens, they would have said so.
Both Trump administrations have ignored constitutional protections of due process. Do we really want this president, who has used Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination over 440 times, to decide who else deserves Fifth Amendment protections?
The Tenth Amendment mandates that “The powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the People.” Republicans used to quote it all the time. Now they ignore it.
Trump was asked if there are any limits to his power. His response should scare the hell out of every American. “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality, my own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
He is wrong, of course. The people, when faced with the dangers of tyranny and absolute power, have united to stop it. We did so during the American Revolution and by defeating fascism during World War II. We must do it again.