As Elon Musk charges ahead with his hostile takeover of the federal government, those of us concerned about American democracy cannot wait for a savior. We must stand up and save ourselves. We already know Republicans in Washington won’t stop the assault on our institutions. And Democrats are still trying to figure out an effective game plan to counter President Donald Trump’s “flood the zone” agenda politically.
Trump has empowered Musk to overwhelm the system and dismantle the current administrative state. Through a made-up “agency” known as the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, Musk and his minions are wreaking havoc on the federal government. On Trump’s behalf, they are attempting to access sensitive government databases, disrupting humanitarian assistance overseas and pushing to drastically reduce the federal workforce.
Musk has made it his mission to throw the U.S. Agency for International Development “into the wood chipper.” Congress funds the foreign assistance agency to boost humanitarian efforts around the globe. It is a form of America’s “soft power,” especially important as we seek to counter China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative. However, with Musk’s nudging, the Trump administration is working to dismantle USAID, an agency created after Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Congress also funds USAID.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are making the lane wider for the machines of destruction to drive down.
Republicans on Capitol Hill don’t seem to care. In fact, they’re making the lane wider for the machines of destruction to drive down. This week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota refused to criticize the Trump administration for its plan to gut USAID without congressional approval, essentially forfeiting one of the crucial checks and balances envisioned by our founders.
Republicans in power have proved time and time again they are not going to be the ones who stand up to Trump, and now they are handing over the keys to our government to Elon Musk, who was elected by no one. It is quite frankly, pathetic.
Imagine if President Joe Biden had created a fake agency for Republican bogeyman George Soros to operate at his discretion with unfettered access to the government’s payment system. The right-wing political and media ecosystem would have had a meltdown. House Republicans would have wasted no time launching an impeachment inquiry. But since this is Trump and his first buddy Musk, this constitutional crisis is going unchecked by Senate and House Republicans.
As we look at the new chessboard in Washington, those who support democracy must understand that congressional Republicans aren’t coming to the rescue. We must guard against the authoritarian forces taking form within our own government. We can’t just hunker down and wait for this to pass. We must find new battle lines to counter the Trump-Musk takeover.
If the shoe were on the other foot, Republicans would stop at nothing to obstruct the opposing party’s agenda. In the Obama era, then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell used Senate rules to slow down judicial appointees. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama managed to block hundreds of military promotions during the Biden administration over a Pentagon abortion policy. What is stopping Senate Democrats from playing hardball? They should use these same tools to push back against Trump’s agenda.
Democrats must also stay focused and avoid getting caught up in Trump’s traps. Look no further than Trump’s ridiculous assertion that the U.S. will turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” That is utter nonsense. Saudi Arabia instantly shot down this magical thinking. And finally, the U.S. would need agencies like USAID to implement a drastic shift in foreign policy like this. How can you even hope to change the world if you’re destroying one of your most effective tools?
Trump likes to hold press conferences where he rattles off outlandish proposals he presumably knows will go nowhere. These bright shiny objects are designed to distract Democrats, the media and the American people from the parts of his extreme agenda that are actively being pursued.
Concerned citizens must also hit the streets to counter the second Trump administration effectively. Sit down with your elders and learn what they did to change the direction of a country seemingly locked into racist Jim Crow laws. Civil rights activists turned the tide with their voices and their feet. While many of the protests starting to unfold target Musk, Americans don’t need to lose sight of the real danger: Trump. It is the president of the United States who is allowing an unelected billionaire tech tycoon to assert so much power. Even now, the Musk infection is spreading across the bloodstream of every government agency. It’s a relentless power grab that benefits Trump. If Trump wants to run the government like a business, we must remind everyone that he is the CEO. Every mistake, every problem, every plane crash or missed payment that crops up from now on should be placed squarely on his desk. He has to account for it. For the next two years, we must resist Trump every way we can. Resistance is not futile because it is up to us to make certain that this “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth.” For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC. Lynox Norman contributed.
Michael Steele
Michael Steele is a co-host of "The Weeknight," which airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. He is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. 
