Mother Jones illustration; National Archives; Getty
When Thomas Jefferson was writing the Declaration of Independence in the weeks leading up July 4, 1776, he wanted to not only rely on just high-falutin enlightenment ideals to justify the case for separation from Great Britain. His aim was also to present a slam-dunk indictment of King George III—to prove that the royal was a “tyrant” and that he and Parliament had forfeited their right to rule the Americans by breaking their own laws and trampling on the rights of their people. This is why about half of the Declaration is a list of 27 specific grievances lodged against the King and his regime.
Two hundred and forty-nine years later, many of these grievances apply to the reign of Donald Trump. Here’s a look at how Trump stacks up against the Mad King.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
This grievance refers to the King refusing to approve laws passed by the colonies. Trump used his veto power a few times during his first presidency and has not had to do so this year. But he’s shown his disregard for Congress by simply ignoring existing laws. The Elon Musk-led DOGE attack on the government violated numerous laws—including those governing privacy and data. Trump paid no heed to the War Powers Resolution when he launched a military attack on Iran. He illegally impounded funds approved by Congress. He has misinterpreted the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to claim powers not afforded the president. Legal experts have said that Trump’s firing of inspectors general and commissioners of independent government commissions is illegal—though some of these cases are still being litigated in the courts. He has also issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the Constitution.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
Trump’s Medicaid-cutting-deficit-busting-billionaires-enriching tax-and-spending megabill tried to prevent state legislatures from passing specific laws with a provision that would ban states from enacting measures to regulate AI for the next 10 years. (That piece was stripped out on Tuesday.) He threatened to withhold federal funds from the state of Maine if it did not ban transgender girls from participating in women’s sports, which, according to Gov. Janet Mills, would entail the state violating state law.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
Trump threatened to deny disaster relief to California if it did not abandon its legislative independence and change its water policies to Trump’s liking. He also threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City, should Democrat Zohran Mamdani win the mayoral race and enact laws or policies Trump opposes.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency has moved to relocate federal agencies and repurpose their office buildings (including the US Institute of Peace and the National Science Foundation) to make life uncomfortable for employees and officials. Watch out, Speaker Mike Johnson.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
Trump has not yet tried to dissolve any local governments. But Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem did state that the purpose of sending Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles was to “liberate” the city from its elected representatives.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
Trump has not attempted to cancel elections. Yet.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
Trump has revealed a plan to denaturalize certain American citizens. He has imposed a new ban on migration from many nations and undone the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of people legally living in the United States. Basically, he has been attempting to keep out people out—especially from nations he calls “shithole countries.” His administration has also taken steps to block foreign students from attending American colleges and universities.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
For his final report, special counsel Robert Mueller produced a 187-page volume detailing Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice during the Russia investigation. More recently, the Trump administration has faced contempt proceedings for not abiding by court orders.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
Those who serve Trump’s will are more likely to be nominated to the federal bench. See Emil Bove.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
See DOGE. See the new turbo-powered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. But there are no reports yet of masked and unidentified ICE agents who “eat out” the people’s “substance.”
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
Trump ordered Marines and National Guard troops into Los Angeles, when there was no war or insurrection, without the consent of the state legislature and over the objection of the governor and local officials.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
Trump has not yet removed the military from civilian and congressional oversight. But he recently floated invoking the Insurrection Act, which would give him the power to deploy troops within the United States for the purpose of law enforcement.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump recently wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, suggesting he believes his authority supersedes the Constitution and federal laws. Trump also deported people to a gulag in El Salvador and then claimed they were under the jurisdiction of El Salvador and the United States had no ability to effectuate their return. (One of the deportees, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was eventually returned.)
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
Don’t give him any ideas. National Guard troops sent to LA were housed in a federal building. Clearly, they needed better accommodations.
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For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently would not rule out ordering troops to shoot protesters. It was not an idle hypothetical. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Trump raised the possibility of having soldiers shoot activists in the leg. His aides turned him down. Of course, he did pardon hundreds of violent January 6 rioters, though none were convicted of murder.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
Trump proposed draconian global tariffs that in many cases would bring trade to a halt, claiming trade deficits with countries such as Lesotho were a national “emergency.”
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
Tariffs are taxes. Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to impose tariffs. There was no vote in Congress to approve these tariffs.
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
The Trump administration has rounded up Venezuelan migrants and sent them to an infamous Salvadoran prison without affording them due process or court hearings.
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
See above. Trump has transported people to other nations without due process—where they don’t receive trials for either real or pretended offenses. Deportees sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador were locked up without trials.
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
This was a reference to the Quebec Act of 1774, which extended Quebec’s border southward into territory claimed by American colonies and established an appointed council (instead of an elected body) to govern Quebec—which freaked out colonists, who saw this as a prelude to King George III imposing a similar form of government on the colonies. Trump has done something of the reverse. He told Canada he doesn’t recognize the US–Canada border and has said he might use “economic force” to annex Canada, threatening the United States’ second largest trading partner and most loyal ally.
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
Trump has eviscerated or tried to eviscerate the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Affordable Care Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. He has undermined the independence of the Justice Department. He has attacked the judiciary. With the complicity of one political party, he has neutered the legislative branch.
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has yet to suspend Congress. He hasn’t needed to.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has abdicated his responsibility to protect Americans by denying disaster relief to states, including Arkansas (tornadoes), North Carolina (a hurricane), West Virginia (flooding), and Washington (a windstorm).
As for “waging war,” Noem (see above) has threatened to use federal troops to take over Los Angeles. ICE agents have terrorized communities coast to coast, injuring residents. Detainees have died in ICE jails.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
It might not be what Thomas Jefferson had in mind, but Trump’s reversals on climate change and environmental laws and regulations will lead to rising of the seas, despoliation and erosion of our coasts, and more wildfires. All of this will threaten the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He’s clear on this one…so far. But Trump has indicated he’s open to the idea of using private military forces for his mass-deportation crusade.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He’s also clear on this.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
The second part of this grievance sounds like a comment Trump might post on Truth Social, but the first part is something he actually did—on January 6, 2021.