In a September 25, 2025 memo, Donald Trump ordered a crackdown on organizations that assault democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental civil liberties. (https:// www.whitehouse.gov/presidentialactions/ 2025/09/countering-domesticterrorism- and-organized-political-violence).
Wait…Trump wants to crackdown on his own administration? After all, his team assaults public institutions, the Constitution, and civil liberties, gleefully tearing them down in full view of the public! The latest scandal is illegally sending military units to American cities to fight the “enemy within.”
This crackdown pronouncement uses Trump’s familiar ploy of accusing his opposition of the very things he has done or intends to do.
Trump’s crackdown applies, in his mind, only to leftist groups. Trump wants left-leaning people or organizations to be treated as domestic terrorists if they oppose official ideas about cultural values like family, morality, race, gender, Christianity, and capitalism.
When values are touted as Christian in an authoritarian setting, we must not assume they have anything to do with the teachings of Jesus. Christian Nationalists envision a vengeful, patriarchal Old-Testament “Christianity.”
Project 2025, the 900-page plan that Trump now faithfully follows, was written by Christian Nationalists.
The “Christianity” in so-called Christian Nationalism is deeply influenced by right-wing notions of white supremacy, Christian supremacy, and male supremacy.
Trump accomplished several Project 2025 goals with his first executive orders. During his campaign, he vehemently denounced the Project, but he obviously lied. Now, the Project’s regressive vision is unfolding rapidly in real time and right out in the open (https://www.axios.com/2025/10/02/ trump-project-2025-russ-vought).
Politically aligned with White Christian Nationalists are anti-DEI (pro-White) Evangelicals who want to keep women in traditional roles, with no access to birth control or abortion. These groups are influenced by popular farright figures who scorn women or do not want them to vote. This constituency, in turn, overlaps with TechBros and TheoBros. Talk about odd bedfellows!
TechBros are overshadowed by tech billionaires, but they all want to develop whatever technology they want without governmental interference, or, preferably, with governmental collaboration, as in the case of the surveillance services U.S. tech giants continue to supply to Israel (https://apnews.com/article/ israel-palestinians-ai-weapons).
TheoBros are online Evangelicals with an “Onward Christian Soldiers” warrior-and-grievance mentality. Theos are highly patriarchal. They believe men are natural leaders and women should graciously submit. TheoBros and TechBros share antiwomen sentiments. According to a repost by Elon Musk (uber TechBro) on X, formerly Twitter, high-testosterone alpha males should run society and only they should vote.
Each of these groups share goals with Trump’s cabinet-level appointments. As just one example, The Secretary of Defense, now the “Secretary of War,” Pete Hegseth, does not want women in combat, even though they have proven their critical worth the past ten years.
Men seem dismayed at losing their assumed first place in line. Come on, fellas. I know in the ‘seventies you supported women’s rights because you could see how unjust the system was and because you were not intimidated. Yes, you can compete in an actual merit-based system without an unfair advantage.
What a fearless and joyful thing it would be for us to stand up for each other.
Men can be heroes by standing up for women.
Straight people can stand up for gay people and insist that they get to be who they are.
White people could go into overdrive to stand up for Black men and women who are being fired from high positions, eliminated from history, erased from federal web sites, and disparaged as DEI hires.
I am 74 years old and have known, over the decades, many DEI hires and promotions, people of color and women. Almost all were overqualifi ed.
What changed? They had previously been discriminated against in employment, but were, at last, considered on merit rather than disqualified by color or gender. Now that trend is shifting back with the attack on DEI.
Ignored in the prevailing DEI rhetoric are the meaning of diversity, equity, and inclusion. the struggle for it, the justice behind it, and the startling improvements resulting from it. But MAGA and the Christian Nationalist crowd do not want everyone to be treated fairly or even included in society, much less welcomed.
We must stand up for the rights the Constitution grants to all. We must insist that the rule of law applies to everyone, even the President, despite what the Supreme Court is letting Trump get away with. We must show how the government sometimes abuses vulnerable groups among us in favor of the wealthiest.
If we do not stand up for non-White, non-straight, nonmale, non-wealthy people, we will lose the opportunity to redeem our country and rescue our decency. Straight White men who join the fight for justice, potentially opening themselves to criticism, can prove that we are still the home of the brave.