Op-Ed: Being Anti-MAGA Isn’t Anti-American — It’s Patriotic

Patriotism is not about pledging allegiance to a person; it’s about pledging allegiance to principles. The MAGA movement, under the leadership of Donald Trump, would have you believe that questioning or opposing Trump is somehow un-American. But history, common sense, and the very framework of our democracy remind us that dissent is not disloyalty — it’s a patriotic duty.

In fact, being anti-MAGA is not about opposing America, it’s about defending it.

Donald Trump’s policies — often driven by impulse rather than informed leadership — have consistently undermined the very things that make America strong: its economy, its global reputation, its moral leadership, and its democratic foundations. MAGA isn’t about putting America first. It’s about putting one man’s ego above the nation’s best interests.

Take, for example, the economic instability triggered by Trump’s erratic trade wars. Citadel CEO and Republican megadonor Ken Griffin warned that Trump’s tariffs were “eroding the nation’s brand” and destroying confidence in the U.S. as a stable financial leader. Treasury bonds, long considered the world’s safest investment, were devalued because Trump made it clear America could no longer be trusted as a rational global actor.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon echoed this concern, cautioning, “America First is fine, as long as it doesn’t end up being America alone.” But under Donald Trump, that’s exactly what happened — the isolation of America, not the elevation of it.

This wasn’t just corporate hand-wringing. Twelve states were so alarmed by Trump’s misuse of presidential powers that they sued his administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade. Their lawsuit argued that Trump “illegally imposed tax hikes on Americans through tariffs” under the false pretense of national emergency powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The suit, joined by small business owners and civil rights groups like the New Civil Liberties Alliance, challenged Trump’s claim that he could arbitrarily tax the American people at will. The lawsuit made it plain: these tariffs weren’t sound policy — they were economic sabotage carried out at the whim of one man.

But the damage wasn’t confined to the economy. It was deeply personal for many communities. Trump’s administration openly attacked the LGBTQ+ community, from trying to ban transgender people from military service to stripping healthcare protections from LGBTQ+ individuals under the Affordable Care Act. For the disabled community, Trump’s cruelty was not just performative — like when he mocked a disabled reporter on the campaign trail  — but systemic, as he attempted to gut Medicaid funding, disproportionately impacting people with disabilities and the national autism registry his Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed. 

Communities of color have long felt the sting of Trump’s policies. From the proposed travel bans to the cruel separation of immigrant families with ICE, to the deafening silence on issues like police brutality and systemic racism — Trump’s playbook has always been one of division, not unity. His repeated attacks on Black athletes protesting injustice and his “very fine people on both sides” comment in the wake of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and defense of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee remain undeniable examples of this pattern.

Equally alarming is his steady march toward authoritarianism. Hundreds of political scientists and democracy scholars, through initiatives like Bright Line Watch, warned that the U.S. was sliding dangerously close to what they call “competitive authoritarianism” — a system where elections still occur but the playing field is rigged through attacks on the press, judiciary, and dissenters. Trump’s efforts to undermine the integrity of American elections, spread disinformation, and pack courts with loyalists fit this mold perfectly.

His war on science and education further weakened America’s global leadership. As Governor Maura Healey pointed out, Trump’s cuts to NIH funding forced universities like UMass and Harvard to lay off researchers, many working on life-saving treatments for cancer and Alzheimer’s, while China welcomed those scientists with open arms and open wallets.

This is not leadership. This is not patriotism.

Patriotism means holding your country accountable when it strays from its values. It means challenging policies and leaders who endanger the nation’s future. The Founding Fathers themselves warned against unchecked power and tyranny. So, opposing MAGA’s brand of chaos, cruelty, and authoritarianism is not anti-American — it is the very essence of American patriotism.

The truth is simple: defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law is the most patriotic thing any of us can do. True patriots hold power accountable and challenge systems that oppress and demand better.

So, no, being anti-MAGA isn’t anti-American. It’s American as hell.

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