2025 Talking Points

In a nutshell: President Trump is not trying to govern. He is trying to rule. The list of examples of the Trump administration’s authoritarian actions keeps getting longer and longer.

  • Ignoring the US constitution by bypassing Congress’s power of the purse.

  • Declaring false emergencies to justify authoritarian actions.       

  • Labeling critics as “enemies within” or “domestic terrorists,” thereby curbing free speech and dangerously deepening the divisions in the country.

  • Suggesting to the military that they may be used to combat ‘the enemy within.’

  • Deploying military forces to cities despite the governors and mayors not requesting or needing their presence.

  • Instilling fear in citizens by having federal enforcement personnel wear masks, use unmarked vehicles, and refuse to identify themselves.

  • Appointing cabinet members and officials seemingly primarily based on their expected loyalty, prioritising this above all other qualifications. One loyalty test: 2020 election denial.

  • Continuing to deny that he lost the 2020 presidential election and asserting that Democrats rig elections.

  • Illegally firing thousands of federal employees without cause,

  • Unconstitutionally imposing tariffs without congressional approval.

  • Curbing free speech and free press through intimidation, lawsuits, threats of defunding, and threats of regulatory repercussions.

  • Ignoring and violating court orders, referring to some judges as “leftist lunatics,”

  • Denying individuals their Fifth Amendment right to due process.

  • Eliminating independent oversight of Federal departments, which allows for potential deception and illegal activities to occur without detection or accountability

  • Acting as the judge, jury, and executioner for foreign drug traffickers.

  • Pardoning all January 6 rioters, even those convicted of violent crimes.

  • Spreading outright lies.      

  • Expecting the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute individuals perceived by Trump as having wronged him.

Citizens React

Americans show up,

concerned about the over 100 executive orders signed in Trump’s first days in office, many of which are unconstitutional or unlawful.

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez address large crowds in April

Voices for Reason holds a Town Hall

to assess the effects on Ketchikan of the Trump Administration’s actions, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and the Rescissions Act of 2025. The town Hall was held on October 8, 2025. See the report

Ketchikanites at Town Hall

Citizens are protesting.

On October 18, 7 million people attended No Kings rallies in all 50 states. In Ketchikan, 300 people assembled to peacefully demonstrate to the government and the nation that most Americans do not want our democracy to turn into an autocracy.  See the Ketchikan Daily News article for details of the local event.

 

No Kings protest/march/rally in Ketchikan

2024 Talking Points

Donald Trump is Undemocratic

The founding fathers were exceptional in establishing a constitution that gave power to regular people, instead of kings and emperors. The functioning democracy they created has lasted over 240 years. Trump’s statements about potentially rigged elections before the 2016 and 2020 elections, and then calling the 2020 election “stolen,” are undemocratic and have greatly reduced Americans’ trust in the legitimacy of the electoral process. Donald Trump’s  “I alone can fix it,”  sounds like an autocrat, not the leader of a democracy designed with checks and balances, and a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Donald Trump is Unpatriotic

 A patriot running for president would say that he will accept the result of the 2024 election, no matter who wins. Trump did not commit to accept the election result in 2016 and 2020 and he has refused to commit to accept election results in 2024. Trump shows great disrespect for all government institutions and anybody who doesn’tagree with him. This has greatly polarized the country, eroding our trust in each other, our longstanding institutions, and the country’s abilities to solve problems. This is not the speech of a patriot. Trump calls the January 6 felons in jail “patriots,” many of whom were convicted of attacking capitol guards. He calls real patriots who served or died while in the US military “losers” or “suckers.”  This is not the posture of a patriot.

Donald Trump is Dangerous

Trump is a danger to our country. On January 6, 2021, thousands of people rioted in and around the US Capital. Many of these people were acting out of a sense of patriotic duty or loyalty to Donald Trump, believing in his lies that the election was stolen. Trump did not send these folks to the capital to protest. They were sent to intimidate congressmen and bully the Republicans, and especially Mike Pence, into not certifying the election. He made no attempt to stop the rioters for more than three hours, and not until the National Guard and police had controlled the violence and chaos. We have learned this "protest" was only one part of Trump's plan to stay in power. He also secretly organized a set of fake Electoral College electors in battleground states. And he attempted to strong-arm Republican election officials to call into question the fairness of the election or to "find votes."

 The Electoral College vote was very close. It was close enough in the battleground states that maybe Trump would have won on another day, but he didn't in the election of 2020. The rules for that election were made by elected government officeholders and/or officials appointed by those elected officeholders. Those were the rules. Trump lost. He should have accepted the defeat, congratulated the winner, and moved on as is the norm and as we teach our children to do. After the Supreme Court sided with Florida in 2000, Al Gore accepted his defeat in a much closer and legally contestable election. Al Gore did this for the good of the country. He was being a patriot. Trump is not. We can not have a functioning constitutional democracy if our citizens don't believe our electoral process is legitimate. How can power be transferred peacefully without citizens trusting the results of our elections?

Not only did Trump betray the Constitution in his attempted coup in 2020, but he continues to delegitimize our electoral process. He accuses Democrats of trying to rig the 2024 election, and he makes no attempt to discourage violence by his supporters. He is dangerous. He can not be our next President.

Millions of Americans have sacrificed their time, their energy, and even their lives to protect and preserve our democracy. We owe it to these patriots, our founding fathers, our children, and ourselves to help safeguard America’s institutions of self-governance.

Importance of Democracy

Ketchikan Daily News letter to the editor by VFR PAC member Bill Rotecki:

I served on the Ketchikan Borough Assembly from 2000 to 2006. That experience of governing in accord with democratic principles reinforced my belief that democracy, and democratic institutions, work. The Assembly members often did not agree on the policy decisions and the actions we took. But all of us had an equal opportunity to express ourselves, listen to other points of view and try to persuade other members that a certain approach was best for the borough. Those processes were open to the public, and the public had genuine opportunities to weigh in and influence our decisions.

And through this process, we served the people of Ketchikan.

As I’ve experienced the blessings of liberty over a long life, I have had the good fortune to travel around the world and visit democracies and kingdoms, countries both wealthy and impoverished, and this has led me to appreciate the system we have here at home. At home I’ve frequently worked for the adoption of public policies I favored, and opposed some that I didn’t favor.

I’ve won some and lost some. Yet, I’ve always believed that, however imperfect, and whatever the wins and losses, the principles and benefits of democratic self-government were a rock-solid foundation to our lives as Americans — the foundation for American exceptionalism. What worries me now is that many of my fellow citizens seem ready to abandon that democratic foundation and replace it with a system where self-interest, power and wealth for a few are more important than working for the good of us all.

I believe that if you want both freedom and a government that is responsive to the needs of its citizens, you must have democracy and a dedication to democratic institutions. Authoritarian countries may serve the material needs of their citizens, but the price you pay is the sacrifice of freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of worship and so on. Citizens of our great country should think long and hard before sacrificing our democracy and democratic institutions for that bargain.

What was Trump like as a president in his first term?

  • Trump's presidency was marked by increased division in the country. There was a record uptick in hate crimes during his time in office.

  • Under Trump's administration, there was a record increase in homicides in 2020. Despite numerous mass shootings, Trump took no significant action on gun control.

  • Trump made controversial remarks about the Charlottesville rally, seeming to equate neo-Nazis with counter-protesters. He also associated with extremist groups, notably expressing support for the Proud Boys during a presidential debate.

  • Trump's judicial appointments, particularly to the Supreme Court, led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. His nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was highly controversial due to sexual assault allegations against the nominee.

  • Trump has been convicted of multiple felonies related to his time in office and his conduct outside of office, including charges stemming from falsifying business records.

  • Trump's administration was heavily criticized for its mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. He dismantled pandemic preparedness infrastructure early in his presidency, which may have hampered the initial response to the outbreak.

  • Despite his promises, Trump's presidency saw net job losses. The national debt also increased significantly during his term, partly due to tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals.

  • There were numerous ethics concerns during Trump's presidency, including allegations of profiting from his position. He also appointed family members to high-level positions in his administration, raising concerns about nepotism.

  • Trump implemented a controversial family separation policy at the southern border. He also attempted to ban entry to the U.S. from several predominantly Muslim countries, a move that was widely criticized as discriminatory.

  • Trump made contentious decisions regarding Israel and Palestine, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. There were also allegations that he sought foreign interference in U.S. elections.

  • Following his loss in the 2020 election, Trump promoted false claims of election fraud. His actions and rhetoric are believed to have contributed to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

  • Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice. The charges included abuse of power and incitement of insurrection.

  • Trump had public disputes with the U.S. intelligence community over Russian interference in the 2016 election. There were also allegations that he obstructed investigations related to Russian interference.

  • During his presidency, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. His administration also rolled back numerous environmental protections.

  • Trump attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a clear replacement plan. His proposed budgets included cuts to Medicare and Social Security, despite campaign promises to protect these programs.

  • After leaving office, Trump was alleged to have improperly retained classified documents, including some reportedly containing sensitive national security information.

  • Throughout his presidency, Trump was known for making frequent false or misleading statements. His administration was also criticized for its response to natural disasters, particularly in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.