Mother Jones Washington bureau chief and analyst David Corn ticked down a list of similarities between the infractions of President Donald Trump and the abuses of King George III that drove U.S. colonists to rebel against Britain. At nearly 30 comparisons, the list is not short.
Like "Mad King” George, refusing to approve laws passed by the colonies, Corn says Trump has shown his disregard for Congress by simply ignoring existing laws. Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the Constitution, notes Corn. He’s also manipulated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 “to claim powers not afforded the president.”
“He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries,” as colonists accused, by nominating to the federal bench personalities more likely to serve Trump’s will than U.S. law.
“See Emil Bove,” says Corn, referring to Trump’s personal lawyer who a whistleblower claims told prosecutors to ignore judges that rule against Trump’s immigration policies.
Also, like George refusing to pass laws unless affected districts agree to “relinquish the right of representation,” Trump has threatened to deny disaster relief to California “if it did not abandon its legislative independence and change its water policies to Trump’s liking.” The president also threatened to cut off federal funding to New York City, if Democrat Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race and enacts laws or policies Trump opposes.
Colonial governors raking King George for calling “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,” is another act of mimicry, says Corn. Consider DOGE trying to relocate federal agencies and repurposing their office buildings “to make life uncomfortable for employees and officials.”
And when it comes to George “obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners” and “refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither” look no further than Trump’s plan to denaturalize American citizens, ban migration, and undo the immigration status of “hundreds of thousands of people legally living in the United States.”
Corn keeps going, noting accusations of George having “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,” Corn says before including other comparisons of George having “excited domestic insurrections amongst us,” among other accusations.
Corn said Trump has yet to try some of King George’s other moves, including “suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.”
“He has yet to suspend Congress,” Corn argued. “He hasn’t needed to.”
“It’s a good read for historical context,” said one commenter of Corn’s analysis on social media, but MAGA accounts slammed the analysis or tried to pivot on arguments.
“I'd like to hear more about this from honest sources,” complained one critic, describing himself as ‘an insurrectionist.”
See the full Mother Jones report at this link.