BRIEFING ROOM

Our democracy is like a Jenga tower. It is built piece by piece, with each institution, each check and balance, each freedom, and each protection helping to hold the whole structure together. You can remove one piece, and the tower may still stand. Remove another, and another, and eventually the entire structure becomes unstable.

Throughout his presidency, he has sought to undermine Americans’ faith in government institutions by casting doubt and spreading unproven fallacies. He has also worked simultaneously to erode the checks and balances in this country that keep our Democracy strong. One of his favorite targets in this crusade has been the media. 

We have lived with Trump’s constant attacks on the media since he first ran for president. Journalists ask questions that those in power may not want to answer. The press investigates, challenges, and exposes wrongdoing. Most importantly, it provides the public with a window into the administration. These are all factors why Trump precisely wants to stifle the press. 

A free press is the protector, not the enemy, of democracy. That is why our founding leaders enshrined it as the first right in the Constitution. History has shown that authoritarian governments are among the first to try to control the press, and that the dangers that follow are real.

The administration’s treatment of the press should concern all of us. Although a federal judge later ordered the administration to restore new outlets’ access to press pools and briefings, this will not mark the end of his attack on the press. The news is bad, and Trump wants to make sure the American people are kept in the dark.

Our concerns go far beyond the press. We are seeing challenges to independent institutions, an expansion of presidential power, and actions that raise serious questions about civil liberties and the rule of law. Trump and his supporters argue that voters gave him a mandate for sweeping change. Voters have every right to demand change. But no president, regardless of party, should have unlimited power — even over the press.

When we vote for Congress, we are choosing more than the person who represents us. We are voting for the people who will decide whether Congress exercises its constitutional responsibility to check presidential power through oversight, investigations, and accountability.

Every member of Congress, in every state and district, plays a role in this responsibility. That is why JAC supports candidates across the country. We need your support. Click here, and JAC will ensure your dollars go to the races that matter most. 

As a Jewish community, we have learned time and again not to take democratic institutions for granted. We know the dangers of unchecked power and silenced dissent.

We do not have to agree on every issue to agree that democracy is worth protecting. We just have to agree it is worth fighting for. 

Elections have consequences.