Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks, often known for his centrist tone and measured critique of extremism, has taken an uncharacteristically urgent stance in his latest article, issuing a passionate call for a “civic uprising” to protect American democracy from what he sees as the growing authoritarianism of the Trump administration.
In a searing critique, Brooks warns that the institutions that have shaped and sustained American life, from constitutions and legal systems to scientific bodies and universities, are now under attack. “Over the centuries, people built the sinews of civilization: Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities to preserve, transmit and advance the glories of our way of life,” he wrote.
“These institutions make our lives sweet, loving and creative, rather than nasty, brutish and short,” Brooks claims Trump’s agenda is fundamentally at odds with those ideals. He accuses the former president of pursuing “power for its own sake,” bulldozing any institution or value that challenges him, and turning vital pillars of democracy into tools of personal dominance.
“This is not normal politics,” Brooks emphasized. “We’re seeing an assault on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should all swear loyalty to — Democrat, independent, or Republican.”
While left-leaning rallies led by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have tried to counter this trend, Brooks argues that partisan protest is not enough. Instead, he believes the country needs a movement that cuts across party lines — a broad-based, nonviolent resistance modeled after historical civil disobedience campaigns that toppled colonialism and advanced civil rights.
“These movements used many different tools at their disposal — lawsuits, mass rallies, strikes, work slowdowns, boycotts, and other forms of noncooperation and resistance,” he wrote. “They shifted the narrative so the authoritarians were no longer in permanent offense.”
In a rare personal reflection, Brooks admitted he’s not one for activism. “I’m really not a movement guy,” he said. “But this is what America needs right now. Trump is shackling the greatest institutions in American life. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
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