On Trump’s inauguration day, I'm choosing to focus on Martin Luther King instead

20 January 2025, 14:25

Today, as Donald Trump is sworn in, surrounded by his harem of toxic tech billionaires, I’ll be choosing to focus on another famous American, Martin Luther King.

It’s a sad irony that Trump’s inauguration coincides with the federal holiday reserved to honour King’s incredible legacy. His dream of a future free from oppression and hate has inspired a generation.

Now, Trump’s re-election threatens everything that King’s life stood for. The contrast couldn’t be starker. Trump thrives on hate, division, disinformation and destabilisation.

His threats of vengeance, tariffs and mass deportations; his new manic fossil fuel drilling frenzy despite the LA fires; and his willingness to issue a mass of executive orders rather than pursuing due democratic processes cast a shadow over all who believe in accountability, the rule of law, equality and justice.

But it is not enough to hang our heads at America’s shame. Trump’s inauguration should serve as a warning to all who value democracy. Across the world, the far right is on the rise, and where America has gone, our nations may follow.

Here in the UK, Musk’s baseless and toxic interventions in UK politics have given us a taste of Trump-ocracy. We have also seen the willingness of right-wing leaders, Farage in particular, to seek favour from Trump’s billionaire court.

There are few limits on the lengths some politicians will go to to win and wield power. And we ignore that at our peril.

We can no longer trust luck or good conscience. The government must take urgent steps right now to protect our fragile democracy. Complacency is not an option.

First, Westminster should follow Wales’ lead and legislate to ban political deception to prevent unscrupulous politicians from fanning the flames of disinformation.

Then, we should end the ludicrous fiction that social media companies aren’t publishers so that they become legally responsible for the lies and hate they peddle and subject to the same rules as the rest of the media. Then we must cap political donations to prevent foreign interference.

But we must also acknowledge where Trump’s victory came from: the communities that the Democrats had taken for granted and those who were economically left behind. Those same communities exist in the UK.

Reform came second in 98 seats, of which Labour won 89. Addressing the economic instability that so many in the UK face cannot wait, for that is the soil on which extremism flourishes.

As Martin Luther King himself said in a lesser-known section of that famous speech, ‘It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.”

Let us heed those words and look to shore up our own democracy while we still have time.

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Jennifer Nadel is the Co-Director of Compassion in Politics.

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