There’s an old saying: If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck… it’s a duck. The same logic applies to the current president. If he acts like an autocrat, openly declares his intent to be a dictator on day one, abuses executive power and now even refers to himself as The King on official White House social media — then we should take him at his word.

His actions are not jokes or hyperbole. They are warnings, and he is dangerous.

For 31 days and counting, this president has engaged in reckless, authoritarian behavior. Yet many politicians and citizens alike continue to look the other way, dismissing his words as bluster or claiming, “This is what America voted for.” Ignoring reality does not change it. Silence and inaction only enable the erosion of our democracy.

It is treasonous — yes, treasonous — for any sitting U.S. president to declare themselves a king. America fought a war over two centuries ago to escape monarchy. Then we struggled to build a republic founded on democracy and Enlightenment ideals. None of us should ever recognize or support a leader who so brazenly undermines the foundations of our Republic by shamelessly posting AI-generated pictures of himself in a crown.

We cannot sleepwalk into authoritarianism. It is time to speak out. This rhetoric must be condemned for what it is: a direct attack on our democracy. No citizen, no politician, is too small to take a stand. Silence is complicity, and history has shown us that fascism thrives on fear and apathy.

Jeremy G. Green

Duncansville