Historical Hypocrisy: Democratic Presidents’ Abuse of Power Exposed

By George J. Marlin

Hillary Clinton has accused President Donald Trump of “following the authoritarian playbook,” while Democrats have labeled him a dictator, fascist, and Nazi, drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin. Critics condemned his crackdown on crime in D.C. as “dictator-level stuff,” and Gov. Gavin Newsom alleged Trump would deploy soldiers to manipulate the 2028 elections. Yet, for Democrats to denounce Trump as an autocrat is not only dishonest but hypocritical, as numerous Democratic presidents have similarly abused executive power throughout history.

During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1920) suppressed civil liberties by pushing through a 1918 Sedition Act that imprisoned critics of wartime policies. He shielded the American Protective League from accountability despite its violent labor strikes and spy operations. In 1919, Wilson’s administration conducted warrantless raids targeting alleged “red radicals.”

President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-1945) used the IRS to investigate political opponents, including Charles Lindbergh and Andrew Mellon. After Pearl Harbor, he authorized the internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps, a policy the ACLU called “the worst single wholesale violation of civil rights in our history.” Roosevelt also ordered FBI surveillance of Republican leaders and the national chairman of the GOP.

During the Korean War, President Harry Truman (1945-1953) seized steel mills via executive order, only for the Supreme Court to rule he lacked constitutional authority. The Kennedy administration targeted critics with IRS audits, including journalists Walter Winchell and Jim Bishop, while exploiting the FCC’s fairness doctrine to suppress opposition. CIA wiretaps of press members, approved by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, further exemplified its overreach.

President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) spied on senators opposing his Vietnam policies and continued surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr., with FBI wiretaps in his office and hotel rooms. He also monitored civil rights leaders like James Farmer.

In modern times, President Barack Obama’s Justice Department ignored the Defense of Marriage Act, spied on journalists, and appointed unaccountable “czars” to bypass congressional oversight. His DHS labeled anti-abortion activists as “potential terrorists.” The Biden administration pressured social media companies to suppress criticism of its policies, violating First Amendment rights.

For over a century, Democratic presidents have abused executive power. Before accusing Trump of authoritarianism, Democrats must confront their own history of transgressions and apologize to the American people.

George J. Marlin is the author of “The American Catholic Voter” and “Christian Persecutions in the Middle East.”