Op-Ed: Trump’s plastic surgery on democracy is touching social security–and it’s time to push back

By Emil Amok Guillermo

Let’s be kind for a moment. What Donald Trump is doing to American democracy isn’t outright demolition. It’s more like political plastic surgery. A little tuck here, a little fat transfer there—just enough cosmetic manipulation to make you think the structure is still the same. But over time, when you look in the mirror, it just doesn’t resemble America anymore.

We’re now witnessing a full-body makeover of our democratic institutions, led by a man who views governance not as a responsibility but as a personal branding exercise. It’s happening on multiple fronts, but there are two areas where the consequences should especially concern not just Asian Americans—but all Americans: Trump’s resurrection of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, and his subtle but damaging moves against Social Security.

Let’s start with Social Security, the so-called “third rail” of American politics. Touch it, and you’re supposed to get burned. Trump has long promised he wouldn’t do so.  But this week, we saw him do just that—quietly, and with deniability.

A new directive from the Social Security Administration, reportedly influenced by Trump’s agenda, will end the ability to file new claims or make account changes by phone. Instead, people—many of them elderly, disabled, or otherwise vulnerable—will have to go to field offices in person. The justification? Identity protection. The result? A harder-to-access Social Security system, with the burden placed squarely on the backs of everyday Americans.

This may sound like bureaucratic minutiae. But it’s not. It’s a direct blow to customer service, a stealthy cut to government accessibility. With 7,000 fewer staffers already on board and further reductions on the horizon, this move will flood field offices, create bottlenecks, and turn a once-navigable system into something resembling the DMV on a bad day. It’s “government efficiency” in name only—a self-fulfilling prophecy designed to make people hate government more by making it worse.

Why do this? Because weakening Social Security serves Trump’s broader goals. It lays the groundwork for raiding its funds to cover tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. It destabilizes trust in one of the most successful social programs in American history. And, perhaps most importantly, it distracts the public from other dangerous overreaches—like his renewed flirtation with authoritarianism.

Which brings us to the Alien Enemies Act.

This dusty relic from 1798 was last seriously used during World War II to justify the incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans—over 66,000 of whom were U.S. citizens. Now Trump is invoking it again, using it as a legal justification to round up undocumented immigrants, particularly targeting Venezuelans who have been labeled as gang-affiliated or “terrorists.”

The rub? The Alien Enemies Act only applies when the U.S. is at war with another nation. We are not at war with Venezuela. Yet Trump is using this loophole to enable mass arrests without due process, without public accountability, and often without even revealing the identities of those detained.

The imagery is chilling—men in chains, their heads shaved, herded into prisons like cattle. We’ve seen the video sent in from El Salvador. More chilling is that no one has said what these men are charged with. There’s no transparency, just the brute force of executive power flexing without restraint.

Federal Judge James Boasberg continues to push back. He’s demanded details from the Trump Justice Department about these arrests. For that, Trump responded by calling for his impeachment. This prompted an unusual and pointed rebuke from none other than Chief Justice John Roberts, who reminded the country that impeachment is not an appropriate response to legal disagreement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said—an extraordinary statement meant for an extraordinary moment.

Make no mistake, this is not about partisan politics. Boasberg was appointed under George W. Bush and Obama. Roberts was appointed by George W. Bush. These are not liberal firebrands—they’re institutionalists trying to hold the line. They are, above all else, defenders of the rule of law.

But Trump doesn’t play by those rules. For him, every test of power is a chance to overreach. If the law gives an inch, he takes a league (about three miles, longer if nautical).

And as we approach America’s 250th birthday, we find ourselves in the unlikeliest of places: a democracy battling for its life from within.

All of this—Social Security, immigration, the judiciary—is part of the same larger assault. The pattern is clear. Push as far as possible, then retreat just enough to say, “See? I didn’t go too far.” Announce the closure of the Department of Education, then backpedal to “just” reducing its size. It’s governance by chaos, designed to overwhelm and disorient.

But the American people are not powerless. In fact, Trump’s move on Social Security may prove to be his greatest political miscalculation. Nothing hits closer to home than a direct hit to one’s monthly check. And now, with Trump also hinting at cuts to Medicaid, the kitchen table issues are stacking up—and fast.

This could be the moment where all Americans—even Congressional Republicans–rediscover their backbone. It could be the spark that lights the fire of true American patriotism.

Trump is not just touching Social Security. He’s poking the very soul of American democracy. The question now is: will we flinch—or will we push back?

Emil Amok Guillermo is a journalist, news analyst, monologist and humorist. He has written a weekly column on Asian American social, political and cultural issues since 1995 in the mainstream and ethnic media. See his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does An Asian American Think” on YouTube. Find him on Patreon and Substack.