Trump, The Terrorist. Biden, The Brokie. Antifa, The Arch.

This article is a pastoral cry for help and a policy brief in one voice. Drawing on Scripture (e.g., Mic 6:8; Isa 1:17; Jer 22:3; Prov 31:8–9; Matt 5:9; 23:23) and modern history, it argues that the United States faces a recognizable pattern of authoritarian temptation: leader-cult politics, scapegoating, and the normalization of political violence. It contends that antifascist civil society—often labeled “antifa”—has, at its best, functioned as a decentralized, volunteer defense of vulnerable communities, a role frequently misunderstood in public debate. The essay offers a two-sided accountability: it documents policy and rhetorical harms under President Donald J. Trump (e.g., family separation, Charlottesville equivocation, veto of congressional efforts to end U.S. support for the Yemen war) and examines shortcomings under President Joseph R. Biden (e.g., heavy defense prioritization amid domestic strain; contested government–platform communications during COVID-19 later reviewed in Murthy v. Missouri). Theologically, the article frames budgets as moral documents and urges a “Peacemakers’ Summit” convening government officials, clergy, civil-rights groups, and community defenders to codify bright lines: zero tolerance for white supremacy and political violence; humane migration policy; and an urgent rebalance toward children, elders, and the poor. The thesis is that courage without contempt, grounded in verifiable facts and disciplined nonviolence, is both biblically faithful and democratically necessary (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2025; Library of Congress, n.d.).