Silence in the Ranks, Silence in the Capitol: Allegiance to the Constitution, Not Trump

When the Commander-in-Chief plays dictator, silence becomes defiance.

Oct 01, 2025

By Dr. John Petrone

A Dangerous Spectacle

Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hauled nearly 800 of America’s top generals, admirals, and senior enlisted leaders to Quantico with almost no notice. Pulling so many key leaders away from their commands all at once was not only enormously expensive, it was also strategically reckless concentrating so much of the military’s senior leadership in one place is something the Pentagon traditionally avoids for security reasons.

What followed wasn’t leadership it was theater. Hegseth strutted across the stage like a would-be generalissimo, trashing decades of professional military tradition with crude attacks about “fat troops,” “woke generals,” and the supposed need to “liberate warriors” from accountability and professionalism. He openly promised to roll back reforms that made the armed forces more professional, more inclusive, and more disciplined.

Then Donald Trump took the stage. Before men and women who had dedicated their lives to service, he slurred through 70 minutes of incoherence, grievance, and self-indulgence rambling about everything from Canada as the 51st state to the “beautiful paper” of his own signature. More chilling was his call to turn the U.S. military inward, to treat American cities as warzones, and to train the armed forces for domestic political combat. Authoritarians throughout history have blurred the line between national defense and internal repression. Yesterday’s performance was another step down that road.

The Silence That Spoke Volumes

The generals and admirals sat stoically, offering no applause, no nods of approval, no smiles. Trump even complained about their silence, mocking their discipline as if loyalty were owed to him personally. But their silence was not complicity. It was defiance. It was the military’s way of saying: allegiance is not to a man, not to a party, not to a cult of personality. Allegiance is to the Constitution of the United States.

That refusal to play along mattered. In a room where Trump expected obedience, he was met with stone-faced discipline. Their silence honored their oath.

A Manufactured Crisis

While the military was being used as a stage prop, Republicans in Congress engineered yet another government shutdown. They are extending tax cuts for billionaires but are letting healthcare tax credits expire leaving families facing premium hikes of up to 75 percent next year. Without those credits, millions of working families who rely on Affordable Care Act exchanges will be priced out of coverage.

Trump ordered his party not to negotiate. Agencies across the federal government were then used to flood out propaganda emails and website banners blaming Democrats for the shutdown. That is a direct violation of the Hatch Act, which bars the use of government resources for partisan campaigning. When the government itself is twisted into a campaign megaphone, democracy is already under assault.

Duty and Allegiance

At the core of this moment is a test of duty. Real duty does not mean following a man into delusion and division. It means fidelity to the law, to the people, and above all, to the Constitution. Trump and Hegseth speak of loyalty, but what they demand is submission. Those who serve — in uniform and in public life — owe their allegiance to the Republic, not to the whims of one man.

The Pattern

This is no longer a collection of isolated stunts. It is a deliberate pattern: undermine professional institutions, replace governance with spectacle, use fear and propaganda to divide citizens, and normalize the abnormal until it becomes routine. That is how authoritarian regimes take root. History shows us that this pattern, once tolerated, is very difficult to reverse.

How We Fight Back — Starting This Week

This fight is not abstract. It starts now, and it starts with us. Here are immediate actions we can all take:

Call Congress Today. Demand that your senators and representatives end the shutdown and reinstate healthcare tax credits. Make it clear: you do not want working families used as pawns to fund tax cuts for billionaires.
Show Up Locally. Attend town halls, school board meetings, and city councils. Authoritarians thrive when citizens disengage. Fill the room. Make your voice heard.
Defend Truth. Counter lies when you see them online or in conversation. Share reliable sources and expose propaganda. Every time truth is repeated, democracy breathes.
Support Institutions. Subscribe to local newspapers, donate to watchdog groups, back organizations defending voting rights. They are the guardrails holding back collapse.
Mobilize Voters. Help friends, family, and neighbors check their registration. Drive people to the polls. Volunteer with campaigns that defend democracy at every level.
Back the Oath. Remind those in uniform — active duty, Guard, reserves, veterans that their allegiance is not to Trump. Their oath is to the Constitution. Let them hear it from the public they serve.

This week is not a time for silence. It is a time for visible, relentless action.

The Final Question

Trump is betting that Americans are too divided or too distracted to defend our constitutional values. He believes that if people think their own lives are unaffected, they will stand by in silence.

But yesterday’s silence in Quantico told a different story. Those who serve have not forgotten where their allegiance lies. The question is whether the rest of us will match their discipline and their courage.