Who’s afraid of the big, bad Trump? Well, apparently every Republican member of Congress. All he has to do is whistle and they cringe like a litter of scolded puppies. While the current poster child of congressional cowardice is Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski for voting for the big ugly bill she knew was horrendous, the full weight of submissive behavior falls on her peers.

I find it amusing if not outright pathetic that any adult with even marginal intelligence or backbone would be intimidated by an oaf like Donald Trump. Maybe some time in my younger years when I had yet to find my voice, I’d have yielded to his threats, insults and tantrums. But no longer. As an adult, I’ve faced down some imposing and threatening characters, including the late founder of my spiritual community as well as a biker who was assaulting his girlfriend in my presence. He was over six feet tall, weighed about 200 pounds and had once served time for homicide. In terms of build, I resemble Woody Allen. Despite some amplified violence aimed in my direction, I stood my ground and he relented. Compared to him, Trump is a low-grade threat. Were he to pull a tantrum in my presence, I’d tell him to cut the crap and go to his room.

In artificial intelligence photos posted on social media, Trump likes to portray himself as Superman or a muscle-bound Marvel superhero. It’s very impressive — if you’re four-years old. In fact, he’s a sickly, overweight old man with a mind that is visibly deteriorating. What explains his intimidating hold on the Republican Party must remain a mystery to many.

Through my experiences with others, I understand the effects of charisma and personal force. Charisma, which combines the latter with charm, is a double-edged sword. It explains the appeal of spiritual luminaries like Gautama Buddha and Jesus of Nazareth as well as monsters like Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones. No doubt, Trump has a measure of his own, which explains the unquestioning and adoring behavior of his acolytes.

But charisma can carry a lesser being like Trump only so far. At some point, it fades, diminished by the unsavory, cruel and dishonest behavior of its carrier. Trump’s act is already wearing thin. While some are still enchanted by his entertainment value or feel the appeal of his racist rhetoric, the majority of Americans are waking up to the fact that he and his enablers in Congress care nothing for them. Something’s got to give and Trump’s “Golden Age,” an apt description of his crime family stealing everything they can get their hands on, will self-destruct under the weight of its own venality. Fortunately, without Trump, MAGA will wither on the vine. Nobody likes his creepy successor JD Vance and his disreputable sons lack the malevolent lure of their father.

If there’s an endgame here, it’s simple. Trump, through legal and non-violent means, has to go. Like Richard Nixon before him, his presidency has become toxic and dangerous. And while protest rallies are fun with all the clever signs and chanting, it’s time to focus more on voting out the current Republicans in Congress who are submitting to the most damaging if not idiotic decrees from him without any thought or consideration for those they were elected to serve. It’s long overdue for them to understand that underneath that big bad wolf persona, there’s nothing there but an empty suit.

Congressional Republicans have managed to sleaze through by obeying their master (House Speaker Mike Johnson is nothing but a servile puppet) but the final test for them is yet to come. You can laugh at or dismiss Jon Huer’s recent column about Trump canceling future elections but he’s merely echoing the thoughts of millions of Americans, including myself, who have predicted this for years. It’s not exactly rocket science if you’ve been following Trump’s own words since 2016 or seen the “Trump 2028” hats, flags and apparel for sale on Etsy or Amazon Prime, some worn or flown with pride by our Greenfield neighbors.

The final test will be when Trump asks Congress for permission to either cancel or more likely “postpone” the 2026 midterms on some phony pretext. It’s been the favorite ploy of all past dictators. And don’t kid yourself. There will be those Republicans who will gladly vote for such a betrayal of the American experiment.

But those who do so will be held accountable. Those who resist will be honored as patriots.

Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and has written a monthly My Turn column for over two decades. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.