Common Sense in the Age of Trump

“This remarkable and urgent book . . . is the handbook that we need.” —U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin

“What Common Sense in the Age of Trump captures so urgently is the moment we are now in—as a country, as citizens, and as patriots.” —from the Foreword by U.S. Congresswoman Sarah McBride

In America the law is king.

In 2026 we mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. But, if not for the inspiration of an influential pamphlet published earlier that year, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Thomas Jefferson’s words and the Continental Congress’s revolutionary act might never have occurred. Common Sense in the Age of Trump provides a vital update to Paine’s and Jefferson’s rejection of tyranny and the corrupt rule of kings.

The United States is descending into authoritarian rule. We are witnessing the liberties our forebears fought and died for be stripped away daily. Thanks to Donald Trump and this would-be king’s enablers, we the people are the targets of economic injustice, politically motivated prosecutions, and deadly violence, while the president lines his pockets and wages illegal foreign wars. Two hundred and fifty years of hard-won progress are in jeopardy, and we risk losing our Republic. But it’s not too late, not while we can still act to combat it. In Common Sense in the Age of Trump, the authors meticulously detail the crimes and misdeeds of the Trump administration while offering practical, effective actions to fight back—to keep our Republic.

“Drawing on the spirit of Thomas Paine’s stirring 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense in the Age of Trump offers a passionate defense of constitutional democracy and the freedoms it protects. . . . Timely, thought-provoking, and deeply patriotic, this book is a call to civic engagement at a moment when democracy itself is being tested.” —Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, ACLU

Ronald Collins is a retired law professor and author or coauthor of 13 books. He was a law clerk to Oregon Supreme Court Justice Hans Linde and thereafter served as a Supreme Court fellow to Chief Justice Warren Burger. He is the Lewes Public Library’s Distinguished Lecturer and cofounder of the History Book Festival.

Paul Sparrow is a writer and historical consultant; the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum; and a deputy director and senior vice president at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He is an Emmy award–winning television producer and author of "Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War of Words with Charles Lindbergh" (2024).

Russell Huxtable is a Delaware State Senator and former nonprofit leader. His work has focused on affordable housing, capacity building, and expanding opportunities so communities can thrive, and democracy is seen as a shared responsibility. 

Amy Marasco is an accomplished public servant who builds consensus and common-sense solutions for her constituents. She served on the town council and was vice mayor of a rural Virginia community, and now serves as the mayor of Lewes, Delaware, the first town in the first state. She is the coauthor (with Ronald Collins) of “250 Years Ago, the Seeds of Dissent Stirred in Lewes,” National Constitution Center website (August 20, 2025).

Sarah McBride is a U.S. congresswoman representing Delaware as a Democrat. Sworn in to office in 2025, she is the first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress and the nation's highest-ranking transgender elected official. McBride was also the first openly transgender person elected as a state senator in the U.S., representing Delaware's 1st District from 2021 to 2025. In 2016, she became the first openly transgender person to speak at the DNC. In 2018, McBride published her memoir "Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality," with a foreword by Joe Biden.