Libertarians Should Not Make Deals with Authoritarians
Libertarians should not make deals with authoritarians. Yet some in our movement believe cozying up to figures like Donald Trump or the GOP will bring us small wins—rescheduling cannabis, freeing Ross Ulbricht, pushing back on the Fed. But trading liberty for temporary influence is not strategy—it’s surrender.
As libertarians, our mission is to stand against the unchecked power of the state—not negotiate with it. When Trump’s border czar advocates detaining people based on “physical appearance,” it becomes painfully clear: authoritarianism is not a partner for liberty. We don’t trade our integrity for token gestures. We hold the line.
The Authoritarian Threat Is Real
President Donald Trump’s hand-picked border czar, Tom Homan, is facing backlash from legal and political experts after asserting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents do not need “probable cause” to detain individuals—and can do so based on factors like “personal appearance.”
“Look, people need to understand,” Homan told Fox News on Friday. ICE officers “don’t need probable cause to walk up to somebody, briefly detain and question them.”
According to NBC News, Homan’s remarks triggered swift condemnation. Rep. Daniel Goldman called the claim “patently false,” reaffirming that ICE must have reasonable suspicion to detain—certainly not based on how someone looks.
Why Libertarians Should Not Make Deals with Authoritarians
We don’t cozy up to those who violate due process. We don’t legitimize mass surveillance, no-knock raids, or death penalties for drug dealers. We are—by definition—the firewall against tyranny.
Former LP Chair Angela McArdle may view her Mar-a-Lago visit as a win, but it legitimized the very forces we should resist. Donald Trump isn’t a partner in liberty. He’s the poster child for authoritarian excess.
The High Cost of Political Bargains
Ross Ulbricht deserves to be free. But freeing one man cannot justify empowering the system that put him behind bars. True justice doesn’t come from deals with tyrants—it comes from dismantling the machinery of tyranny.
We must fight for Ross, but without normalizing the state violence that jailed him. Liberty doesn’t live at Mar-a-Lago. It lives in our principles.
Our Path Forward: Principle Over Power
Some say “this is just politics.” But if politics means betraying our principles, then what’s the point of being a libertarian at all? We don’t need to make deals with authoritarians—we need to defeat them.
Libertarians should not make deals with authoritarians. We must be the consistent, unyielding voice for liberty—no matter who is in power.
Well said!
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/why-trump-freed-ross-ulbricht-the-silk-roads-dread-pirate-roberts
Ross Ulbricht was freed according to this January 2025 article. I just received an email asking for support for Libertarian chair and was directed to this link where I am now leaving a comment.
I can’t support a person who has TDS. While libertarian philosophy does not believe in borders, I don’t know of any countries which let you in just because you want to. This may have worked during Nostradamus’ age when he had to flee England for France, but because of our welfare system it clearly does not work in this day and age.
I see Donald J. Trump as a constitutionalist, not a tyrant. Tom Homan is carrying out the task of removing people who came here illegally just as the Eisenhower administration did in its day. As the violent criminals who are the priority are predominately Hispanic, it is reasonable to “briefly detain a person based on skin color” to get their personal information. Maybe you believed in Homeland Security having to stop an elderly white woman in a wheel chair so they wouldn’t be accused of racial profiling of Muslims. This is liberal DIE philosophy.
Yes, I said DIE and not DEI. Discrimination, Inequity, and Exclusion is actually what DEI is all about and you will die practicing it. Merit not inequitable hiring based on race.
We have a Constitution. If you want to take the power from the Federal government to restrict them from enforcing immigration laws, then there is a process for amending the Constitution. As long as there is no reciprocity from foreign governments allowing emigration to their countries, I would not support that endeavor.
All of this said, I cannot and will not support your candidacy.
The people that ICE is targeting in the Los Angeles area are not welfare queens or criminals. They are hard working community members just trying to support their families here as well as back in Mexico. Thousands have been sweep up in these raids while Kristi Noem proudly touts pictures on TV of a handful of real criminals that have been caught in her broad net.
Just a few days ago men wearing military gear and masks, but no identification, stormed a farm in Camarillo and swept up scores of workers who just “looked” Mexican. One of them was a disabled US veteran who had identification proving it. His wife, another military veteran and US citizen, has been trying without success to even find out where he was taken. Peaceful protestors at the event were assaulted with tear gas. These unidentified troops were supported by military vehicles.
This is NOT America. The military should never be used against the people of America. Trump may not be Hitler, yet, but he is certainly following the game plan that brought the Nazis to Power in Germany. We need to resist, not cooperate.
“True justice doesn’t come from deals with tyrants—it comes from dismantling the machinery of tyranny.”
Making deals with tyrants that have the effect of gradually reducing and eliminating tyranny does bring justice. Exactly how much have our vote percentages improved since the founding of the LPC? Either the LP gets a majority, or we make deals in our favor gradually leading to libertarianism. The LP has the ability to be kingmakers, fielding candidates able siphon votes from the Republican or not. If the Republicans don’t want us fielding candidates to cause their defeat, then they can field more libertarian candidates who would, say, backoff on the drug war. If the Democrats want us to field candidates who siphon votes from the Republicans, then they can field more libertarian candidates who would, say, dump the gun-control.
The question is, realistically, which policy will best defend and advance the cause of liberty. Liberty advancing a little bit at a time, or by exerting influence on the other parties, is way better than liberty not advancing at all or losing ground.
So, if Angela was able to free Ross by meeting with Trump and letting him speak at the Convention, then good. Understand, Trump’s margin of victory likely came from voters who voted Libertarian in the past but who voted Republican this last election. We should let the Republicans (and Democrats) know that. Play ball with the Libertarians and be elected; refuse to play ball with us and be defeated. We have balance of power; we should use it.
We have NOT compromised AT ALL by that. Exactly where and how have we changed our position on any issue by dealing with Trump?
Also, “We don’t cozy up to those who violate due process. We don’t legitimize mass surveillance, no-knock raids, or death penalties for drug dealers. We are—by definition—the firewall against tyranny.”
Then we tell Trump and potential prez candidates like Vance and Rubio and all Republicans that if they actually try to implement a death penalty for drugs or do drug raids in Mexico, especially if done against the wishes of Mexico thereby violating Mexican soveriegnty, that we will cause Republican election defeat. Either they play ball with us or be defeated.