Timothy Snyder, the Yale historian known for his bestselling book “On Tyranny,” has unleashed a blistering attack on President Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting civil war during a recent speech at Fort Bragg. But Snyder’s latest comparison — calling Trump a modern-day Jefferson Davis — has exposed more about the left’s fragile grip on power than it does about Trump’s policies.

The outrage centers on two recent moves by the Trump administration: restoring the name “Fort Bragg” to the North Carolina military base, and deploying the National Guard to calm riots in Los Angeles. Both actions, according to Snyder, amount to a glorification of treason and an incitement to domestic warfare.

Snyder’s post on Substack alleged that by reinstating the Fort Bragg name — which had been changed to “Fort Liberty” under the Biden administration — Trump was signaling allegiance to the Confederacy. But that argument doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified that Trump wasn’t honoring a Confederate general but rather celebrating WWII paratrooper Roland L. Bragg, who trained at the base and symbolized American heroism in defeating real fascism.

That distinction, however, didn’t stop Snyder from branding Trump’s decision a “dishonest pretense” and a coded message to far-right militias. The absurdity of this claim becomes even more apparent when one considers the personal history of countless veterans like Martin Spohn — a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany who trained at Fort Bragg before storming the beaches of Normandy. For them, the base name represented American triumph over tyranny, not a tribute to treason.

Still, Snyder wasn’t done. He then accused Trump of militarizing the U.S. by sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles, where anti-ICE protests had devolved into violent riots. Trump’s call for law and order, Snyder argued, was akin to preparing soldiers to wage war against their own people.

It’s an astonishing claim — and a dangerous one. Trump’s move was a lawful response to spiraling violence in a city where local leadership had failed. Deploying federal troops in domestic crises is not unprecedented. Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all used troops to enforce civil rights or restore peace. Trump, unlike them, is now being portrayed as an authoritarian.

But this is not really about Trump. It’s about control.

The left has spent years transforming the military into a political instrument, pushing diversity and ideological compliance at the expense of readiness. When Trump insists on a military that prioritizes defending America over progressive posturing, he’s labeled a fascist.

Snyder represents this mindset perfectly. He sees pride in national service as dangerous, and demands ideological loyalty to left-wing causes. Want secure borders? You’re a bigot. Proud of your country’s history? You’re a traitor. But while Snyder clutches his pearls over paratroopers, most Americans remain unmoved by the hysteria.

In fact, Trump won the 2024 election with a clear mandate to enforce immigration laws, secure the border, and restore order. Pew Research found that nearly all Americans — across party lines — support strong immigration enforcement. That terrifies the academic elite, who have lost control of the narrative.

Snyder, for his part, closed his rant by urging fellow intellectuals to join the “No Kings” protests — the same movement whose activists have clashed violently with law enforcement and been linked to property destruction in multiple cities. So much for defending democracy.

Trump’s critics love invoking Lincoln’s “house divided” quote, but they miss the point. Lincoln sought to preserve a Union founded on freedom and strength — not ideological conformity. Today, Trump stands for that same ideal. He doesn’t want a second civil war. He wants the first one to mean something.

If that vision of national unity under law and order unnerves Snyder and his ilk, the problem may not be Trump. The problem may be their own inability to tolerate a nation that refuses to bend the knee to their worldview.