Singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow made headlines over the weekend by posting an Instagram video in which she waves goodbye to her Tesla as it is driven away. She explained: “There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla.” She added: “Money donated to @npr, which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth.” She included hashtags for “PresidentMusk” and “ProtectTheConstitution.”
These statements are a far cry from the themes of her songs, which I like, and are generally pleasant and about the relaxed life. The same artist who once sang “All I wanna do is have some fun / Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard” (All I Wanna Do) and “I’m gonna soak up the sun / Gonna tell everyone to lighten up” (Soak Up the Sun) now speaks as though the very foundations of the republic are crumbling. The contrast is striking.
Her rhetoric reflects a growing trend among celebrities who use their platforms to make political statements—many of whom seem to misunderstand basic civics, much less constitutional law. The phrase “constitutional crisis” has become their latest buzzword, a dramatic invocation meant to suggest that any policy or decision they dislike is somehow illegal or undemocratic.
My brother, Hon. Andrew W. Gould, a constitutional expert and a State Supreme Court justice for 20 years, has pointed out how laughable this rhetoric has become. According to him, everything that the current administration—including its advisers—is doing falls well within the powers granted to the executive branch. It is absurd for celebrities and journalists to parrot this “constitutional crisis” phrase over and over, as if it were some kind of shibboleth.
The reality is that, in the last 100 years, the only event that came close to an actual constitutional crisis was the COVID lockdowns and mandates, where government authorities pushed the limits of executive power in ways never before seen in peacetime. And yet, the same celebrities who now cry “crisis” were among the loudest voices cheering on those government overreaches as they sat in their giant mansions with private cooks and the latest of every gadget known to humans.
The preponderance of celebrities seeking political influence across the partisan spectrum stands in sharp contrast with the hero our nation celebrates today. Presidents’ Day (sometimes spelled President’s Day or Presidents Day) is officially Washington’s Birthday at the federal level. Since 1879, the U.S. has honored George Washington in this way. And appropriately so: He led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War, presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and served as the first U.S. president from 1789 to 1797. However, he was in many ways a reluctant hero who avoided celebrity whenever he could.
When asked to lead the army, he responded, “I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with.” After winning the War for Independence, he was reluctant to lead the Constitutional Convention lest he be perceived as grasping for power. When elected president, he lamented that he lacked the “competency of political skill . . . necessary to manage the helm” and said, “Integrity & firmness is all I can promise.” When he voluntarily stepped down after his second term as president, a dumbfounded King George III proclaimed him “the greatest character of the age.” Historian Matthew Spalding calls him “the man who would not be king” and notes that “no one walked away from power with more dignity.”
Washington exhorted his fellow citizens: “The name of ‘American’ which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism.” But his sacrificial and humble patriotism made him the “father” of our nation in ways no words could. Now It’s Our Turn.
We live in a time when many people—celebrities included—are quick to point fingers at what they see as national crises while often misunderstanding the true nature of civic duty and governance. If we want to preserve the principles that make our country strong, we must model them ourselves. This is only fair: If we claim that Jesus transforms people into “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17), the world has a right to expect such transformation in us.
Imagine the difference in America if every American Christian imitated Jesus—if we asked, “What Would Jesus Do?” and lived accordingly. Consider the evangelists we would become, the ministry we would share, the obedience we would model. Here’s what makes imitating Jesus different from emulating any other laudatory figure of history: Jesus will help us do so.
St. Augustine observed: Christ takes shape in a believer through the faith that is in his inmost soul. Such a believer, gentle and humble of heart, is called to the freedom of grace. He does not boast of the merit he gains from good works, for they are worth nothing. It is grace itself that is the beginning of merit . . . [as] Christ is formed within the believer who accepts the form of Christ, who comes close to Christ by means of spiritual love.
How can we “come close to Christ” today?
1. Make it our ambition to imitate Jesus (cf. Romans 8:29). This and nothing less must be our highest purpose in life.
2. Admit we cannot imitate Jesus without His help. Ask His Spirit to “fill” and control us (Ephesians 5:18), manifesting the “fruit” of His character in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23) and using us to demonstrate Christ to the culture.
3. Join the Spirit in our sanctification through prayer, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual disciplines. These position us to experience the transformation only God can make in our lives.
4. Measure success by service. As with Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matthew 20:28), the consequences of our faithfulness will far outlive our obedience.
St. Augustine assured us: “The believer who imitates Christ becomes . . . the same as Christ whom he imitates.” If more Christians committed to this kind of transformation, perhaps we would see fewer celebrities mistaking their opinions for constitutional crises—and more Americans seeking true wisdom from the One who governs all things.