Politics & Power Quote by Jay Alan Sekulow

A lawyer’s threat dressed up as constitutional flattery: Sekulow flatters the President as a historic first, then snaps the leash tight with a warning that sounds like prophecy but functions like leverage. The opening clause, “the first President,” offers grandeur and exclusivity, positioning the addressee as uniquely empowered by law itself. “Constitutionally” is the key word doing double duty: it legitimizes the request as lawful while implying that refusing it would be not just politically unwise but a betrayal of constitutional possibility.

“Inaugurate such a day” is conspicuously vague. That vagueness is strategic; it invites the audience to fill in the blank with a cause they already want sanctified. It’s how advocacy language turns policy into ceremony. You’re not merely signing something; you’re consecrating a national ritual, stamping it with presidential authority.

Then comes the pivot: “If you fail us now.” The “us” is a coalition claim, a small group speaking as if it represents a people. It’s also a subtle reversal of power: the President is depicted as accountable to the movement, not the other way around. “You may be the last” escalates from lobbying to existential stakes, implying that refusal could close the constitutional window forever - either because future leaders won’t dare, or because the nation’s moral/constitutional order will decay past repair.

Context matters: Sekulow is a long-time legal-advocacy figure in conservative religious politics. This is persuasion built for a presidency sensitive to legacy, base mobilization, and the aura of constitutional righteousness. The line works because it turns a discretionary choice into a test of history.