Donald Trump recently called me out by name: “Marc Elias, a terrible lawyer with a horrible track record.” This wasn’t the first time and won’t likely be the last.

I mostly let these attacks roll off of me. They are the cost of fighting for democracy and a prominent Trump critic.

But sometimes I marvel at how far I have come to be in a position where the president knows who I am.

My story is a familiar one.

My great-grandfather, Abraham Eliasavich, came to America from Russia seeking a better life for his family — including a 3-year-old boy named Aron. He was my grandfather.

Aron’s name would soon be changed to Jacob. The family last name was shortened to Elias.

Jacob — or Jack as he would later be known — was born in the Pale of Settlement. In the 19th century, it was the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were legally allowed to reside.

Life was difficult. Poverty and violent pogroms — targeted riots in which Jews were beaten, killed and expelled from their villages — were constant threats. I find it difficult to comprehend the fear and terror he felt as he spent nine days at the bottom of a cramped ship as it sailed to America.

At the time he had no way of knowing that his friends and family that did not leave would eventually face something even more horrifying — extermination at the hands of the Nazis.

The United States offered a chance at a life that wasn’t possible in Tsarist Russia or really anywhere else. They left behind autocracy and oppression for the hope of democracy and freedom.

As I reflect on Trump’s recent attacks, I cannot shake the fact that within three generations, my family went from Aaron Eliasavich, a poor immigrant child fleeing persecution in Russia for being Jewish, to Marc Elias, a lawyer being attacked by the U.S. president for defending the rule of law and democracy.

In many ways, my family left Russia to escape the same threat we are now staring down. An autocratic leader, a lawless regime and a paramilitary eager to harm and round up the persecuted.

I did not know my great-grandfather. But I spent much of my youth around my grandfather. He had little formal education and made a living selling candy to corner stores.

He witnessed two world wars, the great depression, and the rise of American dominance in the world. He also saw the end of Jim Crow, the acceptance of Jews into all aspects of society and both women and 18-year-olds gaining the right to vote.

He was deeply patriotic and thankful for all that this country had given him and his family. He was also a proud Democrat — part of the New Deal coalition.

If he were alive today he would be proud of what I have achieved but worried about what has become of his adopted homeland. Since he died, we have seen the rise of right-wing populism, hate and — of course — Donald Trump. All of these would have been early familiar to the world he left behind.

I often say that the fight for democracy is the fight of this generation. I have no doubt that my grandfather would agree. Yet, what I don’t always add is that none of us wanted that to be the case.

I became an attorney because I wanted a career that fostered the rule of law — not just for me but for everyone who comes to our shores. I focused on voting and elections because it is the most foundational aspect of democracy and freedom.

Then in 2020, I took a risk. It is nothing like the one taken by my great grandfather, but it was motivated by a desire to help fight for democracy.

Against a lot of advice, in addition to practicing law full time, I started a media company. Even as the conventional wisdom was that the media was a dying business, I saw a need for an avowedly pro-democracy news site.

I choose not to build it on Substack or to seek venture capital or outside investors. I wanted it to be truly independent in every possible way. That has made building it harder but it has been worth it.

Democracy Docket covers the battles for voting rights happening across the country — in state houses, in courtrooms and on the ground. It has no corporate parent and is beholden to no special interest.

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