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In the first part of this editorial, we explained how Donald Trump is following the classic authoritarian playbook by declaring (and inventing) emergencies to amass more power, and that, because institutions are failing to call him out, it will be up to the American people to stop him. Today, we will discuss how they — which means you — can do that. 

We like to see the good in people, which — in the case of how they are dealing with the threat that Donald Trump poses to their country, to democracy, and to their personal well-being — means that we believe the American people are self-absorbed and ignorant.

If that doesn’t sound particularly positive, then consider the alternative, which would be that a majority of them are actually on board with turning the country into some kind of far-right autocracy. 

That might be true for Trump’s cult-like MAGA following. As we pointed out earlier this year, the president’s hard-core supporters are not dissimilar to the Nazis in the early 1930s. Before Adolf Hitler consolidated power (by declaring emergencies), they constituted a minority of German voters.

But, for now, we are still giving regular Americans the benefit of the doubt and hope that they just don’t realize what is happening right in front of their noses. 

They need to start paying attention and get involved before it is too late.

Patriotism right now doesn’t mean standing up for the national anthem before a baseball game or flying a flag on the front porch; it means getting educated about what is happening to the country. 

Of course, millions of them are already aware of the gravity of the situation, but they may not know what to do. 

Before we turn to them, let’s start with the first group: Americans who care about their country but are too distracted or uninformed to understand or believe what is happening.

On the one hand, we want to cut them some slack. 

If you are not paying attention, it’s difficult to sift through Trump’s lies, Fox News propaganda, and online mis- and disinformation. In addition, it’s easy to be disenchanted with the American political system. 

No matter who is in power, things don’t seem to be getting better for regular Americans, so what’s the point of engagement? 

As an aside, one answer to that question is that since things are constantly getting better for the wealthy, it might be time for regular Democrats and Republicans to stop pointing fingers at each other and instead turn their attention to the oligarchs keeping them down… but that’s a topic for another column.

In any case, while we are not unsympathetic to the plight of low-information voters who are reluctant to sift through the BS that they are being inundated with all day long, ignorance is no longer an option when the body and soul of the nation is at stake. 

Patriotism right now doesn’t mean standing up for the national anthem before a baseball game or flying a flag on the front porch; it means getting educated about what is happening to the country. 

And, once you make an effort, it’s not that difficult to figure out who is lying to the American people. 

If you know somebody who is harmed by the actions of this administration, share their story. 

By the way, this shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement of the current crop of Democrats, who are a feckless bunch. 

Instead, it is an acknowledgement that one side in this fight is willing to break every rule to amass power and is very close to achieving its goal of turning the US from a country with a pretty crappy two-party system into one that puts Americans under the yoke of single-party rule.

And that party wants to turn back the clock on any gains made in recent decades when it comes to equality, justice, and science. 

Again, it’s not difficult to put in some effort to find out who is who in this fight — and that’s the least we can expect of Americans in terms of civic engagement.

So, let’s say you have done your research and come to the inevitable conclusion that Trump is trying to destroy the things that make America America while enriching himself and his buddies at the expense of people like you. 

Now what? 

If you truly understand the situation, then you will feel compelled to get involved. 

Great! Welcome to the resistance. 

But what can one person do? 

For example, if you know somebody who is losing Medicaid coverage, then let people know that it’s not just “able-bodied 30-year-old guys playing video games in their parents’ basements,” who are getting kicked off their federal health insurance.

The first thing you can do is not get discouraged by the magnitude of the challenge of going up against a wannabe dictator who is using the levers of government to punish those who dare stand up to him.

The second thing is to not give up even when you wonder why it should be up to you doing this work and not the institutions that were put in place precisely to prevent something like this from happening. 

Yes, it’s pathetic that so many of them have folded. But while Trump may be in the process of consolidating and abusing power like no other president in US history, there is a strength in numbers that even he cannot match. 

Therefore, the most important thing any resistance movement can do is to recruit members. The more people there are, the less each individual has to do. 

For you, that means taking that knowledge you have gained about Trump and the reality that he and the right-wing propaganda machine are trying to obscure — and educating people about it. 

Granted, politics is not a fun topic to discuss these days, especially with family and friends, but it has become necessary. It is also important for people who haven’t gone off the deep end yet to hear from someone they trust.

Another way to educate others about what is going on is to document it. 

We wouldn’t even know about masked ICE thugs grabbing people off the streets if it weren’t for bystanders filming them. 

But it’s not just about viral videos. If you know somebody who is harmed by the actions of this administration, share their story. 

For example, if you know somebody who is losing Medicaid coverage, then let people know that it’s not just “able-bodied 30-year-old guys playing video games in their parents’ basements,” who are getting kicked off their federal health insurance. 

Or if you know hard-working, law-abiding immigrants who are getting deported, then use them as an example to demonstrate that it’s not just “criminal illegals” who are being rounded up. 

And talk about how expensive things are getting. 

In other words, make your family and friends understand that Trump’s actions have real consequences for them and others in their communities.

Then what? 

Another thing you can, and should, do is to call your elected representatives on every level. While it may seem that most lawmakers are useless, one reason for that is that they do not feel the urgency to act on behalf of their constituents. Instead, they are doing things on behalf of corporations and other stakeholders — because they are in touch with congressional offices all the time. 

The next step is to use those numbers to put pressure on the government itself, on those who are supporting it, and on those who are not doing enough to oppose it. 

The great news is that there are ways to do that while saving money! 

Right now, the economy is being propped up by consumer spending. In addition, there are many businesses who are doing Trump’s bidding.

So, one of the simplest things you can do is to spend less, and especially to stop giving your money to companies who support the president and his policies.

Sadly, the worsening economy is going to cause some pain. People will lose their jobs. However, keep in mind that the reason for that isn’t because you decide to spend less money on Amazon, but rather because of Trump’s economic policies. 

Another thing you can, and should, do is to call your elected representatives on every level. While it may seem that most lawmakers are useless, one reason for that is that they do not feel the urgency to act on behalf of their constituents. Instead, they are doing things on behalf of corporations and other stakeholders — because they are in touch with congressional offices all the time. 

A great example is the pressure that MAGA supporters have put on GOP lawmakers to fight for the disclosure of the Epstein files. As beholden as Republicans are to Trump, if they get a flood of angry phone calls from their constituents, even some of them will go against the president’s wishes. 

The same is true for Democrats. 

Many of them are only putting up perfunctory resistance. However, if they believe that their jobs are on the line, they are going to fight for them. So flood those phones, send emails, sign petitions, march… and get loud. 

If you want to do more than that, then find candidates who don’t have to be nudged to fight and help get them elected. 

That’s how Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary in New York. He convinced voters that he was willing to fight for them, and thousands of them volunteered to work for his campaign. Money in politics might be able to pay for a lot of things, but it can’t buy enthusiasm. 

There may come a time, soon, when more extreme measures will be needed, such as general strikes. 

When that happens, and the potential consequences seem dire, just remember that there is strength in numbers, and if real patriots, i.e., not those MAGA types who embrace fascism, stick together, then they can still turn this thing around. 

But time is running out, and the one thing we all cannot afford is to wait for the midterms to vote Republicans out,  because it seems pretty clear at this point that it won’t be a fair election.

In other words, the time to act is now — so go out there and save your country.