If you want to resist Donald Trump, you have to point out his failures, get involved in local politics, and support progressive voices.
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When they woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Donald Trump would be president again, millions of Americans undoubtedly asked themselves: “What is happening to my country, and what can I do about it?”
Those are valid and important questions.
The first part is a bit tricky because, if you think about it, this isn’t really your country anymore. It now belongs to Trump and MAGA… a cult that lives in a completely different reality (and votes accordingly).
The real United States of America is a beautiful place with endless promise. Over the course of its history, it has largely moved forward and, even though it often took a long time, incrementally expanded the rights of citizens who were not white males.
Just like every other country, it has problems — some large and others small.
In the real United States, Trump could not have won.
In the fake United States, which is based on an alternate version of the country that he and his allies crafted, he could not lose.
Some of the more recent ones were caused by a devastating pandemic and the resulting economic fallout. Others are systemic, like inequality, prevailing racism, and the challenge of trying to integrate millions of immigrants into a society that needs them for cheap labor and entrepreneurial vigor but does not embrace them.
Compared to peer countries, the real United States is doing well economically, especially now that inflation has been reined in.
Perhaps its biggest challenge is that propaganda has divided the nation so much in recent years that it seems as though people who live, work, study, play, and worship together view the country completely differently.
That brings us to Donald Trump’s America.
It’s an ugly place that seeks to move backwards in many areas, and that pits its residents against each other. It’s a nation in which hard-earned rights and protections are rolled back. It is a country with an energy policy that completely disregards the reality of climate change. In this America, everything was the greatest ever four years ago and is now the worst in history.
In the real United States, Trump could not have won.
In the fake United States, which is based on an alternate version of the country that he and his allies crafted, he could not lose.
Here, his success is based on getting tens of millions of Americans to disassociate themselves from reality, disregard the truth, dismiss verifiable facts, and turn a blind eye toward who Trump really is, both by word and deed.
And herein lies the problem with regard to answering the second part of the initial question: “What can I do about it?”
Usually, a reasonable first step for people would be to get their Trump-supporting family, friends, coworkers, church members, teammates, etc. to understand that they are being duped and lied to.
If that were an option, it would have to be done carefully, of course. Nobody likes to be told that they are gullible fools who allowed themselves to be deceived.
Still, in an ideal world, you could explain stuff to them.
“I understand that Fox News says that all immigrants are savage killers and cartel members, but did you know that legal immigrants commit fewer crimes than people born in the US, and that the crime rate of undocumented immigrants is even lower?”
“Hey, look, Kamala Harris conceded the election right away while Trump, who lost by a similar Electoral College margin in 2020 (and by millions more votes), sparked an insurrection and attempted a coup.”
“This is an interesting letter from nearly two dozen Nobel Prize-winning American economists who explain why massive tariffs are a terrible idea.”
Sadly, that is no longer an option in today’s America.
Trump supporters are too far gone. On one issue after another, they believe things that are not just somewhat false but, in many cases, diametrically opposed to the truth. So don’t bother trying to convince them that they are being fed lies by the likes of Trump, Fox News, Elon Musk, etc.
Then there are some voices who advocate more innovative solutions.
For example, there is a movement encouraging women to not have relationships, or relations, with Trump supporters. That sounds as though it might work. After all, young women are one of the groups whose rights will be curtailed in the next four years, and young men drawn to the misogyny of MAGA have become key supporters of Trump.
However, in reality, this would just backfire.
Trump’s movement is based in large part on anger, fear, and grievances, so telling his young male supporters that they will have to find dates in the much smaller pool of MAGA women will probably only affirm those feelings.
That isn’t to say that women should date Trump supporters. Based on an incompatibility of views, they probably should not. However, it would be counterproductive to state that as the reason, since it would only reinforce how they see the world.
So, what to do?
One key thing is to not just get involved nationally every four years but to do so locally all the time. That means participating in communal and municipal politics, speaking out at city council meetings, running for school boards, starting grassroots groups, etc.
Another is to support left-of-center voices.
MAGA has an incredibly effective propaganda network in place. From the endless lies of Fox News, and Elon Musk turning Twitter into his personal misinformation tool, to podcasts influencing those wannabe alpha males, and conservatives shamelessly spouting falsehoods nonstop, these right-wing influencers are relentless in their efforts to get Trump supporters to believe in an alternate reality.
The left doesn’t have any equivalents.
One of the reasons for that is that progressives seem to enjoy reveling in their own misery by “doomscrolling” and following all of the same conservative voices.
What they need are clear alternatives that they can promote and support. Granted, it is more difficult for these voices to emulate the success of those on the right because they (usually) don’t lie, and certainly not so effortlessly.
That should be rewarded.
So, promote and amplify progressive networks, podcasters, writers, etc. (not to sound self-serving, but that also includes these columns. If you go through the archives, you will see that we have tried to shine a light on many of these issues, and, if you see something you like, then pass it on).
Changing the narrative in real life and online also means reclaiming some of the symbols the right has hijacked.
MAGA supporters love to cloak themselves in the Stars and Stripes and call themselves patriots (you know, like those insurrectionists who sacked Congress) even while they betray the ideals on which the nation was founded. They may be “patriots” in Trump’s dark, angry America, but they don’t deserve that title in the real United States, where it should be reserved for people who want to make it a better place for all.
Finally, those who want to resist what Trump and his supporters want to do to America have to make sure he fails. And, when he does, they have to point out those losses.
Now, you might say: “What can I do? I’m just one person.”
That is true; but you also showed up to cast your ballot (and likely not in a swing state) even when you knew this would just be an expression of your support for the things that are good about America instead of a difference-making vote.
And until the next Election Day, you can vote with your wallet.
Stop giving money to billionaires, for example (especially those supporting Trump). Instead of buying stuff to cope with the outcome of the election, don’t stimulate the economy — put that money in the bank (or pay off that credit card) instead.
As we noted earlier this week, Trump has made a series of promises that he will not be able to keep (in part, for example, because some are completely contradictory). When that happens, make sure to let his supporters know.
This is especially true because, by the looks of it, the GOP will control the White House and all of Congress. So any failure in the next two years will be theirs alone.
That is the only way in which MAGA supporters may realize that they have been deceived.
And, while it is unlikely that all of them will admit that, you can use the same “divide and conquer” approach that Trump has used.
If, for example, his mass deportations happen, there will be chaos and heartbreak that could sway Latinos to turn their back on Trump when they realize that what they took for admirable masculinity is actually just cruelty.
And, when these deportations lead to higher prices, make sure that those who buy a family’s groceries know that the president’s economic policies are to blame.
Same for Arab Americans when Trump does nothing to help the people in the Gaza Strip, and for blue-collar workers when his policies hurt union workers and benefit their employers.
So, don’t despair.
Based on Trump’s own track record, his wildly unrealistic promises, and the chaos that has ensued when Republicans are in power, there is every reason to believe that they will screw this up.
Sadly, those failures will result in hardships for countless Americans.
But, on the other hand, they are also the one thing that may result in duped Trump supporters to finally see the truth.
