In the wake of the 2016 election, I—like many—was distraught, wondering what I could possibly do to fight back against a president with dangerous plans for our country. A phone call from my old boss provided my answer. It was Georgia congressional candidate Jon Ossof’s manager, asking if I wanted to come down to work on his special election. Three days later, I was on a plane and about to witness something truly electric. I watched as leaders like John Lewis and Cecile Richards came to stump in the district. Hundreds of volunteers flew, drove, and pogo-sticked from across the country to help out.[i] The campaign set a congressional fundraising record, raising 24 million dollars in just a few short months.[ii]
Today, instead of being hit over the head with outrage and activism, I find myself needing to actively hunt for either.
Trump’s opposition is largely silent, disengaged, or vengeful. After nine years of preparing for the end of our cherished Democracy and life as we know it, the end has finally come—and it seems like there’s no energy left.
During Trump’s first term, our saving grace was that some of his campaign rhetoric was just that—rhetoric. Hillary Clinton wasn’t prosecuted, the wall wasn’t really built,[iii] and Trump deported fewer immigrants than Obama.[iv] Trump’s first presidency was divisive, demoralizing, and damning, but at least it came with many empty threats.
This time, Trump wasn’t bluffing. For my own psychological safety, I’d convinced myself that Trump was employing bully tactics that didn’t have any actual teeth. There’s no way he would pardon the January 6th rioters.[v] Political retribution was a thing of dystopian autocracies, not established democracies.[vi] He couldn’t actually come after birthright citizenship.[vii] And yet…
Trump is clearing house. Gone are the voices of push back, moderation, or reason. You’re either a political pawn,[viii] or you’re as good as powerless.[ix] Retaliatory tariffs will increase domestic prices,[x] and inflation will likely increase again.[xi] Supreme Court retirements will allow Trump to pack the court even more,[xii] resulting in a generation of onslaught to our rights. Private schools will grow in prominence at the peril of public education,[xiii] and racial equity will be painted as an increasingly fringe, radical point of view.[xiv] Countless mixed-status families will be separated,[xv] and we’ll see a dramatic decrease of asylum seekers attempting to enter the US.[xvi]
Every terrifying, outlandish claim Trump made on the campaign trail is on the table.
But accepting this reality without a fight could seal our fate for cycles to come. Remaining silent sends a dangerous message to future Republican leaders who are trying to envision the party post-Trump.[xvii] Yet so many members of the left are tuned out, seeking retribution, or retreating into liberal bubbles, that the silence is deafening.
Many who are protecting themselves from the news because “it’s just too depressing” are the same who have the least to lose from Trump’s administration. Do you think the undocumented or asylum seekers get the luxury of not keeping up with the news?[xviii] What about the thousands of federal employees who have lost, or are at risk of losing, their jobs?[xix] Or the thousands who lost life-sustaining humanitarian aid around the world?[xx] It’s hard to voice outrage about something you don’t know is happening.
Then there are the “let Trump do what he wants” people. He’ll wreak havoc, the world will burn, and we get to say “I told you so,” and take back the house and presidency. Again, I turn to the migrants, the federal employees, the working families who won’t be able to buy their kid back-to-school supplies next fall when prices prohibitively increase. Do we really want repentance to come at the hands of literal lives lost? Do we want to play politics with the livelihood of millions of people?
And finally, I’ve seen our old defensive response from the 2016 era — end all friendships with those who don’t agree with you. Purge the social media followers, cancel your problematic friends and colleagues, and save your moral virtuosity.
In some ways, I find this response the most troubling of all. Whether we chose to ostracize Trump supporters or not, they still have electoral power. The escalation of cancel culture has done more to alienate the voting population from the Democratic party than bring about justice, for forsaking half our country brought us Trump. If we continue, we hand future electoral victories to a dark Republican party that has real, tangible impact on Americans. Preventing against that is worth the squeamish, uncomfortable, and even painful conversations that are required to bridge the gap. The alternative is even more painful, and we’re living it now.
As hard as it may be, facing the hard realities of Trump’s administration is necessary for organizing, protesting, and strategizing for the future. In fact, therein lies the silver lining of Trump’s destruction. It gives us the opportunity to critique and decry Trump’s agenda in (some) of the terms of Trump supporters themselves. This is not about mollifying bigotry. But when we deny the multidimensionality of Trump supporters, we deny their humanity, furthering their alienation and siphoning the old Democratic base to the other side. What we’ll get is more of what we have now, and that is unthinkable.
Instead, we need to acknowledge the real and valid economic concerns of millions of Americans, and demonstrate that Trump’s policies don’t actually help them. Trump tariffs will raise the cost of living for the average American.[xxi] Mass deportations will exacerbate labor shortages and increase food prices.[xxii] Gutting the federal government will make efficient service delivery a pipe dream.[xxiii] Vaccine conspiracies will send more unvaccinated kids to the hospital,[xxiv] increasing healthcare costs. Cuts to public benefits will put millions in survival mode.[xxv]
It’s time to call your elected officials, rallying against tariff wars, mass deportations, and general authoritarianism. It’s time to invest in the plethora of races on the ballot this year who can serve as a referendum on Trumpism, from gubernatorial races to removing Mayor Eric Adams from office. It’s time to reach the press, through mass demonstrations and op-eds, to show we are not defeated.
Now is not the time to retreat to our bubbles, to put our heads in the sand, or to shout “I told you so.” It’s time to frame Trump’s actions in terms most meaningful to those we lost from the party. If we stay silent, this dystopia might be here to stay.
[i] Kaufmann, Johnny. “Outside Money and Volunteers Pouring into Georgia Special Election.” NPR, April 15, 2017. https://www.npr.org/2017/04/15/524076532/outside-money-and-volunteers-pouring-into-georgia-special-election.
[ii] Beckel, Michael. “The Money behind the Most Expensive U.S. House Race in History.” Issue One, 2017. https://issueone.org/articles/money-behind-expensive-u-s-house-race-history/.
[iii] Hansen, Claire. “How Much of Trump’s Border Wall Was Built?” U.S. News & World Report, 2022. https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-02-07/how-much-of-president-donald-trumps-border-wall-was-built.
[iv] Wolf, Zachary B. “Why Deportations Actually Dropped in Trump’s First Term.” CNN, November 11, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/11/politics/deportations-trump-presidency-what-matters/index.html.
[v] Dreisbach, Tom. “Criminal Records of Jan. 6 Rioters Pardoned by Trump Include Rape, Domestic Violence.” NPR, January 30, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/30/nx-s1-5276336/donald-trump-jan-6-rape-assault-pardons-rioters.
[vi] Dilanian, Ken, and Ryan J. Reilly. “Trump Administration Fires DOJ Officials Who Worked on Criminal Investigations of the President.” NBC News, January 27, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-administration-fires-doj-officials-worked-criminal-investigation-rcna189512.
[vii] Brewer, Graham Lee, and Janie Har. “Birthright Citizenship: Trump’s Attempt Would Overturn Century of Precedent.” AP News, January 25, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/trump-birthright-citizenship-native-chinese-executive-order-c163bbadd20609bd09fd5c5bccc6ba8d.
[viii] Montanaro, Domenico. “Trump Is Creating Team of Loyalists after Conflicts with Cabinet Members in 1st Term.” NPR, November 16, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/16/g-s1-34532/trump-cabinet-loyalists.
[ix] Messerly, Megan, Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney, and Nahal Toosi. “Trump Fires Independent Inspectors General in Friday Night Purge.” POLITICO, January 25, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/25/donald-trump-inspectors-general-firing-00200611.
[x] NBC News. “Live Updates: Trump Deals with Fallout after Imposing Tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico.” NBC News, February 2, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-china-canada-mexico-tariffs-live-updates-rcna190144.
[xi] Plume, Karl, Tom Polansek, and Renee Hickman. “Trump Tariffs to Stoke US Food Inflation despite Pledge to Lower Costs.” Reuters, January 31, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/trump-tariffs-stoke-us-food-inflation-despite-pledge-lower-costs-2025-01-31/.
[xii] Kapur, Sahil, and Lawrence Hurley. “Trump Will Name More Conservative Judges. He May Even Pick a Majority of the Supreme Court.” NBC News, November 8, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-will-name-conservative-judges-may-even-pick-majority-supreme-cou-rcna179130.
[xiii] Meltzer, Erica. “Trump Executive Order Seeks to Steer Federal Funds to Private School Vouchers.” Chalkbeat, January 30, 2025. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/30/trump-private-school-choice-executive-order-steers-federal-money-to-vouchers/.
[xiv] Figueroa, Fernanda, Ayanna Alexander, and Corey Williams. “Trump Order Ending Federal DEI Programs Leaves Agencies and Stakeholders on Uncertain Ground.” AP News, January 23, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/trump-dei-executive-order-diversity-inclusion-f67ea86032986084dd71c5aa0c6b8d1d.
[xv] Velshi, Ali. “Trump’s Mass Deportation Plans Could Tear Mixed Immigration Status Families Apart.” MSNBC, January 14, 2025. https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-immigration-mixed-status-family-separation-rcna187446.
[xvi] Rescue.org. “Trump Administration Suspends Refugee Resettlement.” The IRC, January 23, 2025. https://www.rescue.org/article/trump-administration-suspends-refugee-resettlement.
[xvii] Fowler, Stephen. “As Trump Takes Office Again, He Has Even More Sway over the Republican Party.” NPR, January 15, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/nx-s1-5258176/trump-republican-party.
[xviii] Yousif, Nadine. “Six Big Immigration Changes under Trump – and Their Impact so Far.” BBC, January 25, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyn2p8x2eyo.
[xix] Bond, Shannon, Geoff Brumfiel, Andrea Hsu, and Cory Turner. “Sweeping Cuts Hit Recent Federal Hires as Trump Administration Slashes Workforce.” NPR, February 13, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5296928/layoffs-trump-doge-education-energy.
[xx] Kates, Jennifer. “The Status of President Trump’s Pause of Foreign Aid and Implications for PEPFAR and Other Global Health Programs.” KFF, February 3, 2025. https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/the-status-of-president-trumps-pause-of-foreign-aid-and-implications-for-pepfar-and-other-global-health-programs/.
[xxi] Barlow, Rich. “Would Trump’s Tariffs Send Prices Soaring for Americans?” BU Today, December 12, 2024. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/would-trumps-tariffs-send-prices-soaring/.
[xxii] Shih, Willy, and Veronica Chua. “Trump’s Trade and Deportation Plans Could Be Disastrous for the U.S. Food Supply.” Harvard Business Review, January 22, 2025. https://hbr.org/2025/01/trumps-trade-and-deportation-plans-could-be-disastrous-for-the-u-s-food-supply.
[xxiii] Kamarck, Elaine. “Cut the Government with a Scalpel, Not an Axe.” Brookings, November 18, 2024. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/cut-the-government-with-a-scalpel-not-an-axe/.
[xxiv] Tahir, Darius. “Trump Leads, and His Party Follows, on Vaccine Skepticism.” CNN, September 30, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/health/trump-vaccine-skepticism-partner-kff-health-news/index.html.
[xxv] DeParle, Jason. “Trump Drive to Cut Safety Net Could Hit His Voters.” The New York Times, January 23, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/us/politics/trump-social-safety-net.html