First 100 Days of the Resistance
On April 30, President Trump will mark the 100th day of his second term in office. Countless column inches will be devoted to dissecting every decision made, executive order signed, and social media post. Most left-leaning media outlets will decry what appears to be the slow march towards a totalitarian regime in Washington during these first 100 days. In that regard, Donald Trump has given them plenty of reasons to make that argument – from defying court orders to openly contemplating running for a third (and possibly fourth) term as president.
If the Trump administration is becoming a totalitarian regime, we’ve also just witnessed the first 100 days of resistance to that regime. In several ways, it’s severely lacking. Taking cues from successful resistance movements around the world, here are three pieces of advice for the movement.
First, reject violence of any kind. This seems to be increasingly difficult for some on the left to do as their anger builds and seeks an outlet. But burning Tesla cars and trucks and vocally justifying political violence is not only reprehensible, it is counterproductive – and will surely backfire. In “The Checklist to End Tyranny,” Peter Ackerman points out that over the last 120 years, “nonviolent conflicts have had a success rate at least twice that of violent insurrections.” When successful, nonviolent civil resistance movements also lead to results three times faster than successful insurrections that rely on violence.
Resistance movements that resort to violence tacitly give the regime permission to use violence in response. Given the resources of the federal government, that’s a lopsided playing field. Instead, successful resistance movements should use the most effective tools at their disposal – strikes, boycotts, and protests. Concerned citizens flooding Republican townhalls is a good start. So are those rallies in red states being held by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Demonstrating to Republican politicians that their support for Trump comes at a cost might eventually stiffen their spines. Protests and boycotts do more than provide alarmed Americans an opportunity to vent. Ultimately, they can galvanize turnout and persuade voters when it’s really needed – at the ballot box.
Second, stop swinging at pitches in the dirt. The two most compelling issues for voters relate to their wallets and their perception that Washington, D.C., is broken and corrupt. Fighting with Trump over biological males competing in girls’ sports is not a winning issue. Every news cycle that gets led with something other than inflation, economic chaos, or political corruption is a win for Trump.
If they want to galvanize voters against the Trump administration, interest groups and politicians on the left should have the discipline to ignore or downplay politically unpopular issues, even ones they feel strongly about, or fight them quietly in the courts if they must. They need to play the long game and not amplify every policy disagreement they have with the White House.
Focus on the disagreements that most working-class Americans really care about – enacting punitive tariff policies that raise prices, extending tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, and profiting from insider information are all fertile ground. Fight attempts by the administration to weaken the limited guardrails we have in place to prevent corruption in Washington. Highlight the chaos and economic uncertainty created by his ever-changing an incoherent approach to trade policy. Speak up when he weakens our alliances, fails to honor our obligations to veterans, and erodes the American brand globally. Do it from the perspective of how it will affect the average American with higher prices and interest rates, job losses, and a less safe America.
Finally, have your fights with each other in private. The news cycle doesn’t need to be filled with stories about your gratuitous internecine attacks. Yes, your political coalition is deeply divided on many issues. Set that aside, agree to the goal, figure out a plan in private, and then move as a team.
Many of the steps that President Trump has taken since returning to the Oval Office are deeply troubling. Firing agency inspectors general, blacklisting law firms for representing clients adverse to the administration, ignoring court orders, and ordering the Department of Justice to investigate Trump’s enemies and ignore his political allies, severely weaken accountability, encourage corruption, and, yes, put American democracy at risk. Whether the initial actions of the administration bloom into a full-blown attempt at a dictatorship will likely depend on the quality of the resistance. If the first 100 days is any indication, they’ve got work to do.