What can ordinary Americans do to resist what’s happening in D.C.? Here are some suggestions

Image by Ted Eytan.

The United States appears to be teetering on the brink of a coup, with Elon Musk, an unelected advisor to Trump, now having access to the U.S. Treasury’s payment system. Federal officials, watchdogs and gatekeepers are being replaced en masse with Trump loyalists, and Trump himself appears to be trying to supersede the Constitution and the checks and balances that have preserved American democracy for hundreds of years.

What I’ve been hearing, over and over, is what can I do to fight this? I’ve put together a list. Feel free to repost.

(And forgive me if it’s poorly organized or written. I’ve come down with the dreaded winter head cold and my brain is like that slush we were driving through a week ago.)

1. The easiest thing you can do is vote – in every election, not just the majors. In the 2024 presidential election 62 percent of registered voters actually voted. Four years earlier, when American citizens fired Trump from the presidency, 66 percent of voters turned out. Imagine what last November’s outcome might have been had more voters bothered to cast their ballots.

2. Educate yourself about the candidates. It only takes a few minutes to learn how they stand on the issues. Also, make sure you understand the issues themselves. For instance, prior to the 2024 election many Americans were under the impression tariffs were paid for by the nation against which the tariff was imposed. Tariffs are in fact paid for by the businessperson importing the goods, then passed along to the consumer. The tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico by Trump will be paid for by you.

3. Evangelize for your beliefs. If your community has a newspaper, write a letter to the editor or a guest column, if they allow that. Call online or radio talk shows. Use your social media platform to express your viewpoint. The algorithms are not invincible. New eyes may very well see your posts. Before doing any of these things, make sure you know what you’re talking about. Research research research! And please, be respectful.

4. Write to your U.S. representative and your state’s senators to express your displeasure with what is happening within the federal government. Their contact information is easily obtainable online.

5. The American Civil Liberties Union is resisting efforts to subvert the Constitution and federal law. Consider making a donation, if you can afford it.

6. Support the loyal opposition. Make a donation, again if you can afford it, to your political party, be it the Democrats, Libertarians, Independents or another party. Offer to do volunteer work. They need telephone canvassers, people to help with mail-outs, and door-to-door canvassers.

7. Participate in protests if you’re so inclined. A group called Indivisible Action (https://indivisible.org/ ) is trying to organize protests and word has it there’s an effort to coordinate actions in all 50 state capitals on Wednesday. I haven’t been able to verify beyond vague social media memes so I can’t say for a fact there will be one. Don’t drive to Tallahassee because of what you read here.

8. Years ago U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, recommended the following actions. Many are still relevant:

A. Write letters to media editors every time you see an article or broadcast that utilizes a normalizing tone or doesn’t make note of the extreme nature of Trump, his behavior and rhetoric, or his Administration’s actions.

B. Use hashtags such as #NotNormal or #DontNormalize on your social media platforms.

C. Contact your elected officials via petitions, letters, calls and social media to urge them to resist any action that would normalize the Administration and demand that they loudly condemn any Trump actions that are unbefitting our democracy.

D. Reach out to your friends and family and encourage them to do the same.

E. Support rhetorically and financially those organizations that are stepping up to fight normalization.

9. This is from Robert Reich at The Guardian:

“Participate or organize boycotts of companies that are enabling the Trump regime, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of consumer boycotts. Corporations invest heavily in their brand names and the goodwill associated with them. Loud, boisterous, attention-getting boycotts can harm brand names and reduce the prices of corporations’ shares of stock.

“To the extent you are able, fund groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action over the next months and years will be in the federal courts. The groups initiating legislation that I know and trust include the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Defense Fund and Common Cause.

“Spread the truth: Get news through reliable sources, and spread it. If you hear anyone spreading lies and Trump propaganda, including local media, contradict them with facts and their sources. Here are some of the sources I currently rely on for the truth: the Guardian, Democracy Now, Business Insider, the New Yorker, the American Prospect, Americans for Tax Fairness, the Economic Policy Institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, ProPublica, Labor Notes, the Lever, Popular Information, Heather Cox Richardson and, of course, my Substack.

“Urge friends, relatives and acquaintances to avoid Trump propaganda outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, X and, increasingly, Facebook and Instagram. They are increasingly filled with hateful bigotry and toxic and dangerous lies. For some people, these propaganda sources can also be addictive; help the people you know wean themselves off them.

“Push for progressive measures in your community and state. Local and state governments have significant power. Join groups that are moving your city or state forward, in contrast to regressive moves at the federal level. Lobby, instigate, organize and fundraise for progressive legislators. Support progressive leaders.

“Keep the faith. Do not give up on America. Remember, Trump won the popular vote by only one and a half points. By any historical measure, this was a squeaker. In the House, the Republicans’ five-seat lead is the smallest since the Great Depression. In the Senate, Republicans lost half of 2024’s competitive Senate races, including in four states Trump won. America has deep problems, to be sure. Which is why we can’t give up on it – or give up the fights for social justice, equal political rights, equal opportunity and the rule of law. The forces of Trumpian repression and neofascism would like nothing better than for us to give up. Then they’d win it all. But we cannot allow them to.”

10. Subscribe to Heather Cox Richardson’s excellent newsletter exposing the criminal activities of Trump and the Republicans. She’s also on Facebook, X, and TikTok. Follow this link to her Substack:  https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

11. This was mentioned earlier but it bears repeating: When you see misinformation, dispute it. Don’t just scroll by. Find the facts and link them to the post so that people will at least have an option to educate themselves about the truth.

12. Fact check everything you’ve been told. I use these sites to combat disinformation:

A. Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/

B. FactCheck.org: https://www.factcheck.org/

C. Politifact: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

D. Full Fact: https://fullfact.org/

For a morale booster, read this article: https://otherwords.org/five-popular-checks-on-trumps-agenda/

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .