What Are We Gonna Do Now: A Framework for Defeating the Trump-Musk Regime, Part 2

We will need a range of strategies to defeat this regime and (re)build democracy.

In part one of this series I explored the question of whether the Trump-Musk regime is politics as usual, in which case all that is really needed to defeat them is a sound electoral strategy. However if, as I am convinced, this is not normal, we need a broader and different range of strategies to bring down this regime.

In part two of this series, I will discuss some of those strategies. The flowchart below shows my thinking on this as well as what I believe to be the seven key resistance strategies. Again, this work should be understood as a framework, a way of thinking about what we need to do, and perhaps setting that agenda, but it is not a comprehensive plan.

Elections-As noted in part one of this series, winning elections is an important part of defeating the Trump-Musk regime. However, election related strategies must take into consideration that the likelihood of free, fair and democratic elections while Trump is in power is slim. Regimes like this one do not leave office simply because they lose an election-and they rarely allow elections to be held in sufficiently fair environments for it to be possible for them to lose.

This means that our election work must focus in equal parts on both election fairness and on strategies for winning. Countering voter suppression laws, disinformation and, as always with MAGA, the threat of violence, while ensuring equal access to the franchise are part of the work that needs to be done here, but we also need to be prepared for other election related shenanigans from the Republicans, including things like stronger voter suppression laws, using right-wing thugs to disrupt polling place and harass voters or sabotaging the vote count through technical pyrotechnics.

This must be done as we also organize, raise money and campaign for Democratic candidates in up and down the ballot.

Legal Strategies-The courts have already been helpful in halting, or at least delaying, some of the most egregious actions of the Trump-Musk regime. Recent decisions have reinforced birthright citizenship and noted that the Office of Personnel Management does not have the legal grounds to fire people in other government agencies. Fighting this regime in the courts is important, but it is a strategy that will only get us so far. Ultimately, on the most important issues the Supreme Court will side with Trump, as it did, for example, last year when it gave him de facto full immunity.

Chief Justice John Roberts. Photo: cc/ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

We must therefore expect that most of the major cases that make it all the way to the Supreme Court will be decided the in favor of the regime. We saw this just a few days ago when Chief Justice Roberts overruled a circuit judge and decided that it was fine for Trump not to allocate funds that Congress had voted to spend. Roberts has on occasion said that the Supreme Courts role is to call balls and strikes. However, as any baseball fan or player knows, every umpire has their own strike zone-and six of the nine Supreme Court Justices have a very pro-Trump strike zone. Once again, legal strategies must be a part of the struggle but will only get us so far.

Media-Given the soft capitulation of most of the media in just the first month or so of this regime, as well as the control of hugely influential social media platforms including X and Meta by regime loyalists, it is essential that we develop alternative ways of communicating and sharing information. Moreover, opponents of the regime must stay ahead of developments in media so that we are not caught off guard by things like the power of manosphere podcasts or even TikTok, as appears to have been the case in 2024.

There are a handful of elected officials, notably veteran progressive leader Bernie Sanders, who have remained trustworthy and honest voices at this difficult time. Identifying and amplifying those kinds of voice is essential, but at the same time it is also important to combat the torrent of disinformation that has come to dominate much of our lives over the last decade. It will become increasingly important to identify media sources, both outside and inside the US that can be relied upon to report what is occurring and who are not afraid of what will likely be increasing pressure and harassment from the Trump-Musk regime.

It will also be important to compete in arenas that are currently so heavily influenced by MAGA sentiments. We will not win if we counter popular disinformation-laden podcasts and YouTube channels with earnest opinion pieces and thoughtful nuanced conversation-although there is a place for both those things. Rather, we need to find our own media platforms, spokespeople and themes to mobilize our base and counter the MAGA forces

Identifying resistance media platforms will be very important.

Tech-Smarter and younger minds than mine will have to figure this out, but it is apparent both that the tech/media environment is rapidly changing and developing, and that the tech fascist movement with roots in the thinking-to use that word very generously-of the likes of Balaji Srinivasan, Marc Andreessen and Musk himself, is an increasingly important part of this regime. It is therefore critical to develop a tech strategy that harnesses some of the extraordinary power of tech, including AI, to oppose rather than propel the global fascist movement.

Currently, the tech powers seem to be largely supporting the Trump-Musk regime. Developing new sources of tech power, sabotaging existing ones and integrating tech into visions of resistance and American democracy are among the ways that technology can be part of the strategy to bring down this regime.

Mobilization and Direct Actions-Protests, demonstrations, rallies and the like are important components of opposition to the regime. These rallies demonstrate the strength of the opposition particularly when they occur in places other than major cities or when major rallies are held in several places on the same day. In addition to rallies and demonstrations, other forms of direct action must be folded into the strategy as well. These include things like general strikes, boycotts, targeted protests and the like.

It is still relatively early in the Trump-Musk administration, so it is not yet clear what forms these should take, but already protests at Tesla dealership are one example of the kinds of actions that can be very helpful. Other examples might be broader boycotts of companies and organizations supportive of the regime, more far-reaching boycotts of the kind that got some traction this past February 28^th, confronting regime officials or their congressional enablers in Town Halls and similar settings, using humor and the media to humiliate regime supporters and other tactics.