This Is It: Facing Trump 2.0
Jan 05, 2025
In one of the most important and
climatic scenes in the 2006 film Titanic, Rose and her beau Jack are holding on
as they stand on tiptoe outside the rails of the upside down ship. As the ship
begins its final, rapid descent into the dark, cold waters of the Atlantic,
Jack tells Rose, “This is it.” They have received instructions from the ship’s
architect on how they might survive once they are in the water. They are both
clear about the goals: survive and stay together.
This feels like the moment this
country faces as we approach Trump 2.0. In just a few short weeks Donald Trump
will return to the White House, bringing with him a coterie of some of the most
incompetent and vile miscreants to serve in some of the highest and most
consequential civil positions in our government. Their intentions are clear.
Their penchant for lies and targeting has already been on display. Their
ham-fisted approach to governance is clumsy, cruel, and unethical, but that
won’t stop it from being effective. They are prepared to fight battles small
and large. With the wind of a conservative Supreme Court and
Republican-controlled Congress at their backs, Trump and his team are feeling
bold and unstoppable. The outcome seems clear.
But like Rose and Jack,
we have goals as well. To survive personally and nationally, with the remnants
of democracy still in place so that we have a platform on which to build a new,
stronger, healthier democracy. Our other goal is to stay together. We can and
must do both.
The greatest obstacle to our fight to
survive as a democracy (even a deeply flawed one) and to hold together a
semblance of unity among those who believe in the fight for equality and
justice in this country, is the inclination to give up – to believe that
Trump’s plans cannot be stopped. I agree that they cannot be stopped in total.
But I do believe that they can be upended in part, and we must use what powers
we have to thwart as many of his harmful policies and plans as we can. It’s
also critical for us to play for the future and not just for the present
moment. That means it matters that we make a record – a record of Trump’s
excesses and lies, but also of police, prosecutor, and judicial misconduct, of
corruption - documents and money exchanged, of quid pro quos, and of
collaboration with foreign enemies.
Many of us are fighting powerful
exhaustion and an ongoing measure of shock that this giant, seemingly
unsinkable state-of-the-art democracy (however flawed) can really be about to
sink. That exhaustion and disbelief can lead to paralysis, something we can ill
afford. I’m reminded that the first thing Jack and Rose did was take deep
breaths before holding one long breath as the ship descended. And we must do
the same. First pulling in as oxygen those things that nourish us and keep us
going. I have encouraged people to lean-in to art, and nature and family and
spiritual practice. Establishing a regimen of these things that you will engage
and absorb regularly over the next four years is critical. An exercise
schedule, morning meditation or prayer, monthly museum visits or concerts, a
book club, monthly family dinners, Netflix nights, leaning into your favorite
sports team. All of this can help ensure that you are regularly oxygenated
throughout what I can guarantee will be moments that will take our breath away
in their cruelty and audacity.
Lastly, like Jack and Rose, hold
hands. Stay connected to our cohort of democratic survivors. Those determined
to make it to shore. There’s room on the floating door for more than
one if we don’t panic and if we understand that our fate is inextricably linked
to those who share our vision for democracy, justice and equality.
Generosity and encouragement will be
key. Our hands may come apart from time to time, but we can still stay close.
Fight those who are opposed to democracy, equality and justice. Not those who
are your allies. You can disagree with your allies. Correct them, edify them,
firmly push back against them when necessary. But try to reserve your fight for
your opponents.
Once we’ve established our oxygen
routine, we will have to focus. There will be many things competing for our
attention. But we must decide what are the things or areas to which we’ve
committed ourselves. We cannot exhaust ourselves. There are civil rights and
civil liberties organizations ready to file suit. Support them. There are
representatives in Congress who know the rules and are ready to resist the
excesses of the Republicans. We don’t have to do their work - but we must
support them.
But there is work for every citizen to
do. When your friends or family members get tired, and start thinking we can’t
survive this, give them the number to call their Senator or House member.
Remind them that it matters. And remind yourself. Never make it easy for those
in power to trample our rights. Make them hear your voices, no matter what.
Speak, write, call, march. If we stop doing those things, it won’t be long
before we no longer remember where the line is for decency, truth, justice and
democracy.
There’s another reason it matters.
Remember that the fear of losing their jobs is the prime motivator of most
elected representatives, and they are in constant fear that they have lost
sight of which way the wind is blowing. The 2022 midterms loom large, and
Republicans remain in disarray. They too, are exhausted just from trying to
keep up with what Trump, or Musk have ordered in their most recent tweets.
So when you call, leave messages, send
texts and emails, send postcards and letters. Trust me - they worry, and they
waver. And if you are blessed to have terrific representatives, then they need
the encouragement and the reminder of who they are fighting for. We must call
our our elected representatives when they do wrong, but we must also pat them
on the back when they do right.
Get engaged locally. Go with a friend
or family member to the next school board meeting. Showing up at city council
meetings. Visit your library as a way of showing your community who you are,
and that you care. Do not cede the space to your opponents. They win whenever
we fail to show up. Our presence is powerful and destabilizes the sense that we
are intimidated. This is especially important if you live in a blue state or
district. We need to hold the spaces, cities and states we have.
When you reel your resolve flagging,
look at your children, your young cousin, your niece, or nephew and ask
yourself if you are too intimidated to protect their future. If the answer is
no, then act like it. Enter the space that is yours. Decide that in 2025 you
will be come an active citizen, not an observer.
For my friends in media,
many of you are already failing this preliminary moment. Tighten up your
language. Stop conceding the rationality of things that are fundamentally
irrational and the legality of things that are illegal. Musk and Ramaswamy are
leading at best a “project on government accountability.” Maybe and “ad hoc
committee” or study group. It is not a “Department” which is a legal term for
federal agencies. The creation of federal departments requires an Act of
Congress, not the mere whim of a president-elect and his benefactor. Think
“Department of Homeland Security.” There is no “Department of Government
Efficiency.” And if giving legal imprimatur to this ad hoc initiative is not
reason enough to refrain from referring to it as DOGE, engaging in cost-free
advertising for Elon Musk’s cryptocurrency (called DOGE) should be reason
enough.
Restore your obligation to help your
readers understand what is out-of-the-ordinary and antidemocratic. Trump’s
stated plans to seize the Panama Canal, to make Canada the 51st state,
and to “buy” Greenland is not “Trump being Trump.” It is not a “policy plan.”
And it is certainly not an “approach to diplomacy.” If you had 11th grade
social studies you know that it reflects imperialist ambitions, that it is an
act of hostility towards those nations, and that is destabilizing to those
nations, their people, and their markets. Report on it as such. Trump is the
President-elect. When he makes these kinds of threats they should be treated
seriously and presented as the threat they constitute. This is not normal
behavior. It could and may yet lead to trade wars or armed conflict.
It is also critical that the media
compel elected representatives to stand with or against Trump’s most excessive
plans. I would have expected a responsible press to be camped outside of
Senator Marco Rubio’s house who, as Trump’s Secretary of State nominee, would
be charged with handling the fallout from Trump’s intemperate and menacing
threats against sovereign nations. What are his views about Trump’s stated plan
to seize the Panama Canal? There is a pretty healthy Panamanian American
population in Florida. What is Rubio saying to that community?
The Matt Gaetz ethics report was an
explosive revelation. Seems long ago. He has moved on to prime-time show on
OANN. That does not mean the press should move on. This is the man Trump wanted
as Attorney General – to represent the United States and lead the largest law
enforcement force in the world. His selection of Gaetz is, in and of itself,
disqualifying. But he has yet to be pressed on the Gaetz report and what he
knew about it. If he didn’t know then he didn’t do basic due diligence before
selecting a nominee. If he did, well then, the Senate has no reason to give any
Trump nominee the benefit of the doubt -something one might remind those
Democratic senators who have announced their willingness to consider voting for
RFK, Jr. as HHS Secretary.
The public doesn’t sustain its outrage
because the news moves on to something else. Stop letting Trump set the news
cycle. Your job is to keep the citizenry educated so that we can make good
decisions. Trump’s election is evidence that this has failed. But it’s never
too late to do better.
And don’t forget the anti-democratic
excesses that are happening around the country, and not just on Capitol Hill.
What about ongoing attacks against Black women elected prosecutors in
Florida? https://www.wftv.com/news/local/polk-county-grand-jury-investigating-monique-worrells-administration-days-before-swearing-in/276H52VRO5GWNDR53GBPA7LOTQ/ The
theft of power from democratic governors by Republican legislatures. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/12/g-s1-37837/north-carolina-gop-lawmakers-governor Ongoing
police racism and brutality? The catastrophic humanitarian crisis in our
nation’s prisons. These are all threats to the integrity of democracy in this
country as much as Trump. Cover these stories more prominently, so that the
public can understand that the threats are not limited to those on Capitol Hill
and can engage at the local level.
For all of us, even when the media
fails, we are still obligated to stay informed. Start following the terrific
lawyers, journalists, activists, and writers who have shown that they have the
ability to meet the moment and who can share with you information you are
unlikely to get other places.
Faith leaders who
believe in democracy and justice? There’s work for you to do, and it is urgent.
Now is the time to reach out to your local police precinct captains. Make sure
they know who you are. Ask for a cell number where you can reach them. Invite
them to your places of worship and let them know what you expect. When and if
we see our neighbors being targeted, taken away by ICE or other law
enforcement, faith leaders should be on-call for their communities, with a
direct high level point of contact to find out where individuals have been
taken and how they can be reached. Let your local police know that you expect
humane treatment of arrestees and detainees.
Finally, we all end the year with a
little less money than we would like but make a decision once your finances
stabilize about which two or three public, non-profit sources of information or
advocacy you will support. PBS? Democracy Now? Pro Publica? Wikipedia (now
under threat from Elon)? Your library? Black press? Your town’s alternative
weekly? Then do it. Do it now.
Begin printing out articles that
contain important information and social media posts that shed important light
on controversial issues. There’s a great deal of “scrubbing” happening on the
internet right now and many of the most nefarious figures of this time that
have stayed under the radar will reappear in the days of our future rebuilding,
espousing brand-new positions and ideas.
I intend to use this space to shed
light and do some deep dives on the meaning and context behind the
anti-democratic plans and proposals that are unfolding, especially those that
strike at the heart of our constitution’s guarantee of equality, so please tune
in. As I always say, I don’t have all the answers. I’m only absolutely clear
about the need to fight.
