When a Nation Asks, “What Do We Do?”
We’ve crossed into authoritarian territory — here’s how we can fight back — together.
We’ve officially crossed over the threshold into authoritarianism in America.
Now, what do we do?
This question has become far more common, and I see it everywhere. It’s one I’ve been asking myself. The American people are literally crying out for help — “What do we do?!” “What can we do?”
I personally am not one to sit idly by. When I witness blatant injustice and harm being done to others, I get angry, and that anger quickly turns into activation and motivation. But sometimes, even I’m not sure how or where I can best utilize or activate my strength.
The wave of rage many of us are feeling is unlike anything we’ve experienced before, because our current political reality is unprecedented in American history. The United States has never been governed by a dictator. For as long as we’ve been alive, this country has run (unequally and unjustly, of course) under a democracy. That experiment is now officially over. Perhaps not forever, but certainly for now.
Within just a few short months, we’ve completely closed the chapter of our young democracy and have entered into a full-blown dictatorship. And though it’s only been a few short months, the changes, lawlessness, and cruelty have left many of us feeling helpless and hopeless. We find ourselves searching for a place where we can fit in — a way to fight it, a way to combat it, a way to make change for the common good.
We must seize the opportunity to fight while we still have our freedom — because in America, freedom is no longer guaranteed. It stands on the brink of being stripped as a right, steadily fading into a waning privilege.
Earlier this year, the Trump regime allowed a South African apartheid-sympathizing billionaire, along with a group of juvenile incels, to establish a new, make-believe department — the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — tasked with demonetizing and dismantling the infrastructure of virtually every established U.S. government agency.
We’ve had big tech and AI conglomerates like OpenAI and Palantir bend the knee to Donald Trump and his regime, willfully deploying the largest surveillance scheme in U.S. history.
We’ve been stripped of our privacy and autonomy. ICE and other non-relevant agencies have been granted access to our IRS data, cell phone metadata, medical records, addresses, legal filings, emergency contacts, bank information, internet history — literally everything. Every single data point that can be traced back to you has been made available to anyone with access to these systems. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Oh, wait! It already has.
The Supreme Court — an institution that once had a duty to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States of America — is now a sham. Six “justices” sit on the bench who have decided that capitulating to America’s dictator is worth more than their honor, their loyalty, their dignity, and their legacy of service to our country and its people. John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett are stains on American history that will never erased. We, the people, will make sure of that.
The writ of habeas corpus is at risk of being abolished. Donald Trump has created a modern-day SS composed of police, feds, FBI, military, and National Guard members, enlisted for what appears to be the sole purpose of harassing, torturing, and instilling fear and submission into innocent people throughout the country — a movement that continues to grow and expand. Citizens and non-citizens are being kidnapped, detained, arrested, and even sent to third-party war-torn countries without due process. Donald Trump has circumvented the typical processes and norms governing the passage of bills and orders through the use of executive orders. By doing so, he has diverted funds intended for life-saving agencies such as Medicaid, the Department of Education, and Social Security, channeling billions of our tax dollars to ICE. In effect, he has created the largest allegiant army in the world, swiftly enticing and hiring loyalists who are willing to pillage and plunder innocent humans in exchange for exorbitant hiring bonuses.
We have concentration camps being built before our very eyes that house citizens and non-citizens alike, since the regime no longer recognizes due process as a right worth honoring.
This, folks, is the new America.
Now, what can we do to stop it? How do we stop it?
I believe that the only way this could fully be stopped is if the entire nation staged an actual coup — a J6 for the greater good. I’m not promoting this; I’m simply stating that there are more of us — the good folks — than them, and the regime cannot be toppled without dismantling it completely. Removing Donald Trump is not enough. The goal for this regime is to have a ‘pure’ white Christian nationalist society without Black and brown people in their way. That means Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, J.D. Vance, and the rest of the klan have to go. But the likelihood of that happening is slim to none.
Since that is unlikely to happen — because our country is too docile and complacent to overthrow its government as others have done (with Syria being one recent example), the next best thing I can recommend is to take up as much space as possible.
Preach — If you’re an aware, empathetic human who cringes at the sight of a person’s head being bashed to the ground by cowardly bastards wearing balaclavas, or if you literally feel the pain and anguish of those whose rights and voices are being unlawfully silenced, then speak out. If you’re privy to current events by way of independent, truthful media, repost it, speak it, share it, shout it, preach it. It doesn’t matter if it feels like no one is listening; it doesn’t matter how many likes you get on your posts — our collective goal right now is to educate, to spread the truth, and to wake up those who are not yet conscious. We have to try before it’s too late.
Strike — Limit your purchases to only what is essential for you and your family. Don’t just limit your strike to a specific date or time frame — keep it indefinite. Don’t spend your hard-earned money at Trump-supporting companies like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon, and Coca-Cola — prioritize local Indigenous, Black, brown, LGBTQ2S+, and other minority-owned businesses, and try to shop only for absolute necessities. With a recession looming, the more minimal, the better.
Run — RUN for office. If you’re smart, competent, and frustrated with your local leadership, if you see open or uncontested seats, if you’re raging at home because the Democratic establishment just doesn’t get it — then run. Run for something. Local elections are more critical now than ever: school boards, county commissions, city councils, state legislatures — the possibilities are endless. Grassroots support is incredibly popular right now, and if you stand up for what’s right and aren’t afraid to protect and listen to potential constituents, you will garner their support.
Organize — Partner with local organizations doing the hard work, from food banks and court observers to local ACLU chapters that are working with your state government and legislators to pass bills that protect the people. You’ll arm yourself with even more knowledge and information. The more we know, the more we can network, spread the word, and bring others into our efforts.
Support — Stand with your Democratic representatives, senators, and governors. Call, write, and meet with them. Let them know you’re there, ready to help, and that they’re not alone. Push them to do what’s right and to speak up — because it’s not always easy. Fighting authoritarianism takes a really large damn village. And if they fall short, hold their feet to the fire when they fail to take a strong enough stand against authoritarianism.
Speak Out — Call out your Republican officials and representatives. Overwhelm their offices with phone calls and emails. Show up at town halls (if they exist) and school board meetings. Educate yourself on what’s happening in your community. Speak out in your local Facebook groups. Hold conservatives accountable for their complicity and fecklessness in the rise of authoritarianism. Make them answer for their actions. Make your presence known so they know that getting away with it won’t be so easy.
Connect — Find like-minded people through independent online sources as well as in person. Times are about to become incredibly rough, and we need to know who our allies are and who we can count on. We need to stick together because there will be a lot of suffering — and right now, people need people more than ever. Let’s find each other, build community, and stay connected. This movement demands a powerful collective effort — one that includes you and me — to overcome this. We’re going to need shoulders to lean on, to cry on, to vent to, in the most human way possible. You’re not alone, I promise you.
When I tell you things are going to get tougher, please believe me. This time in history is not for the faint of heart, and unfortunately, many of us can’t escape.
We will be mentally, emotionally, and physically pushed to our limits. We will have to think outside the box, outsmart our enemies, push back against them, and plan ahead. We will need to learn how to strategize and organize the way our ancestors did.
This is not going to be easy — but we have each other, and you are not alone. We are part of a historic movement, one in which we stand on the right side of justice, equality, and history. They can’t erase our knowledge, our power, or our memories — and they cannot erase the truth.
This, folks, is our mandate: to rise, to resist, and to build something much better.