Trump's coming after you — but there's a way to fight back

In light of Trump’s increasingly cruel and bonkers behavior — toward Iran, toward the pope, his posts, his bottomless vengeance, his continuing ICE raids, his continuing use of the Justice Department to target his enemies, his shameless corruption — many of you want to know: “What can I do now?” Here are 10 recommendations, in rough order of importance.

1. Protect the decent and hardworking members of your communities who are most vulnerable.

This is an urgent moral call to action. As Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol continue their roundups and deportations, many of our neighbors and friends are endangered. They and their families are understandably frightened.

Trump’s executive orders allow ICE to arrest undocumented immigrants at or near schools, places of worship, health care sites, shelters, and relief centers — thereby deterring them from sending their kids to school or getting help they need.

If you trust your mayor or city manager, check in with their offices to see what they are doing to protect vulnerable families in your community. Join others in voluntary efforts to keep ICE away from hospitals, schools, and shelters. And to alert all members of your community when ICE is present.

Organize and mobilize your community to support it as a sanctuary city and to support your state as a sanctuary state. Trump’s Justice Department is investigating cities and states that go against federal immigration orders. Your voice and organizing can be helpful in fighting back.

You might also consider sponsoring a refugee family.

If you haven’t done so, I recommend you order these red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and make them available in and around your community: Red Cards | Tarjetas Rojas | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC. You might also find these of use: Immigration Preparedness Toolkit | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC.

2. Protect them against bigotry and hate — LGBTQ+, immigrants, “hyphenated” Americans, and people of color. Trump continues to try to make life far more difficult for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other people through executive orders, changes in laws, alterations in civil rights laws, or changes in how such laws are enforced. He’s also fueling bigotry against immigrants, especially Muslims and immigrants from Iran, and against people of color.

I urge you to work with others in being vigilant against prejudice and bigotry, wherever it might break out. When you see or hear it, call it out. Join with others to stop it. Get your churches and synagogues involved. If you trust your local city officials, get them involved. If you trust your local police, alert them as well.

3. Help protect officials in your community or state whom Trump and his administration are targeting for vengeance. Some may be low-level officials, such as election workers. If they don’t have the means to legally defend themselves, you might help them or consider a GoFundMe campaign. If you hear of anyone seeking to harm or intimidate them, immediately alert local law-enforcement officials.

4. Organize and mobilize for the midterms. It’s not too early to plan to get out the vote on or before November 3 — ensuring that people who are eligible to vote are registered, that they know when and how to vote, that they know how to vote by mail or are otherwise able to get to polling places. Knock on doors, raise money for progressive candidates, and mobilize your friends, neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances. Join your local Indivisible organization (find the nearest group here).

If you hear of any plans for ICE or Border Patrol agents to be deployed at voting places, contact the ACLU (you can locate the nearest office by visiting aclu.org/affiliates). If you hear or know of any plans by Republican election officials to meddle in the upcoming elections, notify the League of Women Voters, here, or local representatives of the Democratic Party.

5. Participate in or organize boycotts of companies that are enabling the Trump regime — including Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, Amazon, Meta (Facebook), and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Never 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.

6. To the extent you are able, fund groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action stopping Trump and his regime is occurring in the federal courts. The groups initiating litigation that I know and trust include the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, Environmental Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Democracy Forward, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Common Cause. All could use your help and encouragement.

7. 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. Urge friends, relatives, and acquaintances to avoid Trump propaganda outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, X, and, increasingly, Facebook and Instagram. They are 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.

Here are some of the sources I currently rely on for the truth: Democracy Now, Business Insider, The New Yorker, The American Prospect, The Atlantic, Americans for Tax Fairness, Economic Policy Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The Guardian, ProPublica, Labor Notes, The Lever, Popular Information, Heather Cox Richardson, and, of course, this Substack.

8. Push for progressive measures in your community and state. Local and state governments retain 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.

9. Call your members of Congress. Tell them to oppose Trump and support progressive initiatives. And keep calling! Your calls count. (Staffers do keep count of how many constituents are for or against various issues.) The main U.S. Capitol switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121. The operator can connect you directly to the office of your Senator or Representative. To find your specific representative, you can also look up their contact information on www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.

10. Keep the faith. Do not give up on America. This is a long and difficult slog but we have no choice. The fight we’re in will determine the future of this nation and much of the world. I understand if you’re tired and sometimes discouraged, but we can and must win.

Trump won the popular vote in 2024 by only 1.5 points, and 35 percent of eligible voters didn’t even vote. By any historic measure, this was a squeaker. In the House of Representatives, the Republicans’ 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. Since Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, Democrats have won all special elections or dramatically over-performed in them.

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. We cannot allow them to.

We will never give up.

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Beyond these, please be sure to find room in your life for joy, fun, and laughter. Do not let Trump and his darkness take you over. Just as it’s important not to give up the fight, it’s critically important to take care of yourself. If you obsess about Trump and fall down the rabbit hole of outrage, worry, and anxiety, you won’t be able to keep fighting.

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.

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