On April 5, we were privy to a stunning display of protest and defiance from every corner of the country and around the globe. Streets from Los Angeles to Lisbon were filled with anger, fear, and indignation over the calamitous start to the Elon Musk-Donald Trump presidency. The breadth and scope of activism puts to bed the notion that the pro-democracy opposition is depressed, deactivated, and disinclined to fight the authoritarian menace. For weeks leading up to April 5, largely spontaneous and widespread protests have been underreported. Many Americans, therefore, may have been surprised to see just how robust and united is the opposition to Musk-Trump’s radical agenda, which is sinking the economy, dismantling functional government, and destroying our international stature while running roughshod over our rule of law.
If Republican voters, politicians, and operatives are incredulous about the turnout, it may be because they’ve been living in a rightwing media bubble, impervious to signs the MAGA presidency is a dumpster fire. And if elected Democrats still thought their voters wanted to “find common ground,” they’ve been inside the Capitol too long.
After such a successful demonstration of mass action, the question becomes: What next? For the answers, we need to look at the courts of law, the Hill, and the court of public opinion.
On the legal front, it would be impossible to overstate the importance of the lawsuits and serial injunctions against the rogue regime. They’ve informed and encouraged public engagement. They’ve offered hope and reinstated jobs. Showing that what the Trump minions are doing is blatantly illegal and, in many cases, unconstitutional, encourages pro-democracy voters that they are on the right track: No, Trump does not get to unilaterally decide how much to spend on agencies and departments established and funded by Congress. No, you’re not crazy to feel like this should be illegal. No, he does not get to dispense with any semblance of due process for the people swept up in his immigration dragnet.
Both to slow down the damage and to rally the opposition, that litigation mustcontinue, and—where possible—go on offense. Additional tactics may include motions for contempt and sanctions against “Justice” Department lawyers’ frivolous filings, lack of candor, and specious arguments. Bar complaints should be filed against government lawyers violating their ethical obligations. More FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests and lawsuits (including discovery) will be needed to ferret out incriminating material to reveal wrongdoing. Plaintiffs will not win every case, but each win is another dent in Trump’s armor and further proof he is not invincible.
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On the Hill, Democrats cannot merely play defense. They must force Republicans to vote on whether to return the power to pay tariffs to Congress. They must box Republicans into separate votes on hugely unpopular measures ranging from Medicaid cuts to elimination of ACA subsidies to slashing of critical medical and scientific research to tariffs. Republicans are already nervous, very nervous, thanks to the tariff disaster; now is the time to test just how closely, and for how long, they are going to play dumb and adhere to Trump’s noxious positions.
And in the court of public opinion the tasks are clear: Friends of democracy must stay engaged with the people who turned out (some for the first time on April 5). Turning a political event into a personalized social movement that engages people emotionally as well as intellectually is key to any effort to oust autocrats.
Pro-democracy leaders and ordinary Americans should also begin plans for another major event on May 1, field candidates up and down the ballot in New Jersey and Virginia, and quantify and publicize the concrete harm Trump’s consumer taxes (tariffs) are inflicting. (Economic hardship expands the anti-Trump alliance to those for whom pocketbook issues rather than democracy drive their votes.) Workers can bolster unions, which are bringing lawsuits and planning protests, with a new wave of workplace labor organizing.
Most critically, anti-MAGA forces must elevate pressure on endangered House Republicans and Republican Senators in unsafe seats. To that end, groups like Swing Left already have begun looking ahead to the midterms. Swing Left has launched a $25 million campaign to reach out to more than 7.5 million voters by phone, door-to-door, and in handwritten letters. With only a net of three seats needed to flip control, the Democrats have a solid chance to win back the majority.
On the Senate side, Democrats must keep consistent focus on Republicans in competitive seats who have generally rubber-stamped disastrous Trump nominees and done nothing to stop the rest of his hugely destructive agenda. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are prime candidates for defeat in 2026. Every bad outcome and disaster—from Signalgate to economic disaster—must be tied back to their spinelessness. Democrats should not give up on “reach” races (e.g., those in Ohio, Florida, or Iowa) that may be competitive in a blue wave.
Finally, the MAGA budget that fudges the math and cuts huge chunks from Medicaid and other critical programs, all to grant mammoth tax cuts to the super-rich, provides the ideal target for Democrats. Musk and Trump are ruining middle- and working-class Americans’ family budgets to make themselves richer. Coupled with gross fiscal irresponsibility, the MAGA Republicans’ mismanagement of the entire economy should remain a top issue for Democrats. “It’s impossible to overstate how destructive this budget proposal could become for our fiscal path and the very foundations of the budget process itself” says the fiscally conservative group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Any American worried about the fate of their country has reason to celebrate the success of April 5th. But it is only one step in the marathon required to boot out MAGA Republicans and restore democracy and functional government. Continuing our efforts from here on out will prove just as critical as having launched the momentum with Saturday’s successful National Day of Action.
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