Donald Trump ignores the protest movement. The Supreme Court allows him to proceed with firing 50,000 government workers under Schedule F. He fills the government with loyalists. Bureaucratic fights take place everywhere. Trump loyalists make life excruciating for institutionalists who remain, forcing resignations and further purgings. With control of multiple levers of government, Trump installs judges across the country who gerrymander election maps in multiple states to give Republicans long-term power.
It’s not all loss. Trump floats a bill outlawing abortion after 16 weeks. The protest movement galvanizes direct actions all over the country. “Hands off my body.” Congress halts the bill. Analysts point to Trump’s decreasing approval ratings in the polls. And the courts hand Trump another setback when they rule, for the second time, against his bill to close the border with Mexico. As a result, the military again withdraws from policing the border.
But Trump doubles down on everything. He vows to return the military to the border. Emboldened right-wing militias echo ICE’s mass deportation plans with frightful scenes of armed men strolling through immigrant neighborhoods. Trump opens up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. He vows to “introduce an abortion bill that everyone will love.”
The resistance wing is uncertain. With Trump making so many moves, reactionary actions suck up much of the oxygen. Many criticize the movement as ineffective and in need of more allies. Others are urging it to keep on its path. You wonder if you need a bigger perspective to see who is out there and where to find more energy.