Democracy Uprising
  • About
    • About Mark Engler
    • About Democracy Uprising
  • Books
    • This Is An Uprising
    • How To Rule the World
  • Topics
    • All Essays / First Person Global Economy Immigration Labor Latin America Social Movements Religion U.S. Politics / Elections War / Militarism Book Reviews Environment
      2023-2025

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Blog

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      Social Movements

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Essays / First Person

      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

      Essays / First Person

      On the Price is Right

      Essays / First Person

      The Last Porto Alegre

      Essays / First Person

      Six Essays About War and About Peace

      Essays / First Person

      Republicans Among Us

      Essays / First Person

      New York Says “No”

      Essays / First Person

      The Sideshow Rebels

      Essays / First Person

      A Week in New York

      Global Economy

      Meet the Bailout’s New Slush Fund for Corporate…

      Global Economy

      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

      Global Economy

      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

      Global Economy

      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Global Economy

      The Godfather of Microcredit

      Global Economy

      Capitalism as Catastrophe

      Global Economy

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Global Economy

      The World Is Not Flat

      Immigration

      When Undocumented Activists Infiltrated ICE

      Immigration

      The Children of Intervention

      Immigration

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Immigration

      Science Fiction From Below

      Immigration

      Four Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle

      Immigration

      Treated Like a Criminal

      Immigration

      When Sanctuary is Resistance

      Immigration

      The Massive Immigrants Rights Protests of 2006 Are…

      Labor

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

      Labor

      Democrats Won Power in Several States. Will They…

      Labor

      The Case for a Social Distancing Wage

      Labor

      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

      Labor

      Reviving the General Strike

      Labor

      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

      Labor

      There’s Still Power in a Strike

      Labor

      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Latin America

      How movements can maintain their radical vision while winning…

      Latin America

      The Pan American

      Latin America

      Lessons from the Pledge of Resistance

      Latin America

      The Children of Intervention

      Latin America

      Against Shithole Nationalism

      Latin America

      The Last Porto Alegre

      Latin America

      Kissinger Is Not Our Friend

      Latin America

      Even If You Have Nothing to Hide

      Social Movements

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      Social Movements

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Social Movements

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      Social Movements

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      Social Movements

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Religion

      In God’s Country

      Religion

      Reverend Billy’s Holiday Shopocalypse

      Religion

      Toward the “Rights of the Poor”

      Religion

      The Pope and the Poor

      Religion

      Will the Next Pope Embrace Liberation Theology?

      Religion

      Remembering Romero

      Religion

      John Paul II’s Economic Ethics

      Religion

      Against the God of Free Trade

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Strategy is a Craft

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Think #MeToo didn’t make a real difference? Think…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

      War / Militarism

      Does It Make Sense to Protest a President…

      War / Militarism

      Lessons from the Pledge of Resistance

      War / Militarism

      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

      War / Militarism

      War: The Wrong Jobs Program

      War / Militarism

      The Ascent of Niall Ferguson

      War / Militarism

      Those Who Don’t Count

      War / Militarism

      Six Essays About War and About Peace

      War / Militarism

      The Dangerous Dignity of War

      Book Reviews

      The Pan American

      Book Reviews

      The Godfather of Microcredit

      Book Reviews

      Capitalism as Catastrophe

      Book Reviews

      Four Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle

      Book Reviews

      The Ascent of Niall Ferguson

      Book Reviews

      Ordinary Outrages

      Book Reviews

      No Better Place

      Book Reviews

      In God’s Country

      Environment

      Why Wendell Matters

      Environment

      The Gulf at the Gas Station

      Environment

      Climate Disobedience

      Environment

      Farming the Everglades

      Environment

      The Winter of the Climate Denier

      Environment

      Climate of Change: An “Inside-Outside” Strategy Against Global…

      Environment

      Provoking an American Climate Crisis

      Environment

      The Real “Farmer” Story: So God Made High-Fructose…

  • Translations
    • All Deutsch Español Français Italiano Japanese Português Arabic Thai Chinese
      Translations

      Jordlösa kombinerar radikala visioner med praktiska reformer (Swedish)

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Chinese

      泛美洲人 爱德华多·加莱亚诺的世界 (Chinese)

      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Als Martin Luther King seine Feuerwaffen aufgab

      Deutsch

      Mikrokredite: Die Entlassung eines Nobelpreisträgers

      Deutsch

      CAFTA – am besten stillschweigend beerdigen

      Deutsch

      Bush in Mexiko

      Deutsch

      Das globale Duell in Evian

      Deutsch

      Die Rückkehr des Daniel Ortega

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

      Español

      ¿Adoptará el nuevo papa la teología de la…

      Español

      Wall Street quiere que les estemos agradecidos

      Español

      Si Las Monjas Se Fueran a una Huelga,…

      Español

      ALEC retrocede; a la derecha le da un…

      Español

      ¿ALEC disgustado ante la pérdida de patrocinadores? Se…

      Español

      La vida en la nación prisión

      Français

      La révolution non-violente a-t-elle échoué en Egypte?

      Français

      Le pari risqué du populisme au Pérou

      Français

      Hong Kong Phooey

      Français

      Bush Nuit Même Aux Compagnies U.S.

      Français

      Le dynamisme du mouvement pour la paix

      Français

      La déroute de l’ALCA dans une Miami en…

      Français

      Ceux qui ne comptent pas

      Français

      La guerre en Irak : une expo des…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Italiano

      La strategia di Gandhi per il successo –…

      Italiano

      Le promesse infrante di Obama

      Italiano

      Guantanamo deve sparire

      Italiano

      IL BANK TRANSFER DAY: UN SUCCESSO

      Italiano

      Come il movimento Occupiamo Wall Street si sta…

      Italiano

      Economia tabù

      Japanese

      ガンジーはどのように勝利したのか? (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Truth Versus Superpower (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Bad Business Empire (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Revenge of the Combat Cartoonist (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Uneasy Mexican Visita (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Mark Twain in Iraq (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Globalization’s “Lost Decade” (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Hawks Say the Damnedest Things (Japanese)

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Português

      A vida na Nação Prisão

      Português

      Outro pretexto?

      Português

      Imigração tem efeito positivo sobre emprego e salários

      Português

      O império hipotecado

      Arabic

      Abandoning the World Bank (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      The Return of Daniel Ortega (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Where’s The Jubilee? (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      The Last Porto Alegre (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Seattle At Five (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Is Market Access the Answer to Poverty? (in…

      Arabic

      Mexico’s Democratic Transition Still Incomplete (in Arabic)

      Thai

      Progressive Good Tidings of 2007 (in Thai)

      Thai

      2006: A Global Justice Year in Review (In…

      Thai

      WTO: Best Left For Dead? (In Thai)

      Thai

      Is Market Access the Answer to Poverty? (In…

      Thai

      Bush’s Bad Business Empire (In Thai)

      Thai

      The Last Porto Alegre [Thai]

      Thai

      Globalizers, Neocons, or… ? (in Thai)

      Chinese

      泛美洲人 爱德华多·加莱亚诺的世界 (Chinese)

      Chinese

      Why Wendell Matters (in Chinese)

      Chinese

      Globalization’s Watchdogs (in Chinese)

    • Other Translations
  • Appearances
  • Archive
    • 2023-2025
    • 2021-2022
    • 2019-2020
    • 2017-2018
    • 2015-2016
    • 2013-2014
    • 2011-2012
    • 2009-2010
    • 2007-2008
    • 2005-2006
    • 2003-2004
    • 1999-2002

Democracy Uprising

  • About
    • About Mark Engler
    • About Democracy Uprising
  • Books
    • This Is An Uprising
    • How To Rule the World
  • Topics
    • All Essays / First Person Global Economy Immigration Labor Latin America Social Movements Religion U.S. Politics / Elections War / Militarism Book Reviews Environment
      2023-2025

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Blog

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      Social Movements

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Essays / First Person

      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

      Essays / First Person

      On the Price is Right

      Essays / First Person

      The Last Porto Alegre

      Essays / First Person

      Six Essays About War and About Peace

      Essays / First Person

      Republicans Among Us

      Essays / First Person

      New York Says “No”

      Essays / First Person

      The Sideshow Rebels

      Essays / First Person

      A Week in New York

      Global Economy

      Meet the Bailout’s New Slush Fund for Corporate…

      Global Economy

      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

      Global Economy

      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

      Global Economy

      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Global Economy

      The Godfather of Microcredit

      Global Economy

      Capitalism as Catastrophe

      Global Economy

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Global Economy

      The World Is Not Flat

      Immigration

      When Undocumented Activists Infiltrated ICE

      Immigration

      The Children of Intervention

      Immigration

      Immigration Economics: An Interview with Professor Giovanni Peri

      Immigration

      Science Fiction From Below

      Immigration

      Four Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle

      Immigration

      Treated Like a Criminal

      Immigration

      When Sanctuary is Resistance

      Immigration

      The Massive Immigrants Rights Protests of 2006 Are…

      Labor

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

      Labor

      Democrats Won Power in Several States. Will They…

      Labor

      The Case for a Social Distancing Wage

      Labor

      The Seattle Protests Showed That Another World Is…

      Labor

      Reviving the General Strike

      Labor

      Jeff Bezos Has Enough! It’s Time for a…

      Labor

      There’s Still Power in a Strike

      Labor

      The Amazon Effect: Sweat, Surveillance, Exploitation

      Latin America

      How movements can maintain their radical vision while winning…

      Latin America

      The Pan American

      Latin America

      Lessons from the Pledge of Resistance

      Latin America

      The Children of Intervention

      Latin America

      Against Shithole Nationalism

      Latin America

      The Last Porto Alegre

      Latin America

      Kissinger Is Not Our Friend

      Latin America

      Even If You Have Nothing to Hide

      Social Movements

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      Social Movements

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      Social Movements

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      Social Movements

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      Social Movements

      How to make sure your disruptive protest helps…

      Social Movements

      Why protests work, even when not everybody likes…

      Social Movements

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      Social Movements

      Strategy is a Craft

      Religion

      In God’s Country

      Religion

      Reverend Billy’s Holiday Shopocalypse

      Religion

      Toward the “Rights of the Poor”

      Religion

      The Pope and the Poor

      Religion

      Will the Next Pope Embrace Liberation Theology?

      Religion

      Remembering Romero

      Religion

      John Paul II’s Economic Ethics

      Religion

      Against the God of Free Trade

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      It’s going to take multiple strategies to win…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      A new wave of movements against Trumpism is…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Strategy is a Craft

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      Think #MeToo didn’t make a real difference? Think…

      U.S. Politics / Elections

      This new model for upholding labor law may…

      War / Militarism

      Does It Make Sense to Protest a President…

      War / Militarism

      Lessons from the Pledge of Resistance

      War / Militarism

      Is Rambo Still A Republican?

      War / Militarism

      War: The Wrong Jobs Program

      War / Militarism

      The Ascent of Niall Ferguson

      War / Militarism

      Those Who Don’t Count

      War / Militarism

      Six Essays About War and About Peace

      War / Militarism

      The Dangerous Dignity of War

      Book Reviews

      The Pan American

      Book Reviews

      The Godfather of Microcredit

      Book Reviews

      Capitalism as Catastrophe

      Book Reviews

      Four Ways of Looking at an Aztec Eagle

      Book Reviews

      The Ascent of Niall Ferguson

      Book Reviews

      Ordinary Outrages

      Book Reviews

      No Better Place

      Book Reviews

      In God’s Country

      Environment

      Why Wendell Matters

      Environment

      The Gulf at the Gas Station

      Environment

      Climate Disobedience

      Environment

      Farming the Everglades

      Environment

      The Winter of the Climate Denier

      Environment

      Climate of Change: An “Inside-Outside” Strategy Against Global…

      Environment

      Provoking an American Climate Crisis

      Environment

      The Real “Farmer” Story: So God Made High-Fructose…

  • Translations
    • All Deutsch Español Français Italiano Japanese Português Arabic Thai Chinese
      Translations

      Jordlösa kombinerar radikala visioner med praktiska reformer (Swedish)

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Chinese

      泛美洲人 爱德华多·加莱亚诺的世界 (Chinese)

      Deutsch

      Die nicht-reformistischen Reformen von André Gorz

      Deutsch

      Als Martin Luther King seine Feuerwaffen aufgab

      Deutsch

      Mikrokredite: Die Entlassung eines Nobelpreisträgers

      Deutsch

      CAFTA – am besten stillschweigend beerdigen

      Deutsch

      Bush in Mexiko

      Deutsch

      Das globale Duell in Evian

      Deutsch

      Die Rückkehr des Daniel Ortega

      Español

      Hacer Que Nuestras Demandas Sean Tanto Orácticas Como…

      Español

      Las reformas no reformistas de André Gorz

      Español

      ¿Adoptará el nuevo papa la teología de la…

      Español

      Wall Street quiere que les estemos agradecidos

      Español

      Si Las Monjas Se Fueran a una Huelga,…

      Español

      ALEC retrocede; a la derecha le da un…

      Español

      ¿ALEC disgustado ante la pérdida de patrocinadores? Se…

      Español

      La vida en la nación prisión

      Français

      La révolution non-violente a-t-elle échoué en Egypte?

      Français

      Le pari risqué du populisme au Pérou

      Français

      Hong Kong Phooey

      Français

      Bush Nuit Même Aux Compagnies U.S.

      Français

      Le dynamisme du mouvement pour la paix

      Français

      La déroute de l’ALCA dans une Miami en…

      Français

      Ceux qui ne comptent pas

      Français

      La guerre en Irak : une expo des…

      Italiano

      C’è più di un modo per colpire il…

      Italiano

      Richieste dei movimenti: sia pratiche che visionarie

      Italiano

      La strategia di Gandhi per il successo –…

      Italiano

      Le promesse infrante di Obama

      Italiano

      Guantanamo deve sparire

      Italiano

      IL BANK TRANSFER DAY: UN SUCCESSO

      Italiano

      Come il movimento Occupiamo Wall Street si sta…

      Italiano

      Economia tabù

      Japanese

      ガンジーはどのように勝利したのか? (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Truth Versus Superpower (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Bad Business Empire (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Revenge of the Combat Cartoonist (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Bush’s Uneasy Mexican Visita (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Mark Twain in Iraq (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Globalization’s “Lost Decade” (Japanese)

      Japanese

      Hawks Say the Damnedest Things (Japanese)

      Português

      As reformas não reformistas de André Gorz mostram…

      Português

      A vida na Nação Prisão

      Português

      Outro pretexto?

      Português

      Imigração tem efeito positivo sobre emprego e salários

      Português

      O império hipotecado

      Arabic

      Abandoning the World Bank (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      The Return of Daniel Ortega (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Where’s The Jubilee? (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      The Last Porto Alegre (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Seattle At Five (in Arabic)

      Arabic

      Is Market Access the Answer to Poverty? (in…

      Arabic

      Mexico’s Democratic Transition Still Incomplete (in Arabic)

      Thai

      Progressive Good Tidings of 2007 (in Thai)

      Thai

      2006: A Global Justice Year in Review (In…

      Thai

      WTO: Best Left For Dead? (In Thai)

      Thai

      Is Market Access the Answer to Poverty? (In…

      Thai

      Bush’s Bad Business Empire (In Thai)

      Thai

      The Last Porto Alegre [Thai]

      Thai

      Globalizers, Neocons, or… ? (in Thai)

      Chinese

      泛美洲人 爱德华多·加莱亚诺的世界 (Chinese)

      Chinese

      Why Wendell Matters (in Chinese)

      Chinese

      Globalization’s Watchdogs (in Chinese)

    • Other Translations
  • Appearances
  • Archive
    • 2023-2025
    • 2021-2022
    • 2019-2020
    • 2017-2018
    • 2015-2016
    • 2013-2014
    • 2011-2012
    • 2009-2010
    • 2007-2008
    • 2005-2006
    • 2003-2004
    • 1999-2002
U.S. Politics / ElectionsLatest Articles2023-2025Social Movements

Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

by Mark Engler and Paul Engler March 19, 2025
written by Mark Engler and Paul Engler March 19, 2025
Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

To compel Trump to reverse course, our job is to highlight political missteps, heighten public outrage and raise the political cost of implementing his radical agenda. 

Published in Waging Nonviolence.


In the opening two months of his presidency, Donald Trump has unleashed a historic assault aimed at destroying public services, punishing vulnerable communities and dismantling any semblance of social-democratic governance in the United States. This “flood the zone” onslaught has been designed to overwhelm and disorient opposition, making it hard to keep up with the outrages and easy to fall into a state of “shock and awe” paralysis.

In this situation, it is easy to picture Trump as being all powerful. Those who discourage protests — such as Democratic consultant James Carville, who famously counseled progressives to “roll over and play dead” — imagine that the administration holds all the cards, and that opponents have little leverage to wield against it. 

To the contrary, the White House is not unfettered by political constraints, and popular protest can do much to strengthen them. Recent weeks have featured many examples of the Trump administration being compelled to reverse or scale back initial measures. And they have shown why building civil resistance to the administration is an essential task at this moment. 

In response to “flood the zone,” our job is to highlight political missteps, heighten public revulsion, and raise the political cost for Republicans seeking to push forward Trump’s radical agenda. Our aim should be to expand the capacity to resist by building movements and increasing participation in them. We cannot assume that public opinion will turn against the administration on its own — or that the public is even aware of the many controversial and potentially unpopular moves the White House is making, especially given that they are accompanied with endless lies and distortions about combating “fraud and waste.” Therefore, we must educate the public about the administration’s attacks on our communities and use the tools of creative resistance to amplify a backlash.

There are a variety of reasons why the Trump administration has had to back off a range of its initial drives in past weeks. In some cases, they have found their actions to be politically unpopular: As Elon Musk has pushed forward with a “move fast and break things” mentality, Republicans have sometimes found that he may have done damage that could cost them politically. Other times their actions have been stopped by the courts, or the administration has discovered that its sloppy implementation has made the measures susceptible to legal challenges. In still other instances, federal cuts are doing harm even in deep red districts — leading state-level Republicans to balk — or are causing economic damage, creating fissures in the business community. At times when particularly clumsy or unpopular maneuvers have been exposed, Trump and his officials have hastily attempted to limit the damage, often denying that they ever took the actions in the first place.

Among the White House’s retreats, amid widespread anger and frustration in January, the new administration rescinded a memo calling for a spending freeze on federal grant and loan programs less than 48 hours after it was issued. In mid-February, as USA Today reported, the Trump administration gave tens of thousands of K-12 schools and colleges until Feb. 28 to comply with a “sweeping and vague” order to root out diversity, equity and inclusion on their campuses. A couple of weeks later, the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance “softening that mandate and reversing course” on some of its provisions. “Perhaps most notably,” the story remarked, “the Department of Education acknowledged the federal government doesn’t have the power to dictate school curriculum.”

In February, the Trump administration reversed itself days after ordering legal groups that serve migrant children who arrive in America alone to stop their work. Not coincidentally, this happened after members of the public sent more than 15,000 letters to Congress in less than 48 hours demanding that the administration reinstate the program that provides these services. And by the end of the month, Trump had walked back funding and staff cuts to a federal health program for survivors of the 9/11 attacks  and reversed its plan to shut down the government website that ships free coronavirus tests.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture backtracked after firing key staffers so haphazardly that the administration’s ability to respond to bird flu outbreaks was compromised. And in March, Trump walked back his order to federal agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees in response to a judge’s ruling. The Office of Personnel Management then claimed it never actually ordered those firings. 

Prospective cuts to various social programs hurt people living in red states and have ended up causing problems for Republican lawmakers, with angry constituents voicing their displeasure. As former Labor Secretary Robert Reich recently noted, “At a town hall in rural Kansas… Republican Sen. Roger Marshall shut down the event after participants shouted over each other to express concerns about veterans’ jobs being cut and ask whether Marshall believes Russia invaded Ukraine.” Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that “In Georgia, Representative Rich McCormick struggled to respond as constituents shouted, jeered and booed at his response to questions about Mr. Musk’s access to government data,” while in Wisconsin voters pushed Republican Rep. Scott Fitzgerald on potential cuts to services. Such unpleasant interactions have become so common that GOP leaders are now actively discouraging Republican lawmakers from holding in-person town halls.

In early March, Elon Musk had several closed-door meetings in which Congressional Republicans expressed frustrations to him directly. “With all due respect to Mr. Musk, he doesn’t have a vote up here,” Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said before one meeting. “[Give] courtesy to the members. They’re the ones that have to go home and defend these decisions, not you. So why don’t you give them a heads-up.” He added, “You are certainly complicating the lives of individual members, and you might be making some mistakes and hurting some innocent individuals in the process.”

Potentially the most politically damaging moves on the horizon for Republicans are cuts to entitlement programs — and here the White House has had to scramble to do damage control. The budget passed by the House of Representatives could impose hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has called social security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” Recognizing that attacks on these popular and essential lifelines could create significant political fallout, the White House continues to backpedal and insist that it will not enact cuts: “They’re not going to cut Social Security, they’re not going to cut Medicare, they’re just not. That’s just fearmongering,” said Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita on March 14. 

After a report by the Washington Post revealed that Musk’s DOGE team was planning to eliminate phone service for people filing for social security and disability benefits — a move that would affect millions of Americans in claiming what they earned — the administration reversed itself and fought to ward off denunciations from watchdogs and opposition politicians alike.

Trump is also being disciplined by the market. Imposing tariffs has been one of the actions the president has pursued most doggedly. And yet, even here, he has repeatedly wavered, in part because of adverse reaction from Wall Street. As Trump has flipped back and forth between announcing new tariffs and then suspending their implementation, the prospect of trade wars has caused the S&P 500 to fall more than 10 percent below its previous peak, with Reuters reporting “U.S. stock market loses $4 trillion in value.” One major investor told the New York Times that the current stock market is “untradable” due to the unreliability of Trump’s positions. 

Of course, the market being able to punish politicians or the possibility of Wall Street exercising an effective veto over public policy is not something that should be uncritically celebrated. Historically speaking, the threat of capital flight and market downturn has far more often been used to constrain the left than the right. Nevertheless, it is notable that Trump’s policies are generating economic repercussions and fueling uncertainty. As Robert Reich noted on March 8, “This week’s data on consumer confidence showed it down to a level last seen in 2021. Data from the Commerce Department, out last Friday, showed consumer spending falling sharply in January, adding to angst about the economy’s prospects. After new data came out this week on trade and consumer spending, the Atlanta Fed is projecting that the U.S. is shrinking at a rate of 1.5 percent in this quarter.”  

Whether it is through tariffs, deportations, suspension of services, cutting government contracts, or firing federal employees, the administration is hurting poor people, union workers, immigrant laborers, consumers and business owners alike. This opens the door for broad and possibly unusual alliances to form between and among groups that may not have much in common other than opposition to Trump. Emerging movements should leverage this and encourage everyone who will be harmed by White House policies to join in fighting against them.

While current polls on the administration are not all favorable to the opposition, there are some promising indicators: As during Trump’s first term, the portion of people who strongly disapprove of his performance (now 41 percent) is significantly larger than those who strongly approve (currently 26 percent). As of March 12, CNN reports, “a 56 percent majority of the public disapproves of [Trump’s] handling of the economy, worse than at any point during his first term in office.” Moreover, “Just 35 percent of Americans express a positive view of Musk, with 53 percent rating him negatively and 11 percent offering no opinion.”

Trump has done plenty of horrible things, and the fact that he’s been made to reverse course in some cases does not mean that the damage has been fully undone, or that there will not be efforts to extend the harm in the future. But it does show that Trump is not invincible. We know that Republicans can be susceptible to backlash, and that a wide range of resistance tactics can play a critical role in engendering it now — just as they have in the past. During Trump’s first term, widespread mobilization was essential in curtailing some of the worst abuses of the administration, including his signature attempt to repeal Obamacare. And it ultimately stripped the Republicans of their Congressional majority after the 2018 midterms, limiting Trump’s power.

 Protests will not directly convince Trump to change his views. But they can create an activated base of opposition, move public opinion against the administration, bolster the resolve of dissident politicians, and raise the stakes for swing-district Republicans who will have to answer for White House policies in the midterms. If done well, they can produce plenty more backpedaling to come.

__________

Research assistance provided by Raina Lipsitz. Photo courtesy Geoff Livingston (Wikimedia Commons).

Mark Engler and Paul Engler

Mark Engler is a writer based in Philadelphia and an editorial board member at Dissent magazine. Paul Engler is founding director of the Center for the Working Poor, in Los Angeles. They are the authors of This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century.

previous post
It’s going to take multiple strategies to win under Trump 2.0
next post
Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against Trump?

You may also like

Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against...

April 10, 2025

It’s going to take multiple strategies to win...

January 31, 2025

A new wave of movements against Trumpism is...

November 9, 2024

How to make sure your disruptive protest helps...

August 9, 2024

Why protests work, even when not everybody likes...

July 10, 2024

Harold Washington’s lessons for taking on a political...

February 21, 2024

Strategy is a Craft

January 24, 2024

Think #MeToo didn’t make a real difference? Think...

November 28, 2023

This new model for upholding labor law may...

November 2, 2023

How ideology can help—or hurt—movements trying to build...

September 22, 2023

Subscribe

Sign up to receive new articles and essays by email via our Substack newsletter, "Dispatches from the Whirlwind":

The Author

Mark Engler is a writer based in Philadelphia and an editorial board member at Dissent magazine. His latest book, written with Paul Engler, is entitled This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century (Nation Books). Mark’s full bio is available here.

Latest Articles

  • Could we be entering a ‘movement moment’ against Trump?

    April 10, 2025
  • Trump’s backpedaling shows he’s not invincible

    March 19, 2025
  • It’s going to take multiple strategies to win under Trump 2.0

    January 31, 2025
  • A new wave of movements against Trumpism is coming

    November 9, 2024
  • How to make sure your disruptive protest helps your cause

    August 9, 2024

Mark’s Articles Appear In:

  • Dissent
  • The Nation
  • The New Republic
  • N+1
  • Salon.com
  • The Los Angeles Times
  • Waging Nonviolence
  • Boston Review
  • The Atlantic
  • Rolling Stone
  • The Guardian
  • In These Times
  • TomDispatch
  • New Internationalist
  • Yes! Magazine
  • Audubon Magazine
  • Jacobin
  • Mother Jones
  • Le Monde diplomatique
  • Grist Magazine
  • Rebelión
  • The San Francisco Chronicle
  • The Progressive
  • Newsday
  • openDemocracy
  • Truthout
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • Dollars & Sense
  • Progreso Semanal
  • Chicago Reader
  • Sin Permiso
  • Baltimore Sun
  • The Ecologist
  • TruthDig
  • Asia Times
  • Sierra Magazine
  • Labor Notes
  • New Politics
  • The Catholic Worker
  • The Des Moines Register
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Back To Top