Part 2 - How We Navigate the Next 100 Days

So what do we make of all of this? We need clear, pragmatic thinking now. Trump’s lawlessness is overwhelming and unrelenting. It threatens to utterly dismantle the remaining structures of our democracy. That is the truth.

But it is also true that we have done some very effective work in weakening the onslaught. Our resistance to Trump’s excesses has also been overwhelming and unrelenting, and Trump and his circle are feeling the pressure. Trump is increasingly isolated and diminished. You can see it if you look hard. Despite the performance of unctuous sycophantic obeisance during staged cabinet meetings, the overall sense is that Trump is losing ground. His poll numbers are lowest of any President at this time in his term. He was bested by Canadian PM Mark Carney in the Oval Office and slammed by the New York Conference of Catholic Bishops all in one week.

He was compelled to cave on China tariffs, leaving the U.S. with tariffs on Chinese goods that are 20% higher than we were paying before we were “liberated.” His desperate and dishonest insistence that China was calling and “in talks” before last week grew so embarrassing that surrender was inevitable. The result is an actual loss for the U.S. – a huge and humiliating blunder - and it is a testament to the ongoing failures of mainstream press that this has not been the headline. But Trump knows it, as does his team.

Given this humiliation, I suspect that Trump’s close aides are privy to what are likely some pretty epic meltdowns. The gift of the Qatar plane may well have been organized to lift his spirits - like buying a fancy toy truck for your 8-year-old who struck out all day in baseball. But is yet another unforced error that has even many Republicans distressed.

I say all this not to minimize Trump’s strength. No, to the contrary. I say this because when Trump is humiliated, it makes him very angry. And when Trump is angry, he is even more dangerous.

And this is why the next 100 days will be even more challenging. We saw it already in Trump Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s spittle-flecked diatribe last week, announcing the Administration’s consideration of a plan to suspend the writ of habeas corpus[i] – an act that can only be undertaken by Congress unless there is an actual invasion that disables Congress. They are growing ever more reckless.

When Trump leaves Qatar, he will feel energized - by the sycophancy, by the money, by his exposure to the lavish splendor that comes with absolute power. And he will feel legitimized by the disgraceful attendance of corporate leaders on this trip,[ii] who arrived to cut their own shameful deals.[iii]

But when he returns, he will be confronted with more judicial rulings against him. He will have to face increasing worries within Republican leadership whose constituents are not thrilled with images of gold-lacquered plane from Qatar and Trump saluting and making nice with the Saudis (who many connect with 9/11). Extremist fan favorites like Lara Loomer have already called out Trump about accepting the plane.

Many of Trump’s supporters say they have no regrets about voting for him. But many also do express regrets, and many more won’t admit that they do. As the effects of tariffs and federal safety net and employment cuts sink in, the regrets will grow. If the economy collapses, Americans will grow angry, and Trump will grow more desperate.

In less than 100 days we will hear from the Supreme Court on a number of cases challenging Trump’s Executive Orders. The conservative majority will either continue their path of enabling an authoritarian president, or they will impose some brakes on Trump’s rampage through our system of government. What happens in those cases - from birthright citizenship to congressional power over appropriations, tariffs, agency de-funding, to law firm shakedowns, will determine whether we have breathing room to fight our way to 2026.

If Trump is not seriously weakened in the polls, by the courts, and by pushback from Congress, it could get very ugly. So we need to be even more strategic for this next 100 days to set an environment of diminished options for Trump.

Here are some clear actions we must take:

Apply Pressure to the Vulnerability of Republicans in Congress

We need to exploit the very real concern of Republicans in Congress that federal agency cuts and tariffs are harming their constituents (and thus their prospects for reelection). It was no surprise that Republicans in Congress began trying to cut their own deals with DOGE to save funding for their states’ largest institutions that rely on federal dollars. We’ve seen Republicans called out at town hall meetings by their constituents.[iv] The Trump Administration is expending more and more energy to tamp down congressional insurrection on tariffs.[v] The vote on the bill to restore tariff power to the Senate failed to pass by ONE VOTE.[vi] That’s not how the headlines reported the story, but that is what happened.

This reveals a huge vulnerability. And it suggests that we need to redouble our attention to applying pressure on Republicans in Congress. Keep the pressure on. Call, write, attend town halls, write letters to the editor in your local papers. Remember, every single seat in the House of Representatives and 33 Senate seats are up for election next year.[vii] If we can’t change the calculus in 2026 in Congress, then there’s little hope we can turn this ship. If ever there was a time to begin peeling off Republican members of Congress from going lockstep with this Administration, it’s now.

And if they can’t be moved, then it’s important to make sure that their support for policies that are harming your neighbors, family and friends, is well understood. Republicans must own the pain that Americans are feeling if they are to be more vulnerable next year. They will start running away from Trump’s record, as the effects of tariffs and government cuts deepen over the next 6 months. Don’t let them. Rally. Protest. Get attention. Peacefully, of course.

Encourage Democrats to Prioritize Communication

Democrats should use this time to engage a professional communications apparatus. We need to hear from unexpected voices in the caucus. And we need strong, clear, pithy explanations, and strategies. People want to feel like they are on the team, but there are rarely action items presented to the rank and file for organizing. We need to know every week – every day, if necessary – what are the priorities? How can we get involved? How does this speak to our needs?

Show us what has been done to harm our country and name the names of those who did it. If it’s Elon? Say so? If it’s Republicans in Congress, says so. When it’s Trump, say it clearly and unequivocally. Decide every day what 3-minute hearing clip you’ll post to Bluesky.

Own the Capitol. Stand on the steps every Monday and tell us what’s going on. Not all of you. But a rotating team of three. Include faces we don’t often see. Give us a sense of your deep bench and your voice.

Increase Our Troops: Educate People, Pressure Institutions

We need to lean-in. The problem of course is that we are all exhausted. The good news is that many more ordinary Americans are awake to the perils of this moment than were when we began in January. Our fears are no longer speculation. Everyone can see what Trump is doing. We know what he plans for U.S. citizens. The more draconian his plans – like sending U.S. citizens who are incarcerated to foreign gulags – the more ordinary people he motivates ordinary people to actively resist.

For those of us who have been fully engaged (and thus, are exhausted), some of our energy must shift to activating those among our neighbors, friends, family and groups who have not yet expended themselves in this fight. It’s time to draft fresh troops. Doing that requires educating those who have been focused on the business of living, rather than resisting. They need to know what is at stake and what they can do. This is the terrific and important work I see being undertaken by Black leaders through their State of the People Tour in cities around the country.[viii] We need more of this.

Greater institutional involvement is also necessary. Law firms and universities have learned that there is a price to pay for acquiescence to Trump that may be costlier than losing clients. This example is resonating through the institutional community, and this means that more institutions can see the benefits of resistance to autocracy.

We need faith institutions to get to the front lines. It was good to see Black churches leading on the Target boycott,[ix] to address the company’s acquiescence to Trump’s anti-DEI demands.

Rev. William Barber, who is always profoundly thoughtful about how faith meets activism, was arrested at the Capitol last week after protesting draconian budget cuts likely to gut Medicaid and Social Security. Promising that he’ll “be back,” Barber offered a powerful framework for how leaders of all faiths can and should meet this moment:

We requested a meeting with Mike Johnson, and we want to meet with [Hakeem] Jeffries, and want to bring high-level religious leaders that lead millions of congregants into a meeting with them and challenge them based on the Constitution they swore to uphold, and based on the damage that they’re talking about doing.

Because for us, praying is not just going through personal piety. Prayer for us is a prophetic act. What we’re saying is, you cannot keep praying in this Congress, P, R, A, Y and open Congress with prayer, and then turn around and pass a budget that preys P, R, E, Y, on the most vulnerable people in this country.[x]

Immigration is an issue ripe for the frontline involvement of more faith institutions. In recent days, we’ve seen some faith leaders step up and put their bodies on the line in New Jersey after the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka at an ICE facility.[xi] We need more of this. A new Pope who seems activated on this issue may help some faith leaders get off the sidelines.

Many have left faith institutions out of the resistance calculus, but now is the time to demand their involvement in addressing this existential crisis for our democracy.

And, of course, every faith institution should be taking up regular collections to support those who have lost jobs as a result of the attack on federal agencies. This is the period when the effects of federal government layoffs will be felt in missed mortgage and car payments. Those with student loans will be especially hard hit in the coming 6 months.

We need to keep pressure on the business community. Many business leaders now are profoundly wary of Trump. The tariff misstep was a big one and Trump’s team knows it. Trump has likely mollified some of them by setting up the conditions for some corporations to aggressively enter new markets and Qatar and Syria on his trip (note Musk’s announcement of Starlink deal with Qatar).

But when those corporate leaders get home, they still have to face the American public. The success of the boycott of Target spearheaded by Black churches,[vii] and the #TeslaTakeDown protests have shown that many corporations still have much to fear from American consumers. When American consumers successfully flex power, it matters. And so we should be thinking about how to confront the corporations that accompanied Trump and those who stayed home but who have in other ways acquiesced to the dismantling of our democracy.

Frankly, we need to make demands of all U.S. corporations. Business leaders should be asked point blank, publicly and on shareholder calls, whether they would accept the gift of a plane from the Qatar government. Do they think it is ethical business practice? If Trump is the “business President” why doesn’t he know that? They need to be smoked out of their C-suites and compelled to speak on camera and truthfully about what we are seeing.

For National Elections: Focus on 2026, not 2028

In terms of elections, our focus should not be on 2028 right now. We must resist the media’s inclination to keep our attention focused exclusively on presidential elections. If there are local elections in your state in 2025, prepare for them and vote by all means – and for every office on the ballot. Building local power is always important.

But our true focus right now must be on removing the gavel from Speaker Mike Johnson’s hand in 2026. The only way to do that is by shifting the majority in the House. Again, the entire House of Representatives and 33 Senate seats are up for election next year.

So much of what Trump and Musk have accomplished in dismantling the federal government has happened because of the failure of Congress to do its job. The usurpation of congressional power has been successful because Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in the Senate have allowed it. They have permitted DOGE to wreck our federal government. They have allowed the President to usurp congressional appropriation power, to cut off critical funds already allocated by Congress to universities and medical institutions, to fire public servants appointed to fixed terms, and to unleash an unhinged tariff war. Congress is simply not functioning as a co-equal branch of our government. Our job is to make it function as a brake on Trump. We can only do that by removing the Republicans from leadership in both houses. Our electoral focus must be 2026. To win 2026 means organizing NOW.

Resist attempts to focus us on who will run for president in 2028, or even what happened in 2024. It’s fine to sell books, but we need to keep our “eyes on the prize” - 2026. We won’t make it to 2028 as a democracy if we don’t gain some measure of power in 2026.

Support Litigation Efforts

Civil rights and civil liberties lawyers will continue bringing and litigating cases to vindicate our constitutional rights. We need to support them. We do that by shouting out their successes, and consoling losses. We also do that by providing financial support when we can to the core organizations doing the work.

But ordinary people do even more to help with litigation. Videos you have taken of unlawful conduct (please remember to stand at a distance to avoid arrest on charges of obstruction) have been important. The narrative accounts you’ve provided media outlets about events what you saw and heard can be important. When you encourage your churches, temples, schools to get involved, it matters. The courage of fired federal workers and those still on the inside who have chosen to speak about the unfair practices to which they’ve been subjected must be commended.

Lawyers who participated in the “Renew Your Oath” activities on Law Day,[xii] and other efforts that reinforce our obligations as officers of the court, shore up the courage of government lawyers and those at law firms who will be asked to make even more extremist and unlawful arguments as Trump turns up the dial.

And so…

…. we keep fighting and we keep wearing down this Administration’s ability to violate the law and harm the most vulnerable. Trump is a terrible leader. His arrogance has led to an extravagance of bad policy that will not be easily remedied. Sadly for Trump, this time around most of his cabinet members have been drawn from the bottom of the barrel. Most are true believers and so the counsel they provide to him, with very few exceptions, will drive him to more dangerous and unpopular policies.

Trump will still be able to do many terrible things over the next year. But we can limit what he does with our continued action.

I don’t pretend to know all the answers to how we get out of this period as an intact democracy. But I do know this: we cannot stop. So, we take this one step at a time. But we cannot let up.

Lastly, Take Good Care

To keep going we need to breathe deeply and pace ourselves. We need to engage even more with nature and the arts. They are precious assets that are under threat, and we need them to sustain us. Send a donation – however modest – every quarter to the arts program you love. Or to your public library. Or to a civic organization you admire. Give to a mutual aid organization providing assistance to those who are losing their jobs.

And keep learning. Stay informed. Support good journalism – especially local press. Subscribe where necessary to access good content. And not just established outlets. Find those who are available on social media. A.R. Moxon, Steve Vladeck, Marisa Kabas, Dante Stewart, Michael Harriot and Sarah Kendzior among many others, all have newsletters worth reading. And now Joy Reid and Ava DuVernay also have newsletters. Our access to the strategic thinking of people with great information and analysis is not only expanding. It is deepening. We need to support it.

Most of all, come outside. I firmly believe that occupying the public space must be part of our strategy. They want us to believe that they are bigger than they are. We must see one another. In public parks. At neighborhood cook-outs. At concerts and block parties. At ball games and outdoor theater. Don’t cede the public space to those who seek to intimidate us. This is our country. Let’s show them that we are not going anywhere.

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*Photo credit: Tom Williams, Roll Call

[i] https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/politics/miller-habeas-corpus-immigrant-judge

[ii] https://thehill.com/business/5297272-trump-business-leaders-saudi-investment/

[iii] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-14/us-announces-more-than-243-billion-in-deals-with-qatar

[iv] [ii] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/heated-town-halls-republicans-seek-information-compassion-doge-rcna193567

[v] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5208310-republican-voter-frustration-doge-cuts/

[vi] https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5275868-trump-tariffs-senate-vote/

[vii] [v] https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Congress_elections,_2026

[viii]

https://stateoftheppl.com/

[ix] https://apnews.com/article/target-boycott-diversity-equity-inclusion-dei-8d0b3367ff4585fcf069e286dbb601c1

[x] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/07/william-barber-trump-protest-capitol-arrest-interview-00324355

[xi] https://www.yahoo.com/news/clergy-members-descend-newark-ice-182923781.html

[xii] https://lawdayofaction.org/retake-the-oath