Since President Donald Trump – twice impeached, convicted felon, defendant found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation – will not let up on his scorched-earth campaign to destroy our democracy, those Americans who are victimized by him and his cronies (many of them also criminals) continue to have to fight back. Victims of selective and vindictive prosecution, harassment, defamation, public attacks, inappropriate behavior, false arrest, blatant discrimination, corruption, and grift have exerted their rights in several ways:
- they have written scathing, evidence-based reports, op-eds, editorials, and books;
- they have sued and countersued;
- they have taken to the streets in major No Kings and other peaceful demonstrations;
- they have formed citizens’ groups to support one another when they come under attack;
- they have mocked Trump on national TV and in other settings; and
- they have shown up by the millions to vote against him in crucial elections.
The actions of those combatting Trump et al have generally been legal – in contrast to many of Trump’s actions that have been blatantly illegal.
Trump has also used legal means – for decades – to defend himself, which is his right. The major difference between his use of our legal system and his victims’ is that he has the financial resources to do this (although he has not been paying his attorneys out of pocket but rather from supporters’ donations and various PACs). Paying legal fees and going through the legal system are expensive and time-consuming. For innocent victims of Trump’s attacks, it also takes a huge emotional and psychological toll.
Trump’s pressure and harassment campaign, unfortunately, is part of his playbook and others like him. In hundreds if not thousands of legal cases throughout the country, Trump has lost. He has even lost at the Supreme Court. Trump’s response is almost always to appeal and keep up the pressure; when the Supreme Court has ruled against him, he lashes out by criticizing the Justices who vote against him – which often leads his supporters to follow up with death threats against those Justices – or overtly disobey or ignore the decisions. We know, moreover, that Trump is not overly concerned with winning some of his cases: among his main goals is to “feel good” that he is getting revenge on his enemies and punishing them psychologically and financially.
Americans should understand very clearly that Trump’s actions, words and responses are not only signs of a dictator – but also signs of a psychopath, as we have noted in the past. Every cruel, lawless, illegal, destructive move he makes can be explained by his diagnosis as a human being with anti-social personality disorder. There is no cure.
Here we will showcase several of the organizations that are bravely battling Trump in legal and other arenas. It is important that law-abiding and concerned Americans be familiar with these good organizations, because they give us hope and show us that positive action can be taken. We have lifted up some of these groups in the past, but more are always being birthed, and we must start to understand the very important role they are playing in our current situation. This is especially vital as we go into the November election period and given the recent SCOTUS decision basically decimating the Voting Rights Act. We will also highlight a few recent victories and successes – to further give us courage.
Organizations and their leaders
Defiance.org is a new membership organization that is attempting to answer Americans’ question “What can I do?!” to stand up to Trump. Its founders are Miles Taylor (a former government official in Trump 1.0 who has been targeted by Trump and now receives death threats) and Xander Schultz (founder of Defeat by Tweet and One for Democracy).
This “lean, tiny team” “respond[s] rapidly to Trump’s abuses of power” in a number of ways. As a “club for courageous Americans,” with dues starting at $1, the group assists its members “to take peaceful, lawful, defiant action to defend democracy from a wannabe dictator.” Some of its actions include funding lawsuits against some unconstitutional Trump administration policy and organizing nationwide protests with pro-democracy allies.
Small Town PAC. 
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris’ VP running mate in 2024, has created Small Town PAC to expand the map for Democrats. Operating on the conviction that the national Democratic Party must more deliberately invest in “small towns and red districts too often written off,” Walz hopes to rebuild Democratic leadership by raising funds and recruiting candidates in parts of rural America that are generally won by Republicans. Goals include “Competing everywhere, rebuilding trust… and supporting a new generation of leaders.”
Democracy Docket and Marc Elias. We have mentioned Democracy Docket in the past. Here we will note some of the more recent actions the organization, Mr. Elias and their attorneys have filed across the country – and won – on behalf of the complainants and our democracy (50 pages and counting).
- Georgia Voter Roll Maintenance Challenge, Quinn v. Raffensperger
- Missouri Congressional Redistricting Referendum Language Challenge, People Not Politicians v. Hoskins
- Arizona DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge, United States of America v. Fontes
- Hawaii Voter Roll Access Challenge, Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Nago
- Georgia DeKalb County State Election Board Rules Challenge, Thurmond v. State Election Board
- Pennsylvania Voter Record Publication Challenge, Voter Reference Foundation v. Schmidt
- Michigan Overseas Voters Challenge II, RNC v. Benson
Marc Elias is “out there” despite threats against him by Trump and others, courageously speaking frequently to millions of us about his work but, even more importantly, inspiring us t
o act.
Miscellaneous positive developments
In recent weeks, we have seen several positive developments that we must cling to in order to have hope (and even preserve our sanity).
- “Nearly all state and federal elections have shifted left since 2024.” Democrats have been successful in very different environments and situations: special elections for the House and state legislative seats, contests in “red and blue districts, swing and safe states,” plus gubernatorial and legislative elections in Virginia and New Jersey.
- A federal court, the Court of International Trade, ruled 2-1 that Trump wasn’t justified in his new 10% tariff under the 1974 Trade Act. Trump tried this tactic after SCOTUS struck down his earlier tariffs. Trump, of course, will try other ways to levy tariffs.
- Trump’s attempts to bring indictments against some of his enemies have led to very rare “no bill” decisions by grand juries in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Alexandria and Norfolk, Virginia. This means that those juries – panels of average Americans – listened to evidence brought by Department of Justice lawyers and did not find that there was good reason to bring a case. Some of the more prominent people who have been targeted include former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, two of Trump’s most outspoken critics. While there is a new indictment against Comey (the 86 47 seashell case…), the news is encouraging that the jury part of the justice system is working – and Comey and his family are standing strong against Trump’s attacks.
- Jack Smith, the former Special Counsel who brought federal indictments against Trump in two major cases, is speaking out against the corruption of the Trump Administration and its DOJ. Smith, like other DOJ officials of the past, have generally let their words in the courtroom be the rule, rather than doing press conferences or speaking to the media. Legal analyst Barbara McQuade suggests, however, that it might be advisable for that practice to be reconsidered in and after the Trump era.
- Overseas, the German government has made the commitment to increase its spending in several critical areas over the next few years. The country will increase defense spending, to support both NATO and Ukraine, and is also bolstering infrastructure and climate funds, which will secure jobs and create new ones. These initiatives will not only help Europe’s largest economy but also Europe as a whole and the US because of our close ties.
Giving thanks
Trump and his cronies do not like it when good people do their jobs – because Trump et al are lawless, do not want to get caught, and do not want to suffer consequences like jail or financial penalties. Therefore, we on the law-abiding side must salute and thank the millions of brave Americans who suffer threats, harassment, and legal actions mainly for doing their jobs.
- Journalists and media organizations, such as NPR, MS NOW, Politico, the Daily Beast, and the Guardian.
- Clergy members (mainly from mainstream denominations) who support Trump’s victims and preach peace, love, mercy, and resistance. Trump not only excoriated Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde after her powerful National Prayer Day sermon in which she called on Trump to have mercy;
he is now on the attack against Pope Leo XIV for his comments about the Iran War and Trump’s immigration policies. - Leaders of nonprofit organizations and charities who are trying mightily to pick up the lost pieces created by the loss of federal funding in order to serve their communities.
- State and local elections officials, attorneys general, governors and legislators who are finding many legal, creative ways to push back against Trump’s actions, corruption, grift, and rhetoric. With Trump trampling on our voting rights at the federal level, other government officials at all levels become all the more important.
- Artists and musicians who courageously use their skills and platforms to speak out, while they also create beauty.
- Average Americans such as those in Minneapolis who bravely stood their ground in sub-freezing weather, for weeks, to protest the egregious ICE raids in January 2026, forcing the ouster of Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary and the withdrawal of ICE personnel.
- Comedians who make Trump furious with their truth-telling through comedy and satire.
- Veterans organizations that are speaking out against Trump Administration abuses.
- Leaders in higher education who have stood up to Trump and won back some of the funds Trump effectively stole from them. Unfortunately, in some cases, the reversal has come too late. This means, for voters, that it is all the more important to not only elect officials (including the president) who will follow longstanding laws such as the Impoundment Control Act but also to encourage Congress to include mandatory language in appropriations bills that sets specific deadlines for the Department of Education to release funds, preventing them from being held indefinitely, and pass legislation that specifically mandates the release of funds to universities.
At this time in our national history, courage is the name of the game. We must all summon it now, and over the months and years to come, to save our democracy.