Should We Give Trump Time?
Talking Back Against An Authoritarian Talking Point
The idea that people should endure “a little pain now” for long-term gain is a classic authoritarian gaslighting tactic—it reframes destruction as necessary reform and asks people to sacrifice their well-being in the present while those in power consolidate control. Here’s why it’s happening and why it’s so dangerous.
1. The "Shock Doctrine" in Action
This approach is straight out of Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine playbook—use crises (whether real or manufactured) to push through radical changes while the public is disoriented. The Trump administration’s economic and regulatory policies are creating instability by design, using that instability to justify further consolidation of power and the destruction of democratic institutions.
Destroy the regulatory state: The gutting of agencies like the EPA, FDA, and SEC is presented as “cutting red tape” and unleashing economic growth, but it removes protections that safeguard public health, environmental stability, and fair markets.
Create economic insecurity: Inflation, corporate deregulation, and attacks on worker protections put more people in financial crisis, making them more dependent on strongman leadership that promises relief.
Defund and hollow out public services: By underfunding or dismantling key government functions, they create widespread dysfunction, which they then use to argue that government itself is ineffective and should be further dismantled.
2. Normalizing Authoritarian Rule Through “Gradual” Damage
The idea that people should "give him time" is a psychological manipulation technique used by authoritarians and oligarchs to soften resistance. The danger isn’t just the damage that’s happening—it’s that the longer this goes on, the more people adjust to it.
People get exhausted: When change happens too quickly, people resist. But if authoritarian policies roll out slowly—over months and years rather than overnight coups—people become numbed to them.
Institutions lose legitimacy: As public agencies become weaker, it becomes easier to argue that they should be privatized, defunded, or eliminated.
The Overton Window shifts: The Overton Window is the acceptable range of policies that can possibly become law based on the power dynamics in decision-making bodies at any given time. Extreme policies that once seemed unthinkable (e.g., open attacks on Social Security, privatization of essential government functions, radical corporate giveaways) become normalized through gradual exposure in the Window, making it seem reasonable to adopt unreasonable compromises.
3. The Real Goals: Permanent Damage and Kleptocratic Profiteering
The Trump administration isn’t just dismantling democracy out of ideological zeal—it’s also a massive wealth transfer project. Billionaire-backed deregulation, tax cuts, and privatization efforts are designed to be extremely difficult to reverse, ensuring that even if authoritarian rule is challenged, the economic and governmental landscape remains permanently skewed toward the ultra-rich.
Regulatory destruction benefits corporations: Rolling back safety, environmental, and financial protections leaves industries freer to exploit workers and the planet while the public foots the bill for the consequences.
Mass privatization ensures long-term control: Privatized public institutions (like schools, healthcare, infrastructure) remain under corporate control even after political leadership changes.
Court packing cements the damage: By stacking the judiciary with corporate-aligned and far-right judges, they make future reforms legally impossible.
4. The Danger of the “Let’s See What Happens” Mentality
Many who aren’t die-hard Trump supporters—including some independents and even some disillusioned liberals—might believe that his administration should be given “a chance” to implement their policies. But here’s the problem:
Authoritarianism doesn’t give second chances. Once key institutions are gutted or co-opted, the ability to challenge the damage through elections or legal means becomes severely limited.
The pain isn’t temporary—it’s structural. The losses we’re seeing aren’t just policy shifts that can be reversed in the next administration. They are designed to be lasting, making future recovery nearly impossible.
The strategy depends on people waiting too long to act. The longer people accept short-term suffering as the “price” of reform, the harder it becomes to fight back before it’s too late.
What Can Be Done?
We don’t have the luxury of “waiting and seeing.” The only way to stop this damage is through active resistance, mass mobilization, and relentless public pressure.
Expose the damage as it’s happening. Activists and journalists must continue to document and publicize the ways in which institutions are being weakened—before people become numb to it.
Fight against the normalization of instability. Economic hardship, regulatory rollbacks, and political corruption cannot be dismissed as “growing pains”—they must be framed as the deliberate sabotage that they are.
Mobilize NOW, not later. The goal of this strategy is to delay pushback long enough that resistance is too little, too late. Elections alone won’t fix this—only organized, strategic pressure can prevent irreversible damage.
Challenge the “strongman” myth. Many Trump supporters accept hardship under the belief that “he’s fighting for them.” That narrative must be countered with the truth: his administration is looting the country for billionaires, and everyday people are paying the price.
The Takeaway
This is not just a normal political cycle, and the damage being done isn’t temporary. The Trump administration and its billionaire backers are weaponizing economic pain and government collapse to entrench their own power.
Waiting to see what happens is not an option—because by the time the full extent of the damage is clear, it may be too late to reverse it. The time to resist is now.
Here are 10 concrete actions ordinary people can take right now to fight back against the authoritarian takeover of our democracy:
1. Mass Mobilization: Show Up in the Streets
Why? Authoritarian regimes rely on public passivity. Mass protests and direct action create political crises that force responses. Remember, though, that mobilizations feed long-term struggle when we build in mechanisms to build long-term relationships with those who participation. Retention is as important as recruitment.
Action: Join national marches, local demonstrations, and civil disobedience campaigns to show collective resistance.
Example: In 2020, the Black Lives Matter uprisings forced a national conversation about police violence—showing that mass mobilization works.
2. Organize in Your Community
Why? Building grassroots, local power makes resistance more effective and durable.
Action: Join or start a local activist group, organize neighbors, and coordinate with other movements to create sustained resistance.
Example: The Civil Rights Movement relied on local organizing—churches, unions, and student groups built the power to fight Jim Crow.
3. Target Economic Power: Boycotts and Strikes
Why? The billionaire class behind the takeover profits from deregulation and public austerity.
Action:
Boycott companies funding right-wing authoritarianism. (Track them via sources like Public Citizen and Sleeping Giants.)
Support worker strikes—unionized labor is a major force in fighting corporate fascism.
Pressure corporations that enable the authoritarian takeover (media, tech, finance) to cut ties.
Example: The South African anti-apartheid movement used international boycotts and crippled the apartheid economy until it collapsed.
4. Defend the Free Press and Fight Disinformation
Why? Authoritarians thrive by undermining truth and replacing it with propaganda.
Action:
Subscribe to independent, investigative journalism (ProPublica, Democracy Now, The Intercept, The Nation, etc).
Flood social media with factual reporting and counter-messaging.
Challenge disinformation in your community—especially among family and friends, and at the local level, in the places you shop, play, and work.
Example: During WWII, underground resistance newspapers in Nazi-occupied France helped expose Nazi lies and organize resistance.
5. Pressure Elected Officials—Relentlessly
Why? Politicians won’t act unless public pressure outweighs corporate and far-right influence.
Action:
Call, email, and, if you can, visit your representatives every week.
Demand they protect voting rights, block authoritarian policies, and hold fascist enablers accountable.
Show up at local government meetings to challenge right-wing power grabs.
Example: The Tea Party movement showed how relentless local activism shifts political priorities—we must use similar tactics for democracy.
6. Defend Voting Rights and Elections
Why? Authoritarians rig elections to consolidate power.
Action:
Volunteer as a poll worker or election observer.
Support voter registration and turnout efforts, especially in Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities targeted by suppression.
Challenge gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and purges in your state.
Example: In Georgia, grassroots voter mobilization led by Stacey Abrams flipped the state in 2020—proving the power of organized voter turnout.
7. Build Alternative Institutions
Why? If public services are privatized and corrupted, we must create parallel systems that protect people.
Action:
Expand mutual aid networks to provide food, housing support, and healthcare.
Support worker-owned businesses and cooperatives that reject corporate exploitation.
Develop community-run media to counter mainstream disinformation.
Example: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56) succeeded because activists built an alternative transportation system, making their resistance sustainable.
8. Join or Support Legal Resistance
Why? Trump’s far-right Supreme Court is attacking rights—lawsuits are a critical battleground.
Action:
Donate to legal defense funds (ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, Native American Rights Fund, the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund, and others).
If you’re a lawyer, volunteer for pro-democracy legal work—especially around civil rights and immigration.
Example: The ACLU’s legal challenges blocked parts of Trump’s Muslim ban and family separation policies.
9. Build Cross-Movement Solidarity
Why? Dividing opposition is a key authoritarian tactic—we win by uniting movements.
Action:
Bridge divides between labor, climate activists, racial justice groups, and LGBTQ+ organizers.
Build interfaith coalitions to counter Christian nationalism.
Work with immigrant rights groups to resist anti-immigrant laws.
Example: The Rainbow Coalition of the 1960s (Black Panthers, Young Lords, poor white organizers) built multi-racial power against systemic oppression.
10. Be Ready for Mass Nonviolent Resistance
Why? If the authoritarians attempt a full power grab, we must be prepared to shut it down.
Action:
Learn nonviolent direct action tactics—train for mass civil disobedience.
Organize emergency response networks in case of election coups, state violence, or constitutional crises.
Prepare for general strikes and mass economic resistance if democracy is directly threatened.
Example: In 2019, millions in Hong Kong engaged in sustained mass protests to fight Chinese authoritarianism, using creative direct action to keep resistance alive.
Final Thought: The Time to Act Is NOW
Authoritarians are moving quickly to entrench their power. If we wait until democracy is fully eroded, it will be too late.
This isn’t just about stopping Trump or Musk—it’s about building a democratic movement strong enough to outlast them.
If we mobilize NOW, we can not only resist authoritarianism but build a better, more just democracy than the one we started with.
The question is not whether we have the power to stop them.
The question is: Will we use it?