5 Ways to be a Silent Trump Protestor

4 min readNov 23, 2016

The next four years are going to be a constant assault against all of the progress made in the past hundred years by women, minorities, LGBTQ folks, immigrants and democracy itself. Everyone who knows me knows exactly how I feel about the impending Trump Presidency, the NC GOP attempt to steal the Governor’s office and just about everything else. There are times (daily) when I feel bad about my constant posts & tweets about these things. Not bad enough to quit though!

Not everyone can, or wants to be, this public about their political views.

“I’m an introvert and don’t feel comfortable putting myself out there.”
“Making my political views public will get me fired.”
“It’s not safe for me to talk about opposing Trump.”

Here are 5 concrete ways that you can actively, but privately, protest the Trump/Alt-Right/GOP takeover of America:

1. Money Talks.

There are many organizations that are actively fighting against Donald Trump’s outrageous appointments, horrendous policy proposals, blatant flouting of the Constitution and implicit support of hate groups. This is expensive work and they need you to put your money where your mouth can’t be!

Y’all, get out your credit cards and set up monthly recurring donations to organizations such as:

2. Write letters and make phone calls. #CallEveryDay #calltime

Download Emily Ellsworth’s ‘Call the Halls Guide’ HERE

Download Emily Elsworth’s ‘Call the Halls Guide’ HERE

If you feel both infuriated and impotent by the constant stream of news about the Trump University settlement, Nazi salutes to Trump, women who’ve been sexually assaulted by Trump, <insert every news story I’ve read in the past 2 weeks 😩>, then it’s time to make some calls!

Call To Action — A brand new, super-easy web app that connects you with your Congressional representative with just a tap
WhoIsMyRepresentative.com — This site will help you see who represents you in Congress, as well as just give you the whole damn list
You can also call your state legislators, Governor’s office, and whoever else is involved in the Horror of the Day. It takes 2 minutes and makes a huge difference. Google them and then Call. Every. Day!

3. Sign Up To Do What You Can

There are many action-oriented sites that have sprung up in the last few weeks. Here are several that I’ve signed up on:

FightTrump.co — Civic Action and Education, Made Simple
Holy Fuck The Election — First things first, are you okay?
Wall-Of-Us — Subscribe to Get 4 Concrete Actions/Week
What Do I Do About Trump? — Trump has said some scary stuff. Use these resources to help all people be prepared.

4. Stay Informed

One of the reasons why Trump was able to win this election (if not the popular vote) is because people depend on social media headlines and snippets — which are often fake or misleading — instead of being fully informed about the issues. This is why I love listening to high quality, intelligent podcasts with in-depth discussions on the issues. Sure, they may spend a few minutes talking about Pence at Hamilton or SNL, but the majority of the conversations focus on the real-world implications of having someone like Senator Jeff Sessions as our next Attorney General or what Trump’s conflicts of interest will mean once he’s President. All that other stuff is just a distraction and plays directly into Steve Bannon’s strategies for deflecting attention away from what’s really important.

Here are my favorites:

5. Offer Moral Support To Your Vocal Friends

As one of those people who often feels like I’m shouting into the wind, I sometimes wonder if any of my protests are worth it. But at least once a day, I’ll get a call or a message from a friend asking, “How are you doing?”. These friends send me funny gifs, listen to my rants, ask me over for coffee and help me feel like I’m not alone in this fight. Believe me, a hug and an “I love you, grrrl” goes a long way in times like these.

This story can also be read at The Huffington Post.

About the Author: Currently, I work as the Operations Director for the North Carolina Democratic Party (opinions are my own). I have a wonderful family who hasn’t locked me up yet for my excessive feminist political ravings and a squad of equally terrific friends. Running and meditation (and medication) keep me sane, although a day hasn’t passed that I haven’t cried since November 8th*.
Follow me on Twitter at @chachina and connect with me on LinkedIn

Download Emily Elsworth’s ‘Call the Halls Guide’ here