Learn how to fight back in case Trump loses and attempts a coup.
It feels weird and wrong writing these words, and it should, but this is the world we live in now. We need to prepare for the possibility that Trump will lose his bid for re-election and won’t accept that reality.
We need to prepare for this possibility because there’s a non-zero chance that he will refuse to accept the fact of a loss. He has said as much multiple times between July and October, 2020.
Never mind that Trump doesn’t get to take it or leave it. It’s not up to him–it’s up to the voters. And if we tell him to go, he goes.
Still, it’s not a bad idea for us to prepare for a scenario in which Trump tries to steamroll through rules, norms, and facts to get what he wants. Lord knows that’s been his modus operandi for decades.
Two entities have arisen to grapple with this frightening scenario.
Choose Democracy is a group of organizers, activists, and the like who realized the need to help citizens learn what to do if Trump stages a coup.
During late October and early November 2020, it’s offering several two-hour training sessions on how, exactly, to beat back a Trumpian power grab:
https://choosedemocracy.us/trainings/#.X5Xgli2z3FM
Also worth your time is Protect the Results, a joint effort between Indivisible and Stand Up Republic which intends to do just that–“protect the valid results of the November 2020 election”, regardless of who wins.
Protect the Results has planned several rallies across the country for Wednesday, November 4–the day after the election. If you visit its website and plug your zip code into the search bar, it will show you the events taking place nearest you:
In addition, you can read Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy, a four-part publication available here:
Again, we’re sorry we have to devote a post to this topic at all, but you know what the Boy Scouts of America say: be prepared. That strikes us as the wisest course of action.
See the main website for Choose Democracy and take the Choose Democracy pledge:
See the Choose Democracy Trainings page:
https://choosedemocracy.us/trainings/#.X5Xgli2z3FM
Read and bookmark the Choose Democracy article Ten Things You Need to Know to Stop a Coup:
https://choosedemocracy.us/prepare/#10things
Also see an article from Daniel Hunter of Waging Nonviolence on the same topic:
Visit the Choose Democracy Action Center:
https://choosedemocracy.us/take-action/#.X5XiOy2z3FM
https://choosedemocracy.us/donate/#.X5XiRS2z3FM
See the main page for Protect the Results:
Visit the Protect the Results Resources page:
https://protecttheresults.com/explore-mobilization-resources/
See the list of partner organizations supporting Protect the Results:
https://protecttheresults.com/partners/
Follow Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy on Twitter:
@TheRedLineGuide
Read What Can You Do If Trump Stages a Coup? A New Yorker piece on this topic and on the efforts to address it:
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