by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 7, 2024

Daniel Hunter offers 10 tools to support another Trump presidency.

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Now that Donald Trump was elected president of the United States for the second time, many of the millions who did not vote for him are seeking comfort after the election results.

Journalist Daniel Hunter of Waging Nonviolence is offer 10 tips to help us prepare and stay grounded during another Trump presidency. The guide emphasizes that to take effective action, one must avoid contributing to the autocrat’s talent for inciting fear, isolation, exhaustion, and disorientation.

“Envisioning an even more destabilized future is not easy. If you’re like me, you’re already tired,” Hunter shares. “The prospect of further tragedies is daunting. But authoritarianism will not disappear, whatever the election results.”

Hunter stayed busy throughout the election preparing for the possibility of another Trump presidency. By describing potential scenarios, creating training, and collaborating with colleagues experienced under autocratic regimes, he developed his 10 tips for navigating another Trump administration while maintaining domestic peace.

“So for us to be useful in a Trump world, we have to pay close attention to our inner states,” says Hunter, because that is the key to not perpetuating the “goals of fear, of isolation, of exhaustion or constant disorientation” of Trump.

1. Trust yourself

Amid widespread social distrust—where many lack trust in government, medical professionals, the media, and even family and friends—Hunter suggests starting by trusting yourself. It encourages you to listen to your inner voice and become aware of how what you see, hear and feel affects your overall state. By checking in on your feelings and emotions, you might find yourself putting down your phone for a few hours, resting, or making peace with your fears.

Essentially, it’s about “building a protection against the way madness can be internalized,” Hunter writes.

2. Connect with people you trust

Hunter points out that social isolation is a foundation of fascism and dictatorship, urging readers to stay connected with affinity groups who share the same values. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” he emphasizes that loneliness is an essential ingredient of autocracy. To counter this, he encourages going out, participating in social groups and finding like-minded people. These connections help build trust, allowing individuals to explore their own thinking and support each other to stay alert and grounded.

“We must consciously break this distance,” Hunter writes.

3. Allow yourself to grieve

Grief is a human emotion that must be accepted and not contained. And Hunter suggests we start by listing and allowing the feelings that arise. He remembers staying up late with a friend after Trump’s victory in 2016 and just letting their emotions flow.

“We alternated between spitting in rage and crying. We were in mourning. We cried. We held each other. We breathed. We started again naming all the bad things we knew we lost and the things we thought we might lose,” he shared.

Through this process, Hunter and his friend were able to better mentally prepare themselves for what the next four years would bring. Rather than bottling up their emotions and constantly saying, “I can’t believe he’s doing that…” Hunter released his feelings on election night and began moving toward a place of acceptance.

“Believe it. Believe it now. Grieving is a path to this acceptance,” he writes.

4. Let go of what you can’t control

Under Trump’s presidency, there will be so many pressing problems that it will be difficult to accept that we can’t solve everything, Hunter quotes.

“Trump’s first day will likely include pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists, reallocating money to build the wall, withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, and laying off more than 50,000 civil servants to begin replace them with loyalists. There is little reason to believe that the second day will be much quieter,” he writes.

To resist the chaos that often fuels autocracy, Hunter advises letting go of the belief that we have to fix everything. While this can be difficult for natural activists, he warns that “the urge to act on every issue leads to poor strategy.” Instead of focusing solely on public expression or symbolic actions like rallies and protests, look for more effective ways to participate.

5. Discover your path

Referring to his book scenarios On how the Trump presidency might play out, Hunter outlines several avenues of resistance to counter the coming chaos. One pathway, “Protect People,” focuses on supporting those directly affected, such as trans people, people seeking abortions, and immigrants. Examples include creating immigrant welcoming committees, creating abortion support funds, or training volunteers in safety skills to respond to white nationalist violence.

Other pathways include “Defend Civic Institutions,” where people unite to defend institutions whose mission is to protect civil rights, “Disrupt and Disobey,” where individuals intervene to end bad policies or make proof of resistance, and “Building alternatives” to support more democratic processes.

“Your path may not be clear right now. It’s OK. There will be plenty of opportunities to join the resistance,” notes Hunter.

6. Refuse to comply in advance, avoid self-censorship

Hunter cites the two major media publications who “cowardly” refused to support a political candidate as an example of self-censorship. Trump did not need to directly threaten these media outlets; their own leaders asked them to “leave this situation alone,” Hunter notes.

“If autocrats teach us one valuable lesson, it is this: Political space you don’t use, you lose,” he writes.

Recognizing the power we have to choose when to speak, Hunter urges those who care to “use the political space and voice you have.”

7. Redefine your political landscape

Hunter explains how the Trump presidency is reshaping political alignments and potential outcomes. It highlights the importance of positioning ourselves to listen to people with different political or personal opinions and engaging with them to broaden our perspectives. It also encourages empathy and facing the reality of whoever has power.

8. Face the reality of power

Taking to the streets for mass protests without a clear objective will only increase frustration, leading to disengagement and radical actions disconnected from any strategic plan.

“We are not going to stop him from doing these things simply by persuasive tactics or by showing that there are MANY of us who oppose them,” Hunter writes.

Citing the inverted triangle as a tool for analyzing power, Hunter explains how strategically toppling Trump’s pillars of support can be more effective. Mass non-cooperation exposes people to increased risk and repression. However, it also has the potential to achieve the kind of liberating government that we all truly deserve.

Hunter cited Trump’s government shutdown in 2019 as an example, when flight attendants were preparing for a national strike. The strike risked grounding planes across the country, disrupting a key transportation network. Hours after announcing their “immediate mobilization” for the strike, Trump backtracked.

“This tipping point of massive non-cooperation will be complicated. This means convincing many people to take enormous personal risks for a better option,” Hunter writes.

9. Managing fear, turning violence against itself

Managing fear is not about suppressing it; it’s about constantly redirecting it. Referencing activist and intellectual Hardy Herriman’s study of political violence, Hunter explains that making political violence backfire involves refusing to be intimidated and resisting these threats, causing them to lose their power. .

Hunter uses the example of Bayard Rustin, who turned police threats of arrest in response to outdated anti-boycott laws into a moment of courage. Rustin organized a group of civil rights leaders to march to the police station and demand arrest, thereby positioning themselves as leaders and turning the crackdown into a powerful spectacle. Some leaders who were not on the police list also publicly asked to be arrested. Those charged were greeted by cheers from the crowd, holding their arrest papers high, transforming the fear of arrest into a moment of triumph.

10. Imagine a better future

No matter who is in power, there’s a whole world outside there, with a beauty that we can set our sights on instead of gloating about the state of government and its impact on our country.

“On days when I sense none of these political possibilities (more than not), I zoom in more on the lifespans of trees and rocks, heading toward spiritual reminders that nothing lasts forever,” Hunter writes.

“The whole future is uncertain. But by using these elements, we are more likely to have a brighter future and experience in these turbulent times.

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