Chuck Darwin<p>Americans aren’t waiting for the Democratic Party to take on Trump </p><p>In February, anti-Trump demonstrations took place in all 50 states, part of the of 50501 movement (which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day).</p><p>On March 15, thousands of people marched in New York City under the banner of public employee unions against the Trump/Musk cuts to public services. </p><p>The arrest of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card-holding Columbia University graduate who played a prominent role in anti-Israel protests last year, has sparked an uproar over whether the Trump administration is violating the 1st Amendment by targeting immigrants for their political beliefs.</p><p>And God bless New York Rep. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Alexandria" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Alexandria</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Ocasio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ocasio</span></a>-<a href="https://c.im/tags/Cortez" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Cortez</span></a>, 35, <br>and Vermont Sen. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Bernie" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bernie</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Sanders" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Sanders</span></a>, 83, who are on the road in Western states with their <br>“Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has drawn thousands of people to arenas this week in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.</p><p>There’s more. <br>“Missing member” events, for example, where voters are holding their own town halls because their Republican members of Congress are too afraid to face them.</p><p>In some cases, constituents step up to a microphone and pose questions to an empty chair. </p><p>In Wisconsin, Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden did not show up at a town hall, <br>so a Democrat from a nearby district, <br>Rep. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Mark" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mark</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Pocan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pocan</span></a>, <br>came instead and spoke to 300 people next to an empty chair with Van Orden’s name on it.</p><p>Hundreds of healthcare workers demonstrated outside the Anaheim Hills office of Republican Rep. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Young" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Young</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Kim" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kim</span></a> the other day to protest expected cuts to Medicaid, the health safety net for more than 72 million low-income and disabled Americans. </p><p>And millions of Americans all over the country may answer the call on Saturday, April 5, for a <br>“Hands Off” protest organized by Indivisible, <br>the progressive grassroots group that got its start in 2017 when a handful of congressional staffers put together a handbook about peaceful, effective resistance to right-wing power grabs. </p><p>The “Hands Off” motto: <br>“They’re dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch.”<br><a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-03-23/donald-trump-elon-musk-democratic-party-resistance-oppositionr" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">latimes.com/opinion/story/2025</span><span class="invisible">-03-23/donald-trump-elon-musk-democratic-party-resistance-oppositionr</span></a></p>