HOW TO RESPOND TO DONALD TRUMP’S THREATS

Safeguarding
Our Movements
against
Repression

©s always difficult toell
how seriously to take
Trump’s performative
declarations. He makes wild
statements to see what plays tohis
audience, throwing things against
thewall to see what sticks, and then
doubles down wherever there is
no pushback. But this time around,
his administration has stuck
very close tothe classic fascist
playbook, with one supporter going
sofaras to declare without any

irony that the shooting of Charlie
Kirk “is the American Reichstag
fire.

The obvious next stepin
that playbook s to expand from
targeting immigrants to go after
anarchists, leftists, and other

opponents of the regime as well

Trump has previously
declared that he would designate
“Antifa”a “rerrorist organization,”

‘most famously at the outset of
the George Floyd Revolt. Butat that
time, the rest of the federal government largely acted as a brake on his
impulses’ —whereas today, the entire executive branch of the federal
government s comprised of toadies and sycophants who are incapable
of distinguishing their interests from his.

Granted, there is no law authorizing the president to designate
domestic terrorist organizations. But even without new legislation or
an executive order, Trump has direct control over the Department of
Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of
Investigations,and other federal agencies. What he says on social media
is probably indicative of what he will direct his underlings to do.

The fact that “Antifa” s not an organization atall, but rather a nebulous
category that could include virtually anyone who disapproves of
Trump’s autocratic agenda, is convenient for Trump.*
regardless of who you are or what you do, you, oo, could become a
target. That's why everyone should review the following suggestions,
‘whether or not you think they apply toyou. Rather than spreading panic,
preparing ourselves in concrete ways will enable us to approach this
situation calmly and effectively.

‘means that,

While no “domestic terror organization” designation currently
exists—and nor does any obvious mechanism to establish one—
far-right prosecutors already have a track record of groundlessly
pressing trumped-up terrorism charges as a means of terrorizing
activists and supporters of social movements. Trump has explicitly
called for the use of racketeering charges to suppress his critics. Far-
right Republican senators are already sponsoring a bill that would add
riotingto the list of offenses that the Justice Department can useas part
of a probe under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
[RICO] Act.

There are obvious precedents for how this might go. Two years
ago, a wide range of defendants in Arlanta, Georgia were randomly
charged under the RICO act as part of the repression of the Stop Cop
City movement. The cases have been endlessly delayed —and earlier
this month, judge dismissed most of the charges on a technicality.

2
Under Donald Trump, many federal agencies are disorganized and
focused chiefly on managing perceptions. This precisely describes the
authorities who brought the haphazard RICO charges in Georgia two
‘years ago. If the trajectory of the Stop Cop City RICO case offers any
indication of how other RICO persecutions of accused activists might
g0, the chief threat may not be that the crackdown Trump s calling for

will send people to prison, but rather that the charges will discourage
and immobilize people, creating the conditions for the Trump
administration to eventually supersede this form of repression with
something worse.

It remains to be seen how seriously the administration will carry out
Trump’s threats, and whether they wil start by attacking grassroots
groups or proceed from the top down, targeting massive liberal
institutions and funds

ing platforms. In either case, our long-term
prospects will depend on whether we can enable large numbers
of peaple to act in solidarity with each other, taking up the kind of
grassroots direct action tactics that can be effective regardless of
‘whether the people who control the state wish tolisten.

HERE ARE SOME STEPS
YOU CAN TAKE TO
PROTECT YOURSELF
AND YOUR COMMUNITY,
PROCEEDING FROM THE
IMMEDIATE TO THE
GENERAL.

DON'T BE INTIMIDATED
Keeping your morale up is essential to resistance. Do not surrender in
advance. Ouradversariesaimtocowusintosubmission becausetheyknow
that they cannot subdue us by brute force alone. Remerber, managing
perceptionsis core tothe fascit project —they seck to project strengthat
alltimes precisely because theyare not invincible. Evenwhen things scem
grim, keep your hopes up and keep fighting Defeasnt only sevesthecnery.

Several recent examples show that determined movement can beat
repression. On January 20, 2017, only a few hours into Trump’s first
presidency, hundreds of people were armested in proximity to his
inauguration. They were charged with eight identical felonies apiece—
w0 of which were not even on the books as legitimate charges—and
threatened with decades in prison. The defendants could have reacted
by taking plea deals or going it alone in the court system. Instead, in an
astonishing display of solidarity, nearly two hundred people committed
to fighting the charges together—and after a stressful year and a half,
they beat every single one of the charges.

4
The Stop Cop City RICO case has foundered thus far for similar reasons.
RICO and conspiracy cases often hinge on whether some of the
defendants can be frightened into cooperating with the prosecution.
If the defendants form a united front and their communities
stand resolutely beside them, the chief advantages of the state
evaporate. Solidarity is power.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR STRENGTHS
Donald Trump and the institutions he presides over are hierarchical,
centralized, formally structured, and profit-driven. They would prefer
to fight a symmetrical adversary. By contrast, the movements that
challenge them are largely decentralized and horizontal, without formal
roles or funding. This is a good thing—not only because it undermines
prosecutors’ concocted narratives, but also because it makes it more
difficult o figure out who to target in the first place. f they have to focus
on the population at large, if resistance could come from any direction,
they won't be able to concentrate their forces.

The autocrats are not in a position to repress everyone who opposes
fascism. Remember, on June 14, 2025, the day of the No Kings
demonstration, well over 5 million people flooded the streets to defy
Trump. Safetywill not come from hiding from the authorities, permitting.
them to go after their targets one at a time, but rather from spreading
resistance tactics, strategies, and momentum as widely as possible.

Everyone who is against fascism is an anti-fascist. In seeking to
target everyone who opposes fascism, Trump s biting off more than he
can chew— provided we don't roll over and let him win.

PREPARE FOR FEDERAL VISITS AND RAIDS
Review what to do in the event of a visit from police or federal agents,
whether they are simply making inquiries, show up with a subpoena, or
executea no-knock raid. Back up your electronics and store the backups
somewhere secure that cannot be easily connected to you. Remove
items from your house that should not fall into the wrong hands. Get
legal representation in place ahead of time, so you know what lawyers
‘youill work with.
If you learn of someone else’s house being raided, show up and take
video footage. The more attention is focused on every state assault, the
safer everyone will be.

Instruct your friends in advance as to how they can support youin the
eventofaraidorarrest, whether that means feeding your cat, providing
childeare, or reaching out to your employer or family members. Make
‘your preferences known in advance: for example, if you are arrested,
would you prefer to be bailed out immediately, or to wait to see if
‘your bail s reduced? The more precisely you can specify your desires
in advance, the better—in a worst-case scenario, you don't want rival
factions of your support committee to be wrangling over what you
‘would prefer without any way of resolving the question.

BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT REPRESSION
If you are the target of repression, talk openly about it. They want to
isolate you and make you paranoid. If you're already on their radar, you
gain nothing from trying to hide that they are targeting you. Don't draw
any connections for them that are not already clear for all to see, don’t
‘make yourself unnecessarily easy for them to find, but double down on
your public connections. If federal agents visit you or subpoena you,
the best way to get the support you need and maintain the trust of your
s to refuse to cooperate, document everything about the
encounters,and publicize it so that everyone knows what is going on.

REDUNDANCY MEANS RESILIENCE
1f you play a role in a project or community effort, however formal or
informal, make sure others know how to do what you do. That gaes for
you as an individual and for any groups you participate
Spread your skills and knowledge far and wide. Copy the key to the
bookstore;share the login to the social media account with someone you
trust. Help people to found another food distribution or legalaid project
like your own. Making it easy for others to replace you can diminish the
incentive to target you.

as a whole,

Likewise, make information about how to counter repression as widely
availableas possible. Hold regular educational eventsinyour community

6
about security culture and distribute materials about ir. Educate peaple
about how to respond if agents pressure them to become informants or
subpoena them to a grand jury. The more people know these things, the
better, as federal agents sometimes begin by exerting pressure on those
they perceive to be on the periphery of social movements.

COORDINATE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER
Reach out to others in a similar situation. For example, if you run a
radical bookshop or student group, you could create a network of
similar projects so that all of you can move into action as soon as one of
‘youis targeted for repression. Brainstorm about what forms of leverage
youcanemploy to maximize the cost of targeting you and to ensure that
anyassaults on you mobilize people rather than intimidating them,

Prepare a contact list and a list of responses tailored to different
scenarios. Give copies of these documents to comrades you can rely on
tosupport you in the event of repression, so that as soon as something
happens, everyone will hear about it and know what to do. For example,

“If we are arrested and not immediately released, [group] will hold a
press conference the next day, [person] will conduct an online publi
campaign, and [other person] will arrange fundraising campaign.”

DISCREDIT THE POLICE AND COURTS.
While Donald Trump and his henchmen have sought to bend the legal
system to their will and sidestepped it outright wherever that was not
possible, this involves some drawbacks, a it diminishes the perceived
legitimacy of institutions that they nonetheless rely on. Promisingly,
multiple grand juries have refused to indict defendants charged by
prosecutors serving Donald Trump. We should popularize the tactic of
jurynullification asameans bywhich ordinaryjurors can throwa wrench
in the gears of federal repression. Wherever possible, we should erode
public faithin the institutions that Trump will use for his crackdowns.

Despite the false promises of liberal politicians, the wave of momentum
towards defunding the police that crested in 2020 secured no
‘major changes in legislation o budgets; the one lasting effect of the
movement was that, through grassroots action, the participants
succeeded in compelling large numbers of people to quit the police
force. Today, exerting continuous low-level pressure against the Trump
administration and its lackeys will diminish the number of people who
are prepared to serve Trump as traitors to their communities, whether
as ICE agents or in some other capacity.

FRACTURE THE POLITICAL CLASS
We need a strategy to compel “opposition” pol
impede the police state rather than simply standing aside. Left to
themselves, most politicians will simply cultivate an image rather than
helping those who are under attack. But if their image depends on the
perception that they are opposed to Trump, that can offer points of
leverage via which toimpel them to take a stand.

Identifyeveryinstitution,group,andinfluentialindividual thatyouhave
access to that s not inextricably invested in the rise of fascism. Work
out what forms of leverage you can exert on each of them. With some
of them, a conversation will suffice; with others, it might require other
‘means. Set conerete goals, such as dissuading jobseekers from working
for ICE, getting influential figures to issue solidarity statements, or
compelling local politicians to instruct police not to cooperate with
federal operations. The police state requires the smooth functioning
of the entire apparatus of power; that makes it vulnerable at countless
different points.

The liberals who helped to create a fracture between Trump and Elon
Musk simply by holding signs at Tesla dealerships have demonstrated
how to divide thealliance that supports Trump. This shouldbbe repeated
over and over, especially targeting those who are peripherally involved
rather than those who are most deeply committed to his authoritarian
project. Peel away the pillars of his support structure one by one.

The United States is polarized and divided, regionally as well as locally.
If communities,cities, or whole regions can eventually put themselves
concretely beyond the reach of federal repression, a model for real
resistance will emerge.
‘TAKE THE OFFENSIVE

In chess, once you become focused on defensive maneuvers, you have
lost the game. To face down Trump's power grab, we need proactive
strategies. Rather than simply reacting over and over, we have to choose
the time and place of conflcts; this can be a way to tie up the resources
andlabor cycles that will otherwise be directed against us.

Trump’s oligarchal policies are immiserating countless millions all
around the world. We need to demonstrate means of addressing the
urgent needs that he s creating, in a way that conveys revolutionary

vision of social change. The best defense is a good offense.

REFUSE TO DIVIDE
When repression succeeds, its most damaging effect is not the
immediate impact of the blow, but the fault lines it opens up. Trump's
chiefgoalis tomake us doubt ourselvesand resent each other. Resolving
‘misunderstandings and conflicts s fundamental part of res

cance.

Present criticisms in good faith, holding open the door for those who
are currently your

s to eventually become allies, provided that they
learn to conduct themselves responsibly. Those spreading divisiveness
and toxicity are doing the work of the state.
Notes

L For example, Trump's tweet at the end of May 2020 was ollowed by a smiar
‘announcoment rom Atormey General Wilam Barr, who had alfeady publcly
‘compiainedabout Tump andwasforced o resignonly alew monthslater. Tump's
iroctorof thaFBI at that tmo, Chiistophor Wray acknowlodgedintostimony that
“antfa isan ideclogy.not anorganization
In'ay, for example prosecutorshaverepealedy treated vaguemovementssuchas
Autcnomia Operaia asi they wereformal organizatons, and'abrcated imagined
organizatons whara nono existed,asin the casaof the “Insurrecional Anarchist
Revolutonary Organization.

EVERYONE WHO IS
AGAINST FASCISM IS
AN ANTI-FASCIST. IN
SEEMING TO TARGET

EVERYONE WHO OPPOSES
FASCISM, TRUMP IS
BITING OFF MORE THAN
HE CAN CHEW—PROVIDED
WE DON°T ROLL OVER
AND LET HIM WIN.

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