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Sunsara Taylor, a writer and activist, has issued a great and peaceful Washington D.C. protest on November 5th publicly with the intention of making Trump flee the political arena and of spelling out his fascism. Her reasoning was that the only way to eliminate the “Trump fascist regime” was to uproot it entirely, and one way of understanding the present situation’s urgency is through drawing historical parallels. She is working on convincing people to take part in the protests and be seen, she is also trying to reach and persuade people for the convergence through her multimedia appearance which has her message out.
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Taylor’s claim is built upon a very audacious historical interpretation. The activist makes an analogy between Trump’s and Adolf Hitler’s luck; both reached the highest position by legal means which she says do not equal to being legitimate leaders. “History teaches that Fascism must be countered before it gets too late,” Taylor states in her recording, “otherwise we will be under a dictatorial regime where no one can dissent.” Her understanding of fascism encompasses, among other things, a dictatorship of the racially, religiously, and politically intolerant that camouflages itself in the guise of classic liberal democratic politics.
The core plan, which is led by the RefuseFascism.org group, is to have what they call the “single largest, most massive, nonviolent but very determined protest in US history” on November 5th. Taylor imagines a protest “millions strong,” which she perceives as the initiation point of a broader movement that will continue indefinitely. This demand for collective action is not only presented in terms of actual attendance but also in terms of digital propagation through the message which includes tagging media people and distributing the official call to action from the group’s website. Taylor is very clear that she is “ready to go anywhere” and “talk to anybody” to promote this mobilization.
The public response to Taylor’s call for protest was immediate and divided, reflecting the deep political divisions in the nation. One user took a broader and more critical view of American society, comparing facts to present the case. This user pointed out that, despite the U.S. being quite low on the life expectancy (46th place) and healthcare (30th) rankings, it still occupies the highest position in terms of military expenditure, imprisonment, and gun-related deaths. Although this reviewer did not engage with Taylor’s invitation for demonstration directly, it serves as a fact-based background of national issues that usually trigger the birth of political activism, thus hinting that a large part of the population is unhappy with the underlying system.
Another comment was brief and rejecting, just stating, “Oh babe, America loves Trump.” This prompt counter-argument highlights a fundamental political fact that Taylor’s drive has to struggle with – a wide range of people still support the ex-president and it will not be an easy task to drive him out of politics. Accordingly, this remark serves as a tough reminder that every undertaking to displace Trump from the political arena will have to confront his staunch supporters.
There was another comment where the person seemed to be caught between the two opposing positions of support and opposition. The individual stated that she or he did not like either the man (Trump) or his policies and referred to the “incredibly large number of crimes” he has been charged with, but still mentioned one good area being Ukraine and peace talks as a possible positive so he is not so bad. The user speculated, “Maybe it’s his way to cover up what’s going on in America. I don’t know. But world peace should be on the agenda.” This doubt indicates the difficulty that some voters may face who do not like a politician’s domestic policies but are still impressed by his success in international relations.
On the other hand, a supporter from the opposite side, gave an unconditional defense of Trump referring to his opponents as “Liberal lunatics.” The commentator credited Trump with all the positive developments coming from and around the world and wrapped it up with the powerful declaration that “Donald Trump will be remembered as the greatest president in the United States.” Such responses help reveal the extent of Trump’s love and even worship and therefore the unification of those seeking his removal becomes an uphill struggle. The protest also brings to mind the fiery defenses made by figures like Laverne Cox.
Sunsara Taylor’s action can be categorized as just one of the many different ways of anti-Trump resistance, which is predominantly concerned with organizing large and continuous public demonstrations rather than using electoral strategies. She attempts to gather masses around the idea that their fight is historical and the dictator is fascism. Taylor wants to spark the movement among those that characterize themselves as “agonized, horrified, terrified about what Trump is doing.” The success of the November 5 event and the movement it aims to stir will depend on its ability to absorb these invisible fears and transform them into a unified and powerful political force. However, the extremely polarized responses to her call underscore how challenging of a task this is in a nation that is already politically divided. This sentiment echoes public declarations of power, such as those made by Rosie O’Donnell.
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The event’s planning coincides with high-profile political dinners, like the one JD Vance recently hosted. Meanwhile, the role of the First Lady continues to evolve, as seen with Melania Trump expanding her influence.