Trump's Coup #2

#58

Protection Against Trump’s Second Coup

What if democracy triumphs in the midterms and/or the presidential election and Trump invalidates the election or declares martial law? On January 6^th, 2021, he led a coup attempt to overturn his electoral defeat. It seems likely he would do the same now that he has become more brazen, more dictatorial, and more crazed.

James Carville, a Democratic strategist, warned that, confronted with a major mid-term defeat, Trump might “try to call martial law [military control of the government] or declare that there’s some kind of national emergency…” Other commentators, such as former MSNBC host Joy Reid, said Trump aims to “stay in office like Putin till he dies.”

Legal experts report that the president has no constitutional power to delay or cancel elections. However, Trump could deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities, claiming a national emergency. He has pressured states to “nationalize” elections. The FBI raided the Fulton County, Georgia, election office. He and his MAGA echo chamber have continued to lie about voter fraud to undermine the legitimacy of elections. He might claim election fraud and throw the outcome of the election to the Supreme Court which has shown its disdain for democracy.

What is being done now to stop a coup by Trump that would prevent Democrats from taking office?

Election Protection Destruction

In early 2025, the Trump administration severely downsized the primary federal program to ensure election integrity, located in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Roughly 70% of the professional staff resigned under pressure from the Justice Department’s voting rights enforcement division since then. They have been replaced by Trump appointees who have previously worked to challenge rather than protect voting rights. TODA PEACE INSTITUTE

The Trump administration now proposes to eliminate roughly $700 million in programs across CISA in fiscal year 2027. The cuts would eliminate CISA’s election security program entirely, cut funding for information-sharing support to state and local officials and remove dedicated election security advisors across the country. NEXTGOV

Election Protection

Some of the gap in election security is being filled by civil society and state government agencies. The Brennan Center, the ACLU, Election Security Response Network, the Center for Election Innovation & Research, Protect Democracy, and the Carter Center, among others, are working to preserve the integrity of elections.

The Brennan Center published guides for state legislators on the use of legislation, oversight, and partnerships to defend election systems and voting rights. Along with other groups, it successfully challenged parts of Trump’s executive order to control election administration.

The ACLU has been in court to prevent states from having to turn over voter files to Trump. So far, judges in five of the 25 states that have been in court, have dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuits demanding voter files. The ACLU is suing Alaska, which turned over its voting list to the DOJ. They are also challenging the FBI’s ballot seizure in Georgia.

The Election Safeguards Response Network (ESRN) identified each of Trump’s actions to undermine elections—disinformation, presidential overreach, politicized investigations, ICE deployment, seized materials, voter suppression laws and policies, violence or intimidation, and results subversion. They’ve developed a strategy to respond to each of these anti-democratic actions. JOIN ESRN HERE

The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) in 2026 launched a legal program led by former DOJ officials to combat federal interference in state-run elections. This includes defending election officials through the Election Official Legal Defense Network EOLDN.

Protect Democracy released a report, EXECUTIVE OVERRIDE, which identifies threats from the White House to deny election results and provides strategies for state and local officials to respond.

The Carter Center has shifted its focus from international election monitoring to monitoring elections in the United States. It has been training election observers in swing states like Georgia and Arizona.

State governments are also responding. For example, a coalition of Democratic officials from 23 states sued the federal government, calling Trump’s attempt to control presidential elections unconstitutional. Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes refused to hand over voter data to the federal government. He pledged to go to court and seek law enforcement backup to ensure elections proceed under state control. He said “ICE is not permitted in our polling places.” Any attempt by Trump to send ICE to polling places “will be met with every lever of power we have.”

Coup Protection

Other groups are developing a response to Trump’s likely second coup attempt to invalidate the election.

Civil society mobilizations

The Mayday Strong coalition is building on the actions of this past May 1st to develop the capacity to counter another coup attempt by Trump to invalidate elections. Mayday Strong is a vast coalition including hundreds of unions, national organizations, DSA chapters, and Indivisible chapters.

Mayday Strong’s core strategy is to prepare for an attempt by Trump to invalidate the midterms or the presidential election. They are building toward general strikes and massive economic withdrawals to stop business as usual should Trump attempt to invalidate an election. By shutting down transit, services, businesses and schools, they intend to inflict a direct, severe material cost on the Trump regime and the pillars that support it, until constitutional order is restored.

Choose Democracy (https://choosedemocracy.us ) works to prevent Trump and other authoritarians from successfully invalidating elections. They have training programs and response plans focused on non-violent direct action, such as public demonstrations and civil disobedience. They focus on undermining the pillars that sustain the Trump regime—economic elites, media, civil society, security forces, faith-based organizations, and the judicial system. They train people in civil disobedience to disrupt illegal actions by Trump and teach ways to safeguard democratic institutions. Their goal is to build organizational strength for rapid, sustained non-cooperation if an election result is certified but disregarded by the Trump regime. CHOOSE DEMOCRACY

Legal and historical scholars such as Timothy Snyder and Erica Chenoweth are teaching and training communities in the principles of ‘mass refusal. This involves organized preparation for rapid, public mobilizations, labor walkouts, and civil disobedience if a fair election is ignored or overridden.

In summary, much is being done to ensure the integrity of elections and to counter a second election coup attempt by Trump. We need to expand our pushback.

Each time we push back against Trump, he folds. Pushback in cities across the country prevented the opening of any new mass immigration detention facility, as reported by Rachel Maddow. In addition, Alligator Alcatraz in Florida will close because of our pushback. Runaway costs, court challenges, and inhumane conditions contributed to its closing, but 28 weeks of protests and an encampment outside the facility’s gates were instrumental in its closing.

Pushback by the people in Minneapolis caused a large segment of ICE to withdraw. Massive demonstrations, reinforced by a Supreme Court decision, caused Trump to end the deployment of troops in Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. When Trump pressured Disney to fire Jimmy Kimmel, people pushed back and cancelled their subscriptions to Disney. Kimmel’s show returned seven days after it was suspended.

Pushback by government has also been successful. When ICE threatened to go into Massachusetts en masse, Governor Healey issued an executive order that has successfully kept ICE out of schools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of worship. New Jersey Governor Sherrill signed a similar order that has successfully limited ICE agents on state property.

Pushback works. We all have to be part of the pushback when Trump attempts a second coup.

Join the Die-In

The Die-In to protest Trump’s $1 trillion cut to our healthcare system is happening this Thursday in Oakland, California. The demonstration will symbolize the thousands of deaths that will happen as these cuts go into effect.

We made large tombstones and will create a “cemetery” where people will lie down to symbolize death from Trump’s cuts. We have small tombstones for people to hold who choose to stand or sit. Health workers and patients will describe how the cuts will affect them.

Nineteen organizations are sponsoring the Die-In, including SEIU-UHW, Indivisible East Bay, Grand Lake Vigil, California Alliance of Retired Americans, Long Term Social Services for All, Families Assisting the Severely Mentally Ill, SEIU-1021 and many others.

Please join us this Thursday, May 21, Noon

Eastmont Town Center, Oakland

Sign up or get more information here: INDIVISIBLE EAST BAY

One of many tombstones for the Die-In

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

Oakland contracts with a company that works with ICE

Oakland City Council approved a $140,000 contract in early May between the Oakland Police Department and an Israeli surveillance company, Cellebrite, which provides tools that can unlock cellphones and extract and analyze their data. Cellebrite works closely with ICE to identify immigrants.

Oakland’s “Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Ordinance” since 2019, has barred Oakland from doing business with companies that work with federal immigration agencies by providing “services or goods for data collection or immigration detention facilities.” The city attorney reviewed the contract and determined that Oakland’s sanctuary city law does not apply. For more information see OAKLANDSIDE.

Waning warriors?

On a bright, crisp spring day last week, I biked past a neighborhood park. Parents were playing on the grass with their toddlers. A few young people in shorts were sunning themselves. Several people were deeply involved in reading. Life, even under Trump, can be sweet.

As life goes on under Trump’s authoritarian regime, the number of people at our weekly anti-Trump vigil at the Grand Lake Theater has fallen from about 90 a week to about 60 each week. The weekly demonstration in Hayward had a few locals come once or twice, but they haven’t returned. Lots of people honk, but almost no one attends the demonstration. Fewer people have signed up for foot patrols to watch for ICE assaults on day laborers.

People seem to be getting used to the slow boil of creeping authoritarianism. Trump’s strategy was called a slow-motion coup by Nicolle Wallace of MS Now. Our rage has abated as the cruelty of ICE has become less visible, even though over 1,000 people are snatched every day. Paramount took over CBS, and on May 21 will end Stephen Colbert’s Late Night criticism of Trump. The Supreme Court reestablished Jim Crow laws by eliminating voting districts with Black elected officials. The slow-motion coup is moving forward.

Going to a No Kings demonstration once or twice a year is important but we need to escalate our resistance as Trump and the Supreme Court become more dictatorial.

Signs of Hope

Posters from the Grand Lake Vigil

Thanks to Risa Jaroslow for editing and information.