Mockery, Mobilization, and Momentum: How the Resistance Is Rising - Resistance Brief for 5 May 2025
Information, insight, and inspiration for resisting tyranny in America
Welcome!
Welcome to The Resistance Sentinel, a publication dedicated to documenting and amplifying the movement to defend democracy against authoritarian rule. As Trump’s regime stumbles through its first 100 days, Americans are pushing back harder than ever. From satirical takedowns on national TV to federal judges striking down retaliatory executive orders, resistance is erupting across every level of society. Civil rights leaders, whistleblowers, governors, and even international allies are calling out the regime’s lies and authoritarian tactics, refusing to let Trump’s power grabs go unchallenged. Whether it’s students defending Black history, prosecutors exposing DOJ corruption, or governors standing firm against ICE, these acts of defiance prove one thing: resistance is alive, organized, and gaining strength. Let’s turn that strength into sustained power. Join us in turning awareness into action as we work together toward a more just and democratic future. But first…
Daily Inspiration
Saturday Night Live continues to lampoon Trump and his regime in the most brutally hilarious ways. This weekend’s cold open demonstrated the absurdity of Trump’s first 100 days of executive orders. By ridiculing regime actions, humor can help to make the regime less intimidating, inspire resistance, and challenge the legitimacy of authoritarianism.
Resistance Today
Civil Society & Publics
Pro-democracy protest activity last week highlights continuing public resistance to the Trump regime’s authoritarian consolidation, especially regarding censorship, historical erasure, and suppression of dissent. Civil rights groups launched a coordinated campaign to defend Black history, while town hall protestors in New York directly challenged a GOP congressman over Trump’s agenda. Meanwhile, legal analysts warn that tracking the Trump regime’s systemic abuses of state power—especially against the press—is essential to organizing effective resistance, underscoring the regime’s strategy of “flooding the zone” with authoritarian actions to overwhelm democratic accountability. These collective acts of pushback show signs of awakening and organizing, even as the structural threats deepen.
Key Developments
The African American Policy Forum led a weeklong “Freedom to Learn” campaign, including protests and education events, to resist Trump’s executive order dismantling the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (The Guardian)
A raucous town hall in suburban New York saw constituents confront GOP Rep. Mike Lawler over Trump’s policies, leading to chants, walkouts, and multiple removals by law enforcement. (NBC News)
Just Security published a press freedom tracker showing escalating state repression, including editorial interference, lawsuits, media evictions, and funding cuts targeting independent journalism under Trump’s regime. (Just Security)
Bureaucratic & Executive
Top former Justice Department officials are set to testify about political purges and corruption under the Trump regime. The shadow hearing, organized by congressional Democrats, aims to highlight how Trump has systematically weaponized the Department of Justice to punish critics and reward loyalists, using firings, forced resignations, and coercive deals with law firms to erase accountability and expand executive control. These disclosures provide critical insight into bureaucratic capture while offering a platform for whistleblowers to galvanize institutional resistance.
Key Developments
Former U.S. pardon attorney Liz Oyer will testify that she was fired after refusing to help restore actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights at Trump’s request. (CBS News)
Prosecutor Ryan Crosswell resigned in protest over the quashing of a corruption case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams, citing widespread outrage among DOJ attorneys. (CBS News)
Attorney Rachel Cohen is expected to condemn her former law firm Skadden for agreeing to provide $100 million in pro-Trump pro bono services to avoid executive punishment. (CBS News)
Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Adam Schiff are leading the hearing, accusing the Trump regime of using DOJ to attack political enemies and intimidate dissenting law firms. (CBS News)
Legal & Judicial
Trump’s authoritarian use of executive power is accelerating, with the judiciary continuing to serve as both a site of resistance and complicity, depending on whether judges confront or defer to the regime’s claims of lawful conduct. A key judicial victory struck down Trump’s order targeting Perkins Coie as unconstitutional, signaling that at least some courts are willing to draw lines against retaliatory governance. Yet elsewhere, Trump-appointed judges sided with the regime to delay the reinstatement of Voice of America journalists, effectively muting a pillar of public diplomacy. Legal analysts warn that courts’ continued reliance on outdated norms—like the “presumption of regularity”—renders them ill-equipped to check an executive that explicitly rejects democratic accountability. The ACLU and other legal actors are escalating warnings that Trump’s direct attacks on the legal profession and judiciary risk collapsing the rule of law entirely.
Key Developments
A federal judge permanently struck down Trump’s executive order against Perkins Coie, calling it unconstitutional retaliation. (The Guardian)
A DC appeals court blocked the reinstatement of over 1,000 Voice of America employees, with two Trump appointees deferring to the executive. (The Guardian)
Democracy Docket criticized courts for treating Trump as a “regular president” under the “presumption of regularity,” warning that this outdated legal deference is enabling autocratic overreach. (Democracy Docket)
The ACLU condemned Trump’s efforts to punish judges and law firms as an attempt to eliminate legal accountability and chill opposition, warning of long-term damage to the independence of the judiciary. (Newsweek)
Congress & Lawmakers
House Democrats launched a coordinated pushback against Trump’s authoritarian budget proposal, but their efforts were overshadowed by internal party fractures and leadership stumbles. While Rep. Hakeem Jeffries framed the proposed budget cuts as an existential threat to public welfare and democratic legitimacy, the visible disarray among Senate Democrats—especially around Schumer’s failed vote to repeal Trump’s national emergency and his low public approval—undercuts the effectiveness of congressional resistance. Meanwhile, Trump escalated his retaliatory rhetoric, calling for the expulsion of lawmakers supporting impeachment, a stark indicator of the regime’s intensifying efforts to delegitimize dissent within governing institutions.
Key Developments
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries denounced Trump’s proposed budget cuts at a California town hall, warning they would shutter hospitals and endanger lives, especially among vulnerable groups. (Los Angeles Times)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer failed to secure enough votes to end Trump’s trade emergency, drawing internal Democratic criticism and fueling calls for new party leadership. (The Independent)
Trump publicly demanded Republicans consider expelling Democrats who introduced impeachment articles against him, deepening the climate of retaliatory authoritarianism. (Newsweek)
A new Newsweek report highlights multiple impeachment attempts by House Democrats, citing Trump’s defiance of the Supreme Court and accusing him of tyrannical overreach, but lacking party-wide support. (Newsweek)
Key Republicans in Congress—particularly in the House Freedom Caucus—have consolidated behind Trump’s agenda, helping pass a sweeping legislative package while marginalizing internal dissenters. (USA Today)
Amid deepening authoritarianism under the Trump regime, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker are emerging as assertive national leaders of democratic resistance, though both face backlash from political opponents and grassroots frustration. Ocasio-Cortez, channeling a populist economic critique through her “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Bernie Sanders, has galvanized large audiences—even while facing heckling over Gaza and internal party discontent. Pritzker, meanwhile, has distinguished himself with urgent warnings likening Trump’s regime to the rise of Nazi Germany and has called explicitly for mass protest and mobilization. Their distinct rhetorical approaches reflect strategic tension within the resistance over how best to frame opposition—either through moral alarm over authoritarian collapse or class-based critiques of corporate oligarchy—but both elevate civil resistance by modeling bold, high-visibility defiance and demanding action from both party elites and the public.
Key Developments
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was heckled during a town hall in Queens by a protester accusing her of silence on Gaza, but maintained composure and reiterated her willingness to engage during Q&A. (Independent)
Pritzker and Ocasio-Cortez are both positioning themselves as national voices of resistance, despite sharply different class backgrounds, ideological styles, and strategic narratives. (AP News)
Political strategists and commentators are split on whether the resistance should center economic justice or constitutional collapse, with Pritzker seen as a “traitor to his class” and Ocasio-Cortez as heir to Sanders’ progressive insurgency. (AP News)
State & Local Governments
State and local leaders continued to defy Trump’s authoritarian policies, mounting legal, political, and moral resistance to federal overreach—particularly around trans rights and immigration enforcement. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills secured a legal victory forcing the Trump administration to unfreeze school meal funding, while publicly denouncing threats to her state’s autonomy and constitutional order. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers similarly refused to back down after Trump’s top immigration adviser suggested he could be arrested for issuing guidance to state employees on how to lawfully respond to ICE agents. Meanwhile, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs intervened to prevent the rapid deportation of a Guatemalan mother who had just given birth. These acts of gubernatorial resistance exemplify how noncompliance and legal pushback by institutional elites can help undermine authoritarian control and embolden broader resistance efforts.
Key Developments
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze child nutrition funds to Maine after the administration tried to punish the state over its refusal to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports. (AP News)
Maine Gov. Janet Mills vowed continued defiance of Trump’s anti-transgender policies. (The Advocate)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers rejected threats of arrest over state guidance on how employees should handle visits from ICE. (AP News)
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs intervened in the deportation case of a Guatemalan woman who gave birth in detention, prompting federal authorities to pause her fast-track removal. (The Guardian)
Media & Tech
Media suppression, propaganda manipulation, and targeted firings under the Trump regime are intensifying, prompting direct resistance from journalists, comedians, and public officials who understand that media freedom is a critical pillar of any functioning democracy. In an act of legal defiance, Voice of America’s White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara is suing the Trump administration for its attempt to dismantle the federally funded broadcaster in violation of First Amendment protections and congressional authority. Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker leveraged his appearance on national late-night television to ridicule Trump’s personal attacks and call out his authoritarianism—using satire as a political weapon to galvanize opposition. Independent outlets like MeidasTouch are exposing corporate media complicity, with NBC revealed to have quietly scrubbed damning portions of a Trump interview—evidence that mainstream networks continue to appease rather than confront authoritarian power. These interventions reflect proven strategies from past research on how ridicule, alternative media, and institutional pushback can erode regime legitimacy and sustain resistance momentum.
Key Developments
Voice of America’s bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of illegally defunding and dismantling the news agency for political reasons. (The Guardian)
Governor JB Pritzker appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to mock Trump’s expected fat jokes and reiterated that Trump is “an authoritarian,” part of his growing national campaign to mobilize public resistance. (The Daily Beast)
MeidasTouch exposed how NBC edited out damning portions of a Trump interview from its “Meet the Press” broadcast, accusing the network of complicity in shielding Trump from damaging revelations. (YouTube)
The Daily Show aired a satirical segment featuring federal employees fired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), using humor to expose the regime’s dehumanizing approach to public service. (YouTube)
International Resistance
International leaders, voters, and institutions continued to push back against Trump’s authoritarianism and right-wing political contagion, rejecting both his policies and ideological allies. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured sweeping electoral victories by positioning themselves explicitly or implicitly against Trump’s influence. European institutions took concrete action, with Germany’s intelligence agency formally classifying the AfD as extremist This move opens the door for surveillance and potential disbandment of the far-right party supported by Elon Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance. Mexico’s President Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s proposal for U.S. troop deployment to fight cartels inside of Mexico, asserting national sovereignty. Meanwhile, Tesla’s collapse in key European markets highlights how consumer boycotts and public disgust with authoritarian-aligned corporate leaders can undercut economic pillars of regime support. The evidence strongly reinforces past research showing that resilient civil institutions, international solidarity, and coordinated sanctions—economic or symbolic—can disrupt authoritarian consolidation.
Key Developments
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to transform the country’s economy to “stand up to Trump,” following his successful campaign framing Trump’s tariffs and sovereignty threats as a central issue. (France24)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Trump’s crackdown on American universities, calling it a “gigantic miscalculation” and aligning the EU with academic freedom. (Politico Europe)
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency labeled the AfD as an extremist group, enabling broader surveillance and legal scrutiny of the far-right party. (Reuters)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s request to allow U.S. military operations against cartels on Mexican soil, declaring “sovereignty is not for sale.” (AP News)
Tesla sales dropped by over 80% in multiple European countries as backlash against Elon Musk’s politics intensified, revealing a direct economic cost to authoritarian corporate alignment. (The Independent)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a landslide election victory after voters decisively rejected Trump-style culture wars, with the Guardian calling the outcome a powerful democratic affirmation. (The Guardian)
Resistance Tomorrow
Vulnerabilities & Exposures
A series of economic, political, and symbolic crises are converging to expose the vulnerabilities of Trump’s authoritarian rule. Across multiple sectors—from public opinion and economic indicators to symbolic legitimacy and elite defections—Trump is facing growing scrutiny and backlash that signal weakening regime pillars. The authoritarian shock-and-awe strategy that marked Trump’s return to power is encountering growing friction, especially as policy failures mount, influential voices like Warren Buffett, and Republicans like Gov. Brian Kemp express serious doubts about his economic policies. While there remains no shortage of pro-Trump voices, the cumulative weight of policy incoherence, institutional resistance, and public disillusionment may represent the very early stages of a legitimacy crisis, giving the resistance valuable openings for growth.
Key Developments
Trump's recent interviews displayed alarming cognitive decline, incoherence, and confusion over basic facts, raising questions about his fitness for office and reinforcing the image of a regime detached from reality. (USA Today)
Anti-tariff backlash intensified as Warren Buffett publicly warned that Trump’s trade war is harming the U.S. economy, a symbolic loss for regime economic credibility. (NPR)
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp criticized the Trump tariffs as “problematic,” particularly for small businesses, signaling elite defection from core economic policies. (Washington Examiner)
Trump’s approval rating has cratered to historic lows after 100 days, with 52% of Americans now agreeing he is “a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.” (The Guardian)
Workers in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, a core industrial region, are experiencing layoffs due to tariffs Trump claimed would restore jobs—highlighting policy failure and disillusionment among working-class supporters. (Vox)
A White House-posted AI image of Trump dressed as the pope drew sharp condemnation from Catholic leaders, eroding symbolic legitimacy among religious constituencies, a core pillar of Trump support. (National Catholic Reporter)
Despite White House claims, nearly half of Americans blame Trump, not Biden, for current economic struggles, challenging regime efforts to externalize blame. (Newsweek)
Former Trump voters expressed regret or ambivalence, with many citing chaos, authoritarian overreach, and policy failures as reasons for their disillusionment. (USA Today)
Actions This Week
🧭 May Day Debrief: Plan the Next Phase of Resistance
📣 On Thursday, May 8 at 8 PM ET, join activists and organizers nationwide for a virtual National Action Debrief to reflect on May Day mobilizations and strategize next steps. With Trump’s billionaire allies attacking wages, schools, and healthcare, this meeting is a critical space to regroup, share insights, and coordinate resistance.
Learn More:
💸 Use Your Wallet as a Weapon: Join the Democracy Boycott
🛑 Choose Democracy has launched a Boycott Central hub to help you identify and avoid corporations that fund Trumpism, voter suppression, and authoritarian policies. By redirecting your spending away from complicit companies, you can weaken the financial pillars propping up the regime.
Find out more & join the resistance:
🗺️ Find a Protest Near You with No Voice Unheard
📍 No Voice Unheard's Protest Listings page is a dynamic, nationwide directory of upcoming protest actions, making it easier than ever to show up and be counted in the fight for democracy. Whether you're looking to march, rally, or support from the sidelines, this tool connects you with resistance efforts in your area.
Research Where You Can Hit the Streets:
📚 Read to Resist: Essential Articles to Understand and Confront Authoritarianism
Knowledge is power—and context is key. To resist effectively, we must continue reading, learning, and analyzing the strategies, legal theories, and narratives that enable authoritarianism to take root. These readings help map the terrain of Trump’s power grab and highlight paths forward.
📘 Reading Recommendations:
The Strategist No One Voted For: How to Dismantle Stephen Miller’s Influence (Critical Resistance Substack)
There Is a Way Forward: How to Defeat Trump’s Power Grab (New York Times Opinion)
What Defined Trump’s First 100 Days? 15 Columnists Weigh In. (New York Times Opinion Interactive)
Trump’s First 100 Days: ‘An All-Out Assault on Democracy' (Democracy Docket)
The Legal Theory Behind Trump’s Power Grabs (Mother Jones)