“Small Protests”

As I watch the Trump regime continue to upend constitutional norms that have bolstered the United States for a couple of centuries, I recognize that not everyone agrees with me. I came across an essay a couple of days ago that I want to respond to. I’m not going to include the name of the publication or its author because it’s not my point to pick a fight with him specifically. More broadly, I want to address the claims he makes in his essay because they are claims I have heard from other sources. I’ll summarize his major points and then provide my counterarguments.

Point One: These demonstrations were small, sparsely attended, and lacking in grassroots energy “they claimed to represent.”

Au contraire. All the estimates I’ve seen – even from groups that oppose the organizers of the protests – acknowledge that these protests were larger and more energetic than the organizers expected. I can tell you about the one event I attended – the organizers expected 1,000 attendees, and there were somewhere between 1,400-1,500 people in attendance. The energy was high, the signs were insightful, the speeches were good, and there was a fair amount of “This is what democracy looks like.”

Point Two: The issues raised – about budget cuts, social security, women’s rights, and so forth – had already been debated and decided by the American people in a landslide 2024 election. And besides, these are just common-sense federal reforms.

Au contraire. Trump won in 2024 by a slim popular vote margin – 49.9% to 48.3%, for a margin of 1.6 percentage points. By contrast, Biden beat Trump by 4.5% in 2020, Clinton beat Trump by 1.9% in 2016, Obama beat Kerry by 3.9% in 2012, Obama beat McCain by 7.2% in 2008, Bush beat Kerry by 2.4% in 2004. Only the 2000 election, where the Supreme Court awarded Bush won the election by 0.5%.

And au contraire again: it is not common-sense federal reform to take a chainsaw to Congressionally-approved federal programs without taking any time to assess the impact of what you’re doing.

Point Three: These protesters represent a loud minority, not the silent majority who are witnessing real progress under Trump’s leadership.

Au contraire. There is no evidence that any real progress is being made in fulfilling Trump’s campaign promises – prices are going up because of his tariffs, America’s position in the world is failing, peace is not ‘breaking out’ in Gaza or Ukraine, and his ham-handed deportation efforts are being challenged in the courts as due process is denied to people with tatoos.

Point Four: Trump’s soaring approval rating — quoted as 53% — shows that Americans are responding positively to “rising economic confidence, reduced bureaucratic waste, a safer border, and a president who keeps his promises.

Au contraire: The 53% approval rating cited in the essay was from the Daily Mail, a rightward-leaning British tabloid that English Wikipedia has identified as an unreliable source to be used as a reference in articles. Reputable polls show Trump’s favorability rating to be much lower than this. This chart gives you a taste of it, but you need to dig into these numbers to have a real picture.

Point Five: These aren’t really grassroots protesters – outside forces are funding and organizing them them to sow division and chaos. This is manufactured outrage that underscores how out of touch the radical left has become with everyday Americans.

Au contraire. Yes, the coordinated protests on April 5 were organized by several nationwide groups. But they built on local energy. No one was bussed anywhere and no scripts were distributed. No one was paid – or at least I wasn’t and none of my friends were. We gathered because we are truly outraged about what this administration is doing to America. We were a diverse group (sorry, folks who don’t like this) of many ages, colors, ethnicities, and gender identities who came together to express that outrage. We are the everyday Americans that Trump and his billionaire buddies claim to care so much about.

Final Point: While a few raise their fists in protest, millions more are raising their voices in support of Trump’s “stronger, freer, more prosperous America.”

I don’t see it.Do you? According to one local news source, a gathering of 400 or so “Hands Off” protesters in Lynchburg, Virginia, was preceded by a counter-protest by about 30 MAGA supporters. Because Trump’s policies will not make America “stronger, freer, or more prosperous,” people are not showing up in support of him.