"Why aren't you doing anything?" Here's why.

I live in the US and I don't support the orange clown. Over the last couple of months, I've seen a lot of people in other countries expressing their sympathy and good will to us here.

But some people don't seem to understand our situation completely, and I want to clear some things up for those outside the US and answer your questions.

"Why aren't you protesting?" The answer is that many of us are protesting, constantly. The media have become bored of reporting on it.

"Why aren't you protesting more?" Because travelling to Washington, DC costs thousands of dollars if you don't already live nearby. We can't afford to miss work. And most of us would lose our jobs. Almost all states in the US have "at-will" employment. This means that employers can fire employees for any reason or no reason at all. And it's effective immediately. There is no protection.

"Why doesn't your labor union stop that from happening?" Something like 10% of US workers are union members, and even then, their contracts don't have provisions allowing employees to take time off from work to protest. Also, most union members voted for Trump.

"Why don't you protest in your hometown?" We are doing that too. However, you have to understand the separation of power between state and federal government. The states have no power over the federal government. They are separate entities. We could burn down a state capitol and tar and feather every single state official, and it would have absolutely no effect on Congress, the Supreme Court, or the president of the United States.

"If enough people protested, wouldn't your politicians change their ways?" No. The people that voted for Republicans in their district or state love Trump. They worship him like a god. They will endure any hardship for their savior. Republican voters are not protesting. So the Republican politicians are safe. They have no incentive whatsoever to bother with listening to the opposition.

"Why don't you talk to conservatives and reason with them?" It's a cult. Like the Moonies, Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, the Manson family. There are plenty of resources on how to define a cult and how they operate. They target vulnerable people, isolate members, promise secret information, deify the leader, control all information, separate the world into "us" and "evil outsiders," blame all problems on the outsiders, use specialized insider jargon to reinforce a sense of belonging, and most of all, require members to view every aspect of their life and everything around them through the lens of cult doctrine. The result is brainwashing. As Jonathan Swift said, “You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.”

"Why don't Democrats in Congress fight him?" They're the minority party. They have a few tricks that will let them delay or block legislation, but they can't pass their own bills without Republican support. Also, Trump is wielding power through "executive orders." These are directives from the president that specify how executive-branch departments operate. He has a list of hundreds that were drawn up in advance as part of Project 2025. Congress can't block executive orders. Congress could pass a law overriding an executive order, but again, both houses are controlled by Republicans.

"Why haven't Democrats made some list like that?" Because Democrats generally like the functions of government to go on functioning. Democrats like the post office to deliver mail, schools to be funded, food to be inspected, drugs to be regulated, forests to be protected, roads to be paved, international diplomacy to be conducted, you get the idea. Republicans though just want to tear it all down. And it's 1000x easier to destroy something than it is to build something.

"Why did some Democrats vote for the Republican budget bill?" They were in a no-win situation. Either vote for the bill and Trump gets his way, or shut down the government, which is the Republicans' long term plan anyway.

"Why do you only have two parties?" Duverger's Law. Look it up.

"Why don't you change the voting system?" Because most people don't understand Duverger's Law or don't believe in it.

"Why doesn't Trump get recalled?" That's not a thing.

"Why doesn't Congress give him a vote of no confidence?" Again, it's not a thing. Even if it happened, it would be non-binding.

"Why doesn't Trump get impeached?" He has been impeached multiple times. But it's never been successful. Impeachment is initiated by the House of Representatives and voted upon by the Senate. Republicans control both houses. For them to depose Trump would be political suicide. They would never dare.

"Why isn't he declared incompetent?" See above.

"Can't the party recall him? What if the conservative coalition dissolves?" This is not the UK. We do not have coalitions. We do not vote for parties. We vote for the individual, and the individual serves their term. The party is, legally, a private fund-raising organization, nothing more. They cannot recall an elected offical.

"If 3.5% of the population protests, you can overthrow him, can't you?" There was a study that talks about that number. But the conclusion was that if 3.5% protests, you have a 50% chance of change. It's not guaranteed. There is no legal mechanism in the US forcing an elected official to resign because of protests. Protests only work if the target is capable of shame or compassion.

"But if enough people protested, wouldn't Trump resign?" Bless you and your unburdened, carefree life.

"Why don't you resist?" We're not being given anything to resist. Federal government agencies are being defunded, electronic payments are not being transferred, public programs are disappearing. There's no way for the average person to react. We are not being ordered to do anything different. Nor are we being ordered to stop doing something.

"Why don't you resist ICE?" ICE is not going door to door looking for people to deport. They are not marching in parades. They do not wear uniforms or travel in marked vehicles. They operate in complete secrecy.

"Why don't the people just rise up?" Because ultimately, most of us LIKE living in a peaceful democracy where power is not determined by civil wars. We don't want a "might-makes-right" life.

"But what about the Ides of March?" Yes, after Julius Caesar died, Rome saw 15 years of civil war followed by the ascension of Augustus as emperor. Not what we're aiming for.

"But what about the French Revolution?" Yes, which resulted in an ineffective bureaucracy, years of chaos and violence, the reign of Emperor Napoleon, the restoration of the monarchy, and then Emperor Napoleon III. France would not become a stable democracy until 1870, 81 years after the revolution began.

"Why don't you leave the US?" Those few of us that can, are doing so. Most of us don't have enough money.

"So you just do nothing?" We are surviving. We can weather the storm. Cults of personality almost always die when the leader dies. Cholesterol is the ally here.