100 Days In Trump's Fascist Regime—And How to Fight Back
A recap of Trump's First 100 Days confirms his goal is autocracy—not democracy. We must act beyond lip service to save our Republic.
100 Days into the Trump regime and I’m reminded that once upon a time, human trafficking was legal. Slavery was legal. Jim Crow was legal. The US Government paying reparations to white enslavers and not to the enslaved was legal. Prison slavery is still legal. The lesson is—do not let legality and power be a measure of morality and justice.
And this is the lesson to remember now as the new MAGA government dismantles every semblance of a functioning society under the guise of “law and order.” Their acts are not only illegal, they are also immoral and unjust. And unless we act with immediate urgency the damage done will be irreparable. Here’s what the first 100 days have brought us. As you read this, ask yourself, are you better off than you were 100 days ago? Let’s Address This.
In just 100 days, the Trump regime has unleashed some of the most sweeping assaults on democracy, civil rights, and global stability in modern history. Every move has been calculated to entrench authoritarian control, whether by criminalizing diversity, deregulating the FAA, dismantling public health protections, handing over government power to billionaires, ripping apart due process, or upending global trade. These are not the actions of a democratic leader—they are the hallmarks of a fascist regime.
Here are seven of the most dangerous actions Trump has taken so far—and likewise—what actions can take to counter and protect from the harm he is causing.
1. Eliminating Due Process of Law
The Trump regime is disappearing documented residents and trafficking U.S. citizens out of the country, all without due process of law. A newly leaked memo from the Trump regime calls on ICE to raid private residences without a warrant.
If reading the above sends a chill down your spine and sounds familiar, it’s likely because this is the exact strategy employed by Hitler and the Nazis, as well documented by the Holocaust Encyclopedia.
Likewise, U.S. law enforcement kills more than 1200 Americans a year, by conservative estimates. Rather than counter this state violence, Trump’s recent Executive Order giving law enforcement even more power, and less accountability, will only result in more devastation to Black and brown and low income communities. Fascism isn’t “coming” to the United States. Fascism is here. And anyone claiming we’re overreacting is complicit or willfully ignorant.
2. Compromised Privacy And Security
Elon Musk’s unprecedented access to sensitive Treasury data, including Social Security and Medicare payment systems, is a massive national security threat. This means Musk, a private billionaire with no official government position, has direct access to:
Federal grant and loan distributions
Social Security and Medicare benefits records
Government contractor payments, including those that compete directly with Musk’s companies
This is blatant corruption. Equally corrupt are the repeated incidents of Defense Secretary Hegseth including his friends, siblings, spouse, and journalists on Signal chats with war plans.1 This is the party of law and order?
3. War on Medical Science and Healthcare
The Trump regime is ready to gut Medicaid by $880B to give 850 billionaires another $4.5T in tax breaks. This will devastate tens of millions of American families. Trump has furthermore purged crucial public health resources from government websites, an action that medical experts warn will cost lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed:
Contraception guidance
HIV prevention and treatment resources
Studies on mental health in transgender and nonbinary communities
Data on bullying, suicide rates, and drug use in marginalized communities
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has condemned these removals, stating that erasing HIV information directly undermines efforts to end the epidemic, and will lead to more death. Moreover, RFK continues to ignore the measles outbreak in Texas, and instead continues to assert the debunked claim of vaccines and autism. The resulting vaccine hesitancy will continue to cost lives.
4. International Death Camps
In addition to Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) preparing to detain up to 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the Trump regime is funding a death camp in El Salvador. The ongoing case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia reminds us that Hitler, too, built death camps in other nations to distance accountability for his crimes.
This is not just a return to some of the darkest moments of U.S. history—it is an intentional echo of Executive Order 9066, which led to the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Already we see reports of ICE illegally detaining U.S. citizens, assuming they are “illegal” because of the color of their skin.
And indeed, it is not just that “America is becoming 1930s Germany.” Remember that in the 1930s, Hitler sent his lawyers to study U.S. segregation laws, ultimately to model his own genocidal policies. America was Hitler’s blueprint, and shockingly, Hitler’s lawyers reported back to him that the U.S. segregation laws were in fact “too extreme, even for Nazis.” (The pre-eminent book on this topic is Hitler’s American Model by Princeton Professor James Q Whitman). Trump is not “copying 1930s Germany,” but reviving 1920s America—the America of Jim Crow, immigration bans, women’s oppression, and state-sanctioned racial violence.
That is what “MAGA” has always meant.
5. Igniting a Trade War: Tariffs That Will Crush Consumers
Trump has recklessly broken long standing alliances with Canada, infuriated China, and let Europe know they can no longer rely on the United States. As a result, China is escalating the trade war and the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister has made clear that the old trust and alliance with the United States is over.
This will skyrocket prices for consumers while crushing American businesses that rely on exports. Trump either doesn’t understand basic economics or doesn’t care how much working people suffer. At a time of historically high wealth and income inequality, this reckless move will further crush working people.
6. The Ideological Purge: Attacking DEI and Silencing Journalists
As I’ve documented before, Trump is purging non-white officials, political opponents, women, and journalists from federal agencies and the Pentagon. Specifically, since taking office, he has:
Canceled student visas for pro-Palestinian protesters, a clear First Amendment violation
Ordered Politico, the New York Times, and NBC to vacate their Pentagon offices, and has replaced them with OANN, Breitbart, and the New York Post—right wing outlets with a history of bias and disinformation
Attempted to force out federal employees who are not ideologically aligned with the “Trump agenda”
Purged all DEIA verbiage, actions, and initiatives from all Federal agencies, and openly demonized Black and brown people, disabled people, and women as the cause of America’s problems
This is not about government reform. It is about creating a one-party fascist state where Trump controls the media, purges opposition, and rules with unchecked power.
7. Forced Law Firms and Media to Submit and Arrested Judges
The Trump regime’s decision to arrest Judge Hannah Dugan in Wisconsin is a new level of autocracy and depravity. And to do so without so much as showing the judicial warrant, in pursuit of an alleged suspect also without a judicial warrant for him, further demonstrates that due process of law does not matter to this regime.
Trump has additionally bludgeoned numerous nationally recognized law firms to donate to his legal cases hundreds of millions of dollars worth of pro bono legal hours. No doubt his intent is to use these hours to fight his personal legal battles. Likewise, media outlets like NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, Meta, and Twitter have all capitulated to Trump. Either by willingly serving as a state mouthpiece, or by settling massive lawsuits suppressing their ability to report accurately.
It is no wonder that CBS’ 60 Minutes Executive Producer Bill Owens resigned after their parent company, Paramount, pressured 60 minutes to report less on the genocide in Gaza and more favorably on Trump.
All of the above beg the question — how do we respond, especially now that we’ve seen the horror of these first 100 days?
How Do We Respond With Meaningful Action?
“So what do we do?” is a question I receive dozens of times per day. I answer in detail below. To be sure, the worst thing we can do is give up. Autocrats want capitulation through exhaustion and compliance through fear. Do not give them that fuel.
Instead, in response to the 7 fascist actions cited above, I offer below 7 acts we can take to enact meaningful change for justice. Even if you don’t know where to begin or don’t have expendable funds, you can play a meaningful role. Some of these action items below have immediate effect and others take time. I ask you to engage in both.
Combat Media Capitulation With New Media Transparency Tools: As corporate media capitulates, one of the most valuable tools I use is Ground News, which helps me provide the trustworthy analysis too often lacking in legacy media. The challenge we’ve faced for too long is figuring out which headlines reflect the truth, which are twisted, and which are outright biased. That’s where Ground News shifts the landscape. Their website and app converge coverage globally on any given story, so you can see exactly how different outlets are reporting it. This makes it easier to cut through the noise, spot the bias, and get to the facts. It’s a powerful tool for anyone who wants to engage with the news critically and confidently.
This means, for example, that before you even click, Ground News helps you understand who’s behind the article. Is the outlet left-leaning or right-leaning? Are they historically reliable? Who owns them? This context is essential—and rarely offered by other platforms. I partner with them for this reason in particular, and encourage you to subscribe. If you do subscribe through the below link, you’ll receive 40% off their Vantage Plan—the same plan I use—reducing the price to just $5/mo.
Democrats in Congress - Do Something More Than Tweet Your Outrage: Your constituents are angry, tired, and confused at your apathy, silence, and lack of organization. For your convenience, I have a short list of questions that should not be hard to answer:
Who is your party leader who should be coordinating all counter-fascism efforts and calling the shots on how to protect the American people?
Where are the daily press conferences and media blitzes documenting Trump’s fascism?
Where are the courageous all night protests by Members of Congress on the Capitol steps like former Congresswoman Cori Bush held in 2020 to protest the end of the rent moratorium during COVID?
Where are the Senate investigations into Trump’s corruption and Musk’s illegal access to the Treasury? How are you protecting our sensitive data?
Where are the guidances on what to do if our care is denied or the resources on getting accurate healthcare information removed from the CDC website? Where are the guidances if our SNAP, TANF, or Section 8 is denied?
Where are the barrage of lawsuits to clog up Trump’s fascist Executive Orders? For example, between lawsuits and floor votes, Republicans have attempted to repeal the ACA more than 100 times, even when in the minority, and now they might finally succeed in doing so. If Republicans can organize this effectively to strip our healthcare, why can’t you organize even half this effectively to protect our human rights?
Moreover, as Indivisible Co-Executive Director Leah Greenberg excellently said:
Democrats can oppose all Trump nominees, deny unanimous consent to slow senate proceedings, vote no on all cloture, force quorum calls at every chance. It’s a constitutional crisis. There is absolutely no reason the Senate should be connecting business as usual.
All of the above actions are wholly within Democrat control, even as the minority party—yet we see virtually none of it. Stop hiding behind the excuse of being a minority party, and start working with the awesome power of Congress afforded to you. Again, Governor Pritzker has now called for direct action and disruption—will you follow through?
Everyone - Activate: Get involved in your local politics, which affects you more than most realize. Whether it is your local school board, your local city council, or your local immigrant rights organization—get involved. Show up to the next meeting, meet your local elected officials, and, for example, make sure you have a local policy on how to counter ICE raids in your local schools, shelters, and hospitals. Google is your friend in finding a local calendar of events. Use it.
Everyone - Communicate: Contact your member of Congress (find them here) and relentlessly remind them that you do not support Trump’s fascist agenda. Even if they are not willing to listen to you, inundate them with calls, texts, and emails. Ensure they hear your outrage as much as possible. Here’s a sample email to send to protest the illegal FBI firings (and illegal federal terminations in general):
Hi, my name is [insert name] and I live in [city/town/zip code]. I am a constituent of Congressman/Senators [name] and I am calling to oppose gutting Medicaid, oppose the denial of due process of law, and oppose Trump’s trade wars.
I am asking Congressman/Senator [name] to contact DOJ and White House leadership to demand they do everything in their power, include direct action as Governor Pritzker has advised, to stop fascism in America.
I strongly believe in the need to uphold our Constitution and ensure every person, regardless of status, has equal rights. This issue is of the upmost priority for me and I demand my representative act on this immediately. I am paying close attention to this as the next elections come around.
Everyone - Invest: Invest your time and your money into the people and organizations doing the front line work. If you have time to volunteer, make phone calls, knock doors, and sign petitions, do so. If you have the financial resources to donate to organizations working to protect our democracy, especially local orgs, please do so. Even a few dollars a month, if you can afford it, goes a long way. And as always, consider running for office yourself. And especially if you’re under 40, reach out to Run For Something to get started.
Everyone - Educate: It is critical we remain informed on the key issues, by educating ourselves and those around us. As corporate media sadly continues to capitulate to fascism, support writers and human rights lawyers working to stop fascism in America (e.g. like yours truly). Read the work of non-profit media like ProPublica, The Appeal, and more. We may not have the billions of dollars in autocrat dark money, but we have strength in numbers and your support makes that difference.
Everyone - Organize: Bring friends with you. You are the best ambassador for justice in your friend group—lead by example. Grab even one friend and drag them with you to the next school board meeting, city council session, next phone banking session to an elected official, or town hall in your local community. We need to build organizational capacity, and means each one reaches one to get involved. This also means consider joining the General Strike that so far nearly 200,000 Americans have joined. The goal is to reach 11 million Americans. You can find out more at GeneralStrikeUS.
Conclusion
Left or right, I don’t think anyone can honestly claim they are “better off” than they were 100 days ago. Consumer confidence is collapsing, the stock market is volatile, housing prices are still not affordable, interest rates are still high, groceries are still high, and yes, gasoline costs more. But at least that trans kid is banned from sports! It’s long past time we reject the MAGA culture wars used to distract from economic injustices. We must recognize that billionaire oligarchs will undermine the humanity in all of us, left or right, if it makes them a few extra bucks.
We need unity in this time of crisis.
The only way to fight back is through relentless resistance, organization, and action, as I’ve described above. Invest in tools like Ground News, invest in new media who refuses to capitulate to Trump, and invest in your local community. It is imperative we remember what justice looks like and continue to fight for that justice. I will continue to document and expose these autocratic attacks as they unfold, and I encourage you to act on the action items mentioned above. Again—do not let legality and power be a measure of morality and justice. And finally, I need and welcome your continued support to advance my human rights advocacy.
Resist. Activate. Communicate. Invest. Educate. Organize. Subscribe. And share. Thank you for your trust in this battle for democracy itself.
An earlier version of this article cited assertions that German authorities had arrested Russian spies with Hegseth’s cell phone number. That was proven to be false, so I am updating this article accordingly and regret my error.
Qasim, thank you deeply for documenting these brutal realities without hedging. Your clarity that fascism is here — not merely approaching — is crucial, and your cataloging of specific state violence is essential.
I write this in solidarity, and because your courage deserves a full reckoning with what we are truly facing.
While you rightly expose the fascist acceleration under Trump, the deeper truth is that what we are living through is not a rupture from American ideals — it is the system functioning exactly as designed. As someone like a Wendy Brown has sharply analyzed, neoliberalism has systematically dismantled the public, erased society, sanctified markets, and redefined “freedom” as the right to dominate without accountability. Under neoliberal reason, inequality is naturalized, cruelty is moralized, and solidarity and justice are seen as dangerous.
Capitalism and justice can never be reconciled. Capitalism requires inequality, suffering, and domination to sustain the market’s extraction of surplus value as profit. True justice — collective emancipation, shared dignity, material equity — would collapse the very markets that capitalism, neoliberalism, and neocolonial white supremacy depend upon.
This also clarifies why liberalism and the Democratic Party are not merely ineffective in the face of rising fascism — they are literally structurally committed to obstructing true justice. Performative allyship. Never a pathway to transformative change. Liberalism’s primary loyalty is not to human liberation, but to the preservation of capitalist order. Period. When faced with the choice between revolution and authoritarianism, liberals — historically and today — reliably choose authoritarianism to protect markets. They fear the loss of hierarchy far more than they fear dictatorship.
Your work in exposing the reality of the crisis is a crucial step — and must be honored as such. But it also remains trapped within the horizon of privileged whiteness adjacent liberal proceduralism: it calls us to save a system that was never built for justice, only for hierarchy. To truly resist fascism, we must reject not only its authoritarian forms but also its capitalist roots.
Anything less than full anti-capitalist struggle denies true justice. To claim otherwise — to imagine justice without abolition — is not only hypocritical but logically incoherent. There is no future of dignity, freedom, or collective flourishing that can coexist with capitalism’s demand for endless extraction, exploitation, and domination.
True freedom is not the freedom to compete, dominate, and consume — it is the freedom to belong, to be safe, and to share dignity across all difference.
I say all this not to diminish your work, but because I value it deeply — and because I understand the pull toward pragmatism when the violence feels insurmountable. But if we are already resisting, already risking, already daring to name fascism — then why stop short of the full dream? Why compromise with the very system that manufactures our despair? If we are going to fight, why not fight for everything. Because the world we need cannot be negotiated into existence — it must be built through refusal, through courage, through collective solitary/mutual care/direct action, and through uncompromising and ultimately through radical love.
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