While the anger has not dissipated, another emotion seems to be rising to the surface: helplessness. Many Americans are skeptical of the ability of politicians in Washington, particularly the Republicans, to hold all of the terrorists and their supporters accountable.
That helplessness is not without foundation. Time and time again for the last four years the American public has watched President Donald Trump avoid accountability for his outrageous and immoral behavior. Republicans have consistently enabled him, and our judicial system, with the exception of the election issues, has not been able to thwart his constant judicial stalling and obstruction. Color the American public skeptical that this time our institutions will deliver.
The bottom line is, while there are multiple options, it is still possible the President can run out the clock and once again avoid any legal responsibility for his actions. That’s where the helplessness comes from for the majority of Americans. We’ve seen this movie before, and we don’t like how it ends.
The good news for all Americans is that they are not completely helpless in punishing Trump for taking the country to the brink of authoritarianism. We all have power to deny him the vast privileges and riches that come with the distinction of being the former president of the United States.
How do we do that? Here’s a few ideas to make sure former President Trump feels the pain he has inflicted on our country:
If you work at a company, belong to an organization or trade association or an institution of higher education, let your bosses know that you won’t tolerate paying Trump to come speak at events, conferences or any sort of engagement. Don’t wait until he’s booked, let them know in advance that he’s not welcome. If you are a lecture agency and take Trump on as a client, understand that your other clients will go elsewhere for representation.
We all buy books from the major publishers. Let them know you will no longer buy their books if they sign Trump to a book deal. Tell your local officials to stay away from Trump. No renaming of airports, highways or public buildings — I might exclude toxic waste dumps and landfills from this list, however. If they don’t listen, vote them out of office.
Make sure the Trump Organization is not afforded any the tax breaks for building in your community. And no donations of land for a Presidential library. Let him build it in the smoking room at Mar-a-Lago.
No throwing out the first pitch at the World Series. No invitation to toss the coin for the Super Bowl or drop the ball at the World Cup. And Olympics — forget about it. Want to get him where it really hurts? Pressure the golf governing bodies to sever all ties with him and his golf courses.
If you work in the finance industry, tell your leadership they must say no to any requests for financing from the Trump Organization. If they hold debt, tell them to call it January 21. If you’re an investor, tell your broker or bank just say no to Trump or your money will walk.
Trump must be held accountable for crimes against the state. We all have some power to help with holding him accountable and should not hesitate to use it going forward. Trump screwed up the most important job in the world — president of the United States. Let’s make sure he doesn’t benefit now from the best job in the world — former president of the United States. And for those who say this is cancel culture run amok, I say it’s perfectly legal citizen justice well earned by Donald J Trump.