Many Democrats feeling too 'exhausted' to launch resistance movement for another Trump presidency: Report
Many anti-Trump liberal activists don’t know if they have it in them to keep up a resistance movement against President-elect Donald Trump for another four years, The New York Times reports.
The outlet spoke to multiple anti-Trumpers following Trump’s resounding re-election, who indicated they’re already finding it hard to get motivated to organize against the president-elect’s agenda, especially since he won more decisively this time than in 2016.
"So many of us are so exhausted. I don’t mean to be so bleak, but that’s how it feels today," Cynthia Shaw, a Democratic activist and poll worker from Detroit told the Times.
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Many Democratic voters became vocal anti-Trump activists in the wake of his 2016 win, organizing rallies, marches, and stumping for liberal politicians to stymie the then-president’s first-term agenda.
One of the more prominent displays of massive anti-Trump resistance happened just after he was sworn in, in 2017, when several hundred thousand Americans donned pink hats and gathered in Washington, D.C., for the Women’s March.
The opposition movement continued unabated throughout Trump’s presidency, keeping the left energized and inflaming tensions throughout the country. However, The Times reported that the movement’s passion may be dwindling.
"Now that Mr. Trump is president-elect once more, preparing to lead a still-divided country that voted more decisively in his favor this time, many of those same people are wondering if they can summon the strength to do it all — or even some of it — over again," the outlet reported.
Resistance member and photographer from North Carolina, Ken Turco, told the outlet he’s done with political activism following Trump’s win this week. "I’m done. I’m just tired of it. Nothing ever changes in this country. There’s too many that feel differently than I do."
Turco admitted he deleted all of his social media and news apps following the results and added that he would stop his volunteer work helping North Carolina residents rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Helene because they live in Republican-leaning counties.
"I could care less what happens to them. They voted for it; they’re going to get it. They’re going to get everything they asked for," Turco said.
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A history professor from New Jersey, Elizabeth Hyde, told The Times she’s not sure that she would attend another Women’s March in the second Trump term.
"I found myself saying, ‘I don’t know, because it might be too dangerous,’ And I think that speaks to the changes that we’ve experienced between 2016 and today," she said.
Manny Yekutiel, a San Francisco native who threw a party for Vice President Kamala Harris on Election Night, recognized the need for more anti-Trump resistance but admitted people are tired.
"There is a feeling of greater exhaustion. We did this already," he said, adding, "We need to take a deep look as Democrats, as liberals, as San Franciscans, at loneliness, economic uncertainty and fear. How do we diagnose those issues and solve them?"
Not all resistance members said they were worn down. Although Colorado native Liz Folkestead admitted she Googled "How to move me and two kids to Portugal," she told the outlet she is not done fighting.
"My anger drives a fire. I will engage. I’ll show up, I’ll march. There is solace in knowing that you’re not alone."