Judgement(s) day(s)
The Courts Strike Back
Unless you actively seek out news about the resistance over here, things honestly look a bit bleak. There’s not much coverage of the protests—aside from a large one planned for Trump’s birthday, which also happens to be the day he’s organized a military parade for himself. That kind of thing is unheard of over here.
Among my friends and me, the air has gone out of the balloon. We feel powerless. The demonstrations feel, as they say, like a fart in a flashlight. We nod, shake our heads, and agree that everything’s a mess—but everyday life goes on. Prices have crept up, discounts and bonuses have vanished. There’s a steady stream of absurdities from the White House, but the resistance... is passive.
And yet—if you look a bit closer, some interesting things are happening, even if they’re still mostly anecdotal.
There are growing reports of people physically blocking ICE agents from arresting immigrants. ICE is part of immigration enforcement and is known for detaining immigrants—often illegally, even those with legal status. Their ‘detention centers’ are at 125% capacity, and there are reports of insufficient and moldy food. As more and more people are arrested, it starts to hit neighbors and friends directly—and there seems to be a budding revolt against ICE’s methods and the fact that people are being deported without the right to appeal.
There’s also rising discontent in the business world. Several CEOs—including some who supported Trump’s campaign—are anything but happy. Small businesses are folding, and even large ones are struggling to find logic in his tariff policies. There are more and more articles pointing out how Elon Musk didn’t save money at all, but actually cost the country. The emperor has no clothes.
You’re starting to see former MAGA voters, especially immigrants and small business owners, expressing regret. It’s heartwarming, I guess—but honestly, I have no sympathy for them. Sorry but zero fucks given.
Several of the companies that became targets of Trump’s personal vendettas have now sued him—and it looks like they’re winning.
The main battleground right now is the court system. The courts are blocking Trump’s executive orders daily—defeat after defeat after defeat. Right now, the judiciary seems to be the strongest line of defense against a rapid descent into fascism. Naturally, Trump appeals every ruling, but there’s growing evidence that many of his firings were illegal, his deportations illegal, his changes to election rules illegal… Hundreds of cases are already underway, with many more coming. He wins some, of course, but most seem to be blocked.
Now he’s begun attacking the judges directly. Some have been assigned security. They’re labeled “activist judges” when they rule against him. His team is extremely good at finding legal loopholes, so we can expect many more legal attacks—and pressure to get judges to step down so he can install loyal replacements. We’ll see how it ends, but for now, the courts are the front line of the resistance.
And then there was yesterday. WOW. Elon and Trump.
Not much needs to be said—just grab some (Danish) popcorn and enjoy the show.
(Danish Version)
Brev #15 fra USA
Judgement days
Hvis man ikke ligefrem opsøger nyheder om modstanden herovre, så ser det ærlig talt lidt trist ud. Der bliver ikke rapporteret meget om protesterne – bortset fra en stor én, planlagt på Trumps fødselsdag, hvor han i øvrigt også har arrangeret en militærparade for sig selv. Det er uhørt herovre.
Blandt mig og mine venner er luften ved at sive ud af ballonen. Vi føler os magtesløse. Demonstrationerne føles, som man siger, som en fis i en vandlygte. Vi nikker, ryster på hovedet og er enige om, at det hele er noget lort – men hverdagen kører videre. Priserne er steget lidt, rabatter og bonusser er forsvundet. Der kommer daglige absurditeter fra Det Hvide Hus, men modstanden er... passiv.
Og dog – hvis man kigger lidt mere grundigt efter, så sker der faktisk nogle interessante ting, selvom det stadig mest er på anekdotisk niveau.
Der rapporteres flere steder om folk, der fysisk har blokeret ICE-agenter fra at anholde immigranter. ICE er en del af immigrationspolitiet, kendt for at tilbageholde immigranter – ofte ulovligt, og endda dem med lovligt ophold. Deres ‘fængsler’ er overfyldte (125% kapacitet), og der er meldinger om utilstrækkelig og muggen mad. Nu hvor flere og flere bliver anholdt, rammer det naboer og venner direkte – og der begynder at ulme en form for oprør mod ICE’s metoder og det faktum, at man kan blive sendt ud af landet uden mulighed for appel.
Der er også voksende utilfredshed i erhvervslivet. Flere direktører, inklusive nogle der støttede Trumps kampagne, er nu alt andet end tilfredse. Små virksomheder bukker under, og selv de store har svært ved at finde meningen med hans toldpolitik. Der er flere artikler om, hvordan Elon Musk faktisk ikke sparede penge, men i stedet endte med at koste landet noget. Kejseren har ingen klæder.
Man begynder at se tidligere MAGA-vælgere, især immigranter og små forretningsejere, som nu fortryder. Det er da hjertevarmende – men ærligt talt, jeg føler ikke noget for dem. Som man siger herovre: zero fucks given.
Flere virksomheder, der er blevet mål for Trumps personlige hævntogter, har nu sagsøgt ham – og ser ud til at vinde.
Den store kamp foregår i retssystemet. Domstolene blokerer hans dekreter dagligt – nederlag efter nederlag, med nederlag ovenpå. Det ser ud til, at det er domstolene, der lige nu er det største værn mod et hurtigt fald mod fascisme. Trump appellerer selvfølgelig hver eneste afgørelse, men meget tyder på, at mange af hans fyringer var ulovlige, udvisningerne ulovlige, valg ændringerne ulovlige… og flere hundrede sager er allerede i gang – med mange flere på vej. Han vinder naturligvis nogle, men det meste bliver blokeret.
Nu er han så begyndt at angribe dommerne direkte. Nogle af dem har fået livvagter. De bliver kaldt “aktivist-dommere”, hvis de går imod ham. Hans folk er dygtige til at finde huller i lovgivningen, så der kommer sikkert mange flere angreb – og pres for at få dem til at gå af, så han kan indsætte egne folk. Vi får se hvordan det ender, men domstolene er lige nu modstandens frontlinje.
Og så var der i går. WOW, Elon og Trump!
Der er vist ikke så meget at sige – køb nogle (danske) popcorn og nyd showet.
