Plan B. Accountability is Not Working.

Christine Merser, May 16, 2025

Let’s be honest—we look stupid. Rep. Shri Thanedar introduced an impeachment resolution against Donald Trump this week. It was detailed, specific, and damning. And he stood alone. Literally. His co-sponsors bailed. Reporters didn’t show. No one wanted to be associated with it. It was quietly withdrawn before it could embarrass the party any further. This is what resistance looks like now? One man, a folding table, and homemade signs?

We are so barking up the wrong tree. Trump isn’t going to be stopped by decorum. By process. By press releases or “demanding accountability.” By hearings that no one is paying attention to except the representative looking for a soundbite. The people who are supposed to be in power are paralyzed, and the rest of us are stuck hoping the next viral video will be the one that changes everything. It won’t. But if we want to know what will work, we can look at what has worked, in other countries, when their democracy (or the last scraps of it) was on the line.

We have to adapt. OK, I don’t have the plan totally in place yet, but bear with me.

Remember Serbia? I’m going to start there.

Serbia 2000 – Creative Disruption

Slobodan Milošević refused to concede power. Students and opposition groups staged massive, constant, and creative protests. Graffiti campaigns, fake obituaries, banging pots and pans every night. It wasn’t about asking nicely. It was about making life unmanageable for the regime. Constantly.

That takes discipline, which we’ve never had to have before … but maybe we can learn?

Daily, visible, public mockery. Trump hates being humiliated. A coordinated campaign targeting his ego, projected in cities, plastered in airports, mocked online, memed to hell. Imagine 500 women in inflatable sumo suits standing outside Trump Tower with signs saying I still look better than Donny. Imagine night after night of coordinated pot-banging protests at 8 PM, from windows and front steps. If you want to crack his armor, don’t argue policy—wound his pride.

1980s South Africa – Economic Sabotage and Boycotts

Apartheid didn’t fall because of moral appeals. It fell under economic pressure. Local and international boycotts starved the regime of money and legitimacy.

Maybe we identify and name the companies, donors, and influencers still propping up Trumpism—those who advertise on his platforms, fund his PACs, host his events. More often. Individuals committing to one post per day… Not just “boycott.” That’s passive. We organize coordinated economic pressure with receipts. Public spreadsheets. Weekly callouts. Make association with Trumpism as toxic to a brand as asbestos. Think of it like political Yelp—updated daily and relentlessly shared.

OK, I know, I know. But build on it. Don’t just shoot me down.

Poland 1980s – The Power of the Circle

The anti-communist movement, Solidarity, was built in small, trust-based circles. They met quietly, planned together, and supported one another through deep, personal networks. It was slow, but it was unstoppable.

Start neighborhood cells. Small groups—five, ten people—meeting once a week to coordinate real action. Not just book clubs or venting sessions. We’re talking letter-writing, local protest planning, voter engagement, organizing local business alliances. Think old-school consciousness-raising groups with a mission and a calendar. These groups become the infrastructure for action when a moment strikes. That’s how we build capacity.

Philippines 1986 – Cultural Embarrassment and Isolation

Ferdinand Marcos didn’t fall just because of politics. What finally tipped the scales was a cultural rebellion. Artists, musicians, clergy, and celebrities turned against him—publicly. They stopped showing up. They called him out. And suddenly, it wasn’t cool to be seen siding with a dictator. Marcos lost not just power but face. That’s what brought the regime down.

Trump doesn’t care about governing. He cares about looking powerful, adored, and relevant. So we hit him where it hurts: his image. In my memory, one of the best moments in the 2020 campaign wasn’t a speech or a debate—it was a prank. Trump’s team bragged that over 100,000 people had requested tickets for a Tulsa rally. But TikTok teens and K-pop fans flooded the system and bought out the seats. When Trump walked on stage, it was a sea of empty chairs. His pride took a real, public blow. That’s the blueprint.

Imagine if every Trump-attended Kennedy Center event “sold out” in seconds—only to have rows of empty seats. Even better? What if the people who did show up were the very MAGA fans he’s always kept at arm’s length—uninvited to Mar-a-Lago, never pictured in the donor lounges, rarely seen on his golf course. Let them sit in tuxedos they bought at Goodwill, take selfies, and live-stream from the velvet seats while Trump seethes backstage. Give him the audience he pretends to love and force him to face who they really are.

OK, this one is not nice, but I don’t care. How about we send engraved invitations to MAGA influencers to attend dinner at Mar-a-Lago: DT invites you to join him… In the mail. When they arrive? What’s he going to do? They deliver pizzas to judges; we invite his posse to dinner… at his place.

This isn’t just sabotage. It’s theater. And Trump hates being upstaged.

Eastern Bloc – Leaking from Within

Communist regimes started to collapse when insiders leaked not just memos, but stories—the personal betrayals, humiliations, infighting. The myth of strength unraveled.

There are Trump insiders with stories to tell. We need a well-funded, high-profile, glamorous platform for them to do it. Not buried court documents. Not long-read investigations behind paywalls. We need TrumpLeaks—a campaign or platform that collects and publicizes insider accounts. Think tabloid energy with journalistic standards. Partner with documentarians. Make it entertainment. Let them eat each other.

This is not going to be won by being polite. It will not be won by “respecting the office” or “letting the system work.” The system is bleeding out. If we want to win, we have to start doing what works.

I put it out to you for thoughts and ideas. Are you in? We can set this up. Won’t take that much.