In 2016, Donald Trump’s presidential win came as a surprise to many people, which inspired resistance and energized liberals and progressives across the country: from the ubiquitous pink hats of the Women’s March, to striking cab drivers fighting Trump’s attempted Muslim ban, scores of people came together to push back against unconstitutional policies. But after Trump’s 2024 win, that energy doesn’t seem there. Are people tired? Numb? Resigned? What does resistance look like when we have to do it all over again? For groups like the ACLU, the battle will take place in the courtroom, where they had several big wins against the last Trump administration. AJ Hikes, ACLU Deputy Executive Director for Strategy and Culture, joins us. And in headlines: Vivek Ramaswamy says his and Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” will “delete” entire agencies via executive order, President Joe Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles against Russia, Israeli airstrikes kill nearly 100 Palestinians in Gaza, and a top Hezbollah official in Beirut, and the Democratic Party is still blowing up your phone with fundraising texts.
It's Monday, November 18th.
I'm Jane Coston and this is Water Day, the show that will not be taking a four year long cruise to avoid Donald Trump's presidency.
Largely because this show doesn't do cruises.
Locked on a ship for four years.
I'm not Odysseus.
I do not have that kind of time.
On today's show, Vivek Ramaswamy says he'll delete agencies as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which is not a department.
And President Biden approves the use of long range missiles for Ukraine's military.
Let's get into it in 2016, Donald Trump's presidential win surprised a lot of people, and the reaction was immediate.
The 2017 Women's March took place in big cities, in tiny towns across the country and around the world.
The day after his inauguration, people stood up to the Muslim ban in airports and in courtrooms.
They joined organizations fighting for immigrants and for LGBTQ rights.
And they ran for office up and down the ballot because, well, if he could run and win, so could pretty much anyone else.
But in 2024, after another Trump presidential victory, many people seem tired.
We did this once.
We did.
We were all there.
And now we have to do it again.
Do we really have it in us to resist?
And what does that even mean?